Keep Your Cool In Walpole: Air Conditioning Service

Posted September 29, 2011 11:39 AM

Most Walpole drivers wait for their air conditioning to fail before they service it at Central Street Garage Inc.. That’s because many Foxboro and Millis motorists don't really understand that automotive air conditioners need periodic service. Let me share some of the reasons why they fail.

First, like every machine, the utility truck air conditioner parts need lubrication. The lubricant is actually mixed in with the refrigerant (that’s the stuff that makes the air cool). So sometimes, even though the air conditioner is still making cool air, the oil that lubricates the parts has just been used up: and unlubricated parts can fail in all MA cars.

Now here’s a tip for Walpole drivers: You should run your air conditioner every so often during MA winters. This circulates the lubricant to help keep the seals from drying out.

The air conditioner actually removes some of the moisture in the air. So if you have trouble with fogging on your windshield during MA winters or during a rain storm, running the A/C on the defrost setting should help. Now on some Walpole cars you can’t run the A/C at the same time as the defroster. Don’t ask me why, but I suspect lawyers were involved.

Also, air and water can get into the A/C system. That can reduce the efficiency of the system and also lead to corrosion that causes damage. Walpole drivers should periodically purge the system and replace the refrigerant to clear out the air and water.

Foxboro drivers should be aware of early warning signs of trouble: One might be that the air’s not as cold as it used to be. You may hear an unusual noise when the A/C cycles on. Those are signs to get your vehicle into Central Street Garage Inc. in Foxboro before the damage gets worse.

So following the recommended service intervals in your utility truck owner’s manual can help prevent mechanical failure of your air conditioning system. You’re A/C system contains some expensive components like the compressor, condenser, dryer, etc. Anything Medfield and Millis car owners can do to lengthen the life of their A/C is well worth it.

Posted in the Air Conditioning category

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Walpole Safety Systems: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Posted September 23, 2011 10:23 AM

Flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances can all be the result of Walpole folks driving around on under-inflated tires. Now, it’s hard to tell when a radial tire is under-inflated. If your manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your utility truck tire’s considered significantly under inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds.

New laws required manufacturers to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System – or TPMS system – in all cars and light trucks by the 2008 model year. The system has a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25% below manufacturer’s pressure recommendations.

This technology has been used by Walpole race car drivers for years. They are able to head off problems from under inflation by closely monitoring tire pressure on the track. It’s up to your car’s manufacturer to determine which of many TPMS systems available they’ll use to comply with the law.

Obviously, all of this doesn’t come free for Walpole drivers. U.S. government studies have estimated the net costs. Of course, the TPMS system itself will cost something. Maintaining the system will have a cost, replacement of worn or broken parts and tire repair cost increases.

The costs are partially offset by savings in fuel and tire wear. There’s also a saving in property damage and travel delay. The net cost is estimated to be between $27 and $100. The government predicts fewer fatal accidents. They estimate that it will cost between three and nine million dollars for every life saved.

Your safety has always been a concern at Central Street Garage Inc.. We want you on the road and accident free. We've traditionally provided things like tire rotations, snow tire mounting and flat fixes at a very low cost. We’ve been able to quickly and cheaply provide the service, and pass the low cost on to you as an expression of our good will.

That’s why we're concerned about how you’ll perceive the changes that this new law will force. Every time a tire is changed: taken off to fix a flat, a new tire installed, a snow tire mounted; the Central Street Garage Inc. service technician is now going to have to deal with the TPMS system.

Even a simple tire rotation will require that the monitor be reprogrammed to the new location of each tire. When a car battery is disconnected, the TPMS system will need to be reprogrammed. TPMS sensor batteries will need to be changed and failed parts replaced.

Like all other Walpole service centers, here at Central Street Garage Inc. we've had to purchase new scanning equipment to work with the TPMS sensors and to update expensive tire change equipment to better service wheels equipped with the new monitoring systems. Our Central Street Garage Inc. service technicians have been thoroughly trained on many systems and new tire-changing techniques. All of this adds up to significantly increased cost to perform what was once a very inexpensive service for you.

So when you start so see the cost of tire changes, flat repairs and rotations going up at Central Street Garage Inc., please keep in mind that it’s because of government mandated safety equipment. We want to keep you safely on the road – and we're committed to doing it at a fair price. This new safety equipment will help you avoid the most common types of vehicle failure in Walpole, and possibly a catastrophic accident.

Posted in the Tires and Wheels category

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On Board Diagnostics For Foxboro Motorists

Posted September 1, 2011 10:32 AM

Some Foxboro motorists are confused by Central Street Garage Inc. charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair. Many services at Central Street Garage Inc. and other Foxboro automotive repair shops include diagnostic fees.

When you take your laptop into a Walpole computer repair shop for a problem you’ll likely have to leave a deposit for diagnostics. When we visit our Medfield doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying him to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.

So receiving a diagnostic charge at Central Street Garage Inc. for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Walpole area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your utility truck brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy MA expressway, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your utility truck engine, Central Street Garage Inc. diagnosis may be much more involved.

Much of the Walpole public’s confusion comes when the problem involves the check engine light. The check engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.

There’s a common misconception among Medfield, Millis, and Sheldonville drivers that the trouble code tells the Central Street Garage Inc. technician exactly what’s wrong. Why then is there a diagnostic charge, the scanner just gave the diagnosis?

Reality is more involved than that. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that’s out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the check engine light.

The utility truck computer's trouble code just tells the Central Street Garage Inc. technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the symptom.

There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for Central Street Garage Inc. Foxboro customers. The Central Street Garage Inc. technician makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem.

Walpole service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for a given trouble code. They outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented fix. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.

Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved and difficult. Of course Central Street Garage Inc. wants to figure out what’s wrong with your utility truck and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

Posted in the Service Standards category

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