It's about time for the temperatures to begin dropping, and that means weather! When it starts cooling off, remember that it's going to go from nice cool evenings, to freezing - VERY quickly, and that you can SAVE some serious money, while ensuring your own SAFETY and that of those you care about by simply attending to the critical, safety areas of your vehicle and performing a few general maintenance services! 1. TIres and alignment! You should have your wheels aligned at LEAST one time per year, but more often if there are a lot of pitholes in your path, like I seem to find every week. Replace your tires when recommended by an expert. Your local indeprendent repair shop with an ASE certified Master tchnician is the most objective and least biased source for that info in my opinion...not a dealer or tire store...the reasons aere obvious to most people. 2. Your ANTI FREEZE needs to be FLUSHED..not just drianed and filled...I reccomend back-flushing the entire cooling system at LEAST once evey other year! With all the problems being reported around the so-called 100,00 mile coolants, and the :extended-life" coolants...I can tell you that it's BEST to replace ANY coolant every other year! It will keep your engine from freezing in the winter, and overheating in the summer...PLUS you get better GAS MILEAGE from the engine! 3.Have your brakes and suspension inspected by an ASE certifed MASTER technician...again, I reccomend you avoid brake shops, and other chains...find an independently owned repair shop that is AAA approved, a BBB member, and employs ASE MASTER technicians. I think you'll be AMAZED at the difference in this, all your other service experiences. 4. FInally, have the entire vehicle bputt he a yearly safety inspectiona nd follow the advice of the experts. Investing approximately 1200-1500 per year in vehicle maintenance will save you thousands per year in repair, and replacement costs, to say notihing about towi bills, and the time you ose fomr work, or play or worse yet, vacation! PLAN for it..it's like your TEETH...pennies every day for some toothpaste and floss....or THOUSANDS of DOLLARS all at ONCE, while you sit in PAIN and at the MERCY of a dentist who is getting paid a fortune to inflict PAIN upon you... I prefer the dental floss and toothbrush routine, personally...and it's exactly the same way with your car! Believe it or not, most mechanics would rather do the the preventative maintencance than see you stranded, stressed out, and unhappy in their shops... For more info, videos from my show on the Denver's 2 Morning News, and money saving tips, visit www.MondayMorningMechanic.com!
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