May 18, 2012

Deciphering The Menu Board At Fort Walton Beach Service Centers : Part 2

Filed under: Diagnostics — holmesaut155 @ 7:46 pm

Deciphering The Menu Board At Fort Walton Beach Service Centers : Part 2

Fort Walton Beach auto service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Fort Walton Beach auto owners may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.

Holmes Auto Repair fuel system cleaning: Over time, the sedan fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.

Holmes Auto Repair headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It’s usually good to change them every year or so.

Inspections: Fort Walton Beach drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they’re leaving Fort Walton Beach and going on a trip or just want to make sure their sedan’s ready for summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used car in Fort Walton Beach and want to give it the once over. An inspection may reveal some things that are broken or are getting close to having a problem.

Holmes Auto Repair oil change – there are several options: Some Fort Walton Beach centers offer just an oil change and new filter as an option. Most will also check and top off all of your other fluids and do a quick visual inspection with a full service oil change. In my way of thinking, the full service option is best because it makes sure you have adequate fluids in your sedan and may uncover an emerging problem. There may also be options for higher mileage fluids or an upgrade to synthetic oil.

Holmes Auto Repair PCV valve service: PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve. It’s a little part that releases pressure from the engine. It can get gummed up and that can lead to engine damage. Just needs to be changed now and then.

Holmes Auto Repair power steering service: Often overlooked. The Fort Walton Beach auto technician will evacuate the old fluid, clean out the system and replace it with clean fluid. Keeps the system running well for a long time.

Serpentine belt: That’s the belt that powers the sedan’s engine’s accessories like the alternator, air conditioner, power steering and brakes. You’ll want to replace the serpentine belt before it breaks, because that’ll shut you down.

Shocks and struts: This starts with an inspection of the suspension components in your sedan. Shocks last a long time and wear out slowly, so many Fort Walton Beach people don’t notice when it’s time to change them. If they’re worn or leaking, they need to be replaced.

Fort Walton Beach transmission service: This involves removing the transmission fluid and replacing it with clean fluid. It’s like an oil change for your transmission.

Tire rotation and wheel balancing: The sedan tires are rotated from front to back using the recommended rotation pattern. This helps tires wear more evenly. Wheels need to be balanced from time to time to keep them turning without any wobble or bounce. Helps the ride and saves tire wear for Fort Walton Beach car owners.

At Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach FL (32548) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 850.243.1311. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 11, 2012

Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car In Fort Walton Beach

Filed under: Cabin Air Filter — holmesaut155 @ 8:11 pm

Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car In Fort Walton Beach

Air quality affects us wherever we are in Fort Walton Beach. Many decades ago, Fort Walton Beach residents began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?

Cabin air filters are now coming on most new sedans since the 2000 model year. These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment. They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants. If you suffer from allergies in Fort Walton Beach, this is very good news.

You can look in your sedan owner’s manual to see if you have a cabin air filter. If you do, there’ll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often. You can also ask your cheerful service advisor at Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach.

How hard it is to change a cabin air filter depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible; others take some doing to get to them. They’re usually in the sedan engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some Fort Walton Beach motorists haven’t heard of them – even people who have cabin air filters. Holmes Auto Repair service advisors report customers complaining of an unpleasant odor in their vehicle and it turned out to be a dirty cabin air filter.

An important note for Fort Walton Beach hybrid owners: there is a special air filter that cleans the air that cools the hybrid battery pack. This filter should be inspected every time the cabin air filter is inspected and replaced if it is dirty so that the battery pack doesn’t overheat.

Give us a call

Holmes Auto Repair
850.243.1311
15 Robinwood Dr SW
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

At Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach FL (32548) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 850.243.1311. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 2, 2012

Viva la Differential At Holmes Auto Repair

Filed under: Differential Service — holmesaut155 @ 8:55 pm

Viva la Differential At Holmes Auto Repair

With front-wheel drive being so common in Fort Walton Beach these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Fort Walton Beach folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive sedan differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for FL people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many sedan differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Holmes Auto Repair technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Holmes Auto Repair service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Fort Walton Beach four wheel drive sedans need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Holmes Auto Repair at different intervals.

Your Fort Walton Beach service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your sedan owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Holmes Auto Repair
850.243.1311
15 Robinwood Dr SW
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

At Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach FL (32548) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 850.243.1311. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 27, 2012

Cooling System Service At Holmes Auto Repair

Filed under: Cooling System — holmesaut155 @ 8:33 pm

Cooling System Service At Holmes Auto Repair

Your sedan cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the sedan engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in Fort Walton Beach.

Without coolant, the sedan’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Fort Walton Beach, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the FL cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your Fort Walton Beach owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other Fort Walton Beach cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at Holmes Auto Repair: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your cheerful Holmes Auto Repair service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your sedan cooling system.

Ask us about PCV valve replacement, CV joint repair and winter preparation.

Give us a call

Holmes Auto Repair
850.243.1311
15 Robinwood Dr SW
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

At Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach FL (32548) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 850.243.1311. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 19, 2012

Wheel Alignment Service At Holmes Auto Repair In Fort Walton Beach

Filed under: Alignment — holmesaut155 @ 4:31 pm

Wheel Alignment Service At Holmes Auto Repair In Fort Walton Beach

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Fort Walton Beach or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday FL driving can cause your sedan wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.

Here are some alignment basics from Holmes Auto Repair:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your sedan was designed by its engineers. Holmes Auto Repair alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Holmes Auto Repair technician will look at tire condition. From there, the sedan is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.

Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your sedan alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your sedan, get it checked at Holmes Auto Repair before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Holmes Auto Repair
850.243.1311
15 Robinwood Dr SW
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

At Holmes Auto Repair in Fort Walton Beach FL (32548) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 850.243.1311. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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