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Archive for July 2024Smooth Operator (Shocks and Struts)Posted July 28, 2024 5:04 AMFew of us ever drive somewhere without encountering some pretty rough roads, and it's amazing how well our vehicles are able to smooth out the ride. Thank your shocks and struts. The two parts are similar. Some cars have shocks in the rear, and struts in the front. Others have struts all around. A shock absorber uses a cylinder filled with gas or liquid that's connected to your vehicle's frame and axle. When your vehicle encounters an imperfection in the road, the shock dampens the motion. A strut is essentially a shock absorber mounted inside a spring and can support more weight than a shock by itself. Shocks and struts take a lot of punishment and wear out. When they do, your tires are not contacting the road as much as they should, and that can result in a bumpy, unstable ride. Worn-out shocks and struts also transfer the impacts of road imperfections directly to your vehicle's body which can cause further damage to other parts. You can tell when your shocks and struts are wearing out when your vehicle's ride is bouncy, you feel the bumps and body motion a lot more than you used to, or you may see fluid leaking from the areas near the wheels. How often your shocks and struts need replacing depends on what surfaces you drive on, how far they've traveled, and how long they've been on the vehicle. Our technicians can check the condition of your shocks and struts and advise you when they need to be changed. Shocks and struts should always be changed in pairs. Because shocks and struts wear out gradually over a long time and distance, experts recommend you have them checked at least once a year. Plus, if you know you've recently hit something especially hard in the road, you should have your suspension checked just to make sure it's ok. East Coast Automotive Services A Bumpy Ride (Strut Assembly Replacement)Posted July 21, 2024 5:03 AMIf you’ve noticed your vehicle’s ride has lately been bumpy or you’re hearing strange noises when you drive over bumps, you may need new struts. The strut assembly is part of your vehicle’s suspension system that’s used to absorb the irregularities on the surfaces you drive on. You have probably heard of shocks or shock absorbers. A shock is a piston with gas or liquid inside. When you hit a bump, that shock absorbs the blow. Struts are similar to shocks but they also have a coil spring for extra strength. They’re often used in the front of the vehicle because of the engine’s extra weight. As you might imagine, your struts take a beating every day. Eventually, they will wear out, and your wheels and tires won’t stay connected to the road as well as they used to. In addition to a bumpier ride, you may notice your tires starting to wear with failing struts because those tires aren’t in contact with the road surface as evenly as they used to be. When you bring your vehicle in to us, we’ll run some tests to determine what’s going on and what condition your suspension components are in. Your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends struts to be replaced at certain intervals, and it’s important to change them out with the same type of equipment. They should always be replaced in pairs on the same axle. After your struts are replaced, your suspension should be aligned so everything is headed down the road in the right direction. After that, driving should be smooth sailing. East Coast Automotive Services What's in a Number? (What Tire Numbers Mean)Posted July 14, 2024 6:38 AMYou've probably never paid much attention to the writing on the sides of your tires, but they contain a wealth of information. There's a long combination of letters and numbers that can tell you a whole lot about what tires your vehicle was designed to be riding on. Let's check out this example found on an SUV: P245/70R17 108T. The first letter, P, means it's intended for passenger vehicles. If there's no letter, it means it's a metric tire. If there's an LT at the beginning or end that means a tire designed for light trucks. Moving on to our example, the 245 shows how wide the tire is in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall. The number that follows in our example, 70, means the height of the tire is 70% of its width. The letter after that in our example, R, describes the type of tire (on this vehicle, radial). Following that is the diameter in inches, in our SUV example, 17 inches. How much load the tires' sidewalls are designed to take is what that next number is all about (108 in our example). The higher the load index, the more weight the sidewalls can take. And the last letter is the speed rating of the tire, in our example, T. The further along in the alphabet that letter is, the higher its speed rating. So now you know what those letters and numbers mean. But why are they important? When you are getting ready to replace those tires, those numbers are telling you what the original equipment was when your vehicle was new. Sticking with the same rated tires is always a good idea. If you don't know what you're doing, trying different sized tires and wheels can cause real issues when it comes to performance and safety, considering all the computerized systems now found on vehicles. When in doubt, consult your service advisor when it comes to buying new tires. He or she knows what those tire numbers and letters mean… and a whole lot more. East Coast Automotive Services On Board Diagnostics for Your EnginePosted July 7, 2024 6:39 AMStarting in 1996, East Coast Automotive Services service technicians have been able to use a standardized diagnostic system to help determine what is wrong with a vehicle. This diagnostic system works in tandem with the Engine Control Modules for each vehicle's engine. The Engine Control Module is a computer that monitors and controls many engine functions. East Coast Automotive Services | ||
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Karl Snyder, 07/18/2024Automotive service and customer care done, right! I drive a 2013 and a 2007 automobiles. The vehicles have approximately 150,000 and 135,000 miles on them respectively. East Coast Automotive has done an excellent job of keeping the cars maintained and roadworthy. There have been the usual items that have needed service/repair typical to cars with as many miles as they have on them. With the cost of new automobiles as high as it is these days, I have complete faith in East Coast Automotive helping me keep both vehicles on the road for as long as possible. If you’re looking for a good automotive repair center that you can rely on try East Coast Automotive.