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

Moran Franchisee of the Year: Scott Hester Scott Hester was recently named as one of Moran Family of Brands’ Franchisees of the Year, as selected by his peers from the system.  He has owned the Mr. Transmission in Decatur, Georgia, since 2006. If a Hester from Georgia winning the Mr. Transmission Franchisee of the Year sounds familiar, that would be correct.  Scott’s father, Lowell, owns the Mr. Transmission in nearby Sandy Springs and has won one the award twice. If there is a franchise gene, Lowell apparently passed it onto Scott. In any case, for those franchise owners wondering if they might want to sell or pass on their franchise to their offspring, that’s one way to go. But if you aren’t in the mindset of retiring any time soon, you still might be able to use your franchise to help your kids build their own future. For those people, Scott’s story m ... read more

October is Fall Car Care Month As the calendar turns to October and the start of fall is upon us, now is a good reminder that October is Fall Car Care Month. October is a good time to assess the condition of your car and determine if it needs maintenance.  It has been through a long summer with continued exposure to the hot weather, and maybe a long trip or two mixed in.  Now is the time to take your car in for any work that may need to be done before the winter weather arrives.  It feels a long way off right now, but the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting that two-thirds of the country will encounter a colder-than-normal season. So with that in mind, October’s a good time to get your car inspected at Milex Complete Auto Care or ... read more

Five Ways You Could Accidentally, Inadvertently Damage Your Car Routine maintenance or some standard problems with your car will lead you to bring in your vehicle at your local Milex Complete Auto Care or Mr. Transmission shop.  However, there will sometimes be some unexpected circumstances that require service that can be preventable. With our busy daily lives, we don’t always think about simple things we may be doing that can hurt the performance of our car.  Here are a few things to keep in mind and prevent an unnecessary trip into the shop for service. Driving near empty. Many people will wait to fill up on gas to when the needle hovers around “E,”. Maybe that is the sign that it is time for a refill.  Other times you may be too busy to stop, or the price at a certain station may be a few cents high.  Aside from taking ... read more

Be Prepared: 9 Must-Haves in Your Car In Case There’s an Emergency Nobody likes to think about it, but things can go wrong when you’re driving. Sometimes very wrong. One reason we often tell people to bring their vehicles in for regular maintenance is that things are less likely to go wrong if you take care of your car. You’re far less likely to have a flat tire or to see your car engine suddenly go up in smoke if you’re bringing in your car to Mr. Transmission Milex Complete Auto Care for regular oil changes. After all, it’s called Milex Complete Auto Care for a reason. Fluids are topped off, and if there’s a filter that needs changed, or the tires are looking anemic, we’ll let you know.  You also should stop by Alta Mere, the Automotive Outfitters, which have a lot of ... read more

Tips for Taking Care of Your Car and Saving Money at the Pump For a lot of people, September is the financial calm before the storm. That is, summer is over, and you’re done with back-to-school shopping, expensive vacations, paying for summer camp and maybe some home improvements. If you spent a little extra money this summer, now is a good time to start saving up before the holiday season arrives in a few months.    If you are trying to cut back right now, one easy way to do it is to save on your gas. Here are a few tips on how to save on your fuel bill… Turn off the air-conditioning and roll down the windows. Studies have shown that you can save anywhere from 3 to 10 percent on your gas bill if you turn off the air conditioner. Yes, if you roll down the windows, there’s that resistance from the wind that makes the c ... read more