Routine Auto Repair, Maintenance, and Service are the key to keeping your vehicle on the road. Whether you drive a car, SUV, or Minivan Peak Auto will help you keep your vehicle safe, comfortable, and reliable. Auto maintenance and service are very similar. maintenance usually refers to a scheduled set by the auto manufacturer and service is a more generic term used for anything. Repair however, sounds a lot more important and usually can mean anything from brakes, to having an engine replaced. If you live or work in the Cary Apex NC area give Peak Auto a call. We are conveniently located right next to the Cary Auto Mall on US 64 W.
There is a big difference between driving a vehicle that has been well service and maintained then driving one that has been neglected. The basis for all vehicle maintenance and service is the oil and filter change. You would be surprised at how important new oil and filters are. At Peak Auto we have seen it all but the biggest preventable damage is always caused by lack of routine oil changes or low oil. Low oil has become a big issue of late. While vehicle manufacturers push to increase fuel economy and reduced emissions, for some reason, they seem to consume oil in the normal operating cycle. Consuming or burning oil is not a detrimental engine problem, unless you do not add oil to the correct level. Burning oil is typically done in the Crank case ventilation system.
The crankcase ventilation system allows the internal part of the engine to breath. The engine is is filled with 5 to 12 liters of oil depending on make and model. When the engine is running, it creates heat. This makes oil boil, and anything that boils creates a vapor or steam. The crankcase ventilation system, or as BMW calls it “oil separator”, separates the steam from the oil. It then cools the oil and drips it back into the crankcase (engine). The gas or steam part is sucked into the air intake and passes by the valves. This action is the cause for valves to get dirty, and we sued to spray gasoline on the valves to help keep them clean. The most modern engines have direct inject, which sprays the gasoline directly into the combustion chamber and bypasses the valve. Vehicle manufacturers have found that they can get a little more fuel economy by doing this. The bad part is after 70,000 miles you need to have your intake valve blasted with walnut shells to clean them to make sure they close all the way. On more addition to this story, is some manufacturers are starting to add additional fuel injectors to spray gasoline on the valves, when the vehicle engine is at idle. The best of both worlds, just more parts to potentially break and more communication with the on-board computer.