Chesapeake Auto Repair

Fuel Saving Tip: Car Weight And Your Virginia Driving   Weight is the enemy of fuel economy. Everyone from here to Suffolk knows this makes sense. Some of us in the Suffolk area carry a bunch of unnecessary weight, and I’m not talkin’ what you see in the mirror. Guys; sports equipment and tools. Ladies; well, just take a look around the passenger compartment and trunk. I think my car has about forty-five pounds of French fries on the floor. All that extra weight wastes gas as you drive between here and Suffolk, and everywhere else. Lose the junk and save some money. …And you really only need one of those spare tires

Chesapeake Tire Repair   Most Chesapeake car owners have experienced a flat tire. You know it’s inconvenient and a pain. Our tires are important. Keeping them in good working order isn’t just a big safety issue – it also has a financial impact. With high gas prices, we’ve all heard about the importance of keeping proper tire pressure to get the best possible fuel efficiency. In addition, proper inflation promotes even tread wear so your tires last longer. There’s another danger to under-inflated tires. Low tire pressure puts added stress on the structure of the tire itself, causing it to break down prematurely. Also, under-inflated tires generate more heat which also reduces tire life. So get those slow leaks fixed quickly – don’t just keep airing them up every few days. You want to avoid serious tire damage. Tires can also be damaged by road hazards in and around Chesapeake. Punctures, cuts and unfortunate encounters with curbs or pot ... read more

All Lined Up: Wheel Alignment Service At West Service Center, Inc.   When all of your vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday driving in Chesapeake can cause your van’s wheels to be out of alignment. Driving for an extended time in Chesapeake when your wheels are out of alignment results in uneven tire wear. This is dangerous … and expensive. Worst case scenario, you have a blowout on a crowded Virginia interstate. It can also cause premature wear to your suspension system, which can be really expensive to repair. At the very least, you may have to replace your tires years too early. Here are some alignment basics from West Service Center, Inc.: The ideal alignment for your van was designed by its engineers. Alignment service at West Service Center, Inc. starts with an inspection of the steering and suspensi ... read more

Make Your Battery Last   Today’s report from West Service Center, Inc. is on car batteries, why they die and what we can do to lengthen their life. Most of us have had a dead battery at one time or another. In fact, it would be very unusual if you hadn’t. You may be surprised to learn that only 30 percent of Chesapeake vehicle batteries last for 48 months. Now that’s an average. How long a battery lasts depends on many factors. You may not know that one of the biggest factors is the temperature where you live and drive around Chesapeake. You might suppose that cold weather was harder on batteries because it takes more power to crank a cold engine, but the opposite is actually true. Batteries in very cold climates have a life expectancy of 51 months as opposed to 30 months in very warm climates. The reason is simple: batteries are chemically more active when they’re hot than when they’re cold. A car battery will actu ... read more

Why Wheel Balancing and Tire Rotation Save You Money On Tires   Chesapeake motorists want their tires to last as long as possible. Two ways to extend tire life are wheel balancing and tire rotation. When wheels are out of balance, they wobble and vibrate. That makes the tires wear in a cupping pattern. If a front wheel is out of balance you’ll feel it in the steering wheel. If it’s a rear wheel you’ll feel it through your seat. To fix this, your service advisor at West Service Center, Inc. puts weights on your wheels to balance them out. That brings us to tire rotation. The front tires on a van wear out faster than the rear tires. As they push through turns from Chesapeake to Suffolk, the shoulders of the front tires wear down. So rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate over the life of the tire. Proper tire inflation will also help Chesapeake folks’ tires last longer ... read more