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When Did You Last Check Your Spare Tire?

When Did You Last Check Your Spare Tire?

By definition, your spare tire is exactly that, a spare in case of an emergency. Meanwhile while we wait for an emergency, we forget to check on our spare tire simply because it's not needed........yet. And when it's needed, it might not be ready to do its job because many of us don't do what we have to do to keep our cars, tires, brakes, etc in good condition....in a word: maintenance. The problem with that kind of thinking is that it's not preventative as is, unfortunately, a lot of maintenance issues. The whole concept of preventative car care is to avoid accidents, get the best performance, stay prepared for situations that come up unexpected, avoid costly repairs and situations and extend the life of our car and its tires. Think about it. Isn't it a pain when your car doesn't start on a cold morning? But, when have you had your car battery checked last? Batteries have a life expectancy. How old is yours? Same with your spare tire....It's there, you know it and we all ignore it an ... read more

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Tires 101

Brake Calipers Gone Bad? The Scoop!

Brake Calipers Gone Bad? The Scoop!

Advice from the 106 St pros... We bet you thought the word is caliber, right? As in .45mm? Hey, we're from the 'hood, too, so we understand. However, the word is caliper and each brake has one but does your ride have 2 or 4. That depends on type of braking system you have. Check your owners manual if you don't know. Don't have it, download it by Googling year, make and model for your car bible. Brake calipers are one of several important parts composing your braking system, and, for God's sake, this is NYC. Queens epitomizes the "severe" driving conditions we speak of often here in this blog...crowded roads, stop and go traffic, sudden stops, NYers in a rush to dart out into traffic to test your brakes and sue your you know what, etc. Pass this test, friends, don't leave home without a good braking system. The combinations of brake pads and brake calipers perform a huge safety task. They change your vehicle's motion to a stop...a fast stop, a screechin ... read more

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Brakes

How to Inspect Serpentine Belt

How to Inspect Serpentine Belt

Under your hood there's a long belt that kinda snakes around your engine. This is a critical part of your engine drive as it powers your very important alternator that keeps your battery fully charged. The serpentine belt also powers your air-conditioning compressor as well as your power steering pump. Its duties varies from manufacturer-to-manufacturer and on some vehicles it can possibly run the power brakes, your radiator fan and the water pump. Important stuff, right? You can see from the above that this part is critical in keeping your auto on the road because if your serpentine belt breaks and all the belts in your vehicle can wear out depending on temperature under the hood, mileage on your car or just ordinary wear. The first thing that can happen should this important belt break? Since it would no longer be driving your alternator, your battery would die within a few miles. If your particular make of car has the serpentine belt running your fan or your water pump there would ... read more

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Do It Yourself

Potholes! How Winter Creates Them

Potholes! How Winter Creates Them

Havoc is a word that applies when you hit a hefty pot hole. Keep hitting and your tires and front end will take a beating. Hit one deep enough and hard enough and you will likely incur some serious damage. In Queens they multipy faster than rabbits and they can damage your tires, your wheels, your front end and cost you plenty. AVOID THEM! And we drive the same streets you do and we know they are everywhere. It's difficult to avoid them because traffic in Queens is incredible these days, watching the road for cars is critical enough but protecting your investment, namely your car, is important too. After all, in this economy no one has the money for expensive repairs. First, NYC is responsible for pot hole damage to your car. If your car is damaged, call 311 and get information on how to file a claim. 106 St Tire locations will help you comply with whatever information you need to successfully be reimbursed by the City of NY. Any of our locations can repair your rim, weld a cracked wh ... read more

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Wheel alignment

Shimmies & Vibrations Diagnosed

Shimmies & Vibrations Diagnosed

...road vibrations can bring you some ugly results 106 St Tire has the solution and can diagnose them with Hunter Road Force Diagnosis. Technology's way of bringing road conditions into our shop so a trained tech can experience what you do on the road is made possible by Hunter Road Force Diagnostics. Instead of cruising the roads with you, tech experts get to experience shimmies, shaking and other road force issues in our shop. By simulation of road conditions, we can see what's creating your unique issue and correct it. Our iconic location operating for more than 2 decades and open 24 hours everyday of the year at 106-01 Northern Blvd 718-446-6769 has this great technology to assist customers and our techs in getting to the "heart of the matter" in an expedient manner conveniently so we can experience vibrations that are present when you are driving your car at almost any speed. Come on in any day of the year except Christmas, 24 hours a day, including all holidays and 106 St Tire t ... read more

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Auto Repair 101