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	<title>Allied Wheel &#38; Alignment</title>
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	<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com</link>
	<description>Allied Auto Tips Blog</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:08:28 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Deep Clean Your Fuel System At Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/16/deep-clean-your-fuel-system-at-allied-wheel-alignment/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/16/deep-clean-your-fuel-system-at-allied-wheel-alignment/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:08:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fuel System]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[

 Having trouble with your fuel system? Bring your car into Allied Wheel &#38; Alignment for a check up. 202 Haywood Rd  West Asheville, NC 28806 828-254-3151
 Today we&#8217;re talking about fuel system cleaning. The first thing to know is how important it is to have a clean fuel system. You need fuel to [...]]]></description>
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<p> Having trouble with your fuel system? Bring your car into <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> for a check up.<br /> 202 Haywood Rd <br /> West Asheville, NC 28806<br /> <strong>828-254-3151</strong></p>
<p> Today we&#8217;re talking about <a title="West Asheville fuel system cleaning" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">fuel system cleaning</a>. The first thing to know is how important it is to have a clean fuel system. You need fuel to go, and the cleaner your fuel system, the more efficiently the fuel will burn. That means more power and better fuel economy.</p>
<p> <strong>A clean fuel system saves money at the pump</strong>. We guess you could say, it all starts and ends at the pump. One of the most important things you can do to keep your 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.</p>
<p> So buying cheaper gas can actually cost you in the long run. Now, most cars on the road are more than five or six years old. That means they&#8217;ve had time for some dirt and rust to start accumulating in the fuel tank. This junk needs to be filtered out of the fuel before it hits your engine. That&#8217;s the fuel filter&#8217;s job.</p>
<p> When the <a title="West Asheville fuel filter is clogged" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">fuel filter is clogged</a>, the dirty fuel will bypass the filter and go on up to the engine where it can clog fuel injectors and get into the cylinders. That could do some damage. So you should have your fuel filter changed when recommended. Check your owner&#8217;s manual or ask your service advisor if your fuel filter is due for replacement. </p>
<p> The fuel then goes up into the throttle body. This is another area where varnish and gum can accumulate. A professional fuel system cleaning will use a combination of special cleaning chemicals and old fashioned swabbing to clean out the throttle body. Now, the fuel injectors are the last stop in the fuel delivery system. </p>
<p> It&#8217;s real important to keep those <a title="West Asheville fuel injectors clean" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">fuel injectors clean</a>. The fuel injectors need to deliver a precise amount of fuel, at exactly the right time, in a particular spray pattern. They just can&#8217;t do that if they&#8217;re dirty. Dirty fuel injectors really rob power and waste fuel.</p>
<p> It is important for the fuel system proper, but there are a couple other things that will help keep your engine clean as well. Of course, air is mixed with the fuel before it&#8217;s burned. Dirty air means dirt gets into your engine, so you need to <a title="West Asheville replace your engine air filter" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">replace your engine air filter</a> when it&#8217;s dirty.</p>
<p> The PCV value routes unburned fuel that escapes into the lower engine back up into the intake system to be burned. A sticky PCV valve needs to be replaced to make sure that system is working properly and the breather filter needs to be replaced if it&#8217;s dirty as well. </p>
<p> Do all these things and your engine&#8217;s air and fuel will be as clean as possible. <strong>You&#8217;ll get much better fuel economy and better power</strong></p>
<p>.</p>
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		<title>Questions To Ask Your West Asheville Service Advisor</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/11/questions-to-ask-your-west-asheville-service-advisor/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/11/questions-to-ask-your-west-asheville-service-advisor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:13:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Service Standards]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[

 We find that a lot of West Asheville service and repair at Allied Wheel &#38; Alignment are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions, but don&#8217;t want to be embarrassed or to seem pushy. Cars are very complicated and there&#8217;s more to know about them than [...]]]></description>
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<p> We find that a lot of <a title="West Asheville service and repair" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">West Asheville service and repair</a> at Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions, but don&#8217;t want to be embarrassed or to seem pushy. Cars are very complicated and there&#8217;s more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it&#8217;s because cars have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn&#8217;t need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road.</p>
<p> You know, your local hospital has a <strong>Patient&#8217;s Bill of Rights</strong> that they post throughout the hospital. We think our <a title="West Asheville automotive service" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">West Asheville automotive service</a> customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a right to understand the financial end of the transaction.</p>
<p> It&#8217;s all about the communication. It&#8217;s a little harder when you&#8217;re trying to find the right <strong>service center in West Asheville</strong>. But once you&#8217;ve developed a relationship, the communication should come easier. </p>
<p> What are some of the barriers to communication? Well, let&#8217;s go back to the medical example. When your doctor&#8217;s explaining something to you, it&#8217;s something that she understands very well and is very familiar with. So she may use jargon you don&#8217;t understand or that you don&#8217;t have the education and training that&#8217;s foundational to understanding what she&#8217;s trying to explain. </p>
<p> So you fall behind and get frustrated. </p>
<p> It can be the same with your West Asheville automotive service advisors. Most of them are very busy trying to service and fix cars to get their customers back on the road. So, just ask when you feel you need more information. </p>
<p> Financial related issues seem to be most frustrating to customers. If you&#8217;re not sure, ask what the payment policies are. For example, there&#8217;s a big difference between giving your car a quick once over and doing a thorough inspection. Diagnosing a problem may take quite a while. Make sure you know what&#8217;s done as a courtesy and what has a fee. Remember, you still have to pay for the office visit even if the doctor says you only have a cold.</p>
<p> Communication is a two way street. If you have some real budget concerns, ask your West Asheville service advisor what he can do. He can give you priorities and options. He can tell you what needs to be taken care of right away for safety or financial reasons. Then you can work out a plan for when to get the rest done. He can also help you with options on the parts. The preference is to always use a high-quality part with a reputation for reliability. But if money is real tight, he might be able to find a rebuilt part or a used part. He should tell you the difference in the guarantee for the part so you can make a good decision.</p>
<p> Ask about <a title="West Asheville warranties for parts and labor" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">warranties for parts and labor</a>. Be sure to get all the paperwork you need to make a possible claim in the future. Your service center and its technicians stand behind their work and want you to understand precisely what that means. </p>
<p> Be sure to ask for and keep a detailed explanation of all the work that&#8217;s done on your vehicle. These records will help you keep track of service, warranties and document the good care your vehicle has received when the time comes to sell it.</p>
<blockquote><p>Call <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> to make an appointment. <br /> 202 Haywood Rd <br /> West Asheville, NC 28806<br /> <strong>828-254-3151</strong></p></blockquote>
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		<title>Fuel Filter Service in West Asheville NC</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/02/fuel-filter-service-in-west-asheville-nc/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/02/fuel-filter-service-in-west-asheville-nc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fuel System]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/03/02/fuel-filter-service-in-west-asheville-nc/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

 There are a surprising number of small, inexpensive parts that can lead to expensive engine damage when they fail. It doesn&#8217;t seem right. 
 Fortunately a lot of those things can be taken care of in routine maintenance. They may not be easy to remember, because it is a long list, but your service [...]]]></description>
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<p> There are a surprising number of small, inexpensive parts that can lead to expensive engine damage when they fail. It doesn&#8217;t seem right. </p>
<p> Fortunately a lot of those things can be taken care of in routine maintenance. They may not be easy to remember, because it is a long list, but your <a title="West Asheville service center" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">service center</a> at <a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a> can help you know what&#8217;s scheduled to be taken care of. </p>
<p> Some of us in West Asheville NC really don&#8217;t look forward to going in for an <a title="West Asheville oil change" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">oil change</a> and then getting a list of the other things the manufacturer recommends.</p>
<p> But <strong>automotive maintenance is all about prevention</strong>, and addressing small problems before they get big. Let&#8217;s take the <strong>fuel filter</strong> for example. </p>
<p> You may not know this but the median age for private vehicles on our West Asheville NC roads is over nine years. When cars get older, five years or so, they&#8217;ve accumulated a lot of dirt and rust in their gas tanks. If that dirt gets into the engine it can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. So somewhere between that dirty gas tank and the price of a great vacation &ndash; is the lowly fuel filter: a very <strong>inexpensive part</strong> that doesn&#8217;t cost too much to replace. And your car&#8217;ll just run better too.</p>
<p> A clogged fuel filter can&#8217;t let enough fuel through. You might notice at first that your car is running fine around town, but struggles or sputters on the West Asheville NC freeway or when you accelerate. Enough fuel can&#8217;t get through to meet the demands of higher speed. If it gets bad enough your engine might just shut off or not start at all, which could be dangerous.</p>
<p> Some fuel filters have a bypass. When they get clogged, they allow dirty fuel to move around the filter element so dirt ends up in the engine. We&#8217;ve already talked about how expensive that can be. </p>
<p> The fuel filter is even very important for newer cars. The fuel is still dirty even if there isn&#8217;t rust in the tank. It&#8217;s just that the fuel filter will need to be changed more frequently as the vehicle gets older.</p>
<p> How often should you change your fuel filter? Check your owner&#8217;s manual. Your West Asheville NC service advisor at <a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a> can tell you as well. It&#8217;s usually around thirty thousand miles or so. Ask if it&#8217;s time for a full fuel system cleaning as well. They often go hand in hand.</p>
<p> It&#8217;s good to know that your West Asheville NC service center has your back. When you&#8217;re motivated to maintain your vehicle&#8217;s performance and to reduce operating costs, you&#8217;ll think of Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment as your ally &#8211; and maybe even your memory.</p>
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		<title>The Harm In Skipping An Oil Change For West Asheville Drivers</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/23/the-harm-in-skipping-an-oil-change-for-west-asheville-drivers/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/23/the-harm-in-skipping-an-oil-change-for-west-asheville-drivers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:21:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Maintenance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[

 People in West Asheville have been hearing a lot about higher oil change intervals these days. Maybe you&#8217;re wondering: What are the key issues?
 Some new vehicle manufacturers in West Asheville are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more. [...]]]></description>
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<p> People in West Asheville have been hearing a lot about higher <a title="West Asheville oil change intervals" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">oil change intervals</a> these days. Maybe you&#8217;re wondering: What are the key issues?</p>
<p> Some new vehicle manufacturers in West Asheville are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more. This practice came under scrutiny when four of the largest new car manufacturers announced that owners like those in West Asheville were experiencing <strong>engine damage</strong> resulting from these higher oil change intervals.</p>
<p> The manufacturers&#8217; standard oil drain service for particular vehicles was scheduled at around 7,500 miles. People following these recommendations were experiencing engine damage. It turns out that oil sludge was building up. This caused small oil passages to clog and engine parts to fail.</p>
<p> What causes oil sludge? It&#8217;s a factor of time and mileage. There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off that leads to sludge. Also, water from normal condensation can build up in the oil. This water also creates sludge. Severe driving conditions lead to more rapid sludge formation.</p>
<blockquote><p>Visit <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> in West Asheville, NC 28806</p></blockquote>
<p>Severe driving around West Asheville includes short trips under four miles or trips under ten miles in freezing conditions. The engine just doesn&#8217;t get warm enough for the water in the oil to evaporate.</p>
<p> Severe conditions are at the heart of the problem. Stop-and-go driving, towing, dusty conditions, heavy loads, very hot or very cold temperatures, a car top carrier &ndash; these are all conditions that would suggest that the severe service schedule should be considered. </p>
<p> The <a title="West Asheville severe service schedule" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">severe service schedule</a> has much shorter oil change intervals. People in West Asheville just need to honestly evaluate how they drive to determine if they should change their oil closer to the severe service schedule, or to the standard schedule.</p>
<p> Some types of car will give oil change reminders. But it&#8217;s important to know how that reminder is determined. For some, the reminder simply comes when the standard mileage interval has rolled around. Others use a computer algorithm that takes into consideration the number of cold starts, trip length, engine temperature and so on. It&#8217;s programmed to approximate where on the standard/severe service spectrum you fall. Some more expensive vehicles actually have sensors that test the cleanliness and effectiveness of the oil.</p>
<p> For the rest of us, better safe than sorry should be the guiding principle. Talk with your West Asheville service advisor at <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> and work it out together. Find out what kind of oil the factory sends out in your vehicle. Sometimes it&#8217;s a premium grade that costs more than standard oil &ndash; but it may be what&#8217;s needed to meet a higher factory recommended interval.</p>
<p> If you&#8217;re realistically conservative, standard grades of oil will take care of you year after year. If you want to push the limits, ask for a premium grade oil to give you extra protection.</p>
<p> So, what happened with those manufacturers with the problems from higher oil change intervals? They ended up extending the engine warranty for parts that were affected by oil sludge. But they had a stipulation &ndash; they lowered the oil change interval and the vehicle owner had to provide proof of oil changes at the new lower interval to keep the extended warranty.</p>
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		<title>Maintaining Your Older Car In West Asheville NC</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/18/maintaining-your-older-car-in-west-asheville-nc/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/18/maintaining-your-older-car-in-west-asheville-nc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:33:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Maintenance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[

 The government mandates a lot of equipment on cars in West Asheville NC: emission devices and control computers, safety equipment like airbags and crash worthiness requirements. All of this is great for the West Asheville NC motoring public, but it does add quite a bit to the price of a new car.
 Because new [...]]]></description>
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<p> The government mandates a lot of <a title="West Asheville equipment on cars" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">equipment on cars</a> in West Asheville NC: emission devices and control computers, safety equipment like airbags and crash worthiness requirements. All of this is great for the West Asheville NC motoring public, but it does add quite a bit to the price of a new car.</p>
<p> Because new cars are more expensive, people in the Asheville area are driving their old cars longer. The average car is now over nine years old. Two thirds of vehicles on the road in Asheville have more than 75,000 miles. As cars age, their performance drops, they have difficulty idling for long periods and are more sensitive to weather extremes. Fortunately today&#8217;s cars are up to the challenge &ndash; but they need a little help to keep on goin&#8217;. </p>
<p> Give <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> a call to schedule your next maintenance.<br /> 202 Haywood Rd <br /> West Asheville, NC 28806<br /> <strong>828-254-3151</strong></p>
<p> Some owner&#8217;s manuals don&#8217;t specify <a title="West Asheville service requirements at higher mileage" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">service requirements at higher mileage</a>. That doesn&#8217;t mean it doesn&#8217;t have to be done. In fact, it&#8217;s more important than ever to stay on top of routine maintenance for cars with more than 75,000 miles.</p>
<p> First, just extend regular service intervals out: for instance a service that&#8217;s recommended every 15,000 miles should be performed at 15,000, 30,000, 45,000 and 60,000 miles, and so on. Because of the additional stress older engines experience, the severe service maintenance schedule is more appropriate than the regular schedule &ndash; ask your service advisor. Watch for leaks &ndash; seals and gaskets dry out over time and don&#8217;t hold the fluids as well as they used to.</p>
<p> It&#8217;s also time to make sure you have a good <a title="West Asheville NC technician" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">West Asheville NC technician</a>. There are some services and replacements that are scheduled after you put on some clicks, like timing belts, valve train adjustments, suspension, anti-lock brake service, air bags, etc. And unexpected repairs down the road are just par for the course. Check for unusual sounds, smells or the way your car feels. These could be hints that trouble&#8217;s brewing. Better to catch it early before it turns into a costly repair.</p>
<p> And a regular wash and wax will help maintain your car&#8217;s appearance. One of the things you can do to really help your high mileage vehicle is to begin using <a title="West Asheville high mileage formulation fluids" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">high mileage formulation fluids</a>. There are special engine oils, coolants, and transmission and power steering fluids that are formulated for cars that have a few clicks on the old odometer.</p>
<p> <strong>High mileage oil</strong> is designed to condition seals and gaskets, reduce wear and avoid premature burn off. Older engines are dirtier inside &ndash; and dirty engines contaminate their oil faster. High mileage oil has special additives that clean the engine, removing sludge deposits over time. The result is less stress on the engine, better fuel economy and excellent wear protection.</p>
<p> Studies have even shown that using <strong>high mileage fluids</strong> early will actually prevent some of the problems of high mileage vehicles. So once you hit around 50,000 miles, consider stepping up to high mileage formulations. High mileage fluids cost a bit more than standard fluids because of the additional additives, but they can be worth their weight in gold in terms of preventing repair costs down the road. It does cost more to properly maintain a higher mileage vehicle &ndash; but it&#8217;s way cheaper than a new car payment!</p>
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		<title>Transmission Care In West Asheville NC</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/12/transmission-care-in-west-asheville-nc/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/12/transmission-care-in-west-asheville-nc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:26:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Transmission]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/12/transmission-care-in-west-asheville-nc/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

 Call Allied Wheel &#38; Alignment to make an appointment to check your transmission in West Asheville. 202 Haywood Rd  West Asheville, NC 28806 828-254-3151
 Do you have any plans around West Asheville NC for the weekend? Maybe you and some friends and are taking the boat up to the lake. Maybe you&#8217;ll be [...]]]></description>
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<p> Call <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> to make an appointment to check your transmission in West Asheville.<br /> 202 Haywood Rd <br /> West Asheville, NC 28806<br /> <strong>828-254-3151</strong></p>
<p> Do you have any plans around West Asheville NC for the weekend? Maybe you and some friends and are taking the boat up to the lake. Maybe you&#8217;ll be having a lot of fun water skiing and doing a little fishing.</p>
<p> You got the boat all ready. It&#8217;s all gassed up. You packed lots of snacks and the cooler&#8217;s stocked &ndash; ready to go.</p>
<p> How about your tow vehicle? It has plenty of gas and you&#8217;ve even vacuumed it out, but is your <a title="West Asheville auto maintenance" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">auto maintenance</a> up to date?</p>
<p> Stop and think. You&#8217;ll have some heavy traffic on your way out of town. Hilly terrain as you get to the lake. Some dirt roads &ndash; and it may be hot weather. And all the time you&#8217;re going to be towing around several thousand extra pounds.</p>
<p> That all adds up a lot of <strong>severe strain on your engine, brakes and transmission</strong>.  Your transmission&#8217;s going to be working overtime, spending more time in lower gears. The internal transmission temperature is going to be much higher than normal. What&#8217;s a fun little blast to the lake for you is really severe duty for your transmission.</p>
<p> It&#8217;s important that you have enough transmission fluid. If you&#8217;re running low, the transmission will run to hot and won&#8217;t have the protection it needs to cope with the added stress of towing.</p>
<p> And if it&#8217;s time for a transmission service, you really should have it done at Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment before your trip. Transmission fluid breaks down and gets dirty over time. Whether you have an automatic or manual transmission, you need to have it serviced on schedule to make sure it runs efficiently.</p>
<p> Automatic transmissions contain a maze of passages that the fluid has to pass through to keep it shifting smoothly. If you neglect transmission service, the passages can get clogged up and you start to have problems. Neglect your transmission for too long, and it can fail. Believe us &ndash; you don&#8217;t want to pay for a major transmission repair.</p>
<p> You know, most of us in West Asheville NC do a lot of our driving under severe conditions. Towing or hauling a big load is obvious, but there are lots of other things that constitute severe driving conditions. Things like short trips or driving in very hot or very cold weather. Also, dusty roads, city driving around West Asheville, and basically any driving that&#8217;s not at highway speeds or under ideal conditions is severe driving. We all need to think about whether or not we need to follow the severe service schedule.</p>
<p> So, consider going in for a <a title="West Asheville full service oil change" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">full service oil change</a> before you leave for the lake to make sure everything has been looked at. Ask for a trip inspection while you&#8217;re at it. Your West Asheville NC service technician at Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment can check your belts and hoses and let you know if your brakes are in good shape.</p>
<p> Don&#8217;t forget the sunscreen. And to thank your West Asheville service technician, how about bringing him back a nice trout?</p>
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		<title>Diesel Maintenance For NC</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/04/diesel-maintenance-for-nc/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/04/diesel-maintenance-for-nc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fuel System]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/02/04/diesel-maintenance-for-nc/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

 At Allied Wheel &#38; Alignment we hear from a lot of people who are excited about the new diesel engines that will soon be available in passenger cars and SUV&#8217;s. But our NC friends are often curious about the preventive maintenance requirements. People may not know that diesel engines have long been used extensively [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>
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<p> At <a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a> we hear from a lot of people who are excited about the new diesel engines that will soon be available in passenger cars and SUV&#8217;s. But our NC friends are often curious about the preventive maintenance requirements. People may not know that diesel engines have long been used extensively in Europe and Asia. In fact, in some markets, there&#8217;re nearly as many diesel powered passenger cars as there are gasoline.</p>
<p> Here&#8217;s who&#8217;s announced or is expected to announce new diesels for North America: BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and  Subaru<a title="Subaru" href="http://www.subaru.com" target="_blank"></a>. Of course, the US auto makers will be expanding their diesel offerings as well. Diesels will become a very big deal here in NC.</p>
<p> You may ask, why has it taken so long getting to NC and North America? There are a bunch of reasons like fuel tax policies and such, but the biggest hurtle was that NC diesel fuel had a high sulfur content &ndash; too high for the latest generation of highly refined diesel engines. Recent government mandates to remove sulfur now opens up NC to the engines the rest of the world&#8217;s been enjoying for a long time.</p>
<p> Why are diesels so popular worldwide? Well, for starters, diesels get up to 30% better fuel economy than gas engines. And they last a lot longer. And modern diesel engines are refined, quiet and powerful &ndash; and there&#8217;s none of that black smoke we used to see.</p>
<p> Some people may think that diesels create more pollution. But, you need to rethink diesels. Environmental pollution standards for diesel cars and light trucks are scheduled to be as strict as they are for gasoline vehicles. A modern diesel engine is as clean as a gas engine.</p>
<p> You may also have heard a lot in the news about bio-diesel. The exciting thing about diesels is that they&#8217;re not limited to fossil fuels. They can run on fuel made from vegetable oil. There are refineries that make diesel fuel from cellulosic waste like woodchips from lumber mills. There&#8217;s even this cool new process where a special strain of algae is used to convert carbon dioxide, water and sunshine into bio-diesel. That&#8217;s still a ways off, but you can see that diesel can become a sustainable source of fuel.</p>
<p> And, there are not a lot of trade off&#8217;s with diesel in terms of performance. A modern passenger car diesel is very smooth, quiet and quick. Most folks wouldn&#8217;t notice any difference. For those who tow trailers and haul heavy loads, diesels will be an improvement.</p>
<p> Now diesel engines are heavy duty, so they cost more than gas engines. But they get better fuel economy &ndash; so the break-even point is largely dependent on the difference between NC gas and diesel prices at the pump and how many miles you drive. And diesels have a higher resale value.</p>
<p> Now, let&#8217;s get back to diesel maintenance. You have to keep in mind that most of the new diesels are just coming in, or will be over the next couple of years, so we don&#8217;t have the maintenance schedules to make direct comparisons yet.</p>
<p> But going off what we already have in NC, we can expect fluid drain intervals to be similar to gasoline engines. Diesels do require very clean fuel, air and oil, so their filters are much higher capacity than gasoline filters and cost more. The engine air filter needs to be changed more frequently as well.</p>
<p> Repair costs are similar. As with gasoline engines, proper maintenance is the key to long engine life and to avoiding repairs. So pretty much what we have come to expect with gas vehicles; coolant system service, transmission service, power brakes, power steering, differential, filters, fuel system, and so on. And the payoff for you, if you&#8217;re the kind that likes to keep your vehicles for a long time, is that a properly maintained diesel engine can last for hundreds of thousands of miles.</p>
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		<title>Keeping Your Car Young in West Asheville</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/27/keeping-your-car-young-in-west-asheville/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/27/keeping-your-car-young-in-west-asheville/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:24:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Maintenance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/27/keeping-your-car-young-in-west-asheville/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

 We live in such a disposable society here in West Asheville. It&#8217;s amazing all the stuff we throw away. 
 New stuff comes out so fast, we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff. You know, [...]]]></description>
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<p> We live in such a disposable society here in West Asheville. It&rsquo;s amazing all the stuff we throw away. </p>
<p> New stuff comes out so fast, we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough &ndash; we had to do without. </p>
<p> We couldn&rsquo;t afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It&rsquo;s a good thing that cars are more reliable these days.</p>
<p> They just don&rsquo;t break down as often. And the good news for us penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering&rsquo;s there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the <a title="manufacturer&rsquo;s recommended maintenance schedules" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">manufacturer&rsquo;s recommended maintenance schedules</a>. </p>
<p> Is it really that bad to get off schedule? Well, it all adds up. Every time you go a couple thousand extra miles between oil changes, you&rsquo;ve created an opportunity for sludge to form and clog passages. Then some parts don&rsquo;t get oiled and they start to wear out faster. </p>
<p> Skip a <a title="West Asheville, NC cooling system service" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">cooling system service</a>, and the corrosion inhibitors become depleted, and the radiator starts being damaged &ndash; one step closer to a failure. The same thing is true for <a title="West Asheville, NC transmission service" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">transmission service</a>, power brakes, fuel system cleaning &ndash; really everything on your schedule.</p>
<p> It&rsquo;s also even more important for older vehicles. Those engines and other systems have had more time to get dirty, so they&rsquo;re a bit more stressed anyway. But it&rsquo;s never too late to get back on track with your maintenance and to hold off further damage.</p>
<p> It&rsquo;s just another example of our parents being right. (Surprising how often that happens.) And it really does start with the oil change, just like Dad said. When you get a full service oil change they top off all your fluids and check for other items that are on your maintenance schedule. That&rsquo;s like your safety net &ndash; go in for oil changes on time, and let your service advisor at <a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a> help you keep track of the rest.</p>
<p> Of course, some things are going to wear out along the way, stuff like alternators, water pumps and such. But that stuff is cheaper than a new car payment. And taking care of problems early means they have less time to cause other problems. It&rsquo;s like having high cholesterol &ndash; you don&rsquo;t want to wait for a heart attack before you address it.</p>
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		<title>Timing Belt Replacement in West Asheville</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/21/timing-belt-replacement-in-west-asheville/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/21/timing-belt-replacement-in-west-asheville/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:14:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Parts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/21/timing-belt-replacement-in-west-asheville/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

 Today we want to talk about timing belts. They&#8217;re something that many West Asheville drivers don&#8217;t know much about and yet your vehicle won&#8217;t run if it&#8217;s broken &#8211; and it could cause many thousands of dollars damage if it does break. A broken timing belt is usually a tale of woe. Even though [...]]]></description>
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<p> Today we want to talk about <a title="West Asheville timing belts" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">timing belts</a>. They&rsquo;re something that many West Asheville drivers don&rsquo;t know much about and yet your vehicle won&rsquo;t run if it&rsquo;s broken &ndash; and it could cause many thousands of dollars damage if it does break. A broken timing belt is usually a tale of woe. Even though timing belt replacement is scheduled in the owner&rsquo;s manual, it&rsquo;s not the kind of thing that most Asheville car owners remember because it&rsquo;s not well understood.</p>
<p> Let&rsquo;s review what a timing belt does. As you know, the engine&rsquo;s power is generated in the cylinders. A piston rides up and down in the cylinder.  During the first down stroke, an intake valve at the top of the cylinder opens and air and fuel is drawn into the cylinder. Then the piston returns to the top, compressing the fuel and air mix.  At the top, the spark plug fires, igniting the fuel pushing the piston down in the power stroke. As the piston once again returns up in the final stroke of the cycle, an exhaust valve opens at the top of the cylinder and the exhaust is pushed out. The <a title="West Asheville timing belt" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">timing belt</a> is what coordinates the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves. It&rsquo;s called a timing belt because the valves have to open and close at just the right time.</p>
<p> Now, not all Leicester and Candler vehicles have timing belts. Some have <a title="West Asheville timing chains" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">timing chains</a>. Like the name implies, they use a chain rather than a belt to perform the function. It used to be that most engines used timing chains, which are extremely durable. Manufacturers started using belts rather than chains to save money in the manufacturing process. So now we&#8217;re left with a component that can break. They sort of shifted the problem to us. There are two broad categories of engine design: interference and non-interference. If the timing belt on a non-interference engine breaks, the engine simply stops running. That could be very dangerous depending on where you are at the time, but it causes no internal engine damage.</p>
<p> Interference engines, on the other hand, will get real messed up when the <a title="West Asheville timing belt breaks" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">timing belt breaks</a>, because the valves will actually fall down into the path of the pistons. Things get chewed up when that happens and it&rsquo;ll cost thousands to repair the engine.</p>
<p> So, what are the warning signs? Unfortunately, there really aren&rsquo;t any. There aren&rsquo;t tell-tale sounds. In some vehicles, a technician from Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment may be able to see part of the belt for a visual inspection, but many have a cover that&rsquo;s in the way. The reality is that if the belt slips even one notch, it might as well be broken for all the damage it&rsquo;ll cause. There&rsquo;s no middle ground.</p>
<p> So how can we avoid these problems? Simply replace the timing belt when your owner&rsquo;s manual calls for it. It can be 60,000 miles; it might be 90,000 or 100,000 miles. The point is, if you have 60,000 or more miles, ask your <a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a> service advisor right away if your manufacturer requires a timing belt replacement.</p>
<blockquote><p>Contact <strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong> to learn more about your car&#8217;s Timing Belt<br /> You can find us at:<br /> 202 Haywood Rd <br /> West Asheville, NC 28806<br /> Or call us at <strong>828-254-3151</strong></p></blockquote>
<p>Sometimes you can go quite a while without a failure, but we&rsquo;ve seen them happen within a couple of oil changes of being due. It&rsquo;s not worth the risk.</p>
<p> What does it cost to replace a timing belt in Candler or Alexander? Well, that really depends on what kind of car you have. I can tell you that it&rsquo;s usually not very easy to get to the timing belt &ndash; you often have to remove some accessories to get at it. It isn&rsquo;t a cheap procedure, but it&rsquo;s a fraction of what it could cost to repair the damage caused by a failure.</p>
<p> At Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment we&rsquo;re all about trying to prevent costly repairs, keeping you and your passengers safe and increasing your driving enjoyment. Thanks to <a title="Auto Tips Videos" href="http://www.autonettv.com" target="_blank">AutoNetTV</a> for their great auto video tips.</p>
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		<title>Keeping Your &#8216;Old Faithful&#8217; Auto Running</title>
		<link>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/15/keeping-your-old-faithful-auto-running/</link>
		<comments>http://alliedwheelandalignment.autotipsblog.com/2010/01/15/keeping-your-old-faithful-auto-running/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:45:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>lawing54</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Maintenance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[

 At Allied Wheel &#38; Alignment we&#8217;ve had a lot of people asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that&#8217;s been building for several years. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the [...]]]></description>
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<p> At <a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a> we&rsquo;ve had a lot of people asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that&rsquo;s been building for several years. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles on them. It looks like it&rsquo;s going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices a lot of folks are putting off buying a new car. Thanks to <a title="AutoNetTV Auto Videos" href="http://autonettv.com" target="_blank">AutoNetTV</a>, we can provide you with a video answer to this question.</p>
<p> So let&rsquo;s say you&rsquo;re one of the average people in the Asheville area; you&rsquo;ve got a nine year old car with 80,000 miles on the odometer. What can you to do make it last another year or two?</p>
<p> Let&rsquo;s start with the premise that there&rsquo;s no reason that a modern car can&rsquo;t run for 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering and manufacturing quality is there. </p>
<p> Of course, some parts will wear out along the way, but there&rsquo;s no reason for a catastrophic meltdown if you stay on top of your <a title="West Asheville recommended maintenance" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">recommended maintenance</a>. The maintenance schedule in some owner&rsquo;s manuals runs out at 60,000 miles or so: how do we know what to do when we&rsquo;re way past that?</p>
<p> It is a challenge, for example: If a service is recommended every 15,000 miles for the first 60,000 miles you can just keep getting it done at least every 15,000 miles after you hit 60,000 miles. But, it gets more complicated because older engines lose some efficiency, are dirtier inside and are just more stressed. That means it&rsquo;s very important to not miss any scheduled services. Skipping just one oil change, for example, leaves an opportunity for harmful sludge to build up.</p>
<p> So all the usual things like oil changes, transmission service, coolant service, brakes, power steering, fuel system cleaning &ndash; all that stuff need to be maintained. People responsible for fleet vehicles around Asheville are positively religious about scheduled maintenance. They know that money spent on maintenance saves them three ways:</p>
<ol>
<li>it saves fuel;</li>
<li>it prevents costly repairs, an;</li>
<li>they can postpone purchasing new vehicles.</li>
</ol>
<p>Having the oil changed may be the most important thing. A <a title="West Asheville full service oil change" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">full service oil change</a> means that all of your other fluids get topped off so they are never low enough to cause damage. It also gives your technician a chance to spot problems in the early stages so that you can fix them before they get expensive. And it gives you a touch point with a professional along the way to remind you of things that aren&rsquo;t scheduled as often &ndash; things like differential service and timing belt replacement.</p>
<p> If you live in the Asheville area and have an older vehicle, you may need to follow the severe service maintenance schedule. Check your owner&rsquo;s manual and talk with your service advisor at <a title="West Asheville Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a>. Conditions inside an older engine, transmission and cooling system can arguably be considered severe &ndash; so shorter intervals could well be called for. </p>
<p> And, we would strongly encourage you to consider using high mileage formulation fluids. They&rsquo;re fluids like engine oil, transmission fluid and coolant that are formulated for older engines. They have special additives to clean deposits, and to condition and restore seals and gaskets that dry out with age. Some people start using higher mileage formulations at around 50,000 miles as a preventive measure.</p>
<p> Of course you also want to still look marvelous in your older car. Salt and road grime wreak havoc on your paint job and can lead to body rust &ndash; so regular washing is very important. Also, a good quality waxing is recommended at least twice a year.</p>
<p> Give us a call for more information:</p>
<blockquote><p><strong><a title="Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment" href="http://alliedwheelandalignment.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Allied Wheel &amp; Alignment</a></strong><br /> 202 Haywood Rd <br /> West Asheville, NC 28806<br /> <strong>828-254-3151</strong></p></blockquote>
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