Tune-ups: Bring life back into your Car

A Tune-up should be performed as preventative maintenance. If vehicles brought into Birch Tire and Auto Service are past their scheduled maintenance interval and into gas waste, weak performance or even failure; we can bring them back to original performance levels.

At Birch Tire and Auto Serice, we use grade A O.E.M. or better replacement components when identifying and replacing worn parts. They ensure that your vehicle will operate at optimal levels by maintaining the ideal conditions for normal car operation.

Neglecting these common parts could result in loss of gas mileage and in worst case situations, damage to critical engine components.

A lot of today's vehicles require a tune-up around every 30,000 miles, and/or major maintenance at 60,000 miles. Some newer vehicles may not even  require a tune-up until 100,000 miles!

At Birch we receive the suggested maintenence schedules from each vehicle manufacturer to keep you on track for your specific requirements. This information comes from the manufacturers who built the vehicle; not from the sales department at some dealership.

A Birch Tire and Auto Service tune-up can include:

Replacing the air filter.

Replacing the fuel filter(s).

Installing new spark plugs and replacing any worn spark plug wires.

Inspecting and installing a new distributor cap if one is needed.

Inspecting and installing a new rotor if the old one has cracks, burning and carbon.

Inspecting the valve-cover gasket and adjusting the valves (if your car has adjustable valves).

All fluids checked and topped off.

A battery check and terminal cleaning, if necessary.

A positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve replaced, if clogged.

Cars built prior to 1979 have additional requirements.

Cars without an electronic ignition require changing the points and condenser. Cars with electronic ignition should have the timing checked.

Fuel-injected cars need to have the throttle plate cleaned. Cars with carburetors often need additional adjustments. 

Maintaining a regular tune-up schedule will ensure your car’s long life while averaging better gas mileage and performance.

2 & 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Wheel Alignment: Save tires and gas!

To maintain proper control of your car, you must keep your wheels in proper alignment. Otherwise, steering will become difficult, your tires will wear unevenly and your fuel economy will decrease.

One way to see if you need a wheel alignment:

Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Then take your car for a test drive. Lightly rest your hands on the steering wheel, but don’t steer. If your car drifts to either side, make an appointment with Birch Tire and Auto Service.

Inspect the tread on your tires to see if it is uneven. If the tread is worn down the middle, most likely your tires are over-inflated. If it’s worn on the inside and outside of the tire, then your tires are probably under-inflated. If the tires are worn to one side you could be due for a wheel alignment.

Today, service centers like Birch Tire and Auto Service use computerized alignment equipment to diagnose your alignment angles. Some of the most common are:

Toe: the direction of the wheels towards or away from each (viewed from above the car).

Camber: tilt of the wheels toward or away from each other (viewed from in front of your car).

Caster: the angle of the steering axis in relation to the wheel. To visualize this angle, imagine a vertical line through the middle of your tire while standing on one side of the car.

An alignment check at  Birch Tire and Auto Repair includes:

Inspection of all steering and suspension components.

Examination of the tires (size, inflation and wear).

Comparison of your current alignment readings to the guidelines provided by your manufacturer.

BELTS & HOSES

Belts and Hoses: Replace before Failure!
Breakdowns are most commonly caused by worn belts and hoses. Neglecting them can leave you stranded. A majority of today's vehicles use one serpentine belt for all your accessory components(A/C compressor, alternator, power steering, water pump). Imagine losing your power steering, overheating the engine and having a dead battery all at once! Not a holiday !

To prevent an emergency or inconvenience, have your belts and hoses checked every time you have your oil changed. Although a belt can look healthy, the rubber used to make it could be dry and cracked due to age, heat, cold and normal wear and tear.

Hoses Keep Vital Fluids Circulating to Engine Parts

A visual inspection may not always help you locate a bad hose. A failed hose may not necessarily leak. To locate hoses that need replaced, you can pinch them to check for cracks, brittleness and mushiness.

Keep in mind that hoses wear on the inside, as well as the outside. Even though a hose may seem ok, internal deterioration could cause it to fail.