A lot of Erie drivers get custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes, once they’re mounted, they just didn’t fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don’t want that.

Consulting a tire professional at Carworks of Longmont can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs in Erie and what you want in your new wheels.

At Carworks of Longmont, we advise Erie tire buyers that not every wheel can go on every car. 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 so the tires rub.

If you don’t want to make any modifications to your minivan, you need to focus on the wheels that fit. With trucks, some Erie people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Erie people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s, like 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 minivan’s 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 speed. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your minivan’s engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. For information on reprogramming the engine computer, call us at 303.776.1888.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Erie. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Carworks of Longmont tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Berthoud auto service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Berthoud auto owners may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.

Carworks of Longmont fuel system cleaning: Over time, the minivan fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.

Carworks of Longmont headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It’s usually good to change them every year or so.

Inspections: Berthoud drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they’re leaving Berthoud and going on a trip or just want to make sure their minivan’s ready for summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used car in Berthoud and want to give it the once over. An inspection may reveal some things that are broken or are getting close to having a problem.

Carworks of Longmont oil change – there are several options: Some Berthoud centers offer just an oil change and new filter as an option. Most will also check and top off all of your other fluids and do a quick visual inspection with a full service oil change. In my way of thinking, the full service option is best because it makes sure you have adequate fluids in your minivan and may uncover an emerging problem. There may also be options for higher mileage fluids or an upgrade to synthetic oil.

Carworks of Longmont PCV valve service: PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve. It’s a little part that releases pressure from the engine. It can get gummed up and that can lead to engine damage. Just needs to be changed now and then.

Carworks of Longmont power steering service: Often overlooked. The Berthoud auto technician will evacuate the old fluid, clean out the system and replace it with clean fluid. Keeps the system running well for a long time.

Serpentine belt: That’s the belt that powers the minivan’s engine’s accessories like the alternator, air conditioner, power steering and brakes. You’ll want to replace the serpentine belt before it breaks, because that’ll shut you down.

Shocks and struts: This starts with an inspection of the suspension components in your minivan. Shocks last a long time and wear out slowly, so many Berthoud people don’t notice when it’s time to change them. If they’re worn or leaking, they need to be replaced.

Berthoud transmission service: This involves removing the transmission fluid and replacing it with clean fluid. It’s like an oil change for your transmission.

Tire rotation and wheel balancing: The minivan tires are rotated from front to back using the recommended rotation pattern. This helps tires wear more evenly. Wheels need to be balanced from time to time to keep them turning without any wobble or bounce. Helps the ride and saves tire wear for Berthoud car owners.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Longmont minivan owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold minivan engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Longmont, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the minivan engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Longmont, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at Carworks of Longmont if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Longmont, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Longmont shows up with the increased demands on the minivan battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the minivan security system, the remote start system, even the power the minivan computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Longmont. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the minivan engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your personable Carworks of Longmont service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Longmont motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Carworks of Longmont so you know what you’re getting. At Carworks of Longmont, we have been providing quality auto service in Longmont for 2 years.

Give us a call

Carworks of Longmont
1406 Coffman Street
Longmont, CO 80501

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

With front-wheel drive being so common in Longmont these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Longmont folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive minivan differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for CO people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many minivan differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Carworks of Longmont technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Carworks of Longmont service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Longmont four wheel drive minivans need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Carworks of Longmont at different intervals.

Your Longmont service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your minivan owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Carworks of Longmont
303.776.1888
1406 Coffman Street
Longmont, CO 80501

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Longmont drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in CO.

First, if your minivan check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Longmont highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Carworks of Longmont in Longmont.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Longmont service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Carworks of Longmont on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your minivan engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Longmont.

In order to make these adjustments, the minivan computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The minivan computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your minivan looked at at Carworks of Longmont. Your personable service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Carworks of Longmont technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Carworks of Longmont, we also offer brake service and tire rotation.

Give us a call

Carworks of Longmont
303.776.1888
1406 Coffman Street
Longmont, CO 80501

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Longmont conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. At Carworks of Longmont we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet Longmont roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Longmont drivers to replace the tires on their minivans when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from CO freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for Longmont car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some minivans, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Carworks of Longmont service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Longmont drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your minivan. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Carworks of Longmont – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

In addition to just wearing out, Carworks of Longmont customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your minivan manufacturer and Carworks of Longmont recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Erie service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Erie. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your minivan dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Carworks of Longmont for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other minivan suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Carworks of Longmont.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Carworks of Longmont because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Boulder. At Carworks of Longmont, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

• Most trips are less than four miles
• Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Boulder
• You drive in very hot CO weather
• Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
• Stop and go driving
• Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
• You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your minivan

Most Boulder drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your minivan?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Carworks of Longmont advisor can help you with your decision.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the minivan engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your minivan. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Longmont car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Carworks of Longmont. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Longmont drivers don’t know about it.

Check your minivan owner’s manual or ask your Carworks of Longmont advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

At Carworks of Longmont in Longmont CO (80501) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 303.776.1888. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.