Warning Signs You Need New Brakes

Good Morning, I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday weekend. It was really beautiful here in Northeast Ohio on Easter Sunday. Lets hope the weather keeps looking up for us.

Today I would like to share with you some warning signs that your vehicle may needs new brakes. They may not be something you think about very often, but your vehicles brakes are one feature that should always be in top working condition. Here are some things you need to look for to keep your brakes in working condition.

Look and listen
There are two ways to check for brake wear on disc brakes, by looking and by listening. First, check out the wear by looking at your brake pads through the space between the wheel's spokes. The outside pad will be pressed against a metal rotor. There should be at least 1/4 inch of pad. If there isn't at least 1/4 inch of pad you might want to have your break pads checked out or even replaced.
Have you heard a high-pitched screeching noise when you apply your brakes? That is a small metal shim which is called the indicator. This is giving you warning that you need to replace your brake pads. You should be aware of this sound, its loud and should be heard with the windows up, but maybe not if the radio is at a loud volume. If you hear this noise regularly, make sure you make an appointment with your mechanic as soon as possible.

 

 Here are a few other signs of brake problems. If you notice any of these things you should visit your repair shop as soon as possible.

 

Reduced responsiveness or fading.
If your brakes are not as good as they should be or the petal sinks towards the floor, this could be a warning sign that there could be a leak in the breaking system. IT could be an air leak in the break hose or a brake fluid leak. If you notice a small puddle of fluid when your car is parked this is a good indication of a air leak or a break fluid leak. Brake fluid looks very similar to fresh motor oil, but doesn't have such a slimy texture.
 Pulling.
If you vehicle pulls to one side while braking, this could be a warning sign your brake linings are wearing unevenly or there is something in the brake fluid. Your vehicle may need a brake adjustment or to have the fluid replaced or just drained. 
 Grinding or growling.
This loud metallic sound means that you could have worn down the pads completely, and way past replacement. The grinding or growling noised is caused by two pieces of metal rubbing together. This would be the disc and the caliper. This could scratch your rotors which would create an uneven surface. If this does happen, you rotors might need to be turned or even replaced.
 Vibration.
A vibration brake pedal is a symptom of warped rotors. This could mean your vehicle is out of alignment. The vibration can feel similar to a panic stop equipped with anti-locked brakes. Warped rotors are caused by severe braking for long periods. The vibration is felt because the brake pads are not able to grab the surface evenly. 

For many many owners, maintaining your vehicle's brakes is something that is often overlooked. If you keep your brakes properly calibrated and in good condition it can prevent you from costly repairs on down the line. 
I hope this post today gave you a little bit more knowledge on brakes. If you are in our area and would like us to check your brakes or if you are in need of new brakes, please feel free to call us at (330)-621-3206.
Thanks for stopping by today, Enjoy your week everyone!!!

Tips On How To Save On Gas

Good Afternoon All !!!!  I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Today I would like to give you some money saving tips on how to save on gas for your vehicles. I think with gas being so expensive these days any money saving tips would be helpful to share. So I prepared a list for you.

• Drive the speed limit - This is the single most effective solution to increasing efficiency. The most fuel efficient speed is the point your vehicle shifts to high gear. For most vehicles this somewhere around 50 mph.

• Get rid of any unnecessary weight - this would include any sports equipment, unnecessary tools or heavy objects. 

• Accelerate more slowly - Every time you punch the gas to quickly accelerate after stopping you are burning extra fuel.

• Drive Smoothly - This increases fuel consumption when you allow the vehicle speed to drift lower and then accelerate back up than it does to maintain a steady position on the accelerator. Allowing the vehicle to lose speed going up hills and gain speed going down increases efficiency. 

• Change your air filter - A dirty air filter will rob the engine of power and efficiency. It will use more gas then a clean air filter.

• Keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure - keep a tire gauge handy and check the pressure. Tires naturally lose air over a period of time.

• Avoid excessive idling - If you idle your car for more than a minute, it will save gas to turn off the engine. Also, new cars do not need warmed up on a cold winter day, a couple of seconds should do the trick.

• Keep your car tuned up - Stay on schedule with oil changes. Changing spark plugs and wires on schedule, and the coil (s) when their effectiveness is breaking down. The better your engine runs the more fuel efficient your vehicle will be.

I hope these few tips and tricks will help you save some money at the pump. 

If you are in the area, please feel free to stop in for all your vehicle maintenance needs. We can be reached at (330) 621-3206.

 Hope everyone has a GREAT week!!!

Tire Rotation

Tire Rotation

Good Afternoon Everyone, Its Monday already and back to a full work week. Today I would like to share with you information on Tire Rotation. I would like to explain how important it is along with how often it is recommended. 

Tire Rotation is one of the easiest maintenance tasks to perform but it is very important. If you do it properly it will extend the life of your tires, can improve gas mileage, and your car will handle better. When I explain tire rotation I am not talking about the tires around the axles when the car is moving, but actually moving the tires in a different location on your vehicle so the tires will wear evenly. 

If you leave all four tires in the same place they were installed on for years and years some tires would wear out faster than others. The weight of a vehicle is not distributed evenly to all four corners. The engine which is the heaviest single thing in a car is usually in the front, so front tires tend to carry a lot more weight. The front tires also do all the steering jobs plus when you apply the brakes, the weight of the car shifts forward. This will help you understand why the front tires wear out faster than rear tires. Uneven wear can contribute to other vehicle problems. 

The best solution is to not have your tires wear unevenly is regularly moving each tire to a different corner of the car. This way, each tire experiences a variety of wear over time and will wear out at the same rate as the other tires. 

It is best to rotate tires every 3,000 to 7,000 miles, if you would rotate them every other oil change your tires should wear evenly

Don't look over Tire Rotation, a few minutes of maintenance can wear your tires evenly and help your vehicle's overall performance.

Tire Rotation is free here at Kevco's Garage if the tires are purchased here. We also do Tire Rotation and Oil Changes for as low as 19.99!!

If you are interested in Tires please give us a call for a quote 330-621-3206

Hope this post answered and helped with some if not all of your Tire Rotation questions!!

Have a great Monday!!!

Crystal

Kevco's Garage

Kevco's Garage Got New Shirts

Kevco's Garage?? You might be asking yourself what company is this? Where are we from?? What do we do?? For our first post today that is exactly what I would like to explain to you.

We are a family owned, locally operated business. We specialize in car and truck repairs. Nothing is too small or too big for Kevco's. We are located in a small town named Rittman which is Northeast Ohio.

I was thinking what could I do to get this blog going and exciting, there are so many vehicle questions people ask every day. Why not get information from a humble and honest car mechanic? We always want to know simple questions, such as, when should I rotate my tires? How long does a timing belt last? What oil is the best to use?? These are all questions we could answer for you in many posts to come.

For today though I would like to show you our new shirts that came in the mail. Even Kevin's children were excited to get these, Oh my they are so very proud of their dad.

Even little Harley wanted his oil changed in his car, How cute!!!

If you are in our area, please give us a call (330) 621-3206 for any of your car, trucks, or even small equipment needs. Thanks for stopping by, keep an eye out for more posts coming very soon!!

Crystal
Kevco's Garage