A lot of Kingston drivers want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting your Car Medics tire professional can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your car, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Kingston folks like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Kingston motorists don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s, the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information.

If you go with a different rolling diameter, your vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in ON. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Car Medics tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your tire specialist see your vehicle in person so mistakes are not made.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

Kingston auto owners often ask questions about the cooling system – the system that cools your pickup engine and keeps it at the proper operating temperature. Let’s examine the topic in two areas: first the coolant itself and, second, the parts that make up the cooling system.

The coolant is the mix of water and antifreeze that circulates through the engine to draw off heat. First, you need to have the proper amount. If you don’t have enough coolant it can’t keep your pickup engine cool.

You also need the right kind of coolant. Different makes of vehicles require different coolant formulation to protect against corrosion.

Finally, your coolant needs to be fresh. Over time and miles of Kingston driving, the anti-corrosion additives in the coolant are depleted and the coolant can actually start to eat away at the pickup’s cooling system parts. Your owner’s manual and your friendly Car Medics technician can help you with the recommended coolant replacement schedule and make sure you’re getting the right type of coolant.

Now let’s talk about the car owners cooling system components. These will all eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Starting with the radiator, we see them coming into the shop with leaks or clogged with deposits. Depending on the damage,  at Car Medics, we will clean, repair or replace. We also see radiator pressure caps that can no longer hold the proper pressure. We recommend replacing pressure caps when you change your coolant to avoid this problem. We see leaky water pumps and hoses that need to be replaced. There’s also a part called the thermostat that opens and closes to regulate the flow of coolant. Sometimes they stick open or closed and the cooling system won’t work properly.

Engine damage from overheating can be very expensive to fix so it’s important to maintain your cooling system properly with scheduled coolant replacement and periodic cooling system inspections. Certainly come in to Car Medics in Kingston if you suspect a leak and have us take a look.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

Many Kingston motorists have probably noticed a bunch of warning lights on their dash when they start their engine. They flash on to test the circuits and then go off if everything’s OK. One of the warning lights looks like a car battery. Its job is to tell you if your pickup battery’s not charging properly.

Kingston motorists probably know that their battery stores electricity – enough to start the engine and get moving. But that’s about it – you can only get a few miles on battery power alone. You need an alternator to generate enough electricity to run your pickup engine and power your electrical accessories like the stereo, power seats, heater fan, on-board computers, and so on. On top of that, the alternator needs to recharge your battery. So when your pickup alternator isn’t working, there isn’t enough electricity for all of those things. When your alternator fails, you aren’t going very far.

So why would your pickup alternator not work? Usually they’ve simply worn out. Alternators are driven by your serpentine belt and spin 2 to 3 times faster than the engine – that’s a lot of work. The bearings wear out, as do the cooper wire coils and magnets that generate the electricity.

There’s no sense in hobbling along on ON highways with an alternator that’s not working properly. It will fail at some point and leave you stranded on the road. Get a bad alternator replaced as soon as you can. When you come to Car Medics for an alternator replacement, your friendly service advisor will install an alternator that meets your automobile manufacturer’s specifications. Some Kingston auto owners use a lot of additional electrical gizmos in the vehicle, like computers, DVD players, power inverters and such or may regularly tow a camp trailer that’s battery recharges as you drive. If that sounds like you, talk with your service advisor about upgrading to a more heavy duty alternator to meet your needs.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

The following Serpentine Belt video is presented by Car Medics Inc:

The following Serpentine Belt animation is presented by Car Medics Inc:

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The serpentine belt is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it?

If your serpentine belt were to break on one of our Kingston ON roads, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine beltbefore it breaks.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended that you replace your serpentine belt – or just ask your Kingston ON service advisor at Car Medics Inc by calling 613-547-8473. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble.

You may have been told by a service advisor in Kingston to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did. What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool at Car Medics Inc that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing.

A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt.

Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown.

 

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Most vehicle today have some form of Tire Pressure Monitoring.  Basically there are two types of systems in use today: In-Tire Pressure Sensors The first type is one whereby each wheel has an individual tire pressure sensor installed directly inside each wheel.  It is either strapped around the center of the rim or it take place of the traditional rubber valve stem that is utilized to add air to your tire.  These types of sensors are battery operated and for this reason, do not last forever.  When the battery fails, the sensor requires replacement.  In order to replace the sensor, Car Medics in Kingston ON or Glenburnie On will need to remove your tire from the vehicle, remove the tire from the rim and install a new sensor.  This sensor, just like a new TV remote control, has to be programmed in order to be recognized by your vehicle.  Each sensor has an individual RF (radio frequency) similar to a cell phone.  Once this new sensor is added, your car will then begin to monitor tire pressure along with the other wheels. The advantage of these sensors is that they “directly” measure the tire pressure within each wheel.  Often they can even broadcast tire temperature.  The reason for this is that tire temperature is critical as a tire gets low in pressure and it is this temperature rise that leads to catastrophic tire failure. Most often, your vehicle will set off an alarm when either a tire gets too low (often below 27-28 psi), gets too hot (often over 85C) and one tire begins losing are at a rapid rate. The advantage of this type of system is that it tends to be very accurate, often displaying the tire pressures directly on the dash or customer information center. The disadvantage of these in-tire sensors is the added cost when you install another set of rims and tires for winter driving.  You must purchase another set of 4 tire pressure sensors for this second set of rims and then have them “programmed” by a professional, such as the certified technicians at Car Medics ON, in order to keep the TPMS system functioning correctly regardless of which set of tires/rims are installed. If a vehicle owner decides to drive on winter rims/tires where there are no TPMS sensors installed on a vehicle that requires them, the additional safety of the TPMS system will be rendered disabled.  In the view of Car Medics, most people would rather be warned or prevent a low or flat tire during the winter months as this is the worst time to be disabled at the side of the road. Examples of vehicles that employ the use of in-tire tire pressure sensors: Honda, Toyota, Acura, Lexus, Subaru, Nissan, GM, Ford, Chrysler and many others.   Tire Monitoring Using ABS System (Anti-Lock Braking System) This type of tire pressure monitoring system does not use any in-tire pressure sensors and the tire pressures are not measured directly.  Rather, the vehicle uses the ABS system to monitor the rotational speed of each wheel. It uses this individual wheel speed to “calculate” tire pressure “changes” and sometimes even calculates the projected tire pressures as well. ABS, or Anti-Lock Braking Systems, basically utilize a special speed sensor located behind each wheel and/or on each axle.  With this information, your vehicle can tell if one or more wheels are speeding up and/or slowing down faster than the rest.  It can then apply or release the brakes as needed to prevent the wheels from skidding and/or slipping.  As each wheel rotates, the exact speed of each wheel is even more closely monitored so that even very subtle changes in wheel speed can identify a tire that is going flat or is flat.  The key to this is the fact that a tire will expand and contract with changes in tire pressure and a tire that loses air, will tend to become smaller.  When the tire becomes smaller, it will rotate more times for the same distance traveled by the other wheels, resulting in that affected tire “speeding” up.  The TPMS / ABS computer can translate these very slight changes into low tire warnings. The advantage of this type of TPMS system is the elimination of costly tire pressure sensors and their maintenance.  In fact, some car makers are now eliminating in-tire sensors altogether and are changing their systems to the ABS /wheel speed monitoring system for low tire conditions. The other advantage to this type of tire monitoring is that you will not need to purchase tire pressure sensors should you decide to install another set of tires and rims for winter driving. The disadvantage of this type of system is that occasionally the system needs to be reset when you add air to your tires, have them rotated or you suddenly change the amount of weight the vehicle is carrying. Examples of vehicles that use their ABS system to monitor for low tire conditions: BMW, Mini, Hyundai, Kia and many others.   Conclusion If you live in or around the Kingston, Ontario / Glenburnie, Ontario area, and you have any issues with low tires, flat tires and/or TPMS warning lamps illuminated on your dash, bring your car to Car Medics.  We have one location in Kingston, ON on Rigney St. and another location at 1985 Perth Rd., Glenburnie, Ontario.  (Our Glenburnie location was formerly Jack Bowes Auto Service.)[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row] [/et_pb_section]

Simple Answers from Car Medics for Kingston: Transfer Case Service

Question:
I was told I need to have my transfer case serviced. What is that?

Car Medics Answer:
On a four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle, power needs to be transferred to both the front and rear axles. The transfer case is the mechanism that makes that happen. There are many drivetrain configurations out there, so we’ll just talk in generalities.

Trucks and larger SUV’s are often primarily rear-wheel-drive. When the driver (or the vehicle’s computer) selects 4WD, the transfer case also sends power to the front axle. The transfer case may also contain an additional gear set for off-roading.

The transfer case is lubricated and cooled by special gear oil. Over time, the oil gets contaminated and needs to be changed, just like your engine oil and transmission fluid. Your automobile manufacturer will have a schedule and your understanding Car Medics team can help.

Now many vehicles around Kingston have all-wheel-drive (AWD). AWD vehicles are often based on a front-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive vehicle with the addition of a center differential that sends power to the rear wheels when needed. This center differential, like the transfer case, has a vital service schedule for replacing contaminated lubricant. The work of transfer cases and differentials is demanding and proper maintenance should not be neglected by Kingston car owners.

Knowing the service schedule for your transfer case and differentials will help keep your vehicle running well and avoid premature wear.

Give us a call if you have any questions:

Car Medics
37 Rigney St
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613-547-8473

or

Car Medics
1985 Perth Rd.
Glenburnie, ON K0H 1S0
613-546-6766

 

Weight is the enemy of fuel economy. Some Kingston drivers carry a bunch of unnecessary weight, and I’m not talkin’ what you see in the mirror. Kingston guys – sports equipment, tools. Kingston ladies – well, just take a look around the passenger compartment and trunk. All extra weight wastes gas. To get better gas mileage, lose the junk and save some cash at ON pumps. And you really only need one of those spare tires.

Give us a call

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

 

Kingston motorists need to be concerned about wheel alignments for two primary reasons: safety and money. When your wheels are out of alignment, they can pull to one side, maybe pretty hard. A moment of inattention could put you into on-coming traffic on a busy street in Kingston or completely off the road. And a bad alignment will chew up your tires very quickly.

We had one guy in our Kingston auto service center who said his wheels were a little out of alignment before a family vacation, but he didn’t think it was that bad so he didn’t take care of it before he left. A couple days and a thousand miles later his front tires were worn down to the cords. He had to take a half day out of his mountain vacation to find a rural town in ON big enough to have a tire center for replacements.

All four wheels are supposed to be lined up and point in the same direction. Sometimes one or more goes out of alignment and is pulling against the rest of the team. In addition to excessive tire wear, this also hurts gas mileage.

Part of the alignment service at Car Medics is an inspection of the steering and suspension components. Whatever caused the wheels to be knocked out of alignment in the first place may have also damaged important parts. So we want to be sure to replace broken or bent parts as needed. The process corrects alignment of each wheel along three axes (toe, camber and caster) as well as front to rear alignment.

Your owner’s manual may have a recommendation for how often alignment should be checked. If not, ask your friendly Car Medics service specialist. Here are some things that should tell Kingston motorists that they need an alignment check right away:

Your vehicle is pulling to one side, your steering wheel isn’t centered, you feel a vibration at speed or you see unusual tire wear.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

What does the Check Engine Light mean?

Any time that the Check Engine Light (CEL) is illuminated, it means that your vehicle is potentially creating excessive pollution.  Whether it’s your transmission not shifting right, a loose fuel cap or a bad spark plug, these will all potentially cause excessive fuel consumption or possibly raw gas to be released into the atmosphere.  More importantly, your car may be emitting excessive amounts of pollution that add to the amount of greenhouse gases in the environment, potentially increasing smog.

Certainly there are some situations where the CEL coming on is far more critical than others.  Misfiring cylinders versus a loose gas cap, for example, have completely different outcomes if not repaired immediately.  And, consequently, they could have greatly differing effects on the environment if left as is.  Below we will help you determine how urgent it is to see the “car doctor” when this annoying light appears on your dash.

What is the Purpose of the Check Engine Light?

Since 1996, vehicle manufacturers have had to integrate on-board “self-testing” for any car built for North America.  What this means is that, as you drive or run your engine, your car’s computers are constantly monitoring and testing all of the devices that make the engine run and the car drive, attempting to identify faults that could cause excessive pollution.  For example, every time you drive steadily on the highway, the computer will run a test procedure that verifies the effectiveness of the catalytic converter.  If the test happens to fail for some reason or another, the Check Engine Light will be illuminated, warning you that there is a fault with the vehicle.  This is only one example of over a thousand faults that could occur related to the constant testing that takes place of vehicle systems and components as you drive.

How Urgent Is It, Really?

When the CEL comes on, there are several different courses of action that can be taken depending on the exact symptoms.  Understanding these can help you, as a driver, determine just how urgent it is to get the vehicle into the shop or if you should really be driving it at all.  Let’s discuss each situation and explain how they are different.

CEL Comes On Steady With No Other Symptoms

When the CEL does come on, it’s important to ask yourself, “Is the car driving any differently?”.  Basically, does it start, run, idle, accelerate, etc., just as it always has?  If it’s acting completely normal, there is a good chance that you don’t need to panic or even stop driving the vehicle.  But, until the cause is diagnosed properly, there will be no way of knowing whether or not the issue could progress into something more serious indicating that the car shouldn’t be driven.  The rule of thumb in this case is to make an appointment at your earliest convenience to have it looked at by a professional.

CEL Comes On Steady With Other Symptoms

So, the CEL is on steady (not flashing) and the vehicle just doesn’t seem to be running the same as it normally does.  Perhaps it’s slow to accelerate, runs rough or idles differently?  Something just doesn’t feel right to you.  In this case, you should limit the amount you drive the vehicle until you can get it in for a diagnostic, and the sooner the better.  The fact that it’s not running right could mean that it could let you down, possibly stranding you far away from home.

CEL Comes On and Is FLASHING

A “flashing” Check Engine Light that either flashes from time to time or flashes constantly while you are driving is indicative of  “engine misfire”.  Misfire means that one or more of the engine’s cylinders are not burning the gasoline properly and that, potentially, raw fuel is making it’s way through the engine and into the exhaust system.  Whenever there is misfire occurring, you run the risk of damaging the engine and/or the catalytic converter.  Engine damage can cost you thousands of dollars, and catalytic converters are not much cheaper in some cases.  The average catalytic converter these days can cost $1500 or more plus installation!  Catalytic converters operate at temperatures between 1500 to 2500 degrees Celsius.  At these temperatures, dumping excess gas into the converter is basically like pouring gasoline on a campfire.  This will cause the converter to get much hotter and risk melting the material it’s made of.  If you run into this situation where your CEL is flashing, even just flashing once in a while, the car should NOT BE DRIVEN.  Tow it to your trusted repair centre and have it diagnosed and repaired right away.  Flashing should not be confused with a CEL that comes on one day and goes off the next.  Flashing refers to when the CEL light turns on and off rapidly many times.

My CEL Has Been On For Years, What Should I Do?

It’s important to remember that there is only one Check Engine Light, and there are literally thousands of reasons as to why it could be illuminated.  When the light is already on, you will be unaware if something more critical develops.  Potentially, you may never know when the CEL progresses from something that is not likely to cause trip interruption to something more critical that could lead to an actual breakdown.

If your car is older and you simply don’t want to fix something that is strictly pollution-control-related, have the fault codes checked periodically to ensure that nothing new and/or more critical has become an issue.  As far as which issues should be repaired and which ones can wait, this is something for you to discuss with your repair centre or simply call or email Car Medics for advice.  We’d be glad to help.

Top Check Engine Light Tips

Tip #1 – CEL Is On, NOT Flashing and Has No Other Symptoms

Provided that your vehicle continues to run normally, make an appointment at your earliest convenience to have the issue properly diagnosed. If symptoms develop, get it in sooner.

Tip #2 – CEL Is On With Symptoms

If the light is on steady and the car just isn’t acting or driving like it normally does, drive it as little as possible until you can get it looked at.  It could get worse and let you down.  Provided the light is not flashing, it should be safe to drive it to a local repair shop.

Tip #3 – CEL Is Flashing

This is indicating a misfire condition and the vehicle should NOT be driven.  Pull over and call a tow truck, no matter how inconvenient it is.  Continuing to drive could cost you thousands more in repairs!

Tip #4 – CEL Is Not a Critical Issue 

So, you’ve had the issue diagnosed and it’s been determined that it’s not a critical fault that needs to be fixed in order to keep driving the car.  You’ve decided that either it’s not an expense you can afford, or fixing it is not worth it for the older car involved.  In this case, Car Medics recommends that you get the fault code checked periodically to ensure that something more serious isn’t developing.  Having the codes checked quickly before you head out on a long trip is definitely advised as well.  Keep in mind that when the CEL is not repaired, you’re vehicle is most likely polluting more than it should be.

Tip #5 – Tape Is Not Recommended (LOL)

You could simply apply black electrical tape, or even duct tape, over that part of the dash that is shining the annoying light into your eyes.  Unfortunately, this will most certainly not fix the problem and it may also prevent you from noticing if the light starts to flash.

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If you have any questions, need any advice or would like your Check Engine Light or any other warning light diagnosed properly the first time, contact Car Medics.  Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll do our best to help you!

Car Medics has been in business for over 27 years, serving Kingston and surrounding areas. We are experts at all aspects of automobile repair, including diagnostics.

“We Are Always Accepting New Patients”

Two locations to serve you better:

Call 613-547-8473 for Kingston location

Call 613-546-6766 for Glenburnie location

Stay safe and healthy!