What You Should Know About Gasoline Each day in America, 360 million gallons of gasoline are used. A majority of vehicles on the road today need gasoline to run, but when you’re filling up at the pump, do you really know about the liquid you’re putting in your vehicle that makes it “go?” The Different “Levels” of Gasoline When you arrive at a gas pump, you’re often greeted by several gasoline options to fuel your vehicle. There’s “regular” gasoline, which will be the cheapest, the most-expensive “premium” gasoline, often with a “middle” option, both in rating and price, in between. Above these fuel types, there is a corresponding number, typically 87 for regular, 89 for the middle level, and 91 or 93 for premium. These numbers represent octane ratings. Octane ratings refer to the fuel’s type’s res ... read more

Caring for A Car Battery One of the most integral features of an automobile’s anatomy is the car battery. Simply put, without a battery, your car will not start, so it is important to keep your battery as healthy as possible. But you might have some questions about the battery inside your vehicle. What is the Lifespan of a Car Battery? While the lifespan of a battery truly varies from vehicle to vehicle, and is dependent on many outside factors, the average life of a car battery is approximately four years. The two main factors that cause excessive wear on a battery are volatile weather and poor driving habits. Excessive heat can cause the mixture of water and acid inside a vehicle battery to evaporate and cause harm to a battery’s internal components. This will result in a shorter lifespan for the battery. While you might not ... read more

What You Need to Know About Spark Plugs If you’ve ever spent any time around automobiles, you’ve likely heard the phrase “spark plug,” mentioned. No, this isn’t referring to a person with a fiesty attitude, it is actually a very integral piece of an automobile’s internal combustion system, that helps your vehicle start – and without one, it won’t start at all. While that is the most basic function of a spark plug, there is actually much more to know about how it works, its life span and when you know it is time for a replacement. What is a Spark Plug? A spark plug dates back to the mid 1800s, and has been credited to several inventors who created various versions of “spark ignition” in an internal combustion engine. At its mos ... read more

Four Ways You Can Damage Your Transmission Just like any other part of your vehicle, your car’s transmission system need its owner’s care and attention.  It may not require frequent maintenance like oil changes, but there are some things people should know to make sure their transmission is running properly.  Here are some common practices car owners can do to ensure they are not damaging their vehicle’s transmission. Never having the transmission fluid changed. Luckily, this is not something that needs to be changed very often.  For many cars, the manufacturer may suggest not needing to get fresh transmission fluid until 100,000 miles.  In some cars, that can even be extended to 150,000 miles while other car experts suggest every 50,000 miles.  Although the specifics may vary by vehicle, if your car has a lot of years and miles on it or may not be running smoothly, it may be time to take your car in and have ... read more

Why Speeding is Bad for Your Car Not only is speeding against the law but it is also a grave safety risk for yourself as a driver, others driving around you and your vehicle. Whether you have a need for speed or are running late, take a minute to educate yourself on the negative consequences speeding can have on your car. You lose fuel. There is a price to pay at the gas pump when you speed. Generally, once you go over 50 miles an hour and for every five miles an hour faster that you drive, you’re basically ensuring that you’ll be spending an additional 18 cents per gallon for gas.  If you rapidly accelerate, you can lower your gas mileage by 15 to 30 percent at highway speeds and 10 to 40 percent in regular traffic. You can damage your vehicle. Driving 85 in a 70-mile speed limit on the freeway doesn’t mean that you’re destroying your engine b ... read more

Preparing Cars for Winter WeatherIf You Haven’t Done So Yet, It’s Time to Prepare Your Car for Winter We have finally reached the point on the calendar in which it is winter, although depending on where you live in the country, it may feel like it’s the middle of winter. Winter has only just begun, and so we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone of some tips that may help you keep your car safer when you’re driving in the snow and ice. Remove snow and ice from your car before driving. Maybe it isn’t practical to get it all off, but you should make an effort to not drive what looks to other people like a giant snowball. After all, that snow and ice will come off, and it could come sloshing down your windows, making it difficult to see.  It becomes very dangerous when that snow or ice could go flying onto another car, causing another driver to swerve their vehicle. In fact ... read more

Correcting Bad Car Care Advice Years ago, misinformation and bad advice used to travel by word of mouth.  Now with the presence of the internet and social media, incorrect information can be out there everywhere.  Sometimes it is difficult to discern what is truth and what is fiction. That can certainly be the case with the proper ways to care for and maintain your car.  Even after owning a vehicle for years, many people only know the basics of car care, and some of that may be forgotten or misconstrued over time. With some much misinformation and bad advice out there, we wanted to share some popular pieces of advice, often designed to help save time or money, and tell you why you should not follow those recommendations. To save money, fill your windshield wiper fluid reservoir with water or dilute it with a mixture of water and wiper fluid. On the surface, it may sound logical.  Why not save some money, and just put water in the windshield washer fluid rese ... read more

What to Do If…? Drive long enough, and unfortunately, something will go wrong. Maybe not terribly wrong, but not every trip is a smooth one. We’ve chronicled some of these situations previously in addressing what to do if you hit a pothole and “How to Protect Your Car and Stay Safe on the Road.” Here are several more “what if…” scenarios and some recommendations on what can be done in those situations. What to do if… your car overheats. If the temperature gauge light has come on and you are in heavy traffic with no immediate place to turn, you might be able to keep your car going briefly if you turn on the heat full blast. That is certainly not ideal if it the summer, but the idea is to take heat away from the en ... read more

How to Extend the Life of Your Car Many people know the importance of bringing your car into their local Milex Complete Auto Care for routine maintenance or scheduling an appointment with Mr. Transmission at the first sign of transmission trouble. But it’s easy to miss the main message of why people should stay on top of their oil changes and filter replacements. In addition to keeping your car in top condition, you will likely want to avoid purchasing a new car until it is absolutely necessary.  New cars are fun to drive, and we all love that new car smell, but it isn’t a pleasant experience to pay for one, month after month after month. Here is some practical advice that every car owner should know that should help extend the life of their vehicle. Take your car for regular maintenance. Just like the adhering t ... read more

The Sniff Test – Detecting Problems with Your Car Some car problems are can be easy to identify. You see a major leak coming from your car; it’s probably more than obvious something is wrong.  If there is smoke coming from your car or it is shaking as you drive, you probably know it would be a good idea to bring your vehicle into a Milex Complete Auto Care immediately to be checked out. But smells can be different. A smell be faint enough that you do not notice, or you have become used to the scent. Sometimes just because your car smells odd, it doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. But sometimes that is exactly the case. Many pungent smells are signals that your car is in trouble, and you need to get it checked out. Here are some tips and suggestions about some common smells that come from your car and what you should do about them. What it means if your car smells musty ... read more