Lighthouse Automotive

Deciphering The Menu Board At Cascade Service Centers : Part 2

lighthous386 — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:26:16 +0000

Cascade auto service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Cascade auto owners may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.

Lighthouse Automotive fuel system cleaning: Over time, the family car fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.

Lighthouse Automotive headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It’s usually good to change them every year or so.

Inspections: Cascade drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they’re leaving Cascade and going on a trip or just want to make sure their family car’s ready for summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used car in Cascade and want to give it the once over. An inspection may reveal some things that are broken or are getting close to having a problem.

Lighthouse Automotive oil change – there are several options: Some Cascade centers offer just an oil change and new filter as an option. Most will also check and top off all of your other fluids and do a quick visual inspection with a full service oil change. In my way of thinking, the full service option is best because it makes sure you have adequate fluids in your family car and may uncover an emerging problem. There may also be options for higher mileage fluids or an upgrade to synthetic oil.

Lighthouse Automotive PCV valve service: PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve. It’s a little part that releases pressure from the engine. It can get gummed up and that can lead to engine damage. Just needs to be changed now and then.

Lighthouse Automotive power steering service: Often overlooked. The Cascade auto technician will evacuate the old fluid, clean out the system and replace it with clean fluid. Keeps the system running well for a long time.

Serpentine belt: That’s the belt that powers the family car’s engine’s accessories like the alternator, air conditioner, power steering and brakes. You’ll want to replace the serpentine belt before it breaks, because that’ll shut you down.

Shocks and struts: This starts with an inspection of the suspension components in your family car. Shocks last a long time and wear out slowly, so many Cascade people don’t notice when it’s time to change them. If they’re worn or leaking, they need to be replaced.

Cascade transmission service: This involves removing the transmission fluid and replacing it with clean fluid. It’s like an oil change for your transmission.

Tire rotation and wheel balancing: The family car tires are rotated from front to back using the recommended rotation pattern. This helps tires wear more evenly. Wheels need to be balanced from time to time to keep them turning without any wobble or bounce. Helps the ride and saves tire wear for Cascade car owners.

At Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs CO (80909) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 719.634.0005. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car In Colorado Springs

lighthous386 — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:10:35 +0000

Air quality affects us wherever we are in Colorado Springs. Many decades ago, Colorado Springs residents began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?

Cabin air filters are now coming on most new family cars since the 2000 model year. These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment. They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants. If you suffer from allergies in Colorado Springs, this is very good news.

You can look in your family car owner’s manual to see if you have a cabin air filter. If you do, there’ll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often. You can also ask your thoughtful service advisor at Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs.

How hard it is to change a cabin air filter depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible; others take some doing to get to them. They’re usually in the family car engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some Colorado Springs motorists haven’t heard of them – even people who have cabin air filters. Lighthouse Automotive service advisors report customers complaining of an unpleasant odor in their vehicle and it turned out to be a dirty cabin air filter.

An important note for Colorado Springs hybrid owners: there is a special air filter that cleans the air that cools the hybrid battery pack. This filter should be inspected every time the cabin air filter is inspected and replaced if it is dirty so that the battery pack doesn’t overheat.

Give us a call

Lighthouse Automotive
719.634.0005
2499 East Platte Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Battery Replacement In Colorado Springs

lighthous386 — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:34:03 +0000

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Colorado Springs family car owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold family car engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Colorado Springs, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the family car engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Colorado Springs, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at Lighthouse Automotive if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Colorado Springs, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Colorado Springs shows up with the increased demands on the family car battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the family car security system, the remote start system, even the power the family car computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Colorado Springs. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the family car engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your thoughtful Lighthouse Automotive service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Colorado Springs motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Lighthouse Automotive so you know what you’re getting. At Lighthouse Automotive, we have been providing quality auto service in Colorado Springs for 9 years.

Give us a call

Lighthouse Automotive
2499 East Platte Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Why Is My Check Engine Light On? Lighthouse Automotive Has Answers

lighthous386 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:35:48 +0000

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Colorado Springs drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in CO.

First, if your family car check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Colorado Springs highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Colorado Springs service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Lighthouse Automotive on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your family car engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Colorado Springs.

In order to make these adjustments, the family car computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The family car computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your family car looked at at Lighthouse Automotive. Your thoughtful service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Lighthouse Automotive technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Lighthouse Automotive, we also offer battery service and fuel filter.

Give us a call

Lighthouse Automotive
719.634.0005
2499 East Platte Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Viva la Differential At Lighthouse Automotive

lighthous386 — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:17:54 +0000

With front-wheel drive being so common in Colorado Springs these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Colorado Springs folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive family car differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for CO people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many family car differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Lighthouse Automotive technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Lighthouse Automotive service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Colorado Springs four wheel drive family cars need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Lighthouse Automotive at different intervals.

Your Colorado Springs service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your family car owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Lighthouse Automotive
719.634.0005
2499 East Platte Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Schedule A Suspension Inspection At Lighthouse Automotive

lighthous386 — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:17:16 +0000

Today’s Fountain car care article focuses on your suspension system. After many years and tens of thousands of miles, your family car suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Fountain highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads.

In addition to just wearing out, Lighthouse Automotive customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your family car manufacturer and Lighthouse Automotive recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Fountain service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Fountain. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your family car dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Lighthouse Automotive for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other family car suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Lighthouse Automotive.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Lighthouse Automotive because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

Severe Driving In Colorado Springs

lighthous386 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:16:01 +0000

Most Colorado Springs motorists know that their owner’s manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance. Things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil every so many miles or after so many months. Colorado Springs people understand this very well. What they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Colorado Springs. At Lighthouse Automotive, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

Most trips are less than four miles

Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Colorado Springs

You drive in very hot CO weather

Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)

Stop and go driving

Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions

You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your family car

Most Colorado Springs drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your family car?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Lighthouse Automotive advisor can help you with your decision.

Colorado Springs Tire Tread Depth – Washington vs. Lincoln

lighthous386 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:56:06 +0000

Today’s Lighthouse Automotive article discusses the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, Colorado Springs drivers tend to focus on brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Colorado Springs motorists have to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Colorado Springs conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. At Lighthouse Automotive we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet Colorado Springs roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Colorado Springs drivers to replace the tires on their family cars when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from CO freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for Colorado Springs car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

PCV Valve Replacement At Lighthouse Automotive

lighthous386 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:36:29 +0000

Today’s Monument car care article focuses on PCV valve replacement. The PCV valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for your family car. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the family car engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your family car. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Monument car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Lighthouse Automotive. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Monument drivers don’t know about it.

Check your family car owner’s manual or ask your Lighthouse Automotive advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

Serpentine Belt Replacement At Lighthouse Automotive

lighthous386 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:51:49 +0000

Today’s Lighthouse Automotive article focuses on your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some family cars, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Lighthouse Automotive service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Colorado Springs drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your family car. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Lighthouse Automotive – so it’s good to do so before it fails.