Fort Collins Auto Repair

  With gas prices on the rise, everyone’s looking for ways to save money at the pump. The good news is that with a few simple changes in how you drive and care for your car, you can improve your gas mileage and keep your wallet happy. Here’s how: 1. Maintain Proper Tire Pressure Under-inflated tires can reduce fuel efficiency by up to 3%. Check your tire pressure monthly, especially during temperature changes, as tires naturally lose air. Properly inflated tires reduce rolling resistance, making your car more fuel-efficient. 2. Drive Smoothly and Avoid Rapid Acceleration Aggressive driving, such as rapid acceleration and hard braking, can lower your gas mileage by as much as 30%. Try to accelerate slowly, maintain a steady speed, and brake gently. Use cruise control on highways to keep your speed constant. ... read more

5 Essential Car Maintenance Tips for Spring Spring is here, which means it’s time to shake off the winter wear and tear on your car. Cold temperatures, snow, and road salt can take a toll on your vehicle, so now is the perfect time to get it ready for warmer months. Here are five essential car maintenance tips to keep your car running smoothly this spring. 1. Check and Rotate Your Tires Winter driving conditions can cause uneven tire wear. Rotating your tires ensures they wear evenly, improving traction and extending their lifespan. Also, check your tire pressure—cold weather can cause tires to deflate, so make sure they’re properly inflated for better fuel efficiency and handling. 2. Inspect Your Brakes Salt and moisture from winter roads can lead to rust and brake wear ... read more

  Your car’s brakes are one of the most essential safety features. They allow you to stop your vehicle when necessary, whether it’s for a red light or to avoid a dangerous situation. Without properly maintained brakes, you could be putting yourself and others at risk. That’s why regular brake maintenance is so important. One of the main reasons to maintain your brakes is to avoid brake failure. If you ignore warning signs like squeaking, grinding, or a soft brake pedal, it could mean your brake pads are worn out. When brake pads wear down too much, they can damage the rotors, which are more expensive to repair. If your brakes stop working properly, you may not be able to stop your car in time, increasing the risk of an accident. Regular brake inspections also ensure your brakes are working efficiently. Over time, brake fluid can become dirty or low, causing your brakes to respond slowly or unevenly. This can make it harder to stop quickly, especially during an ... read more

How to Extend the Life of Your Car: Essential Maintenance Tips A car is one of the most significant investments you can make, and just like any investment, it requires care and attention to ensure it lasts as long as possible. Regular maintenance is key to preserving your vehicle’s lifespan and keeping it running smoothly. Whether you’ve just bought a new car or are looking to extend the life of an older model, maintaining it well can save you a lot of time, money, and stress. Here are some essential tips to help you extend the life of your car. 1. Change Your Oil Regularly One of the most important and simple maintenance tasks you can do is changing your oil. Oil keeps the engine parts lubricated, preventing friction that can lead to engine damage. Over time, oil breaks down and becomes less effective, which can cause your engine to overheat and wear out more quickly ... read more

DO YOU STILL NEED AN OIL CHANGE IF YOU DON'T DRIVE OFTEN? Absolutely! Even if you don't drive your vehicle often, it's still crucial to get regular oil changes. Here's why: Oil Breakdown: Oil breaks down over time due to exposure to heat, moisture, and oxygen, regardless of how often you drive. This breakdown reduces its lubricating properties, which can lead to increased friction and wear on your engine parts. Contaminants: Even if your car sits idle, contaminants such as dust, dirt, and moisture can still find their way into the oil. These contaminants can cause sludge buildup and decrease the oil's effectiveness in lubricating and protecting your engine. Condensation: When a car sits for extended periods, especially in fluctuating temperatures, condensation can form inside the engine. This moisture can mix with the oil and cause corrosion and rust within the engine components. Engine Protection: Regular oil changes not only lubricate engine parts but also he ... read more

Your vehicle's transmission is a crucial component that allows power to be transferred from the engine to the wheels, enabling movement. To keep it running smoothly, transmission maintenance is essential. In this blog post, we'll delve into the role of transmission fluid and why regular maintenance is key to ensuring your vehicle performs optimally. Plus, don't miss out on our special February offer of 20% off transmission service to keep your car in top condition! The Role of Transmission Fluid: Transmission fluid plays a vital role in keeping your transmission functioning properly. It serves several key purposes: Lubrication: Transmission fluid lubricates the moving parts within the transmission, reducing friction and preventing wear and tear. This helps prolong the lifespan of the transmission components. Cooling: The transmission can generate a significant amount of heat during operation. Transmission fluid helps dissipate this heat, preventing overheating which can ... read more

Question: My new car has a “GDI” engine. What does that mean to me and other Fort Collins vehicles with this new type of engine? Kens Muffler and Automotive Answer: GDI stands for Gasoline Direct Injection. It's a type of fuel injection system that is becoming very popular on modern engines. Let's talk about the two most common forms of fuel injection. Port Fuel Injection has been common in Fort Collins vehicles for the last several decades. With this type, there is a small port just outside the cylinder on the engine. • The fuel injector squirts a bit of gas into this area just before the intake valve opens • When the valve opens, air enters the port and mixes with the gas, then flows past the valve and into the engine • The gas and air mixture is compressed by the piston • The spark plug fires, igniting the gas which pushes against th ... read more

Let's talk about cabin air filters. There seems to be some confusion about them in Fort Collins that we should be able to clear up. Much of the confusion starts because cabin air filters are relatively new. Not all vehicles in Fort Collins have them, so some people confuse their cabin air filter with the engine air filter. Every vehicle in CO has an engine air filter that cleans the air going into the engine, but not all have a cabin air filter that cleans the air going into the passenger compartment. It's easy to get mixed up. The cabin air filter cleans out dust, pollen, spores and other pollutants. To give a point of comparison, a grain of sand is about 200 microns across. A cabin air filter can stop particles that are just 3 microns in size. It really does make the passenger cabin a much more pleasant environment. When the cabin air filter gets dirty, you just need to replace it. Your owner's manual ... read more

As your engine runs, dirt gets into the oil. Oil sludge can also start to build up. Fortunately, motor oil contains detergents that clean the engine and gather up contaminates. The oil circulates through the oil filter where clumps of dirt and sludge are captured. An oil filter can eventually get clogged up — so much so that oil cannot flow freely through the filter material. Of course, you don’t want to starve your engine of oil, so a valve opens in the oil filter allowing oil to bypass the filter material. This keeps your engine lubricated, but dirty oil is circulating through the system. Back in the day of 3 month, 3,000 mile (5,000 kilometer) oil changes, this was only a problem if you forgot to change your oil on schedule. Modern vehicles, however, typically have much longer recommended oil change intervals. 5,000, 10,000 and even 15,000 mile (8,000, 16,000 and even 24,000 kilometer) intervals are common. Of course, you need to use the manufacturer recommended type an ... read more

It’s easy to forget about servicing your transmission because it doesn’t need it very often, but proper transmission service keeps your vehicle running smoothly and helps you avoid costly repairs down the road. The transmission undergoes a lot of stress.  The grit you see in used fluid is actually bits of clutch material. This grit flowing through your transmission under pressure eats away at seals and gaskets which can lead to leaks.  The transmission operates at very high temperatures – much higher than engine temperatures.  Those high temperatures eventually cause the transmission fluid to start to break down and loose efficiency. At best, your transmission won’t operate smoothly.  At worse, it could lead to costly damage. When your transmission’s running properly, it transfers more power from your engine to the drive wheels and improves fuel economy.  That’s why manufacturers have recommended changing your transmission fl ... read more