Winter Roads vs. Your Wipers

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There’s no worse time than the winter to have back windshield wipers. If your wipers aren’t up to the task when it starts coming down outside, you could easily find yourself taking an unplanned trip to your Seattle auto body shop. Unfortunately, the winter is also the time when your wipers are most likely to quit on you.

In truth, if you live in an area that regularly sees snow over the cold months, you’re probably finding yourself driving on a lot of roads that have been sprinkled with coarse salt. This salt is getting onto your windshield, trapping itself under your wiper blades and grinding down the rubber. Gradually, you’re losing the ability to shove the heavy snowfall off of your glass, which can be disastrous in the wrong conditions. Be prepared for the winter months, and have a spare set of appropriate wiper blades ready to go.

Bird Droppings: Danger from Above

Posted on by webspiman

Our auto body shop in Seattle probably doesn’t need to tell you about how a regular car wash can do wonders to preserve your car finish. Periodically getting rid of the dirt and grime clinging to your vehicle prevents wear and enhances your paint’s ability to resist the elements. However, there are bigger threats to your paint job that should not be ignored, chief among these being bird droppings.

Bird droppings are highly acidic. The longer they remain on your car, the more they are able to eat into your paint and compromise your finish. If they get deep enough, they can leave behind scars that will require a sanding and repainting to repair. Therefore, if you notice any birds leaving their mark on your paint job, don’t wait until your regular car washing time to clear it away.

How to Prevent Carjacking

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It happens every day: an unsuspecting motorist is confronted by a dangerous criminal who ends up riding off with his or her car. In order to protect you from carjacking, our Seattle auto body shop offers the following advice:

A big part of avoiding a carjacking is being aware of your surroundings. Take a look at where you plan to park: is this a good neighborhood? Is it well-lit? Are there any suspicious people lurking around you or moving towards your vehicle? Try to avoid dangerous places when you can, and keep your doors locked and windows up at all times.

Should you find yourself in a dangerous situation, remember to prioritize your own safety. Your car is not as important as your life. If it comes down to it, give up your vehicle and leave the rest to the police and your insurance company.

Avoiding the Deer

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Have you ever hit a deer on the road? It’s not a pleasant experience. Not only is it upsetting to kill or injure an animal, but it can also inflict severe damage to your car. Deer collisions are happening more and more, as the deer populations have more than doubled since the 80’s. Today, such collisions happen about 500,000 times every year, causing over one hundred deaths and an average of $2,000 in damage to the car owner. So, in the interest of protecting yourself and Bambi’s mom, our Seattle auto body shop offers the following advice.

  • Deer are most active in the early morning and evening.  If you are driving during these times in a wilderness area, be vigilant.
  • Your high-beams can scare off deer from a greater distance.  Use them if it is safe to do so.
  • If you see a deer in your path, brake firmly.  Do not swerve; this is not only dangerous, but it can confuse the animal.
  • Always wear your seatbelt!  Many injuries result from deer collisions, most due to a failure to buckle up.
  • Remember that deer seldom appear alone.  If you see one deer, be on the lookout for more

Wash Your Car the Green Way!

Posted on by webspiman

More and more people are worried about the environmental impact of owning a car, and this concern extends to the way you keep your car clean. Indeed, a properly cleaned car means a car that is resilient to the wear and tear brought on by harsh dirt and environmental effects. A regular car wash can keep your paint job well intact, which translates to fewer trips to our Seattle auto body shop for touch-ups and repairs.

When it comes time to wash your car, an automatic car wash represents one of the “greenest” options available. Though it may seem economical to do your own wash by hand, it has been observed that an automatic wash uses up only half of the water you might otherwise use with a conventional bucket-and-hose method. Commercial car washes are also required to clean and recycle their water, accounting for even further savings.

When looking for an automatic car wash, look for a no-contact pressure system over a rotating brush system. These are likely to do less damage to your paint job, and keep you driving cleaner, greener, and longer.

Should I Fill My Tires with Nitrogen?

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Filling your tires with nitrogen gas is one of the big luxuries you can get for your car, and some people want to know our Seattle auto body shop’s opinion as to whether this represents a worthwhile expense. Though this is a common practice for race cars and airliners, the fact is that this probably is not a practical idea for the common motorist.

The main idea of nitrogen-filled tires is that they resist wear and tear better, as nitrogen is less susceptible to leak out of your tires. It also experiences less of a change in volume when exposed to severe temperatures, allowing for more stable pressure. Ideally, this adds up to better performance for a longer period of time from your tires.

However, the first thing to remember is that the air we commonly put into our tires is already 78% nitrogen. An ideal mixture of nitrogen is going to be about 93% pure, so the extra money you spend is getting you roughly 15% more nitrogen. Based on the additional cost, and the miniscule improvement in performance you may experience, it’s not something that the average driver is going to find worthwhile.

Your Tricky Little Oxygen Sensor

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Most motorists aren’t even aware that their cars have oxygen sensors, much less that these little devices can cause big problems for their engines. In truth, these elusive little spark-plug-like sensors can very well be the culprit for a majority of the “check engine light” issues that are brought into our Seattle auto body shop. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your own oxygen sensors and the implications they have on the performance of your vehicle.

When your “check engine light” goes on, this could mean that your oxygen sensor is not functioning properly. You may feel inclined to ignore this problem, as you will probably not notice any real issues in the functioning of your engine. However, a faulty oxygen sensor is actually causing your car to start sucking down gasoline like nobody’s business. This can result in up to a forty percent decline in fuel efficiency. So, if you think that your oxygen sensor is malfunctioning, bring it down to Greenwood as soon as you can.

Checking Your Car’s Fuses

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Some people are surprised to learn that their cars have fuse boxes. It’s here that some of the simplest solutions to problems with your lights, radio, or possibly even ignition system may be found. As much as we appreciate your visits to our Seattle auto body shop, Greenwood Collision recommends that you familiarize yourself with your vehicle’s fuses; though it may seem like a daunting prospect, it’s an easy part of troubleshooting your car’s problems that can save you a lot of time and money.

Many of today’s cars have two fuse boxes: one underneath the dashboard and one under the hood. They should be marked clearly and feature a diagram that will tell you which fuse corresponds to which system. If your headlights are not working, for example, seek out the fuse marked “headlights” and pull it out. Some cars will supply you with a tool for removing the fuses, but it should be easily done with your hands as well. You’ll see a melted “bridge” going between the fuse’s blades if it has been blown, at which point you should replace the fuse. Your new fuse must be of the same amperage as the old one; you’ll be able to find a fuse’s amperage based on its color coding. Simply push the new fuse into place as if you were pushing a plug into an electrical outlet.

By familiarizing yourself with your car’s fuse boxes and keeping some extra fuses on hand, you may be able to save yourself a few unnecessary trips to your auto shop. Failing that, however, you can at least help your auto mechanic narrow down the cause of your problems. So get to know your fuses! It’ll pay off in the long run.

Power Streering Fluid Maintenance Article Source

Improve Your Fuel Economy!

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Many drivers on the roads today are mocked by the memory of gasoline that cost less than two dollars a gallon, and the unfortunate reality is that this is unlikely to be anything but a memory ever again.  With that in mind, the name of the game in our modern world is to get the most out of what we have.  Greenwood’s auto body shop in Seattle offers these tips for driving more economically:

  • Obey the speed limit.  Your mileage decreases as your speed goes up, and the difference between sixty and seventy mph can cost you two to four miles per gallon.  Also, faster driving generally means more braking, which is only more inefficient.  Try to maintain a regular, reasonable speed on the freeway.
  • Avoid idling.  When you’re waiting at a rail crossing, stuck in a gridlock, or waiting for your carpoolers to wake up, you’re still burning gas.  Turn the car off if it’s safe to do so, and those idle minutes will add up.
  • Roll up your windows.  Open windows make your car less aerodynamic, and your fuel economy can suffer by as much as ten percent at freeway speeds.
  • Don’t “warm up” your engine too much.  This is a largely antiquated notion with modern, fuel-injected vehicles.  Though it is true that many important fluids need to warm up on a cold day, your engine can warm up all the more efficiently once you actually begin driving.  As long as you’re not putting too much strain on it for the first few miles, you’ll be fine.
  • Only buy the recommended grade of gas!  If your car takes regular, you’re not doing it any favors by giving it premium.
  • Maintain your car.  A well-maintained engine is a fuel-efficient engine, and properly inflated tires get you the most out of every tank of gas.

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Driving Greener

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Nature abhors your car.  There’s no way around it; even in our modern age of environmental restoration, a car is a big, lumbering beast that eats death and excretes more death until it winds up as a monument of rust and poison on some shirtless guy’s lawn.  So how can you combat this?  Greenwood’s auto body shop in Seattle offers you these tips for cleaning up your car’s act a little and leading a greener, safer life.

  • Have your air conditioner properly serviced.  Your A/C produces chlorofluorocarbon gases, which contribute to the breakdown of the ozone layer.  An auto professional can capture these gasses while servicing your car, which will prevent them from leaking away into the atmosphere.
  • Recycle your used oil and oil filters.  There are facilities that can put these spent materials back to work, instead of letting them leak into the water supply and contaminate the surrounding area.
  • Keep your engine tuned.  A poorly maintained engine can decrease your fuel efficiency by as much as thirty percent, and that adds up to your gas money going up almost literally in smoke.
  • Rotate your tires and check them regularly.  A properly inflated tire will not only improve your fuel economy, but also resist wear and tear better.  Check your tires with every tank of gas, and you’ll find yourself driving better and expending fewer tires.

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