Manchester Automotive and Tire of Mint Hill, LLC

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – Wash Your Car This Winter!

Many people don’t wash their cars in the winter. “Why should Iif it it will get dirty again in a few days?” you may ask yourself. “Hey, even car washes themselves shut down if it gets too cold!” All these things may seem to make sense, but washing your car in the winter is the most important time, but not for the reason you may think.

Washing your car in the winter is super important for one reason: salt. When you wash your car in the winter, you aren’t doing it for cosmetics, you’re doing it to eliminate salt. We don’t get a lot of snow here in the Carolina piedmont, but we do get a lot of black ice. Black ice forms when water (or snow) on the roads freezes over and has minimal to no air bubbles making it “invisible.” Towns and cities tend to salt their roads when there’s a severe chance of black ice, which is common during December and January.

Salt will kill your car, and I don’t mean the resale value, though salt will kill that too. I mean salt in the wrong places will render your car unsafe forever. Frame rust for a car is almost always terminal, especially on “unibody” vehicles that no longer have separate frames and bodies (which is probably what you own unless you own a pickup or large SUV.) Vehicles that get frame rust are unsafe to drive at that point. Frame rusted vehicles do not handle even minor accidents well. They crumble in accidents – check out some crash tests with rusty cars on YouTube if you get the chance, you’ll see what I mean. The only place frame rusted cars go is the scrapyard. You can’t replace frames, at least not without spending almost as much money as the vehicle is worth, parts and labor included.

But you can avoid this fate for your vehicle by washing it!

You don’t have to get fancy when washing your car in the winter. You just need to make sure the underbody gets washed, because that is where salt makes first contact with your frame, among other things. You don’t need to wash it every day, but if snow has fallen or the roads were recently salted, you should have the vehicle washed shortly after the salt on the roads has washed away. Garage keeping a vehicle also helps, but isn’t required.

Washing a car can be a pain in the winter, especially if you’re doing it yourself, but go ahead and make the time to get it done this winter. Your safety could depend on it.

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – Our Toy Drive has Begun!

Once again the “holiday season” has begun. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, New Years… all coming in rapid fire. For many, this means a time of family. For others, this is more of a dream than reality. Many children do not receive any gifts during the Christmas season due to financial struggles. We want to do something about that.

In 2006, Manchester Auto and Tire of Mint Hill, LLC did it’s first toy collection drive. At that time, we went through Toys for Tots. While we expected to collect a few toys here and there, we never realized it would turn into the success it’s been. Over the years we’ve had thousands of dollars worth of toys (so many in fact, a few of our customers have made this paper because of it!) and nothing warms our hearts more than knowing that our customers have such giving spirits.

Since 2016, all our toys have been donated to Servant’s Heart of Mint Hill. Most of our customers are Mint Hill residents and have expressed a desire to have their donations stay local. Servant’s Heart provides the perfect platform for that to happen through their Christmas donation collection.

As a thank you to donors, we’re offering a free road trip inspection for anyone who donates a new toy in its original packaging. This is our second most comprehensive inspection and is normally $59.99, so donate a toy and have your car checked out to make sure it’s safe go to Grandma’s this season!

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – Is Now a Good Time to Go Electric?

Electric cars are all the rage these days – old companies like General Motors are starting to make them and companies like Tesla rely on them. Toyota has even gone so far as to state that all their vehicles will have an electric or hybrid model by 2025. Everybody wants a piece of the action, but that raises a huge question for the consumer – is now the time to make the switch? Like many things, the answer isn’t black and white.

Pro – It’s cheaper to “fuel.”

Electric cars cost $540 per year on average to recharge, according to finder.com. The average gas car costs about $1,400 a year to fuel.

Con – Few Repair Choices

With all electric cars, you’ll either have to go to the dealer or a specialty shop that only deals with electrics (which there aren’t a whole lot of yet) because the knowledge aren’t quite being taught to every automotive technician yet, and the tools aren’t available to the masses quite yet either. If you need things fixed, there aren’t a whole lot of places to go.

Pro – You Won’t Fix it Too Often

While the quantity of shops you have to go to fix an electric car may be slim, you won’t have to go as often as you do now with your gas car. Things like oil changes and the Check Engine Light are no more with electric cars. You’ll still need things like brakes and tires, but a lot of those little things you have to do now are no more with electric.

Con – Charging Stations are few

This is rapidly changing due to Government funding, but as of right now there are more gas stations than charging stations, especially out in rural areas. You can still charge your car at home, sure, but be careful when you’re driving through states like Montana that only have a few compared to the East Coast.

There are many more pros and cons to electric cars, and we encourage you to research them – your next car could very well be one depending on how long you wait.

If you have any questions about electric cars (or gas ones) feel free to call Manchester Auto and Tire of Mint Hill, LLC at 704-545-4597, email us at kenmanchester1@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook at facebook.com/ManchesterAutoandTireOfMintHill.

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – How to Handle Black Ice

Finally, the temperatures have begun to drop! Cooler weather is upon us, the holidays are soon to roll around, and the conditions in which you’ll be driving in will change too – in the colder months, black ice can be a real problem in the Carolinas.

Mint Hill winters generally have days that are above the freezing point and nights that are below it. Due to that, we tend to get rain instead of snow during the colder months. Whatever water is left on the ground after the storm stops turns into ice that night. You’ve probably noticed it too – your yard may look like it has a white beard the day after a december rainstorm because the wet grass froze overnight.

This can happen on roads too, but there is one big difference – most of the time, you can’t see it.

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) black ice forms when water on a road freezes over, but no air freezes inside the ice. No air bubbles make the ice impossible to see. It usually forms in shady areas, bridges, and anywhere water can easily puddle.

Most tips and tricks mentioned here today come from the USDA and Pekin Insurance – big thanks to them for this great info!

Staying Safe:

Do not slam on the brakes!

Even with modern anti-lock brakes (ABS) braking on ice is an easy way to lock up the wheels. If you need to slow down, do so before you hit the ice patch – and if you must brake while on the ice, pumping the brakes is your best option, even if your vehicle has an ABS system.

If you skid, turn into it.

One of the biggest mistakes people make if they actually start to skid is to jerk the wheel around over-correcting themselves while having their foot planted firmly on the brake pedal – the better method of attack is to turn into the skid and pump the brakes. This can be very hard to do if you’re panicking, however, so it is important to remember to stay calm in these situations – it can be hard, but you can do it!

Look at How Others are Driving

Do you see people in front of you losing traction for a few seconds? Are drivers in front of you slowing down a lot? Are you in an area that black ice can easily form? If you answered yes to some of these, then you may have found a black ice patch… or rather others found it for you.

Pack an Emergency Kit

We’ve talked about emergency kits many times before here (if you missed those articles, head over to autorepairminthill.com to catch up on some of our prior articles run in this paper!) and they’re crucial in a skid situation. While we hope you never crash in a skid, it’s always a possibility. Having chained tires, snow tires, or anything like that won’t give you more traction on ice… just snow. If you already have a good set of all-season tires on your vehicle, don’t waste money on new tires you don’t need – spend it on making a good emergency kit instead, because if you do crash, you’ll need one!

As always, practice safe judgement every time you plan to go on the road – if you don’t feel you can do it, don’t. Your life is more important than getting somewhere on time. If you’d like to know more, feel free to call Manchester Auto & Tire of Mint Hill, LLC at 704-545-4597, email us at kenmanchester1@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook at facebook.com/ManchesterAutoandTireofMintHill

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – Getting Your Car’s Power Back

Cars, much like people, tend to slow down as they get older. The more miles parts and systems accumulate, the more they underperform. While sometimes this loss of power is minimal, horsepower loss can be very noticeable when tune-ups and factory recommended maintenance haven’t been done. The one thing cars can do that people can’t, however, is get some of their energy back with a little TLC. Listed below are a few things your shop may recommend if your car needs some pep in it’s step. As with any list, remember this is not all inclusive and depending on your vehicle’s age and maintenance history, you may need more than what we’ve listed here, or none of it at all. Check with a professional technician before spending your hard earned money!

Fuel Cleaner

While Fuel Additives can sometimes be a bit scammy, many fuel cleaners are actually worth it. Fuel additives that clean, such as products from Lucas Oil, help remove deposits from the fuel tank resulting in a better flow of gasoline to the engine. Generally, a fuel tank cleaning or replacement does this job better than an additive, but additives are considerably cheaper and still do an acceptable job.

Throttle Body Service

A Throttle Body Service is a cleaning of a device called the Throttle Body – the device that you’re controlling when you press the gas pedal. The throttle body can get filled with carbon buildup and over time can result in loss of power and in severe cases, stalling. A cleaning of this device, especially if it has never been done before on a high mileage car, can be a huge help.

Spark Plugs

Spark Plugs are what ignite the air/fuel mixture in order to power the motor. When spark plugs get old, they have telltale signs of underperformance including extra fuel consumption, poor idling, and lack of power. A fresh set of plugs can make a world of difference.

Air Filter

As we discussed under Spark Plugs, the engine needs a mixture of both fuel and air to run. If the air the engine gets is not filtered properly, performance issues occur. A cleaning or replacing of an air filter is easy, relatively cheap, and very beneficial.

Consistent Oil Changes

No matter what oil you use, a consistent replacement schedule is important. The older oil is, the dirtier it gets, and dirty oil is underperforming oil. Depending on what oil you use, you can go anywhere between 3,000-20,000 miles before it is time to replace, but going longer than that causes loss of performance. Check what your owner’s manual recommends and follow it religiously.

As with any list, we haven’t covered everything you can do for engine performance. If you’d like to know more, feel free to call Manchester Auto & Tire of Mint Hill, LLC at 704-545-4597, email us at kenmanchester1@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook at facebook.com/ManchesterAutoandTireofMintHill

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – How to Get Lost Horsepower Back on Older Cars

Cars, much like people, tend to slow down as they get older. The more miles parts and systems accumulate, the more they underperform. While sometimes this loss of power is minimal, horsepower loss can be very noticeable when tune-ups and factory recommended maintenance haven’t been done. The one thing cars can do that people can’t, however, is get some of their energy back with a little TLC. Listed below are a few things your shop may recommend if your car needs some pep in it’s step. As with any list, remember this is not all inclusive and depending on your vehicle’s age and maintenance history, you may need more than what we’ve listed here, or none of it at all. Check with a professional technician before spending your hard earned money!

Fuel Cleaner Additives

While Fuel Additives can sometimes be a bit scammy, many fuel cleaners are actually worth it. Fuel additives that clean, such as products from Lucas Oil, help remove deposits from the fuel tank resulting in a better flow of gasoline to the engine. Generally, a fuel tank cleaning or replacement does this job better than an additive, but additives are considerably cheaper and still do an acceptable job.

Throttle Body Service

A Throttle Body Service is a cleaning of a device called the Throttle Body – the device that you’re controlling when you press the gas pedal. The throttle body can get filled with carbon buildup and over time can result in loss of power and in severe cases, stalling. A cleaning of this device, especially if it has never been done before on a high mileage car, can be a huge help.

Spark Plugs

Spark Plugs are what ignite the air/fuel mixture in order to power the motor. When spark plugs get old, they have telltale signs of underperformance including extra fuel consumption, poor idling, and lack of power. A fresh set of plugs can make a world of difference.

Air Filter

As we discussed under Spark Plugs, the engine needs a mixture of both fuel and air to run. If the air the engine gets is not filtered properly, performance issues occur. A cleaning or replacing of an air filter is easy, relatively cheap, and very beneficial.

Consistent Oil Changes

No matter what oil you use, a consistent replacement schedule is important. The older oil is, the dirtier it gets, and dirty oil is underperforming oil. Depending on what oil you use, you can go anywhere between 3,000-20,000 miles before it is time to replace, but going longer than that causes loss of performance. Check what your owner’s manual recommends and follow it religiously.

We hope this list is of some help! If you feel like your car may need a look over, feel free to call Machester Auto and Tire of Mint Hill, LLC at 704-545-4597, email us at kenmanchester1@gmail.com, or send us a message on Facebook at facebook.com/ManchesterAutoAndTireOfMintHill.

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – Beware of Florence’s Flooded Cars

Shortly after the storm, Texas World Speedway began to house about 10% of all flood damaged cars from Hurricane Harvey.

Hurricane Florence was one of the worst storms to hit the Carolinas in years. The coastal region experienced large amounts of flooding, and as a result many cars were terminally damaged in the process. Unfortunately, flood cars are the automobile version of Frankenstein‘s Monster — they commonly are refurbished and put back out on the street, despite being unsafe and needing to be in a car graveyard. You plan on being in the used car market in the upcoming weeks, be aware of the potential of buying a flooded car and know the signs and symptoms to look for.

1. Salvage Titles.

Salvage Titles are a great way to find flood vehicles, but it is flawed system. Any car effected by a flood is considered a total loss, and any that go back out on the road wind up with a salvage title… that is, if it was reported in the first place. While many auto owners will do what is right and report to their insurance companies, many will attempt to hide any damage on the vehicle and resell it as if the vehicle was never involved. Remember, a clean title does not necessarily mean a clean car.

2. Your Senses are Your Friends.

While some may go above and beyond to hide flood damage, shoddy jobs are easy to detect with your eyes and nose. Does the car smell moldy? Does the car smell like a air–freshener–bomb went off inside, like they‘re trying to hide a smell? Does the carpet have stains that don‘t look like a drink spill? Are there stains on the roof? Have the rugs been recently replaced? Do electronics not work? If your answer to questions like these is “yes” you should probably run.

3. Deals so Good, They‘re Fishy.

Check and see what cars are going for in your area with national evaluators. For example, a base–level 2013 Toyota Camry LE with 80,000 miles is currently worth $7,000–8,000 in “Good” condition According to Kelly Blue Book. If you see one that hit the used car circuit after mid–September and it only costs $4,000, you‘ve probably got a flood car.

4. You Aren‘t in the Clear because you live in Mint Hill

The easiest place to sell flooded vehicles is in a place that did not flood. While Mint Hill did receive an average of about 9.5 inches of rain during Florence, our weather was considerably less violent than that which hit the coast. Due to the fact that we had minimal to no flooding, used car sellers may attempt to pedal cars in our area — after all, why would we expect to be buying flooded cars if we didn‘t get flooded?

5. Flood Damage isn‘t Just in the Cabin

If a car in a flooded area didn‘t have damage to the cabin, many sellers think they‘re in the clear. However, flooding does just as much damage to frames and engines as it does to interiors, and that‘s where the real danger lies. Flooded engines commonly act like lemons (If you missed our article about those, head over to www.autorepairminthill.com to catch up!) and cars with frame rust are extremely deadly in crashes. Take a peek under the hood at the engine and look under the vehicle at the frame. If you see any rust, run.

Like with any list, we have not covered every possible sign of flood damage, so be sure to check the news for ways to find flood cars that may not have been covered in our article. Most importantly, stay safe! If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 704-545-4597, email us at kenmanchester1@gmail.com, or send us a message on Facebook at facebook.com/ManchesterAutoandTireOfMintHill.

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – How Warranties Work with Independent Shops

Have you ever been in the process of buying a new car, and during the process the salesperson says “be sure to get your car repaired here so it will be under a warranty!” This is a sales tactic dealerships have said for years, that they could do something no mom-and-pop shop could – offer a warranty that worked nationwide. While once upon a time this was the case, for years now that statement has been untrue. Independent auto shops can offer nationwide warranties just like large chains and dealers.

While dealers and chains offer warranties through their parent company, independent shops offer warranties via their parts suppliers. By having a membership in one of these programs, independent shops agree to use a specific supplier of parts for most of their repairs, and in return the auto parts suppliers will cover the cost of any warranty work should it be needed.

These warranties work kind of like like in-network doctors. All the shops that agree to be part of the warranty service agree to do warranty work because the parts supplier will cover the cost. So if you have a water pump installed at a shop in Mint Hill and it goes bad on your trip to Chicago, all you have to do is visit an “in-network” shop and they can do the warranty work at no charge to you just like if you had the job done at home. There are however some guidelines that have to be followed:

1. You need proof of purchase

Like with many things, you’ll need to show a receipt to prove you had the inital work done in the first place. Always keep receipts from repairs in the glove box when you’re going away from home.

2. You should go “in-network”

Much like with doctors or car dealerships, if you go outside the certified warranty providers, you’ll probably have to pay. Always call the 1-800 number given to you when you break down away from home to make sure you go to a shop that can provide you the proper warranty work. The number can usually be found at the bottom of your receipt. If you werent given a 1-800 number, call your local shop back home and have them give it to you. If you go outside of network, you may have to pay for work and there is no guarentee you’ll be covered. Don’t take that chance!

This also goes with any rental you may need – don’t assume any rental car company of your choice will be covered. You may have to go through a specific company like Hertz or Enterprise. Be sure to ask the serivce provider to see who is covered.

3. Check to See How Long Your Warranties Last.

Some warranties last 12 months/12,000 miles, some last 10 Years/100,000 miles, depending on what is being provided. Be sure to check and see how long yours lasts.

4. Remember a Indpendent Shop’s Warranty won’t Void a Dealer’s.

In the United States it is the law that car manufacturers honor warranties they offer. If you bought a car in June and it has major issues in July, don’t let them tell you “no” because you have had services done at local shops. It is not true. You’re covered.

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – How Auto Tarriffs Could Impact Your Current Car

Not too long ago the United States Government proposed a 25% tariff on imported auto parts. The general idea behind these tariffs is to encourage domestic automakers to manufactuer their parts in the United States, and encourage foreign automakers to build plants in the United States to create jobs. While we’re still unsure if this tariff will actually happen, both car and parts manufacturers believe tariffs could cause huge changes in pricing in the “short run” both for new cars and for general automotive repairs on the ones you already own – even for domestics.

“American Car” is a Loose Term

You may be thinking “I drive a Chevy/Buick/Ford/Dodge, etc., those are American, why would their parts cost more?” Simply put, because there is no such thing as a 100% American Car. According to Cars.com, 2017’s most American made vehicle was the 2017 Jeep Wrangler, and it was only 74% domestic – which means that more than quarter of the vehicle’s parts or labor involved in the build came from elsewhere. Another example is General Motors. GM is distincly American, but not everything they sell is. Ever since their aquisition of Daewoo and renaming it GM Korea, General Motors has built a slew of vehicles overseas and imported them to the States. The Chevrolet Spark EV, for example, is built in Changwon, South Korea and uses minimal American parts, dispite being a product of the Detroit automaker. Many sedans that Chevy sells are just rebadged Holden vehicles, an Austrailian automaker GM owns.

This also happens to work in reverse – many Japanese cars can qualify as “highly American.” Honda Ridgeline was the 4th most American vehicle according to the Cars.com list – It is built in Alabama with many American made parts. Honda has even exported things it’s built in the USA to Japan, like the K20C1 engine it uses in it’s Type-R Civics.

Almost every vehicle on the street, American or not, uses some American and some foreign parts.

When it comes time to replace those foreign parts, the cost will most likley be transferred to the consumer.

Everyone – Dealer, the auto parts store, Mom-and-Pop-Shop and the DIY dad who works on his car every Saturday could pay more. Dealers, who install parts built directly by the manufacturers will take a large blow in price since their foreign parts are imported from their own factories, but local independent shops and your local auto parts stores will too, as many aftermarket parts manufacturers outsource. According to the journalism site Automotive News, The companies behind the North American branches of Michelin, Sumitomo, and Cooper, sent joint letter to the Commerce Department warning that higher tire prices could cause consumers to wait too long and cause an uptick in tire-related accidents. Long story short – parts won’t be cheap for anyone.

Labor rates accross the board should remain the same, but don’t be suprised to pay more for car repairs, even if you do it yourself.

If you have any questions about auto repairs, pricing, and general automotive issues, feel free to call us at 704-545-4597.

Auto Repair in Mint Hill – How to Read Tire Sizes

Have you ever tried reading your tire size? It looks like a jumbled mess, doesn‘t it? Even though there‘s a lot to take in, there‘s actually a pretty useful and interesting meaning behind each and every aspect. To better explain, lets take a look at an example:

P245/55R16

P — stands for “passenger.” This is the Tire Type. Tires with “P” on them are designed to go on passenger vehicles — usually sedans and some light unibody SUV‘s. Another thing you may see is “LT” (Light Truck) — this is usually put on big trucks like F350‘s and some body–on–frame SUV‘s.

245 — is the Tire Width in millimeters from sidewall–to–sidewall. This area generally encompasses all of your tire‘s tread. In our example, 245 means 245 millimeters.

55 — is the Aspect Ratio. This measures the height of the sidewall from where it meets the rim to the tread. In our example, 55 means the sidewall height is 55% of the tire width (which we said earlier was 245 millimeters.)

R — is the Construction. In our example we have a “R” tire — a radial — which means the tire layers run radially across the tire. Almost all tires on the road use this structure, but you may also see crossply style tires.

16 — is the Wheel Diameter in inches. This is a simple measurement of the size of your wheel (sometimes called a rim) and in our example, the wheel size is 16 inches.