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D2 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 1, 2003 BEST IVII E E I, s Take better care ofyour vehicle (NC)-- Just because you are not a m echanic, doesn't mean that you c a n 't take better care o f your vehicle -- and save som e m oney in the process. Follow ing is a list o f basic and com m on sense tips that can m ake a big difference in how your vehicle perform s and how long it will last. A little bit o f effort on your part can go a long way towards to protecting this m ajor investment. · Check your tire pressures on a regular basis, especially if you are going on a trip or carrying a heavy load. Improperly inflated tires can have a m ajor effect on the way your vehicle handles, and make a huge difference on how quickly your tires w ear out. If you are not com fortable with doing this yourself, go to a reputable full-serve s e n ice station and ask the attendant for assistance. · Check your oil yourself or have the attendant check it every tim e you fill up with gas. It's basic com m on sense. A low oil level, w hich could easi ly happen through a leak or m any other reasons, can do serious dam age to your engine. And alw ays remember, the RED light on your dashboard is not an oil check light. It is an EN G IN E D ANGER light. By the lime it com es on. you are m ost like ly already in serious trouble. · If you w ant to check your oil yourself, it's easy to do. Fully w arm up your vehicle then park it on level ground and turn off the engine (unless you have a dry oil sum p like in certain Porsches and a few other high perform ance cars -- in this case you m ust leave the engine running). Wait a few m inutes for the oil to drain into the crankcase. Open the hood and identify the oil check dipstick (m ake sure it is not the autom atic transm ission dipstick). Rem ove the dipstick, w ipe it clean, replace it for a few seconds and then rem ove it again and check the reading based on the marks. Add a quality brand nam e oil like C astrol if necessary and do not overfill. It's that sim ple. · Read your vehicle instruction book. Then read y o u r vehicle in stru ctio n book again. T housands o f hours have gone into the prepara tion o f this m anual and it will be full o f excellent recom m endations on how to keep your car run ning w ell -- from the people w ho actually designed the car. Follow their advice carefully on m aintenance, safety and the correct type o f lubri cants to use. · C hange your oil every 5,000 kilom etres or every three months. W hile that probably exceeds your m anufacturers warranty requirem ents, it will pay off dow n the road. Supplying fresh, clean high quality oil like Castrol G TX or Castrol Syntec is the best single thing you can do for your engine. · Check your autom atic transm ission fluid monthly. It has a dipstick sim ilar to the engine oil dip stick , but norm ally is ch eck ed w ith the E N G IN E RU N N IN G . Adding a little transm ission fluid is a m inor cost. Rebuilding your transm is sion is a m ajor expense. See your ow ners manual for details. · Carry, in proper containers, at all tim es, a couple o f litres o f gas, som e engine antifreeze or coolant, w indshield w iper solvent and a supply o f high quality engine oil like Castrol G TX or C astrol Syntec. · C onsider asking your installer for a synthetic oil like Castrol Syntec. It's a little more expensive but if you w ant the utm ost in protection for a vehi cle that you plan to keep, it's worth the premium. A w ealth o f interesting and valuable inform a tion on m otor oils and lubricants can be found at w w w .castrolcanada.com or oth er w ell know n petroleum web sites. - II I k V1LLE Findinc a good eood automotive service facil(NC)-- Finding facil ity is like finding a doctor or a financial advisor: building a relationship based on trust will be im por tant and takes time. Knowing a car's history because it's been worked on before at the same centre can make problems easier to find, and could mean sav ings on repair work. To help motorists, the automotive service team at Canadian Tire offers these tips: · In a larger facility, get to know the service advi sor. A service advisor is there to answ er questions and can help customers understand the recommen dations o f the technician assessing the vehicle. · In a smaller facility, get to know the technician. Get referrals from friends, relatives and business associates. You'll likely get a better idea from seek ing several different opinions rather than relying on the perspective o f just one person. · Written estimates should be provided and dis cussed before going ahead with repair work. When in doubt, take the wrinen estimate somewhere else and get a second opinion. · Meet the people oeoole that will be working on the tl vehicle. Putting a face to the name makes com m u nication (and trust) easier. · D on't be afraid to ask the service advisor ques tions: what sort o f training do their technicians receive? How often? Do they have the latest com puter and diagnostic equipment? · Check the custom er area for information about the facility -- most service centres post their rates and billing information · Go with a facility that stands behind its work: look for a `custom er prom ise' -- it will give you a sense o f how they value your business. Motorists ciui help the automotive service tech nician to help them, too. · Every so often, drivers should roll down the w indows and get to know the sound o f the car w hen it's healthy so they'll be able to notice when it requires serv ice. · Reading through the ow ner's manual will help drivers know what to expect in terms o f the vehi cle's service needs. Be your own mechanic F in d in 9a g°od aut° reP air faci|ity i I T I 8 I k t I Why four valves per cylinder? Every year, fewer engines of the old two-valve-per-cylinder variety are built. To squeeze every ounce of power out of a smail-displacement engine, manufacturers have to make them more efficient at moving air and fuel. Hence, a growing number of new engines use four- and even five-valve technology. Here's how it works. Cylinder head (bottom view) Exhaust valve Typical two-valve-per-cylinder OHV setup Large single intake valve is heavy and limited in size by the physical constraints of the combustion chamber. _ . Typical News Canada Wet driving safety tips (NC)-- Besides making sure you have quality all-season tires for your vehicle, here are some general tips from M ichelin for driving safely in wet weather: * · Check the forecast. A s much as you w ant to believe the forecast, w eather in C anada is at best unpredictable. Before hitting the road: ensure your w indshield wipers, all o f your lights and your front and rear defrosters are working properly. · Check your tire pressure. Before you take to the highway make sure your tires are properly inflated. The quality o f your car's handling is directly related your tires' surface contact to the road. O ver or under-inflated tires can increase tire wear and decrease traction, especially in wet driv ing conditions. · Check your tread wear. For the best traction in wet weather, be sure your tires have plenty o f tread depth to allow water to channel out from under the tread. If your tires are severely worn, your car could hydroplane. · Consider high-perform ance tires. To ensure the best traction on wet roads, you should consid er using proper tires. H igh-perform ance tires such as the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, part o f the m anu facturers line o f Pilot tires (perform ance tires), offer all types o f drivers a range o f high perform ance to ultra high perform ance tires with excep tional wet traction. They are an ideal choice for people who want an extra level o f driving security during w et weather. · W hen it rain s...slo w down. It's im portant to slow dow n at the first sight o f precipitation. Because o f the mixture o f oil. fluids and debris on the road, the driving surface is the most slippery when the rain first starts to fall. · Increase the distances between you and other cars. Conditions are constantly changing based on the severity and duration o f the rain, as well as the surface characteristics and drainage capabilities of the road. Increase the distances in w hich you fol low other vehicles to give yourself more time to slow down and m anoeuvre around trouble. · Beware o f shiny surfaces. Be wary' o f lowtraction areas that develop on heavily traveled or aging roads. These low -traction areas often appear as shiny spots on the driving surface. - News Canada intake or exhaust valve (Side view) Typical four-valve-per-cylinder setup Two smaller intake and exhaust valves make better use of combustion chamber area and are individually lighter (which means less stress at high engine speeds. Most importantly, they flow more air/fuel mixture which means the potential for more power. Centrally-located spark plug aids flame travel and improves combustion -- more power and better fuel economy. O u c lc ls ' D e l i v e r s A g a i n w it h P r e - o w n e d ve h ic le s. Typical two-valve head Rocker arm Valve spring Valve . Pushrod Lifter Typical four-valve head Camshafts (Cylinder head end view) SATLRN H U G E Variety of Makes & Models , 2001 H o n d a P re lu d e Valve spring Over 5 0 P re-O w ned Saturn<t S ta rtin g a t o n ly $3 , 9 9 5 00 2 0 0 0 C h e v ro le t V e n tu re V an Camshaft THE TYPICAL OVERHEAD VALVE SETUP, found on many engines such as a typical V8, has many moving parts -- the more surfaces that touch one another, the more wear and tear the engine endures and the less precise the valvetrain becomes over time. Valve WITH DUAL OVERHEAD CAMSHAFTS WORKING DIRECTLY on the intake and exhaust valves -- but above them -- there are fewer moving parts. As well, the valves are smaller, hence less valve-spring fatigue and higher RPM capabilities (which usually increases horsepower). WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS * In clu d es au to , A/C, 7 P asse n g e r. W a rra n ty ' to o ! 1 o w n er, im p e c c a b le , o n ly 3 5 .0 0 0 k in s, lo ad ed w ith le a th e r & su n ro o f 20,000 1995 A c u ra In te g ra COPYRIGHT 2001 O ld s m o b ile I n tr ig u e A uto, lo a d e d , A/C, P o w e r G ro u p , P rice d to sell. In c lu d e s W a r r a n ty . l o w n er, lo ad e d . 9 A/C, le a th e r &' su n ro o f. * 1 8 , 9 0 0 Fall M aintenance Inspection Includes: · Brakes · Tires ·Suspension · Tune-Ups · Belts & hoses 2002 S a tu rn V ue 2 0 0 0 V o lk s w a g e n J e t t a l o w n er, in c lu d e s fa c to r y w a r r a n ty , V 6. a ll-w h e e l d riv e , s u n ro o f to o ! I 'h e F a m i l y *10,500 5 sp ee d , su n ro o f, A/C, p o w e r lo ck s. ^ CROSS AVENUE AUTO O a k v ille 's D e a le r A lte rn a tiv e fo r Q u a lity S a le s A S e rv ic e I in .tin e .u * t h a t S e r v i c e B u i l t S A T L R N . of O a k v ille so7 Speers Road (9 0 5 )8 4 5 -1 6 1 0 · www.Ouddssatum.satumcaruKla.com ../* wJ* f ~ S s -- Com pany ) www. buaa s f ami l y. c om D u d d S 1 n s e i " : = i · 142 Cross Avenue, Oakville (905) 845-0666 Check out our website at www.crossavenueauto.com for further details and information