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Busting Automotive Myths in Wilmington, Delaware

Myths passed around our Wilmington, Delaware community start with a grain of evidence and are then built up with a lot of imagination and very elastic logic. And the internet is a breeding ground for automotive myths. Some bloggers recall the vehicles of yesteryear and declare their modern decedents to be virtually maintenance free and that anyone who says otherwise is out to rip you off. To get the truth about auto myths you hear around the Wilmington area, come over to PONTE'S AUTOCARE. Let's examine a couple of the more popular rants and look at the truth behind them.The first one is that the chassis no longer needs lubrication for suspension, steering and the driveline. They declare that anyone who has charged you for lubrication is a charlatan.The truth on which this myth is based is that many new vehicles come from the factory with sealed joints and cannot be greased. However, there are still some grease poin ... read more

Categories:

Maintenance

Fall and Spring Checkup in Wilmington

When I was a kid, my dad always made sure he took the cars in for Spring and Fall checkups. I was telling a friend that it's about time to get into PONTE'S AUTOCARE for a checkup and he said that he read on the internet that modern cars don't need seasonal service.My friend is (technically) right about some things, but from a practical standpoint, a seasonal check up still makes sense.Back when my dad was teaching me about how to take care of the family vehicle, most of them used a different weight of oil in the winter and in the summer. But most of today's modern engines run the same oil year round. High-tech engines and high-tech motor oils are better able to handle the seasonal changes.Your owner's manual or Wilmington service advisor at PONTE'S AUTOCARE can tell you the right oil to use.Of course, you're concerned about the coolant or antifreeze. You don't want to overheat in the Delaware summer or freeze up i ... read more

Categories:

Maintenance

Your Well Trained Technician at PONTE'S AUTOCARE

When your vehicle has a problem or just needs some routine service, you might get a little nervous. Your vehicle's so important to your life in Wilmington, you need to get back on the road as soon as possible – with the problem fixed right the first time.If you've ever checked into some of the technician training PONTE'S AUTOCARE professionals receive, you may be surprised at how much specialized knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. For example: Today there are four cylinder engines that generate more power than the 1980s-era V-8's. I mean a new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket's Ferrari in a race to 60 mph/100 kph. Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up – even with steep Wilmington gas prices. They are also amazingly reliable: Kudos to the automotive engineers. But the advances come at the price of simplicity. The modern ve ... read more

Categories:

Safety

Recommended Service Intervals at PONTE'S AUTOCARE

Most people in the Wilmington area are aware that automotive manufacturers have recommended service intervals. Following recommended service intervals is very important. The engineers that design our vehicles have tested the various systems and components to meet durability and safety standards. Some of these standards are self-imposed and others, like those for emissions components, are government mandated for areas in Delaware.The maintenance schedules are designed to achieve the standards. Think of the benefits of following recommended intervals as falling into three general categories: Protection, Efficiency and Safety.Protection. Let's start with motor oil. First of all, the engineers recommend a particular weight and type of motor oil for your vehicle. All of their oil change recommendations assume using the proper motor oil. Motor oil contains detergents and other additives that clean the engine and provide corrosion resistance ... read more

Coolant Service at PONTE'S AUTOCARE

Wilmington residents' vehicles have to operate in a wide range of Delaware temperatures which requires the engine coolant to be able to perform 'no matter what.' Think for a moment about the environment where the coolant does its thing. Very hot, high pressure, corrosive...And all the while, it has to protect the components of the cooling system from corrosion. These components are made from steel and aluminum, plastics and rubber. The coolant has to be formulated to protect against corrosion for all of these different materials. That's why vehicle manufacturer’s recommend different types of anti-freeze for our Wilmington, Delaware, vehicles.There are several different 'families' of anti-freeze available to us here in Wilmington. Your owner's manual will tell you what kind you should use. Of course, the automotive professionals at PONTE'S AUTOCARE will know the right kind for your vehicle.It's important to stay on top of this because coolant system failure is the ... read more

Categories:

Cooling System

Direct Fuel Injection Update from PONTE'S AUTOCARE

For those of you in Wilmington, Delaware who pay attention to these things, you may have been hearing about the new direct injection engines and want to learn more about them. Some deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.For example, in one family of engines the conventional V6 makes about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version of the same engine makes over 300 horsepower and gets essentially the same fuel economy. The turbocharged version makes over 350 horsepower.So what are the differences from a conventional engine?The core difference is in the fuel injection system. The system most vehicles use now is called a port injection system. The fuel injector squirts fuel into a port just outside the cylinder where it's then drawn into the engine with the air.With a direct injection system, the injector squirts the fuel directly into the cylinder. The gain in power and economy come because fuel injected directly into the cy ... read more

Categories:

Fuel System

On Board Diagnostics for Wilmington Motorists

Some Wilmington vehicle owners wonder why PONTE'S AUTOCARE and other Wilmington auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics. Receiving a diagnostic charge at PONTE'S AUTOCARE for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the Wilmington area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Delaware road, you pull off at the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you're having an intermittent problem with your vehicle engine, however, a PONTE'S AUTOCARE diagnosis may be much more involved.Much of the Wilmington driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem. There's a common misconception among Delaware drivers that the trouble code tells the PONTE'S AUTOCARE technician exactly what's wron ... read more

Timing Belt

Ever heard the sad tale of a staggeringly steep repair bill from a broken timing belt? Bad news. Let's take a lesson from their woes and remember to think about our timing belt.First, let's review what a timing belt does. The top part of the engine over the cylinders is called the cylinder head. The head contains the valves. There's at least one valve that lets the fresh air into the cylinder. This air, mixed with fuel, burns to create power. Then another valve or two will open to allow the exhaust out of the engine. Each cylinder has 2 to 4 valves - that's 12 to 24 valves for a V-6, up to 32 values on a V-8. The opening and closing of the valves is done by a camshaft. The timing belt uses the rotation of the engine to drive the camshaft which opens and close the valves. It's called a timing belt because it has to be adjusted to rotate the camshaft to keep proper time with the engine so that everything's in sync.The timing belt is a toothed rubber belt. But some vehicles use ... read more

Categories:

Parts

Are There Blind Spots in Wilmington?

  All Wilmington drivers have blind spots – and no, I'm not talking about the fact that you really don't sing like Adele. I mean the areas of the road that you can't see when you're driving around Wilmington.First let's talk about our own blinds spots, and then we can talk about others...To begin, we can greatly reduce blind spots by properly adjusting our mirrors to give the widest coverage possible. Make the adjustments in your vehicle before you start to drive.First, Wilmington drivers should adjust their rear view mirrors to give the best possible view directly to the rear of their vehicle. Wilmington folks don't need it to get a better view of either side of the car, the kids in the back seat or their dazzling smile. It's pretty obvious, the rear view mirror should reflect the rear.Next, lean your head until it almost touches the driver's side window. Adjust your side mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your car. Now, lean your head to the middl ... read more

Categories:

Automotive News

Deep Clean Your Fuel System at PONTE'S AUTOCARE

Having trouble with your fuel system? Bring your vehicle into PONTE'S AUTOCARE for a check up.In today's PONTE'S AUTOCARE auto post,we're talking about fuel system cleaning. The first thing to know is how important it is to have a clean fuel system. Wilmington residents need fuel to go, and the cleaner the fuel system, the more efficiently the fuel will burn. That means more power and better mileage .A clean fuel system saves money for Wilmington drivers at Delaware gas stations. We guess you could say it all starts and ends at the pump. One of the most important things Wilmington residents can do to keep their vehicle fuel system clean is to buy good quality gas. Major brands have detergents that keep gum and varnish from rapidly building up in the fuel system.So buying cheaper gas in Delaware can actually be more expensive for Wilmington drivers in the long run. Now, most cars on Delaware roads are more than five or six years old. That means they've had time for ... read more

Categories:

Fuel System
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