Winterizing Your Vehicle To Keep You And Your Family Safe On The Roads

With the coming of fall also comes the changing of leaves and colder weather.  While there is still a month or two before the weather starts to get really cold however, there are some important precautions to take when maintaining and preparing your vehicle for the colder, snowy months of the year.  The preventative maintenance experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have compiled a pre-winter preventative maintenance check list for you to consider as the colder months approach. 

• Check Your Coolant Level: Otherwise known as antifreeze, coolant performs several important functions in your vehicle's engine.  During the colder months it is especially important to maintain this fluid as low coolant levels can put your engine at risk to overheating or worse.  The coolant should be a 50/50 mixture of water and the coolant ideally.  This helps to keep your engine cool while preventing the water from freezing in your lines.
• Inspect Your Tires: There are 3 main things you need to look for when inspecting your tires to make sure they are prepared for the winter months.  

• The first and most important detail to inspect is the tread depth on each of your tires.  Typically you should consider replacing any tire with a tread depth below 1/8 of an inch.  An easy way to figure this out is by inserting a penny upside down in the tread of your tire.  If you are able to see most or all of Abraham Lincoln's head while the penny is in the tread, then you should consider replacing your tires soon.  
• The second detail to inspect on your tires is tire pressure.  Typically tires will lose a little bit of air pressure in colder weather, so it is important to keep them well inflated (typically around 35 psi) to your vehicle's specifications.  
• The third and final detail you need to check on your tires is for any signs of dry-rot or sidewall cracks.  Typically this means your tire could be at risk for a blowout or tread separation.
• Inspect Your Wipers And Wiper Fluid: The last thing you want to happen on a busy snowy interstate is to be stuck behind a semi-truck that is flinging up the nasty road salt onto your windshield and not be able to clean it off.  This can lead to impaired visibility on the road and can put you and other drivers in danger.  Having plenty of wiper fluid and a new set of wiper blades should do the trick, and is a key part of your winter road safety for a small price.
  
• Check Your Battery Posts: A common cause of starter problems in the winter for vehicles can be linked to corroded, gunky battery posts.  A quick DIY fix to clean your battery before the cold weather hits is to pour Coca-Cola over top of the corrosion.  Watch as the battery gunk melts away!  
• Inspect Your Brakes: Simply look at the pad pressed against the metal rotor on each of your wheels.  If you notice that there is 1/4 of an inch or less left on the pad, then consider getting new breaks.  Having weak breaks or no breaks in the winter can put you and other drivers on the road in serious danger.
•  Maintain Your Engine's Oil: The oil change experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. can't recommend this enough that you keep your engine's oil up-to-date every 3,000-5,000 miles or so.  Old gunky oil can lose much of it's original oil properties and impair parts of your engine especially in the colder months of the year.

Since 1968 Bob Sumerel Tire Co. has been committed to keeping you and your loved ones safe on the road throughout the year.  If you are not sure what maintenance your vehicle may need before winter, please feel free to visit your local Bob Sumere Tire store for a FREE preventative maintenance check.  Bob Sumerel really does care.

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4 Common Headlight Problems And How To Fix Them From Northeastern Ohio's Automotive Headlight Experts

Headlights aren't always something that we typically think about when driving on the road, but they are extremely important for the obvious reasons one might think of.  Just like any other light bulb, your car's headlights can experience the same problems.  That is why the headlight automotive service experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have made this list on how to fix the 4 most common headlight problems.

1. Only One Headlight Works: Possibly the most common out of the 4 problems listed, this can be the result of a couple different factors.  Just like light bulbs in your house, car headlight bulbs have limited lifespans based on the hours of use.  The typical headlight will normally last between 600 and 2,000 hours of being on, which equates to around 6 years of use for the average person driving between 12,000 and 15,000 miles a year.  However, before replacing the bulb it is important to check the electrical connector and wires on the back of your headlight for any loose connections or corrosion.  Once you are positive that the bulb is burned out refer to your owners manual for replacing it.  Typically headlights will be replaced by removing the bulb from it's back housing.  Make sure the replacement bulb is the same size and style as the original burned out bulb.
2.  Both Headlights Aren't Working: Aside from the above reason stated where both of the headlights could be burned out, there are other causes to both of your headlights not working.  If both your headlight bulbs are still good, then the cause could be that there is no electricity reaching the bulbs due to a bad headlight relay, fuse, module, dimmer switch, or wiring.  To get a free diagnostic maintenance check on your headlight problems in this case feel free to call you local Bob Sumerel Tire store.
3. Fluctuating Brightness From Headlights: This problem is most likely the result of an alternator going bad or the actual drive belt of the alternator starting to slip.  The chances are that if your alternator is starting to go bad or slipping that your vehicle will also struggle to idle and in serious cases stall.  If you experience fluctuating headlights or engine idling make sure to stop by your local Bob Sumerel Tire store immediately to stop your vehicle from stalling on the side of the road.
4. Dim Headlights: There could be several different causes to this particular problem.  Your headlights could be dirty, fogging on the inside of the headlight lens, discolored on the plastic headlight cover, or improperly aimed headlights.  Most of these problems can just be solved by cleaning your headlights,
   
   however, if there is moisture inside the housing or the discoloration extends down far into the plastic you might need to consider getting a new headlight housing.  If your headlights need to be re-aimed, feel free to bring your vehicle to your local Bob Sumerel Tire store for quick and professional service.

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The 6 Most Important Fluids To Maintain In Your Vehicle As Colder Weather Approaches

With summer coming to a close and colder weather starting to knock on the door it is important to keep your vehicle in peak condition.  The harsh colder weather of winter combined with the nasty road salt can cause all kinds of issues if your vehicle is not properly maintained with the correct fluids.  The fluid flush experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have compiled a list of the 6 most important fluids to maintain in your vehicle to keep you and your family rolling safely and smoothly on the roads, especially in the impending colder months of the year.

• Motor Oil - While this is the most commonly thought of fluid in your engine, it should not be discounted as not important in the least bit.  Motor oil not only lubricates the various parts of your engine, but prevents internal parts from rusting as well as captures debris particles that can make their way into your engine.  Without fresh motor oil your engine may be at risk to corrosion or worse, so make sure to keep an eye on that oil change sticker and stay up to date with it!
• Transmission Fluid - While transmission fluid functions in similar manners as motor oil it also provides other unique services to your engine.  Transmission fluid will move through an automatic transmission and get pressurized in order to allow for the basic functions of your vehicle's transmission such as shifting gears.  
• Coolant - This fluid helps to lower the freezing temperature of water in your engine while
  
  simultaneously keeping your engine from getting too hot.  Coolant, also known as antifreeze, helps to prevent corrosion and keep various parts of your engine lubricated as well. 
• Wiper Fluid - This fluid is a combination of several chemicals that helps to break down nasty gunk that can spread around on your windshield.  It is especially important to maintain your wiper fluid level in the colder months of the year to avoid any smearing of road salt on your windshield that can impair your field of view while driving.  
• Brake Fluid - Just like transmission fluid, brake fluid is pressurized when force is applied to the brake pedal in the vehicle.  This will then activate the brakes on your vehicle.  It's of obvious importance as to why this fluid must be maintained, especially on slick roads in the colder months.
• Power Steering - While power steering fluid is one of the least commonly thought of fluids in your engine it provides extremely important functions to your vehicle.  The fluid flows through an opening in your steering column to allow for easier steering on the road.  This fluid is recommended to be changed once every 30,000 miles or so. 

If you are not sure what fluids you might need replaced, then feel free to call or visit your local Bob Sumerel Tire location.  They specialize in everything from new tires to coolant flushes.  Bob Sumerel Tire Co. is committed to keeping you and your family rolling safely and smoothly on the roads.

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