Common Myths about Car Washing #2 May 10, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Car Wash and Detail Services, Jollyville Car Wash and Detail Services.add a comment
2. Myth: Washing and cleaning are the same.
FALSE: A car wash removes loose contaminants; cleaning removes stubborn stains, blemishes and bonded contaminants, explains Meguiar. Bonded contaminants? Think tree sap and, almost as bad, an aerosol spray of tire rubber that no one can escape.
“When you’re driving behind someone, the rubber from the tires is landing somewhere — and that’s on your vehicle.”
Common Myths about Car Washing #1 May 7, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Car Wash and Detail Services, Jollyville Car Wash and Detail Services.add a comment
1. Myth: Dishwashing and Laundry Detergents are safe to wash your car with.
FALSE: Dishwashing and Laundry detergents may get all the dirt off your vehicle, but they will also remove important protective coatings off the paint surface and dry out the paint on your car. Dish soap and laundry detergent are actually counterproductive because it speeds up the oxidation process and shortens the life of your car’s paint.
Who Really Changes Their Power Steering Fluid? April 10, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Automotive Services, Jollyville Automotive Services, Lakecreek Automotive Services, Pflugerville Automotive Services.add a comment
Simply put, power-steering fluid is the hydraulic fluid that transmits the power in power steering. Servicing it involves draining or flushing out your car’s old power-steering fluid and then adding fresh power steering fluid.
Should I do this service when it’s recommended?
In power rack-and-pinion steering, fluid pressurized by the pump pushes on either side of a piston mounted to the rack, helping you turn the wheels.
Absolutely. The fluid is the cheapest component of your power-steering system. Changing it can help to prolong the life of other, more expensive power-steering components such as the power-steering pump and the stratospherically expensive power-steering rack.
Why do I have to do this?
Over time, the seals, O-rings and internal power-steering components will wear out. When they break apart, they contaminate the power-steering fluid, which forces the power-steering pump to work harder (having to pump little chunks instead of just fluid) and eventually break down.
What happens if I don’t do this?
You’ll eventually chew up your power-steering pump. It’ll have to be replaced at a cost of several hundred dollars, or you’ll have no power steering — and you can’t easily drive a car that’s equipped with power steering when the power-steering system fails. You also may damage the rack, which will require you to take out a small home-equity loan to replace.
| Can I Do This Myself? | |
|---|---|
|
It depends on where you rank on the Car Talk do-it-yourself scale: |
|
| There are two kinds of screwdrivers? | |
| I’ve successfully hung pictures around the house. | |
| I’ve changed my own oil. | |
| * | I’ve fixed things on my car that involve removing more than five bolts. |
| I’ve built a working nuclear reactor out of wood. | |
Is there any maintenance required between intervals?
If you hear a whining or moaning noise when you turn the steering wheel, you should have your power-steering system checked. Your power-steering pump may be about to fail.
Also, if you notice a leak of any kind, you should definitely check your power-steering fluid level and make sure you keep it topped up. Running out of fluid will cook the pump, too.
Car Talk Tip: If you do a lot of your own car maintenance, and you feel like servicing the power-steering fluid yourself, you’ll still need to dispose of the old fluid properly. To find out how to dispose of hazardous materials where you live, check out the 1-800-CleanUp/Earth’s 911 Web site.
For further reading, check HERE
How often should I wash my car? April 8, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Car Wash and Detail Services, Jollyville Car Wash and Detail Services.add a comment
Follow the link below for more details.
Mike Pennington, director of training for Meguiar’s, a leading producer of car-care products, says you should wash your car once a week. “Your car is constantly bombarded with contaminants such as tree sap mist and bird droppings,” Pennington says. “If the contaminants are not removed quickly, they can bond to the paint and even etch the paint.”
The Truth about Vehicle Inspections April 8, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Automotive Services, Jollyville Automotive Services, Lakecreek Automotive Services, Pflugerville Automotive Services.add a comment
How long should a vehicle inspection take?
If you are in a hurry one day, and need to swing by for an inspection; we will definitely take care of you. Did you know exactly what we are required by law to look for? If we, for some reason, don’t finish up in time for you; here are some links you can take a look at that can tell you the long list of items we are required to go over for safety and emissions.
Safety Items
Emmissions Items -
1995 and older vehicles will receive the Two Speed Idle (TSI) test while 1996 and newer vehicles receive the On-Board Diagnostic (OBDII) test.
Additionally, we are required to upload all this information to the state in real-time via a dial-up connection. Please exercise patience as we try to process your vehicle as quickly as possible.
Does Brake Fluid Need to be Changed? April 8, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Jollyville Automotive Services.add a comment
A recent customer of ours expressed discontent in regard to the need to change brake fluid in their vehicle. Here is an excerpt from her commentary on yelp.com .
Upon first glance, this place doesn’t seem so bad. I used to take my car here when I lived nearby just because I am lazy since you get a free car wash if you get an oil change. The staff is friendly, and they have free stuff like popcorn and car litter bags to get while you wait. I’m a sucker for free stuff.
I wouldn’t recommend this place for anything other than car washes/detailing and inspections. The reason? They do a crap job.
A few months ago, I had to take my car into the dealership for something else and they told me that whoever has been doing my oil changes (Arbor) sucks (OK, not their words exactly) and they have carelessly putting the gasket on either too tight or not tight enough which resulted in some damage to my car.
I experienced this kind of shoddy work again last week right after I came here for an oil change. There was a huge scary puddle of oil underneath my car the next day. And an even bigger puddle the next day. And the next…until I took it back today and insisted they fix it. The guy was very nice about it and took care of it quickly and gave me another free car wash for my trouble, but it was a pain to deal with. He said that the gasket was bad, but I’m pretty sure the gasket had been fine but whomever had put it on didn’t know what they were doing.
Also, I was convinced to get my brake fluid changed out which was about $60. After talking to a mechanic at another place a few days later, he said that I had been taken advantage of because brake fluid never needs to be changed, just added if the level is low (which it was not).
I’ll add another star if they come clean up the mess in my garage. Until then, my rating stands at two stars.
While we have politely addressed this customers dissatisfaction with the oil leak, we wanted to take this opportunity to shed some light on the need to change brake fluid. We will provide some details with a link for further reading. This is from a trusted mechanic forum.
I know you must have been a little surprised to hear your truck needed to have the brake fluid replaced. But actually, this mechanic was probably doing you a good deed. Brake fluid attracts moisture, and this moisture can rust the insides of the brake system. This moisture was not that big of deal 10 years ago, but on ABS brake systems of today, the rust and other debris that accumulates in the fluid can do lots of internal damage, and can be very costly. Brake fluid can also break down over time from excess heat that is created from within the brake system.
For the whole story, click HERE
Car Wash and Detail Services April 8, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Car Wash and Detail Services, Jollyville Car Wash and Detail Services.add a comment
This is where we will put information about different car wash packages and services, as well as various detailing options.
Automotive Services April 8, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Guadalupe Automotive Services, Jollyville Automotive Services, Lakecreek Automotive Services, Pflugerville Automotive Services.add a comment
This is where we will put information about changing oil or performing routine brake fluid services.
Keeping Austin Washed! April 8, 2010
Posted by arborcarwash in Salutations.add a comment
Good Afternoon Austin,
The Arbor Car Wash and Lube Centers, and myself, would like to thank you all for letting us handle your vehicle maintenance on and under the hood. Austin is a great city to live in. It full of independent, proud, and opinionated people; which we love to hear from. This strain of Texans allows for such depth and diversity and we wouldn’t have ourselves any other place on the planet. This is an interactive blog we wanted to start up for various reasons; among them being, why you might be suggested certain service maintenance; or why your vehicle wasn’t in a satisfactory condition when we finished washing it. Additionally, “Why did it take so long for my vehicle inspection”?
While we want to give you all some feedback, we welcome yours as well. We also try to engage our customers on such websites as yelp.com ; citysearch.com ; and insiderpages.com in order to improve ourselves and grow as a local business in Austin. We invite you to talk with us anytime.
Sincerely,
David Swenson
