Posted on 7/30/2015
People from Rockville, MD, love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than a MD road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it's great! But there's nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt.You can't always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. Heading out on a MD road trip? Stop by Auto Clinic Care before you head out to make sure everything is in good repair. Let's look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip in MD and what you might do to avoid them.The most common vehicle component to fail is the tires. Of course, you can't always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance-connected tire problems.A good tire inspection at Auto Clinic Care will start with looking over the co ... read more
Posted on 7/23/2015
Diesel engines have been used extensively in Europe and Asia for many years. They haven't been as common in the Rockville area because of the high sulfur content in our diesel fuel. But the government is now mandating lower sulfur content and, as a result, we are going to see more Rockville diesel-fueled vehicles on the road, especially in passenger cars and SUV's.Diesels are popular in MD because they get better fuel economy than gas-powered engines. They also last longer. Modern diesel engines are quiet and powerful. And if you associate diesel engines with black smoke, then you're not up with the times. That smoke is a thing of the past.Diesels don't produce any more pollutants than gasoline engines. The pollution standards for diesel-powered vehicles are as strict in MD as for other vehicles.Also, diesel engines can run on bio-diesel fuels as well as fossil fuels. Diesel fuel can be produced from vegetable oil or from cellulosic w ... read more
Posted on 7/15/2015
Most vehicles have automatic transmissions, yet a lot of Rockville drivers only have a fuzzy understanding about what a transmission does. Think back to the last time you rode a bike in Rockville. You started out in a lower gear and shifted to higher gears as you went faster. Down shift for hills, stuff like that. Think of your legs as the engine – there's an ideal speed you can pedal and you change gears to leverage the work you're doing.Lower gears for power on hills or for starting out. Higher gears for more speed. That's what the automatic transmission does – it automatically starts in lower gears and shifts up to higher gears to go faster on MD roads. And it automatically shifts back down to climb Rockville hills, pass or start up again.Vehicle automatic transmissions have certainly gotten more sophisticated in recent years. They have more speeds than before: the base is four speeds, five is very common. At Auto Clinic Care ... read more
Posted on 7/14/2015
The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Rockville drivers, and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most people. Let's get the urgency issues out of the way first. If your Check Engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause engine damage. Naturally, you need to get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn't drive at high speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to your Rockville service center. If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn't go off, schedule an appointment with your friendly and knowledgeable pros at Auto Clinic Care to get it checked out.Some more information on how the Check Engine light works may be helpful for Rockville dri ... read more
Posted on 7/1/2015
With the recent focus in the Rockville area on improving fuel economy, we've been told how important it is to maintain our tire pressure.Rockville drivers know that tires wear out, but we want to make them last as long as possible because they're not cheap to replace. In addition to saving gas, properly inflated tires last longer. Underinflated tires will wear out more quickly.Some people in Rockville wonder if they should add a few extra pounds of pressure when they fill up their tires. Bad idea. In fact, there are very good reasons not to overinflate your tires. For one, the middle of the tread will wear unevenly because the full tread is not contacting the road properly. That also adversely affects your handling. Stop by Auto Clinic Care to see about tire maintenance for your vehicle. Auto Clinic Care5531 Nicholson LaneRockville, MD 20852301.881.7891http://WWW.autocliniccare.com Every ... read more