AUTONET TV

Fresh Air Inside Your Car in Louisville

Air quality has certainly become a hot issue in our modern world. We install air filters on our ventilation systems and in our vacuum cleaners. There's a filter that cleans the air going into our vehicle's engine — so why not one for the air in the passenger compartment?

Foreign and domestic vehicle manufacturers haven't been ignoring the issue. Cabin air filters are becoming a standard feature on newer vehicles. These filters can clean particles out of the air down to three microns, which accounts for pollen, dust and most pollutants. Louisville residents who suffer from allergies or have a respiratory disorder should be a lot more comfortable. And even if you don't have a medical need for the filter, the cleaner air in your car just might help you breathe better, figuratively as well as literally.

Cabin air filters are still fairly new in the Louisville area, so you'll have to check your vehicle owner's manual to see if you have one. If you do, your routine car care will have to include changing the filter as part of your preventive maintenance. The owner's manual will give recommendations on how often the filter has to be changed, but if the air where you live in KY is particularly dirty or if you're prone to hay fever, you may want to change it more often.

Your friendly service advisor at American Brake Centers Inc. can also offer suggestions on how often to change your cabin air filter in your Louisville area. They're the ones who actually see the dirty filters, after all.

There is no standardized location for cabin air filters. Louisville residents can usually find them in the vehicle engine compartment or under the dashboard, but they might be somewhere else. So the ease of changing the filter will depend on its location. Some are readily accessible, but others make you wonder how they got installed in the first place. Bring your car into American Brake Centers Inc. and we will locate your cabin air filter for you.

However, if you have a newer vehicle, it's good auto advice to find out if it has a cabin air filter. If it does, you should change the filter regularly. A sure sign that a filter needs to be changed is that the interior of your vehicle will start to smell bad. That smell is exactly how some Louisville drivers discovered that they had cabin air filters in the first place!

Cabin air filters are just one more way we have to stay safe, stay healthy and stay on the road in KY.

American Brake Centers Inc.
3435 Bashford Ave Ct.
Louisville, KY 40218
502-459-0355
www.americanbrakecenters.biz

Are There Blind Spots in Louisville?

All Louisville drivers have blind spots – and no, I'm not talking about the fact that you really don't sing like Adele. I mean the areas of the road that you can't see when you're driving around Louisville.

First let's talk about our own blinds spots, and then we can talk about others...

To begin, we can greatly reduce blind spots by properly adjusting our mirrors to give the widest coverage possible. Make the adjustments in your vehicle before you start to drive.

First, Louisville drivers should adjust their rear view mirrors to give the best possible view directly to the rear of their vehicle. Louisville folks don't need it to get a better view of either side of the car, the kids in the back seat or their dazzling smile. It's pretty obvious, the rear view mirror should reflect the rear.

Next, lean your head until it almost touches the driver's side window. Adjust your side mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your car. Now, lean your head to the middle of the car and adjust the outside mirror so that you can barely see the right side of the car.

When Louisville drivers adjust their mirrors this way, they'll have maximum coverage. Of course driving is a dynamic process – things change every second on KY roads and busy highways. So it's wise to take a quick look to the side when passing to make sure that another vehicle hasn't moved into an area you couldn't see in your mirrors.

As you drive around the Louisville area, avoid staying in others' blind spots. You can't count on them to be watching their mirrors and looking out for you.
Here are some tips for passing a heavy vehicle on KY roads:
Avoid the blind spots. If you can't see the drivers face in one of his mirrors or in a window, he cannot see you!
Don't follow too close. If you can't see one of the truck's mirrors, you're too close.
Make sure there is plenty of room to pass. Trucks are long and take time to get around. If you're on one of our local two-lane highways, wait for a passing zone.
Don't linger when passing. Because the blind spots are so big on the sides, you want to get through them quickly. If you can't pass quickly, drop back.
Pass on the left whenever possible. A trucks' blind spot is much larger on the right.
The team of automotive professionals at American Brake Centers Inc. want you to watch those blind spots – but feel free to sing in the shower all you want.

American Brake Centers Inc.
3435 Bashford Ave Ct.
Louisville, KY 40218
502-459-0355
www.americanbrakecenters.biz

Keeping Your Cool

Most vehicles on the road use an engine coolant to help get the heat out of the engine so it can run at the temperature it’s designed to. Coolant also prevents your engine from freezing in cold weather and reduces corrosion in some components such as the radiator and water pump.  

After you’ve driven your vehicle for a while, the coolant’s chemicals break down and can’t do the job they’re supposed to. If it’s been a long time since your coolant was last changed, you notice your vehicle is running a little hotter than it used to or your cabin heater isn’t working the way it once did, it may be time to have one of our technicians examine your coolant. It may need a coolant exchange.  What that means is draining out your old coolant and replacing it with new.  

In addition to simply replacing the fluid, the radiator, heater core, hoses and passages in the engine block should also be flushed.  That ensures that rust, corrosion and debris buildup will be removed so your cooling system can do its job more efficiently.

Conventional coolants (they’re usually a green color) typically last about 2-3 years.  Another longer-life coolant may last 5 years or more.  Many manufacturers recommend a coolant change every 5 years or 50,000-100,000 miles/80,000-160,000 km.  Our technicians will make sure your vehicle gets the correct coolant for your engine.

Once your coolant is replaced, your engine stays protected from extreme temperatures.  It shouldn’t overheat in summer or freeze in winter.  You should notice better heater performance, less corrosion in the cooling system and a longer lifespan for your water pump and radiator.

American Brake Centers Inc.
3435 Bashford Ave Ct.
Louisville, KY 40218
502-459-0355
www.americanbrakecenters.biz

Fuel Saving Tip: Alignment for Your Louisville Vehicle

Imagine you've left Louisville and you're up in the arctic on a dog sled.

Your dog team is pulling straight and true. You can cover a lot of ground quickly. Now imagine what would happen if one or two of the dogs wanted to go their own way and were pulling off to the side.

That would slow you down. You would have to work harder to keep the sled going where you want it. The dogs are all working as hard as before, but you're covering less ground for the same effort.

You're wasting kibble.

The same is true of your vehicle when the wheels are out of alignment. That wheel that's pulling to the side is dragging down the rest of the vehicle; so you push a little harder on the gas pedal to keep up your speed. You're wasting gas.

So have your wheel alignment checked at least once a year. It is important to get it checked right away if you feel the vehicle pulling to one side.

Sometimes we Louisville residents bump a curb or hit a pothole and knock our wheels out of alignment. An accident can take the wheels out of alignment as well.

Louisville residents need to make sure they're tracking straight. You'll get better fuel economy and your tires'll last longer. Now, mush!

American Brake Centers Inc.
3435 Bashford Ave Ct.
Louisville, KY 40218
502-459-0355
www.americanbrakecenters.biz