AUTONET TV

Does Your Car Have A Recall Item?

Recalls are pretty serious for Princeton residents and don't happen all that often. But sometimes cars have less serious problems that Princeton residents still might want to know about. For these less serious cases, the vehicle manufacturer issues what is known as a Technical Service Bulletin – or TSB. These bulletins tell Princeton service centers (including KPS Princeton Garage) how to repair a problem that occurs frequently or is especially difficult.

Your Princeton service center receives updated information through subscription plans, which are sometimes available in consumer versions too.

Whatever your source, pay attention to Princeton vehicle recalls to keep you and your passengers safe.

No matter how well they're made, vehicles are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. Think of all the moving parts. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the vehicle manufacturer to issue recall notices to Princeton residents and to fix the affected vehicles free of charge. The they try to contact all Princeton residents who own that type of car so they can have it taken care of at their Princeton service center.

To find out if your car has any recall issues, give us a call:

KPS Princeton Garage
3860 NJ-27
Princeton, NJ 08540
732-297-9515

The KPS Princeton Garage Guide to Servicing Your Differential

Differential? What's that? And what's it for? I've been told by my service advisor that I need to get it serviced, but is that on the level?

Do these questions sound familiar? They're not uncommon for Princeton drivers. A lot of us in Princeton don't know what a differential is or what it's for. Every vehicle has a differential, and, yes, it does need to be serviced. In fact, it's more important to the operation of your vehicle than the air conditioner or windshield wipers.

A differential allows your vehicle tires to move at different speeds. This happens more than you think. The best example is when a vehicle is turning. The inside wheel travels a much shorter distance than the outside wheel during a turn. This means the outside wheel has to move faster than the inside wheel. Without a differential, your tires would hop and skip while turning. They would also lose traction in sand or snow.

The location of your differential depends on what kind of vehicle you drive. On a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the differential is located in the back. For a front-wheel drive vehicle, it is located on the front, but it is usually called a transaxle. Four-wheel drive vehicles have three differentials: one on the front, one in the back and one in the middle. This center differential compensates for differences in speed between the front and rear wheels.

Your differential contains strong gears that need to be protected from dirt, debris, water and other contaminants. A differential is sometimes referred to as a “gear box.” The work of these gears is to transfer power from the vehicle drive train to the wheels.

Your differential needs fluid to lubricate and cool the gears. This fluid, even though enclosed in the “gear box,” can get dirty because the gears grind down over time, releasing tiny bits of themselves into the fluid. Also, the additives in the differential fluid break down and need to be replaced. That's why preventive maintenance for your vehicle needs to include servicing the differential.

Your owner's manual can give you recommendations on how often to service your differential. But you should also consult with your friendly and knowledgeable KPS Princeton Garage professional. KPS Princeton Garage can give you some good auto advice on whether your vehicle needs to be serviced more frequently. For example, if you drive in hot or cold NJ weather conditions, your differential will need to have its fluid changed more often.

Severe conditions will also affect your vehicle care routine and your differential. Check your owner's manual for a definition of “severe service” conditions that affect your vehicle. Examples may include driving with frequent stops and starts, a lot of short trips around Princeton, hot or cold NJ weather conditions and towing.

Off-roading is particularly hard on a vehicle's differential. If you are an off-roader, especially if you cross NJ streams or waterways, it is important that you service your differential more frequently than the recommendations suggest.

Properly servicing your differential will extend its life and keep you out of Princeton auto repair shops. A smooth ride is the result of proper preparation and smart choices.

 KPS Princeton Garage
3860 NJ-27
Princeton, NJ 08540
732-297-9515

Why Does My Battery Go Dead (The Silent Battery Killers Under Your Hood)

It’s a sound you don’t want to hear when you turn your ignition key or push your ignition button: silence, except for a click. It can signal that your battery doesn’t have enough power in it to start your engine.  There can be many things that cause batteries to lose their power, and they’re called “silent battery killers” because they can happen slowly without much warning.

One is what they call parasitic electrical draw. You might think when you turn off your vehicle that it’s not using any power.  But in modern vehicles, there are a lot of things that continue to use electricity, like clocks, alarms and various computers.  

Another major battery killer is a failing alternator. The alternator is supposed to recharge the battery while the engine is running. If it’s weak or has a bad diode, your battery won’t fully recharge.  The alternator could even drain the battery after the engine is shut off. 

Your battery connections may also cause a battery to die if they are corroded or loose.  You may not realize that corrosion creates resistance in wires, which can make it harder for your battery to charge properly and deliver power.
 
One of a battery’s worst enemies can be heat.  If your engine generates too much of it, it speeds up the chemical breakdown inside the battery and makes it harder for your battery to hold a charge.  Warm climates can make this worse.

If you don’t drive your vehicle often or only take it on short trips, your battery may not be getting enough of a recharge.  Starting a vehicle uses a lot of power, and short drives may not give the alternator enough time to replenish what was used.

So, if your battery keeps going dead, it’s important to find the root of the problem.  Bring it in to us so one of our technicians can test it with specialized equipment and track down the silent killer before they leave you stranded at the most inopportune time.

KPS Princeton Garage
3860 NJ-27
Princeton, NJ 08540
732-297-9515

Economics of Maintenance for Princeton Auto Owners

Buying a new car in Princeton is always a big financial decision. The allure of that new car smell is powerful, to be sure. But what if your current car is still in good shape? How do you decide?

People in Princeton who've been used to driving a new car every three to five years may be having second thoughts in this economy. For many, the question is, how does the certainty of a new car payment stack up against uncertain repairs for a car that may be out of warranty?

For purposes of our discussion, let's assume you live right here in Princeton and have a five year old vehicle. It's now paid off. If you keep it, you fear that there'll be some repairs over the next five years, but you really don't know what to expect. For help we turned to maintenance and repair information for cars and trucks. With this data, they project likely service and repair costs for a particular make and model. They're able to use manufacturer's maintenance schedules and repair histories for the projections.

Of course, these projections can't predict what will happen to your vehicle in Princeton, but they do give you information to use in your decision.

Let's look at the numbers for a five year old Toyota Camry V-6. In this example, the combined maintenance and repairs for the five year period is $5,748. This works out to an average of $96 a month. The year-by-year averages range from a low of $49 a month to $124 a month.

So compare $96 a month with a new car payment. And it's actually better news than that; you would still have maintenance expenses with a new car, so the repair element could be less than half that figure.

Here are numbers for some other five year old vehicles from around Princeton:

• Ford Escape - $116 a month
• Chevy Silverado - $131 a month
• Jeep Grand Cherokee - $138 a month
• Hyundai Accent - $85 a month.

Now, if your vehicle is older than five years, have a chat with your Princeton service advisor at KPS Princeton Garage. We see hundreds of vehicles through our bays every month and we know your car. See if there's any particular problem in common with your vehicle that you might see over the next couple of years.

And of course, the best way to keep future repair costs down is to take care of all your scheduled maintenance. This is especially important in older vehicles that have had time to accumulate some deposits.

There are special motor oil formulations that help clean older engines and protect and recondition their seals and gaskets.

We hope this eliminates some of the unknowns in the decision to keep or trade.

Give us a call if you have any questions.

KPS Princeton Garage
3860 NJ-27
Princeton, NJ 08540
732-297-9515