Month: March 2014

20 Surprising and Interesting Car Facts

Car FactsWe’re all about cars at Affordable Auto Service. That’s why we came up with 20 odd, amusing and trivial facts about these mechanical wonders. Enjoy! 

1. The average fuel cost across all vehicles is 14.45 cents per mile, or about 23 miles per gallon.

2. The best selling car of all-time is the Toyota Corolla.

3. The U.S. consumes about half of the world’s gasoline.

4. Ferrari manufactures a maximum of 14 cars a day.

5. Although 1886 is credited with being the birth year of the modern automobile, the first gas gauge wasn’t installed until 1922.

6. Every year, over $60 billion worth of car maintenance goes unperformed.

7. The average consumer spends $400 a year on diagnostics, scheduled maintenance, and tune-ups.

8. Traffic congestion wastes three billion gallons of gas each year.

9. The first windshield wipers were hand-operated.

10. The most commonly stolen vehicle is the Honda Accord.

11. White is the most popular car color.

12. The total average repair cost in the U.S. is $305.55, including $202.28 for parts and $103.27 for labor.

13. The average American will spend two weeks of his or her life stopped at red lights.

14. 90 percent of drivers admit to signing behind the wheel.

15. The first cars did not have steering wheels. They were operated by a lever.

16. An airbag inflates within 40 milliseconds of a crash.

17. It takes half an ounce of gas to start a car.

18. Most car horns beep in the key of “F”.

19. The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world.

20. Faulty oxygen sensors account for 40 percent of all check engine light related issues.

Related sources: CarMD.com, Yahoo Autos, Visual.ly, PrecisionTune.com, TexasMotorCars.com

Go Green With These Car Care Tips

Green Car Care TipsAlthough St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, we thought we’d stick with the spirit of the holiday by discussing some “green” car care tips.

Proper Tire Care – Taking care of your tires is one of the easiest ways to improve your fuel efficiency. The farther you go on a tank of gas, the better, for both you and the environment.

The easiest way to make sure your tires are properly inflated is by checking your tire pressure regularly. You can check the pressure in just a few seconds with the help of a pressure gauge, so get in the habit of checking your tires twice a month or before a long road trip. Your tires are more susceptible to pressure change as the weather warms and cools, so keep an eye on your tires as we embark on another interesting Minnesota spring.

Oil Care – Replacing your oil at the recommended intervals is another way to improve your car’s overall performance. Many mechanics will tell you that regular maintenance and oil changes are the best way to extend the life of your vehicle. Consider getting your oil filter changed when the oil is getting replaced. If your filter is clogged, your fuel efficiency will decrease.

Also, whether you change your own oil or take it into a shop, make sure the old oil gets recycled. Car oil can be very detrimental to wildlife and ecosystems if it is disposed of irresponsibly. Ask your mechanic what they do with the oil, and if you preform the job yourself, hold on to your old oil until you can get it to a proper disposal location.

Tune Up Time – As we noted above, regular maintenance is the best way to keep your car in optimal shape, but it is also important to quickly fix issues when they arise. You wouldn’t wait a week to go to the doctor if you broke your arm, so don’t hold off on fixing your muffler if it breaks.

As is the theme with these tips, neglecting to fix something that is negatively affecting your fuel efficiency is not only harmful for the environment, but also bad for your wallet. Putting off some maintenance might seem like you’re saying money, but if the problem snowballs into a larger issue or if you are ticketed for a motor vehicle violation, your expenses are going to skyrocket.

Green Car Products – There are plenty of car parts on the market that are better for the environment than others. For example, your can buy low rolling resistance tires, which help improve your fuel economy, or you can purchase green products like environmentally friendly windshield wiper fluid or antifreeze. Better yet, purchase one of these environmentally friendly vehicles!

For more information about what you can do to “go green” when it comes to auto care, give us a call or stop on in to our shop today!

Reporting Potholes in Minnesota

As we noted last week, potholes can cause major damage to your car. Now that temperatures are on the rise, you’ve no doubt encountered a swarm of potholes during one of your commutes. Hopefully you’ve been able to avoid the big potholes, but that wasn’t the case for one Minnesotan whose airbags deployed when he ran over a rather nasty pothole.

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Like we said, we’re more than happy to help you fix any issues that may arise from hitting a pothole: Alignment, damaged tires, broken bearings, handing issues, etc. Although we can fix your car, we can’t fix the pothole that dinged your car in the first place. If you want to let the city know about a dangerous pothole, here’s what you need to do.

Calling In a Pothole

The first thing you need to do is note the location of the pothole. You might be surprised to learn that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) only replaces and maintains interstates and state highways. Here is a map of the interstate and state highways in the Twin Cities metro area. If the pothole is on one of these roads in the Twin Cities metro area, follow this link to report it to MnDOT. If the pothole is on an interstate or state highway outside of the metro area, you’ll have to report it by contacting your local MnDOT maintenance representative.

Since MnDOT only fixes potholes on interstates and state highways, you’ll have to go through a slightly different reporting process if the pothole is on a less-trafficked street. The Transportation Department asks citizens to report these potholes to the county or city where the pothole is located. Just remember that your submission is considered public information, so don’t say anything that you wouldn’t be comfortable seeing in print if it got picked up by a news station.

If your car is making a funny noise after hitting a pothole, or if it doesn’t seem to be working correctly, give us a call. We’ve fixed many different problems caused by potholes, so let our trained technicians take a look at your car. We’ll have your car running smoothly in no time.

Related source: Minnesota Department of Transportation

I Hit a Pothole With My Car – Now What?

I Hit a PotholePothole season is upon us, which means you’ll likely see plenty of drivers swerving all over to keep their car from succumbing to one of many concrete craters. Even the best drivers in the world can’t avoid every pothole, so be prepared for bumpy driving conditions for the next few months. Today, we talk about some common problems caused by potholes, and what you should do if you hit a pothole with your car.

Pothole Pains

Potholes sprout up every spring as temperatures begin to rise. A pothole occurs when melting snow seeps into cracks in the road. The water then freezes overnight when the temperatures dip below freezing. The frozen water expands, which pressurizes the spot on the road. When the pressure becomes too great, or when a vehicle puts added pressure on the spot by driving over it, the area ruptures.

As more and more cars drive over the pothole, they’ll slowly chip away at the hole causing it to expand in size. The bigger the pothole, the bigger the problem.

Try to avoid potholes if possible, but if a pothole is unavoidable, resist the urge to slam on the breaks. As we likened in a previous post on potholes, driving over a pothole is similar to putting on a green. If you hit your golf ball too hard, it will simply fly right over the hole with little resistance. If you hit it slower, it will drop into the hole. A slower putt may be better in golf, but the slower you drive over a pothole, the farther your car will dip.

If you hit a pothole with your car, keeping driving unless you notice something is wrong. If your car starts pulling in one direction or you hear odd noises, pull over in a safe location. Continuing to drive with a major issue can put you and other drivers on the road in danger.

Problems Caused By Potholes

Potholes can cause a lot of issues with your car, but some problems are more common than others. Common problems caused by potholes include:

Flat or Damaged Tires – A particularly nasty pothole can severely damage or puncture your tires. Fortunately, this calls for a relatively quick and inexpensive fix compared to other issues.

Handling Issues – Potholes can throw off your ability to fully control your car. The concrete chasms can do damage to your bearings, which help turn your car right and left. If you’re having trouble steering after hitting a pothole, pull over as quickly and safely as possible.

Alignment – Similar to handling issues, a pothole can cause your car to pull to the left or right. The problem will only get worse if you ignore it, so stop in to a repair shop to have your car realigned in no time.