MOUNTAIN VIEW AUTO REPAIR

A new customer recently called us whose friend had observed his vehicle’s tires bouncing “like basketballs” down the freeway! He wondered if this was dangerous. Yes, this could very well become a dangerous situation. If your vehicle’s tires are not staying in constant contact with the road, control of the vehicle is seriously compromised. What would cause something like this? Most likely, the bouncing tires indicate worn out or broken shock absorbers. Unfortunately, shock absorbers are one of the most overlooked wear items on vehicles, even though they are the next most important safety items after your brake system. The purpose for shock absorbers is not just to provide a more comfortable ride, but to serve to control the suspension movement so that you, the driver, have more control of your vehicle when braking or steering. Here’s what can happen if your shock absorbers need to be replaced: 1. Body roll (side to side movement) which adversely impacts handling and control ... read more

Have you checked your tire pressures recently? Do you know the birth date of your tires? When did you last run your hand over the tire’s surface and look for cracks or uneven wear? Have you checked to see if the treads are a healthy distance above the wear bars? If you have answered no to any of these questions, you are neglecting one of the most important friends you have! Without your tires, your car won’t go anywhere! And if your tires are not treated well, you may end up with a problem on your hands that could result in serious injury, even death. Here’s why: 1.Tire pressures: if the amount of air in your tires is too low, there is an increased chance of tire failure. There will also be a decrease in mileage as well as an increase in contribution to air pollution. More gas is needed to move the vehicle, thus contributing to more emissions in the air. If the amount of pressure is too high, the tire has less contact with the ground, leading to a less comfortable ride but also ... read more

The practice/concept of filling street car tires (tires that are driven on city streets) with nitrogen has been around for the last few years. The idea has its foundation in the racing industry where nitrogen has been used to fill race tires and run air tools for decades. What is good for race cars must be good for street cars, right? Not so fast! There are reasons why nitrogen is used in the racing industry that do not transfer to everyday, street-driven vehicles.: 1. The nitrogen molecule is larger than the mixture of molecules in regular air. Race tires are purposely built for adhesion and not for longevity, so must be as light as possible. Therefore, the race tire sidewall is not as thick and durable as on street tires. In short, race tires do not do a good job of holding inflation for long periods of time. They tend to go flat within weeks. Thus, the larger nitrogen molecules help them stay inflated longer. Street tires are very durable, and hold inflation quite well, so the ... read more