Thursday, March 25, 2010 — THE MEDICINE HAT NEWS GAS CITY PRE-OWNED

5

TIPS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE!

Have you inspected your car?

Well, we made it through another harsh Canadian winter. You probably took good care of yourself and your home, however, as far as your car or truck is concerned, it still had to perform no matter how severe the weather was in your part of the country.

Now that the milder weather is back, you still use your vehicle as if nothing had changed. Here's some good advice: Take a few minutes and have a thorough look at your vehicle. It probably took some abuse over the winter and it doesn't take rocket science or a mechanic's diploma to find the damage that may have occurred.

Begin by looking at your tires (even if you kept the winter tires on) to see if their pres- sure seems equal (then use a gauge to ver-

ify your observations). Secondly, turn the lights on and verify if any of them are burnt out. At the same time, make sure none of the lenses are cracked or broken, which is something that can happen in the winter.

Then lean under the car just to see if any- thing is broken. Once again, you don't have to be a mechanic to discover a part that's hanging or that doesn't seem right. Fire up the engine to see if the exhaust isn't leak- ing, something that may happen in older cars. Finally, have a careful look at your usual parking spot. If you notice a recent- looking oil stain or any other liquid, have your mechanic examine your car. You see, this kind of preventive maintenance really isn't rocket science!

Choose the proper fuel

Fuel is fuel, right?As long as you don't pay too much for it and that it powers your car, any fuel will do, right? Wrong! There are some quality issues with some fuels and choosing the wrong one could cost you more than you would save.

First of all, be sure the filling station you are stopping at sells clean fuel. Beware of some discount stations that don't look clean or very busy. Old underground tanks might have accumulated dirt and debris that could contaminate the fuel. If you are travelling, you are probably better off stopping at very busy filling stations, since their tanks are replenished frequently, your guarantee to fresh and clean fuel.

Then choose wisely. Have you checked your owner's manual to see what grade of gasoline your car requires? Many performance cars will need higher grade gaso- line such as 91 octane gasoline. Refuelling with lower octane fuel will cause a knocking sound in the engine called "pinging" which can cause internal damage in the long term.

A careful examination of your car is a must now that winter is over.

Please note: the photos accompanying the articles are available in larger format.

In some cases, gas companies advertise additives that can help your car run better and you can usually trust ads from major gaso- line companies. The additives will help your engine to get rid of

some of the carbon build-up that occurs so often in winter. If you do decide to use this type of gas, follow the long term treatment, as you don't want to see any build-up com- ing off some of the engine parts and caus- ing damage. These treatments are made to remove build-up progressively so that it is not carried around in the engine. It will be burned through normal combustion.

Major gasoline companies have machines that show engine build-up and that help them develop additives that help clean engines.

TOOLBOX, March-April 2010, Page 43

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2004 CHEV MONTE CARLO SS

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2005 TOYOTA ECHO

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2005 NISSAN SENTRA SPECIAL EDITION

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2005 HONDA CIVIC LX

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2005 VW PASSAT GLS 1.8T 4MOTION

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2004 TOYOTA SOLARA SLE

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2007 DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD CAB 4X4 SE

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2009 TOYOTA MATRIX XR

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2006 FORD F-150 SUPERCREW XLT 4X4

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cruise, alloys, AM/FM, CD, balance of Factory Warranty, red, 24,000km

2006 MAZDA MIATA

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2006 NISSAN MURANO SL

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cruise, tilt, PW, PL, AM/FM CD, alloys, heated seats.

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2008 HONDA ACCORD EX-L

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2004 VW JETTA TDI

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B1173: LE Package, 5.6L, V8, Auto, Air, Leather, Sunroof, PW, PDL, PM, PSeats, Cruise, Tilt, Keyless, Chrome,

2007 NISSAN TITAN LE CREW CAB 4X4

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2008 JEEP LIBERTY SPORT 4X4

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2006 HONDA RIDGELINE EX-L 4X4

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