The automotive professionals at Tuffy St. Johns would like to give St. Johns drivers an update on some of the things happening in automotive fluids. You know, cars are becoming more sophisticated everyday - and fluids such as, oil, coolant and transmission fluid are becoming more specialized at about the same pace.
The Jacksonville do-it-yourselfer has to be pretty careful so that they do not actually harm their vehicle with the wrong type of fluid. That is why so many Florida car owners rely on the advice of their friendly Tuffy St. Johns service advisor to not only get the correct family of fluids, but to suggest the formulation that is best for their car and their driving habits.
Let's start with engine oil. Mandarin drivers who have been paying attention, will have noticed a number of new oil weights on the Florida scene in the last several years. Modern engines are built to much tighter tolerances and have very complicated valve trains. The oil must be thin enough to lubricate complicated parts when the engine is cold. The weight of an oil is expressed in terms like 20-W-50 or 5-W-30. The auto manufacturers recommend the weight of oil for each vehicle they make. The recommendation is based on engine design. Your St. Johns service center will know what weight your manufacturer recommends - and it's important to follow those recommendations. Your service advisor at Tuffy St. Johns can also offer suggestions for special formulations and can tell you all about conventional and synthetic oils. Antifreeze, or engine coolant, is another area that has become more complicated. For a long time, auto manufacturers only recommended a couple of different types of coolant. Now, several different formulations are needed because of the high-tech materials that auto manufacturers are using to build the cooling system. Using the wrong type of coolant can actually void your warranty, so you want to get that right.
Transmission fluid is becoming specialized as well. New transmission designs have particular requirements that require specific formulations. Recently, new, somewhat confusing, standards for brake fluid have also been released.
Not too long ago, there was a good chance that all of the vehicles at your St. Johns house would use many of the same fluids. However, as automotive technology advances, the array of basic automotive fluids you need will grow. And, some of the formulations will cost a little more. Fortunately, Tuffy St. Johns will continue to update their training to keep pace with technology so that you'll get the right fluids your car needs. It's all part of the commitment we make to your driving peace of mind.
You're heading down the road and you notice your vehicle is sputtering, like it's running out of gas. But the gauge show's it's still got a quarter of a tank. So what gives?
It could be that your fuel pump is failing, meaning your engine is not getting enough gas to run properly. While fuel pu...More
When you turn on the air conditioning in your vehicle, you expect cool air to come out of the vents. You depend on it, especially in hot weather, but it can also be important in humid weather when you need it to help defrost your windows and windshield.
The air conditioning system has a lot of p...More
Many of us have become aware of how important it is to keep our planets air clean, and your vehicle has a key component that helps do just that: the catalytic converter. Its in the exhaust system, and its job is to superheat unburned, harmful byproducts in the exhaust, so they dont get spewed ou...More
