Posted on 12/1/2015
Changing brake fluid seems important but yet it's somewhat controversial. Some car makers think it's important and include it in their maintenance schedules and others don't. We think it's important too! Here's some major brands that are on record about changing brake fluid: Mercedes-Benz recommends that brake fluid should be replaced every two years or 20,000 miles and we can't and won't argue with them after all, Mercedes Benz? Would you argue? Chevrolets is on record saying that most of their models can go 150,000 miles or 10 years Subaru recommends fresh brake fluid every 30,000 miles. As for Volkswagen? They state brake fluid should be changed on many of its models every two years while totally ignoring what your mileage is. Ford, Chrysler and Toyota vehicles don't even list brake fluid as a regular maintenance item. As always, 106 St Tire & Wheel advises you to check your owner's manual, your personal Bible on your car and what it needs and when. Always go there to read w ... read more
Posted on 11/30/2015
Come on now, you can tell us how nasty it is......sssh, we won't tell a soul! <wink> Seriously, they don't need changing all that often and they can sure make your ride a bit sluggish...air filters are important because ultimately its your car's "breathing" mechanism. Your engine runs on a combination of air and gasoline. Your gas filter makes sure particles found in gasoline are filtered out and, of course, gasoline is not exposed to the weather, road dust, etc. Since air flow depends on where you drive and on what kinds of surfaces, your gas filter can get clogged. 106 St Tire & Wheel is always advising our customers to download their owners' manuals online from a Google search. In this case, we are urging you to do that because your specific car manufacturer will guide you to how often you should change your filters. Maintenance is "make" specific in that no one knows your vehicle better than its manufacturer. Here's how to get your owner's manual if you missed it when w ... read more
Posted on 11/29/2015
Check your belts! The front of your engine will usually have a series of rubber drive belts (depending on the make of your car, of course) that loop around the pulleys; these belts drive everything from the alternator to the a/c compressor. Your belts are subject to high temperatures and cold ones as well. Picture a winter day, your engine is ice cold like the weather. Start your engine, commence your drive and the temperature in the engine compartment goes up swiftly and with those quick temperature surges, you can understand why belts which drive your engine and are under tension wear out. They are subject to many issues...some from wear, some from neglect, some from the neighborhood squirrel could decide it wants one of your belts for lunch. Rodents love to chew belts and all sorts of things. Problems! Thing is take a look. You could see that before you break down, right?Doing lots of mileage? Belts wear! Severe heat in the summer, age and no maintenance? Issues!T ... read more
Posted on 11/27/2015
...Another FAQ article in a series from the pros at 106 St Tire & Wheel about choosing the right wiper fluid The most critical facets about choosing the best windshield wiper fluid for your car is this: a) strength:1) freeze point2) removal of oil, bug guts, dirt, bird droppings, road grime that cloud visionb) do not expect all windshield wiper fluids to be created equal...READ THE LABEL!c) consider the unpredictability of the approaching winter and what kinds of temperatures you will faced) cost The critical thing to consider in purchasing windshield wiper is its weather freeze point. While the lower the freeze point, the better, we don't have to get paranoid about it and purchase one good to minus 75 degrees unless the climate change people are really right on! With this in mind, consider a windshield wiper fluid that is temperature approp ... read more
Posted on 11/25/2015
Here's something you've never thought about! It's not your tires that support the weight of your car...it is the air pressure in your tires! Think about that, please? It may give new meaning to something critically important and that's maintaining the correct air pressure in your tires so your vehicle gets proper traction, handles the way it is supposed to and your tires get the durability they are supposed to have. Winter is approaching, traction is critical to your drive in snow and ice.Handling is important all the time but even more so in the winter, right? You cannot set your tire pressure and forget about it. It has to be checked at least once a month. 106 St Tire & Wheel does this for free and offers free compressed air, so no worries, but the thing is you have to get yourself to one of our stores to maintain your tires in a safe condition to face the challenges of winter driving in the big city. Two of our locations are open 24/7 everyday of the year except Christmas ... read more