Should I Use High-Octane Gasoline?

Are you ever tempted to reach for the “high-octane” gas when you’re fueling up your car? Maybe you anticipate getting a better mileage, or you envision racing down the road with a get-up-and-go that you’ve only dreamed of. If this is a feeling you are familiar with, take the advice of our Seattle body shop: you’re wasting your money.

The truth is that high-octane gas is only doing you any good if your car is made to use it. Such cars have high-compression engines, which require a premium gasoline to prevent knocking during acceleration. High-compression engines are among a tiny minority of cars on the road, though; if you have to wonder whether or not your car is one of them then it’s probably not. The regular octane gasoline will give you as good of a performance as your car can get, so save your money and reach for the 87.


Knowing When to Replace your Brakes

Driving can be a lot like spelling: there’s a very important difference between a “brake” and a “break”, but it only takes a brief lapse of judgement to trade one for the other.  Our Seattle collision repair shop knows that a bad set of brakes is one of the easiest ways to get in a disastrous accident, and knowing when your brake pads need to be replaced is one of the easiest ways to spell big savings and safer driving for you and your family.

It shouldn’t be difficult to know when your pads are wearing thin.  Unless you have certain cheaper makes, your pad should come with a metal “indicator” that will start to squeal like a banshee as soon as the pad material is worn down to a quarter inch.  When you start to hear this noise, it’s good to get your pads replaced within the next few weeks.

The brake rotor is another part of your car’s brakes, and one that will generally last longer than the pads.  You’ll probably replace your pads two or three times before the rotors need to be replaced.  However, if you ever find that your steering wheel is wiggling in your hands as you stop, this may indicate that your rotors have become warped and need to be changed.

If you ever experience any problems with your brake system, or if you have other questions about your car’s brakes, contact our auto body professionals at Greenwood Collision.

http://www.driverside.com/auto-library/car_brakes_how_do_you_know_when_to_change_them-22


Keeping the Little Ones Safe

There’s a lot depending on your car, particularly if you have tiny family members who aren’t yet big enough to effectively use a seat belt.  If you’re driving with infants or toddlers, our Seattle collision center wants you to make sure they’re riding safely.  In order to do so, we invite you to look over some of the bigger mistakes that parents make.

  • Always know how to use your car seat!  The proper use of a car seat is crucial to your child’s safety.

  • Let your child face backwards until the age of two.  It takes time for the muscles to develop in your child’s neck such that he or she can withstand the force of a sudden stop while facing forward.

  • Don’t hold a child in your lap.  In the event of a collision, it’s too easy to drop or lose your grip on your child.

  • Put one child to one seat belt.  When kids share a belt, they’re at greater risk of knocking their heads together.

  • Put your child in the back seat until the age of thirteen.


Wax or Wane!

Do you remember to wax your car?  It’s not just a way to keep your ride looking good, it’s also just a practical idea.  Waxing serves to protect your paint job, allowing it to repeal harsh chemicals, debris, moisture, wind, and the heat of the sun, all of which have the power to break down your finish and leave your car’s body vulnerable.  In case you don’t know how to wax your car properly, Greenwood’s Seattle body shop offers the following tips:

  • Park your car somewhere out of the sun before you begin.  Sunlight can react poorly with the wax, and may lead to damage to your paint job.

  • Clean your car first.  A tiny speck of dirt can scratch your finish during the waxing process.

  • Don’t apply the liquid wax directly to the paint!  Put it on your rag or your applicator, whatever you’re using, before rubbing it onto the car.

  • Divide your car into five or six regions, and wax these one at a time.  Focusing in a smaller area lets you make effective use of your wax before it dries.

  • Wax in broad strokes and circular motions.  Don’t linger too long on a single spot, particularly if you’re using an automatic device.

  • Follow up your wax job with a good buffing.

Is My Battery Dead?

If you engine absolutely refuses to respond when you turn the key, then you’re not getting any power in your system. This can be caused by a number of things, but the most likely culprit is a dead battery. Before you spend the money on a new battery, however, our Seattle auto body shop suggests that you take these simple measures to make sure that this is indeed the problem that needs to be solved.

If you have a battery tester, check to see if the voltage is weak. Your battery should be at 12.5 volts at rest, and 13.5 volts with the car idling.

Don’t have a tester? The good thing about a dead battery is that it doesn’t get in the way of jumping your car. Try performing a jump; if the car starts like normal, then your problem is in the battery. If it still refuses to start, then the problem is somewhere else.

While you’re at it, take a look at the battery connections. Is there anything built up in there that might be ruining your power flow? Try cleaning these out and starting your car again.