Preventive Maintenance is a schedule of planned maintenance actions aimed
at the prevention of breakdowns and failures. The primary goal of preventive
maintenance is to help prolong the life of the vehicle and reduce vehicle
failures therefore providing a worry free driving experience. Automotive
technicians say the key to keeping vehicles running well today and down the
road, is routine preventive maintenance. Many drivers tend to stall when it
comes to keeping up with some everyday automotive basics. 
For your convenience, the Car Care Council developed a Service Interval
Schedule to help you keep track of regular maintenance. Most of the checks
and services described here can be done at little or no cost. Best of all,
they are quick and easy to do.
Our service facility is independently owned and operated providing
full-service repair and maintenance services. We use the latest diagnostic
equipment to guarantee your vehicle is repaired or serviced properly and in
a timely fashion.
We are a member of TECH-NET Professional Auto Service, an elite performance
network, where independent service facilities share common goals of being
world-class automotive service centers.
We employ trained professional technicians that are ASE-certified. ASE is
a measurement of knowledge and skills of individual technicians as well as
the commitment to quality of the repair facility employing ASE-certified
technicians. Our goal is to improve the quality of vehicle repair and
service performed on your vehicle.
You're covered by our TECH-NET Profressional Nationwide warranty,
providing protection on qualifying service and repairs for
12-months/12,000-miles/40 kilometers which ever comes first. Contact our
service center for complete details.
Source: S & S Service
Centers
by Jerry Holcomb
In the last two years, the automakers have done whatever they could in
order to sell new cars. Zero percent financing, tires-for-life and free
Maintenance for the life of the vehicle are several of the enticements
they have offered to get us to purchase a new vehicle. And needless to
say, some of them are very good deals. Heck, I even bought my first new
vehicle in 33 years thanks to zero percent financing! But beware of a few
things the dealers are doing to keep you coming back:
1. Some dealers are telling customers that they must have their new
vehicles serviced at their dealership in order to keep the warranty in
effect. This is absolutely false! The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975
expressly forbids manufacturers from requiring you to return to their
dealerships for normal Maintenance work as long as the parts used in the
repair or Maintenance equal or exceed OEM (original equipment
manufacturers) quality. At S&S, we use top quality CARQUEST parts and
Pennzoil lubricants in nearly every repair we perform, and they all meet
or exceed OEM specifications.
2. Several dealers offer a "free Maintenance for the life of the
vehicle" package to keep you coming back to them. A couple of things
I have heard concerning those plans cause me concern. The first is that
they only use the manufacturer's Maintenance schedule for the
"free" service, which means most are offering a "free"
oil change only every 7,500-10,000 miles. At S&S Service Center, we
have replaced more engines in the past two years than in the seven
previous years, and I firmly believe it is because people are actually
waiting 7,500 miles before they change their oil! Toyota (which I believe
is one of the best vehicles on the road) is replacing/rebuilding engines
right and left because they are sludged up. (See this link: http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?did=416&scid=37).
The second thing the dealer might do is offer you their "dealer
recommended Maintenance" for an additional fee. This is usually just
the good regular Maintenance that we have been offering for years.
So if you have bought or are thinking of buying a new car, please make
sure that your new vehicle gets the preventive Maintenance it needs and
deserves.
- Spare tire
- Jack and lug wrench
- Jumper cables
- Cellular phone and charger
- List of emergency phone numbers
- Flares or reflectors
- Flashlight and batteries
- Help or distress sign
- Maps
- Small tool set
- Rags or paper towels
- Fire extinguisher
- Jug of clean water
- A first-aid kit
- A supply of regularly-taken medication
- Shovel
- Tow rope
- Snow brush/ice scraper
- Sand, cat litter or traction mats
- Tire chains
- Can opener
- High-energy food such as canned fruit or nuts
- Warm clothing
- Blankets
- An envelope in your glove compartment containing vehicle
registration, insurance paperwork and vehicle repair receipts
Whether you're making a quick trip to the grocery store or taking a
vacation trip across the country, the No. 1 rule of driving always applies
- Expect the Unexpected!
It's a good idea to prepare yourself and always have certain
information, tools and emergency supplies in your vehicle.
With luck, you'll never need to use these items, but if you do, they
can be both timesavers and lifesavers!
TECH-NET Professional is an Elite Performance Network of thousands of
professional independent automotive service facilities across North
America. Membership in this Network is reserved only for the best
facilities that adhere to the strictest standards set forth by CARQUEST.
CARQUEST then partners with these facilities to provide the Original
Equipment Products that they need to complete every service or repair on
any vehicle. TECH-NET Professional Auto Service is a sign of
experienced quality that you can trust.
TECH-NET Professional Auto Service is committed to serving you, our
customer, with professional automotive repair at a reasonable cost with
qualified technicians. We use quality CARQUEST Auto Parts, guaranteed
coast-to-coast. We stand on sound business principles and uphold high
ethical standards. Our goal is to make your automotive repair experience
friendly and successful.
As a member of TECH-NET Professional Auto Service we agree to:
Recommend corrective and Maintenance services and explain to the
customer which of these is required now to correct existing problems and
which are for preventive Maintenance.
TECH-NET Professional Auto Service is committed to serving you, our
customer, with professional automotive repair at a reasonable cost with
qualified technicians. We use quality CARQUEST Auto Parts, guaranteed
coast-to-coast. We stand on sound business principles and uphold high
ethical standards. Our goal is to make your automotive repair experience
friendly and successful.
Your car's frame, steering and suspension components (the chassis
system) all depend on each other, because they all affect alignment
and steering response. A change in any one component can affect the
others. Since all of these parts work together as a system, it is
necessary to have each component checked when making adjustments or
replacing parts.
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Idler Arms hold the steering linkage in
place. By replacing worn idler arms, you can reduce vehicle
wander, excessive play in the steering wheel and abnormal tire
wear.
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Ball Joints are the pivot points on which
the front wheels turn. By replacing worn ball joints, you can
reduce front-end noise, looseness and tire wear.
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Tie Rod Ends connect the steering arm to
the linkage. By replacing worn tie rod ends, you can reduce
front-end looseness, vibration, misalignment and excessive
tire wear.
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Bushings help dampen front-end movement,
keep body roll to a minimum and help dampen wheel shock and
vibration. Replacing worn bushings helps eliminate noise and
play and makes handling safer and more predictable.
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Cupped Tire Wear: Produced by an
unbalanced tire condition, faulty wheel bearings or weak shock
absorbers.
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Scrubbed Tire Wear: Usually caused by
excessively loose, worn or bent tie rod ends, idler arms or
steering linkage components.
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Uneven Tire Wear: A result of incorrect
alignment or worn ball joints and bushings.
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Variable Tire Wear: Caused by a
combination of misalignment, weak shocks, worn control arm
bushings and excessively loose ball joints.
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A correct alignment requires checking all components of the system.
The life of your tires and related parts can be greatly extended with
proper Maintenance. That saves you money. But more importantly, a
correct alignment provides a maximum level of safety for you and your
family.
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