How Often Should I Have My Spark Plugs Replaced?
Spark plugs are relatively small engine components that sit above each cylinder at the end of spark plug wires. Depending on the design of your vehicle’s engine, the engine may have one spark plug for each of its cylinders or two. Spark plugs serve very important roles in engines and wear out over time as a result of their usage. Therefore, you will need to replace the spark plugs that are in your vehicle’s engine routinely so that the engine can continue to perform to the best of its ability.
The Purpose of Spark Plugs
Spark plugs sit on top of the cylinders of engines so that they can ignite the air-fuel mixtures that are injected into the cylinders during the engines’ combustion processes. As an engine runs, both air and fuel are constantly being injected into its cylinders so that the engine can produce power to drive the vehicle’s wheels. However, the air and fuel need to be ignited so that the power can actually be produced. Spark plugs continually produce the sparks that ignite these mixtures as the engine runs, producing thousands of sparks within each minute that the engine is running.
Faulty Spark Plug Problems
One of the most noticeable signs that the spark plugs of an engine are wearing out is misfiring. Misfiring can be both heard and felt by a driver. Misfiring is caused by faulty spark plugs, because the plugs will either fire at the wrong times or will fail to fire at all, causing fuel to be left unburned in an engine. Pinging or rattling sounds in an engine are signs that the engine is misfiring. An engine will also run roughly and vibrate more violently when it is misfiring.
When the spark plugs of your vehicle’s engine are going bad, you may notice a decrease in your vehicle’s fuel economy. The vehicle’s engine will need to inject more fuel into its cylinders to produce power for the vehicle, due to the inefficiency of its spark plugs. Additionally, the fuel that is left unburned in the cylinders of the vehicle’s engine will begin to coat the spark plugs, worsening the issue by preventing the spark plugs from igniting.
A vehicle will not have the same performance when its spark plugs are faulty, and a driver may notice that the vehicle accelerates slower. The reason for the performance decrease is due to the fact that an engine’s spark plugs will not be efficiently igniting the air and fuel that is injected into the engine’s cylinders, preventing the engine from producing its normal power.
Your vehicle’s check engine light may come on if the spark plugs that are in its engine need to be changed. Vehicles, especially newer vehicles, are very effective at identifying issues with their systems. When an issue is detected, an alert is usually provided to a driver through the form of a dashboard light. If your vehicle’s check engine light comes on, you will need to do a scan of the engine’s computer and run the code that is provided by the scan.
Spark Plug Maintenance Routine
It is generally recommended that drivers replace the spark plugs that are in their vehicles’ engines at least once every 30,000 miles. This ensures that drivers will not experience the problems that are caused by bad spark plugs. However, the lifespan of the spark plugs that are in your vehicle’s engine depends on the design of the engine and the spark plugs that the engine is using. To find the best maintenance schedule for your vehicle, you should refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual, where the vehicle’s manufacturer provides various maintenance routines and maintenance tips for your specific vehicle.
Conclusion
It is important for you to replace the spark plugs that are in your vehicle’s engine routinely so that the engine can operate as you expect it to. Replacing your vehicle’s spark plugs routinely will also allow you to save money on fuel by optimizing the performance of your vehicle’s engine. Visit us at Anderson Buick GMC if you would like to learn more about the spark plugs that are in your vehicle’s engine or would like us to inspect your vehicle. We provide dependable services at our dealership that will help you maintain and improve the condition of your vehicle.
Importance of Tire Maintenance
Your tires are the only thing connecting your vehicle to the road below. Without the traction they offer, you wouldn’t be able to safely control your vehicle or bring it to a safe stop. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about the tires until something catastrophic happens, whether it’s a flat or something far more severe like a blowout or tread separation.
Simply put, tire maintenance is a must for keeping your Buick or GMC vehicle safely on the road. Frequent checks and careful maintenance help you avoid the many dangers associated with tire neglect.
How Tire Maintenance Benefits Your Vehicle
As Americans, we love to get out on the open road at any given opportunity. On average, we drive 13,476 miles per year, according to the most recent statistics. That figure outpaces other car-dependent nations by at least 30 percent. That alone highlights the importance of tire maintenance.
While other car components see their fair share of wear and tear, it’s your tires that face the full brunt of our nation’s roads. Each pothole, rut, and bump adds wear and tear to a typical tire. Aggressive driving habits, whether its hard cornering or panic stops, also adds further wear on our rubber. Constant exposure to the outdoors also does a number on tires over time, resulting in age-related wear and tear over time.
Even the things you’d probably dismiss as minor issues, like tire inflation, can play a big role in how long your tires last. All of these issues can add up to an unsafe tire that, without proper maintenance, could fail sooner or later. Tire failure causes an estimated 11,000 crashes each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Caring for your tires not only makes your vehicle safer to drive, but it also ensures your vehicle performs to its intended specs. Tire maintenance also helps maintain good fuel efficiency by eliminating factors that could make your vehicle use more fuel.
Tire Maintenance Basics
If you’re not familiar with tire maintenance or just need a quick refresher, then read on and learn more about these easy tire maintenance basics.
Visual Inspection
A visual inspection is the easiest thing you can do when it comes to tire maintenance. However, a successful visual inspection involves knowing exactly what to look for as you check your tires. That means checking for tire issues that could make your vehicle too dangerous to drive.
Cracks and missing chunks are the most obvious of these tire issues. Years of constant UV radiation exposure and the natural aging of rubber compounds within the tire can lead to cracks and missing fragments. That explains why most experts recommend replacing tires after five or six years of use, regardless of remaining tread.
Tire bubbles are less common, but more severe. These bubbles can form after any type of severe damage, whether it’s a run-in with a piece of road debris, hard impacts with curbs, or even driving on a flat tire for a short distance. If you see bubble-like bulges on the sidewall or in the tread, then it’s time to replace that tire before a blowout occurs.
Tread Inspection
Tire maintenance also includes keeping a close eye on tread depth and overall wear. Every tire relies on its tread to grip the surface below for better traction, thereby providing better traction in the wet and sharper cornering on dry roads. The right tread pattern can even help your vehicle save fuel.
Tire treads do wear out over time, which makes frequent tread depth checks all the more important. Tread depth is usually measured in 32nds of an inch and most new tires come with at least 10/32 inch of tread. Most states legally require car owners to change their tires once tread depths dwindle to 2/32 inch.
The quickest way to check tread depth is by looking at the built-in tread wear indicator on the tire. The more the tread wears down, the more visible the indicator becomes. Once the tread becomes level with the indicator, the tire is no longer safe to use.
Another way to check tread depth is with the penny test. Simply insert a penny into the tread with Lincoln’s head upside-down. If you can see the top of Honest Abe’s head, then it’s time for new tires.
Balancing and Rotation
Each corner of your vehicle has slight differences in suspension geometry along with different levels of component wear and tear. The end result is tires that wear differently depending on where they’re mounted. In order for your tires to experience uniform wear, they must be rotated to a different corner of your vehicle. That’s what a certified technician does as a part of your vehicle’s tire rotation service.
Your technician will also balance the tires in order to prevent unwanted vibrations and promote even tire wear. This is done using a special tire balancing machine that measures the tire’s natural balance, allowing the technician to balance out any vibrations by adding or removing wheel weights.
Tire Pressure Monitoring
Overinflation and underinflation are the dynamic duo of premature tire wear. Too much tire pressure not only shrinks your tires’ contact patch, which in turn makes your car more difficult to handle, but it also increases the likelihood of a blowout. Too little tire pressure puts more drag on your vehicle, resulting in poor fuel economy. Underinflated tires also wear out sooner and suffer degraded ride quality.
Keeping an eye on tire pressures is crucial if you want your tires to last. Fortunately, that’s made easier with the advent of tire pressure monitoring systems. Mandated for all U.S. vehicles back in 2007, TPMS alerts drivers whenever tire pressures rise or drop to unacceptable levels. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to manually check tire pressures on all four wheels with a reliable tire gauge.
Don’t forget that the experts at Anderson Buick GMC can perform all types of tire maintenance. If you need new tires, we also carry an extensive stock with the right types and sizes your vehicle needs. Schedule your next appointment or drop by our service center today.
How-to-Prepare-Your-Car-to-Trade-In
Gather Important Documents
Before you bring your vehicle to a dealership, you will need to locate the documents that prove that you are the owner of your vehicle. Most importantly, you will need the title of your vehicle. While you can also bring your vehicle’s registration with you as additional proof of ownership, the dealership will need your vehicle’s title to be able to accept the vehicle from you. Once you have agreed on a deal with the dealership, you will sign the vehicle’s title over to the dealership, making them the new owners of your vehicle.
Your name will need to be on your vehicle’s title for the dealership to accept the vehicle. If your name is on the vehicle’s title with another person’s name, then you will need to bring that other person with you to the transaction so that they can sign the title as well. If the vehicle’s title has a lien on it, then you will need to contact the lender beforehand so that they can approve the trade-in or sign the title over to you.
Research the Value of Your Vehicle
You will need to know how much your vehicle is worth before you trade it in. Not only will this provide you with negotiating power, but it will also allow you to determine how much money you will need to bring to your next purchase.
There are several ways that you can go about determining the value of your trade-in. You can choose to use online valuation tools, which will provide you with estimates that are based on several factors, like your vehicle’s condition, the mileage of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been driven, and more. You can also visit various dealerships and have them appraise your car. Online valuation tools will provide estimates for you to keep in mind, but dealership appraisals will provide you with real values based on the current market.
Fix Minor Issues
Fixing minor issues on your vehicle, like scratched paint or broken trim pieces, will help you to get more for your vehicle when you trade it in. You should present your vehicle to a dealership in the best condition possible, as this will allow them to easily place the vehicle on their lot without needing to complete their own repairs on the vehicle. However, you don’t need to spend too much when repairing your vehicle, because you will not be reimbursed for the repairs that you make. In some cases, the repairs that need to be done can be more costly than the vehicle is worth. Determine how much you can get for your vehicle before you begin making any repairs on it.
Clean Your Vehicle
One of the last things that you should do before bringing your vehicle to a dealership as a trade-in is cleaning the vehicle. Clean your vehicle from its inside to its outside before you present it to a dealer, especially making sure to remove items that are important to you from the vehicle. A dealership is more likely to give you more for your vehicle when it looks its best.
Shop Around
You don’t have to accept the first trade-in offer that you get for your vehicle. Shop around at different dealerships to view their inventories and to see what offers they are willing to make on your vehicle. If you have a specific dealership that you would like to purchase a car from, you can use any other offers that you receive for your vehicle as a tool for negotiating.
Conclusion
Take the first step towards owning your new vehicle by preparing to trade in your current vehicle. Properly preparing your vehicle as a trade-in will allow you to receive the most for it and enter into your new car purchase with as much as possible. At Anderson Buick GMC, we can help you get into your new vehicle. Visit us so that we can provide all of the information that you will need to make a well-informed purchasing decision.
Include the Extras
Make sure you include every set of keys for the vehicle, including any extra keys, key fobs, or remotes. If your car comes equipped with an aftermarket radio, make sure the faceplate is attached and the remote included if it came with one. Cars with built-in navigation systems should have their DVDs or SD cards installed or at least included with the car. This way, the dealer won’t ding you for having any of these accessories missing.
Have Your Documents Ready
Your car title isnt the only document to bring with you on trade-in day. You should also have your vehicles comprehensive service history on hand. Having a complete set of service records will help boost your vehicles value at trade-in, as it shows just how well your car was maintained throughout your ownership.
Dont worry about including a vehicle history report with your trade-in thats something your dealer can grab on their own at little to no cost.
Make Sure Everything Works
Unpleasant surprises are the last thing you need during your vehicle trade-in. So, it pays to ensure everything in your vehicle is in proper, working order. Heres a brief list of things to check before trade-in day:
Air conditioning/heating systemHeadlights and tail lightsWindshield wipersTurn signalsPower windows and door locksRadio unit and/or navigation systemSpeakersControls for power seats and power mirrorsControls for heated seats, if equipped
Check All Fluid Levels
Check your cars coolant, oil, and brake fluid levels and make sure theyre close to or at the appropriate fill mark. Dont be afraid to top off fluids if theyre a bit low. You can also check for fluid leaks and, if theyre minor enough, fix them yourself. Any major fluid leaks should be left to the dealership to fix after trade-in, although a significant leak could put a small dent in your trade-ins value.
Keep in mind you can also have these items handled as part of a basic tune-up. This also gives you an opportunity to have more in-depth maintenance done, including oil changes and spark plug replacements.
Repair Minor Cosmetic Flaws
Your car doesnt have to be flawless, but youd want it to be as close to pristine as you can get it. Once its cleaned up, do a thorough inspection of your vehicle and look for any minor cosmetic flaws. Focus on fixing the minor flaws for instance, you can use touch-up paint to repair minor scratches and chips in exterior paint. Small dents can also be fixed using paintless dent repair methods. Worn-out floor mats, missing knobs, scuffed-up interior panels, and burned-out interior lights can also be replaced with relative ease. You can even bring fogged-up headlight covers back to life with a dedicated polishing kit.
When it comes to major cosmetic issues like moderate bumper damage, worn-out chrome trim, or cracked tail light lenses, youre better off letting the dealership tackle those flaws. The time and expense of repairing them on your own could easily cost you more than your trade-in is possibly worth.
Give It a Good Cleaning
First impressions are everything, even when it involves trading in a vehicle. You dont need to clean your trade-in prior to the big day, but doing so puts it in a better light when it arrives at the dealer. Besides, a clean car can boost your chances of getting a better offer for your trade-in.
Start by removing any personal items from your car. Next, check every nook and cranny for any leftover junk. Dont be afraid to dig between seat cushions, look underneath the actual seats and inspect each and every storage compartment. Afterward, give the seats, floors, and other areas inside the car a good vacuuming.
Next, give the exterior a good washing. An ordinary car wash using a non-abrasive car-safe soap and clean water will do the trick. Start the wash from top to bottom and consider using the two-bucket method to avoid unnecessary scratches. Consider adding a wax afterward to protect the paint and give it a glossy shine.
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