Archive for September 2019Procrastination Prevention in VenicePosted September 29, 2019 8:04 AMEvery one of us has a little procrastinator inside us. Some put off getting our teeth cleaned. Others put off answering our emails. Yet others put off calling friends and family (sorry, Uncle Joe). And there are those of us who put off getting our vehicle's service done, whether it's a repair or regular maintenance. You may make the excuse that you don't have time, it can wait until tomorrow, you have other things to do. Well, there are some things you should NEVER put off when it comes to your vehicle because that procrastination could have dire consequences down the road. The biggest one is changing your oil. Yes, it's one of those things you may hear somebody nag you about, but changing your vehicle's oil regularly is probably the one thing that will do the most to keep things running smoothly… and well. It's the lubricant that keeps metal engine parts from wearing out. Oil doesn't last forever and it gets dirty, so you have to swap it out for fresh every so often. How often? Your Car Doc On The Island service advisor can tell you, and your owner's manual has the manufacturer's recommendations, too. You have to keep the right amount of air in your tires. They don't inflate themselves! You may have a newer vehicle that has a tire pressure monitor built in and lets you know when a tire is over- or under-inflated. Don't ignore those warning lights! If your vehicle doesn't have those electronic monitors, have our pros at Car Doc On The Island check your pressure every so often. If your tires have the right amount of air in them, they'll last longer, save you money and keep you much safer on the road. Make sure you have the right amount of vital fluids in your vehicle. The important ones (besides oil) are brake fluid, transmission fluid and coolant. Without the right amount of brake fluid, your vehicle may be hard to stop. Without the right level of transmission fluid, gear shifting may be erratic. And without the right amount of coolant, your engine may overheat. Ok, so if you put off calling your Uncle Joe today, he probably will be ok with that. But when it comes to these important vehicle maintenance points, prevent procrastination… and prevent problems down the road. We’d love to hear from you. Let us know if you have any questions. Car Doc On The Island Gas Savings in Venice: Sharpen Your PencilPosted September 22, 2019 3:14 AMHigh gas prices in Venice increase the cost of living for FL drivers. You've probably budgeted a certain amount for vehicle related expenses. Increased fuel costs now consume a larger portion of our incomes, causing some Venice vehicle owners to skimp in other areas – like scheduled maintenance. In this area, we can take a lesson from professional Venice vehicle owners. I'm talking about fleet owners and operators. You know, Venice folks like the trucking companies and delivery services. Because their livelihood depends on it, they have gotten scheduled maintenance down to a science. And the last thing they skimp on is regular maintenance. GAS PRICE 20 MPG From this you can see that the more fuel costs, the more it pays to keep up on scheduled maintenance. Some of us drive trucks in Venice for work or recreation – or want a large SUV for family needs. A 15 percent improvement in fuel economy can generate huge savings – $650 a year if gas is $4.50 a gallon in Venice. Take a look at this table to see where your savings could lie.
GAS PRICE A) $3.50, B) $4.50, C) $5.50 10 MPG: A) $480, B) $660, C) $840 20 MPG: A) $165, B) $255, C) $345 30 MPG: A) $60, B) $120, C) $180
So catch up on those services you've been neglecting at Car Doc On The Island. Get a couple done now and a couple next time. Chances are you'll save a lot of money at Venice gas pumps this year – and a lot more on repairs in years to come. Car Doc On The Island
Venice Customer Detective WorkPosted September 15, 2019 9:23 AMOne might say the most challenging part of being an automotive service technician at Car Doc On The Island is diagnosing a problem before it can be fixed.
Do you see where we're going? You're gathering additional information to help your technician at Car Doc On The Island know where to start. Based on your car and the tech's experience, he'll know where to look and can start with the obvious suspects. Ask us for details. Car Doc On The Island Automotive Tips from Car Doc On The Island: Timing Belt OverviewPosted September 8, 2019 12:42 PMIn your engine, valves over each combustion chamber open to allow fresh air in, close during the combustion event, and then other valves open to let out the exhaust. All of this happens over and over thousands of times a minute when you are driving around Venice. The timing belt’s important job is to make sure that all of this happens as it should – at precisely the right time. If the timing is off, your engine won’t run efficiently or maybe not at all – so a good timing belt is important. If it should break, you could end up at Car Doc On The Island with expensive engine damage. The Easy Way to Save Cash in VenicePosted September 1, 2019 7:22 AMThe hottest FL news story may be different every day, but there's one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas in Venice. If you feel like most of your paycheck goes into your gas tank, this post is for you. Here are several basic things people in Venice can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the environment. You can really improve your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here's a review of things you can do for your vehicle that'll save gas no matter how you drive. Another important item is to keep your air filter clean. An air filter all clogged up with dirt and bugs doesn't let enough clean air through to efficiently burn fuel. Using a dirty air filter will cost you almost 2 miles per gallon/.85 km per liter in reduced fuel economy. And worn spark plugs can cost about the same. A spark plug can fire as many as 3,000,000 times for every 1,000 miles/1,600 km driven. Check the vehicle owner's manual for replacement recommendations. One item Venice residents seldom think about is their gas cap. A worn, loose or missing gas cap can cost another 2 miles per gallon/.85 km per liter. Adding up all of these worn, missing or sub-par items leads to a total of almost 11.4 miles per gallon/4.85 km per liter in reduced fuel economy! And with current gas prices in the Venice area, the cost really adds up. Taking care of these simple maintenance items will save Venice drivers at the pump. Now most vehicles aren't missing on all of these items, but think about which ones might affect you right now! And don't forget tune-ups, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, fuel system cleaning, wheels out of alignment, PCV valve, fuel filter and other services spelled out in your owner's manual. Car Doc On The Island | ||
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We have established longterm and stable partnerships with various clients thanks to our excellence in solving their automotive needs!
I stopped in because my coolant light had been on for a few days. Stacy had someone come out to top it off and she gave my car a quick glance and noticed one of my tires was worn funky. We scheduled them to take a look and it turned out belts in my tire broke. I needed two new tires but it could have ended up way worse if she didn't look. Grateful because I probably wouldn't have until something terrible or WAY more expensive happened.
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