Chesapeake Auto Repair

The Right Automotive Fluids For Chesapeake Drivers   All those automotive fluids can be confusing for Chesapeake auto owners. Recent years have brought new grades of engine oil, types of transmission fluid, coolant, and brake fluid. The right fluid protects your vehicle and helps it perform at its best. The wrong fluid won’t work as well for Chesapeake auto owners and could even cause damage. In addition to new grades of engine oil, many vans now leave the factory with synthetic oil. Chesapeake motorists should always use the grade recommended by their auto maker  and type of oil in their engine. All coolant, also called antifreeze, used to be green. Now there are several other colors of coolant sold at West Service Center, Inc. in Chesapeake. Each type is designed to protect the cooling system components that are particular to your vehicle. The wrong stuff can void your van coolin ... read more

Tire Tread Depth for Chesapeake, Virginia Drivers Driving on bald tires is like playing roulette. Though you may be fine today, eventually your luck is going to run out. The Feds don’t have any laws for tread depth, but 42 of the states, and all of Canada, do have regulations. They consider two-thirty-seconds of an inch to be the minimum legal tread depth. Two other states, including California, consider one-thirty-second to be the minimum and six states have no standards at all. Call us at West Service Center, Inc.; (just call 757-487-4420) to find out what your requirements are in the Chesapeake, Virginia area. Since 1968, U.S. law has required that a raised bar be molded across all tires. When tires are worn enough that this bar becomes visible, there’s just 2/32” of tread left. But does that older standard give Chesapeake auto owners enough safety? Consider this: Consumer Reports recommends tire replacement when tread reaches 4/32&rdq ... read more

Emergency Items For Chesapeake auto owners Your browser does not support video Safe Virginia travel starts with preventive maintenance and good car care at West Service Center, Inc.. But there are other things Chesapeake car owners can do to prepare for emergencies on the road. Here’s some auto advice that can help you plan for emergencies, and just may save your life — or someone else’s. First, Chesapeake motorists should consider keeping an auto emergency kit in their car. The kit should contain items that will allow you to deal with common emergencies on the road. Some important items you should carry in your van include jumper cables (or a booster box), flares, a flashlight and some basic hand tools. Other useful items include gloves, two quarts of oil, some antifreeze, water and everything you need to change a tire. You might also consi ... read more

Automobile Fluids For Your van   If you’ve walked through the automotive fluids of an auto parts store in Chesapeake, you’ll know how overwhelming the sheer number of products available can be. How do you know what’s right for your vehicle? As you know, these fluids all serve a function in making your car run as you drive around the Chesapeake area. Your vehicle manufacturer has specified a particular type of fluid for every system from the motor, to the cooling system, brake fluid and so on. When you realize that not every variation is applicable to your vehicle, the task becomes more manageable. First let’s talk about why there are so many varieties. Starting with motor oil, we see that manufacturers match the properties of a particular weight or type of oil with the design needs of the engine. For example, engines with sophisticated valve trains often require a thinner weight of oil. Some vehicles around Chesapeake co ... read more

Serpentine Belt Service At West Service Center, Inc. In Chesapeake   If you’ve ever heard a squealing sound under your van hood, chances are it was your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems in your van. Let’s go over them. First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Chesapeake. More importantly, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that’s used by your van’s electrical systems and also charges your car battery. Without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles. The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering (some are electric) and power brakes (some use vacuum boost). And, on most ... read more