The Auto and Tire Doctor

If you’ve ever heard a squealing sound under your hood, chances are it was 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 in your Subaru or 4 wheel drive. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Truckee.

Next, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that’s used by your Subaru or 4 wheel drive’s electrical systems and also charges your car battery. Without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering (some are electric) and power brakes (some use vacuum boost).

And, on most Subaru or 4 wheel drives, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures. On some Truckee cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt.

When they understand what it does, Truckee drivers realize that if it breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That’s why manufacturers have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn’t fail.

At The Auto and Tire Doctor, we can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon. If the belt has more than three or four cracks every inch, has deep cracks that penetrate half the depth of the belt, is frayed, is missing pieces or has a shiny glazed look, it needs to be replaced regardless of age or mileage.

If it has lost a significant thickness, it also needs to be replaced. There’s a special spring-loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley. Its 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. At The Auto and Tire Doctor, we recommend that the tensioner be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

As mentioned, a squealing sound could be a sign that the serpentine belt needs to be replaced. It may be loose if you hear a slow, slapping sound when idling your Subaru or 4 wheel drive.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your Subaru or 4 wheel drive. And it’s not that expensive to replace at The Auto and Tire Doctor – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

A while back, the Cash for Clunkers program was all over the news. Truckee people could trade in their old vehicle for a new one that got better fuel economy and receive a government rebate.

A lot of Truckee motorists had so-called clunkers that they wanted to keep. They’re good commuters, grocery getters or toy haulers. They enjoy that fact that they’re paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their Subaru or 4 wheel drives for 200,000 miles or more – as long as it’s economical to do so.

There are plenty of Truckee drivers whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles. We can learn from what they’re doing to keep our own Subaru or 4 wheel drives on the road in California.

Truckee drivers of high-mileage cars often report a common denominator of never skipping an oil change. That may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it’s really not. First off, oil is the life blood of your Subaru or 4 wheel drive’s engine and it needs to be clean to properly lubricate. Skipping oil changes leads to clogged oil filters and sludge that can damage your engine.

There’s another reason why the scheduled oil change is so important for Truckee car owners. It’s simple – a The Auto and Tire Doctor professional is going to be looking at your car. All of your fluid levels will be inspected and topped off so they won’t get so low that damage can be done. If there is a significant fluid loss, let’s use brake fluid as an example, your The Auto and Tire Doctor technician can look for the cause of the loss and find the problem before it leads to an accident or costly repair.

Your The Auto and Tire Doctor advisor will also visually inspect your Subaru or 4 wheel drive for worn belts and hoses, uneven tire wear, leaking shock absorbers and more. Problems get addressed before they lead to repairs that cost more than the car’s worth.

And your The Auto and Tire Doctor advisor will be able to remind you of other services that the factory recommends you get done. Just think of that oil change the same way as you do about going to your Truckee dentist for your six month cleaning and checkup. Don’t skip it.

Realistically, things are going to wear out as your Subaru or 4 wheel drive gets older. On the way to 200,000 miles you’ll go through several batteries, probably a couple of alternators and water pumps, a set of shocks and likely some brake rotors.

Of course, these things cost money, but they are far cheaper than new Subaru or 4 wheel drive payments. With proper service at The Auto and Tire Doctor and regular inspections, you’ll keep surprise repairs to a minimum and more money in your wallet.

When it comes to their vehicles, some Reno NV people don’t have a maintenance mindset. They know they need to take care of their cars, but it just seems really hard to get them to remember to do it. Reno NV drivers generally accept that many things in life require regular maintenance, but just may have not applied it to their Subaru or 4 wheel drives.

For example: the lawn. You water it and mow it every week. And weed the flower beds and rake the leaves. There are other things that Reno NV people are good about maintaining. Going to the dentist twice a year. Clothes to the dry cleaner. Flu shots. Taking the kids to your Reno NV doctor for a checkup before school starts.

So Reno NV people really are maintenance minded. They just have to learn to apply that mindset to cars. I mean, if you never brush your teeth or go to the dentist, you’ll become painfully aware of your neglect when you get a big cavity. Once the damage is done, we learn our lesson and start to take better care of things.

Unfortunately, Reno NV Subaru or 4 wheel drive owners too often learn the hard automotive lesson when they bring their vehicle to The Auto and Tire Doctor on a tow truck. So many times a little routine maintenance would have prevented a breakdown.

So how can Reno NV drivers get into the habit of taking care of their Subaru or 4 wheel drive? It’s so easy to forget. If you skip cutting the grass, you see it every time you pull in the driveway.

Here’s something that will help: The key to good vehicle maintenance starts with the oil change. Think about it – when you go in for a full-service oil change, your The Auto and Tire Doctor tech will check all your fluids. If one of them is low, he can look for the reason why. If your serpentine belt is cracked, he’ll see it and let you know. Corroded battery cable – they’ve got you covered. And at The Auto and Tire Doctor, we check to see if your Subaru or 4 wheel drive manufacturer has recommended any services at your current mileage.

The oil change becomes kind of a focal point, a way to check in to see what needs to be done. The fact is that vehicle inspection surveys consistently reveal that over 80% of vehicles have one or more unperformed repair or maintenance service. Vehicles are generally very reliable and can take a lot of abuse and neglect. But, you’ve got to remember that Subaru or 4 wheel drives are complicated machines. There are parts and fluids that are critical to their function. Without them, the Subaru or 4 wheel drive won’t run at all.

So when you come in to The Auto and Tire Doctor for an oil change, you get a visual inspection from your honest, friendly service advisor and a reminder for recommended services so you can avoid a total failure. And remember that your The Auto and Tire Doctor service advisor can help you work out a maintenance and repair plan, prioritizing and scheduling the work to make sure you and your family are safe, and avoid expensive breakdowns.

High gas prices in Truckee have hit most of our budgets. You’ve probably budgeted a certain amount for vehicle related stuff. Increased fuel costs are now consuming a bigger portion of that budget and you may be tempted to skimp in some other areas – like scheduled maintenance.

According to news reports and industry studies, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten personal vehicles on the road have at least one maintenance or repair item that hasn’t been done. Some of these items are serious safety concerns. Others are just more likely to affect the cost of operating your vehicle.

In this area, we can take a lesson from professional Truckee vehicle owners. I’m talking about fleet owners and operators. You know, Truckee 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.

Why is that? Well, for one thing they know that routine maintenance prevents expensive repairs and costly breakdowns. They also know that a well-maintained vehicle uses less fuel. For them, even a small decrease in fuel economy may mean not being profitable.

So what does this mean to Truckee drivers? Well, there’s a ninety percent chance that you’re missing some service that would improve your fuel economy. Here’s a quick reminder list:

Fuel system cleaning, transmission service, differential service, engine air filter, wheel alignment, oil change, tune up.
Ring any bells? Can you honestly say that there isn’t at least one thing on the list that hasn’t been done?

Let’s suppose you chose to spend one hundred and fifty dollars and get caught up on some of these services at The Auto and Tire Doctor. Figure that they combine to improve your fuel economy by fifteen percent. What would that mean to your pocketbook?

Well, the average personal vehicle in Truckee is driven about twelve thousand miles a year. If you get twenty miles per gallon in your Subaru or 4 wheel drive, over the course of one year you would pay for the hundred and fifty dollars worth of service and save an additional hundred and sixty five dollars if gas is at three dollars and fifty cents. If gas is four fifty, you would save two hundred and fifty-five dollars. And you’d rack up savings of three hundred and forty five dollars with gas at five and a half bucks.

From this you can see that the more fuel costs, the more it pays to take care of your Subaru or 4 wheel drive. Some of us drive trucks in Truckee for work or recreation – or want a large SUV for family needs. A fifteen percent improvement in fuel economy can generate huge savings – six hundred and sixty dollars a year if gas is four fifty a gallon in Truckee. Take a look at this table to see where your savings could lie.

So catch up on those services you’ve been neglecting at The Auto and Tire Doctor. Get a couple done now and a couple next time. Chances are you’ll save a lot of money at Truckee gas pumps this year – and a lot more on repairs in years to come.