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.

---

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!

There are some things Car Medics customers should know about automotive service and repair in Kingston. First and foremost, Car Medics cares about you and your family’s safety. And they really appreciate your business. Car Medics wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come.

Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the Kingston auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix cars. The days of shade tree mechanics in ON are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles.

The technicians that work at Car Medics need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networking with other technicians to help them with a difficult problem and pulling together a job order that makes sure that each step of the process is addressed.

The threshold for getting started as a technician gets higher all the time and there is a huge commitment to on-going training every year. This training takes time and money. It contributes to business overhead. The average Kingston driver may not realize the business and environmental regulations Car Medics must comply with. Of course that costs money too. Like any Kingston business, overhead is a big factor.

When you go into a your favorite Kingston restaurant, you don’t value the meal by what the food would cost at the grocery store. The restaurant has rent, wages, insurance, taxes, utilities, professional fees, equipment, supplies – you get the picture. The restaurant has to charge enough to not only pay for the ingredients, but for all these other things as well while making enough profit to remain in business. If you value the meal and are satisfied with your dining experience, you’ll come back and tell your Kingston friends.

It’s the same for Car Medics in Kingston. The value of its service is not the cost of the parts they replace, but in your satisfaction with the results. If they deliver a good product at a fair price, customers are happy to see them succeed as a business.

Your team at Car Medics loves to see Kingston customers whenever they come in, but they would much rather see them three or four times a year for routine maintenance than once a year on a tow truck. They want to work together with you to avoid breakdowns.

Tell your friends and family to go into Car Medics for their scheduled maintenance too. That lowers Car Medics’s marketing costs and helps keep its labor rates down. That’s good for everyone.

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.

Having a set of 4 winter rims has several advanatges:

1.  They will help preserve the condition of your summer wheels/rims in pristine condition

2.  Once the rims are paid for, they will save you time and money each spring and fall.  It will usually take less than half the time and likely only a third or less the cost to have your winter rims and tires bolted on in the spring and fall as opposed to having winter tires installed and balanced on your existing rims.  Usually the savings is anywhere from $60-80 less for installation, depending on where you have them installed.  After 2 years (on and off twice per year), most rims will pay for themselves in cost savings, let alone the time savings.

3.  Less wear and tear on your tires.  Every time tires are installed on rims, they are stretched at the bead area.  As tires get older, they can actually be torn during installation as they become more brittle.  There is also less where and tear on your rims as they will have to be re-balanced each time the tire is newly mounted on the rim.  The removal and application of these wheel weights can scratch your nice rims.

4.  More environmentally friendly.  Each time tires are mounted and balanced on your rims electricity is required to do so.  There is also the requirement for new lead wheel weights for balancing and this causes most of the old wheel weights to be disposed of.  At Car Medics, we recycle all of our waste products, including lead wheel weights 🙂

 

Under-inflated tires waste gas. Think how hard it is to walk in sand – you just have to work harder because of the resistance. When your tires don’t have enough air in them, their rolling resistance is dramatically increased and it simply takes more gas to get from Kingston to Kingston, Kingston, Kingston or Kingston. Kingston motorists should always check their tire pressure when they gas up. If they’re low – even just a little bit – bring them up to proper pressure. There’s a sticker on the inside of the driver’s door that gives the automobile manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure.

And don’t rely on your tire pressure monitoring system to alert you to when you need more air. The TPMS system is set to warn you when pressure drops twenty percent below recommendations. That’s severely under inflated and you needed more air a long time ago. And if you have a slow leak – get it fixed right away. We can get that done quickly at Car Medics.

Get some air and save some gas.

Give us a call

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.