Before you head out for your summer road trip, Mr. Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care recommends making sure your tires are ready to hit the pavement.   Prior to packing your bags and stocking up on road trip snacks, it’s important to make sure your tires are ready for the trip. The condition of your tires will impact your car's performance and safety. The experts at Mr. Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care compiled a checklist you can use to get your tires ready to travel.   All-Weather Tires. If you put snow tires on to provide traction during the winter months, replace them with all-season tires that will handle well during a summer downpour.   Tire Pressure. Check the PSI on your tires. As the temperature goes up, the PSI in your tires increase. For every 10-degree rise in temperature, the tire pressure goes up by one PSI. Over-inflated tires can cause blowouts or overheat.   Tread. Do a vi ... read more

As gas prices reach record highs, service technicians at Mr. Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care have some tips to help you save money at the pump.   Reverberations from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are being felt across the globe. While Americans rally to support the Ukrainian citizens and rush to provide aid to help stem the humanitarian crisis, they are feeling the impact of the war on the home front. Economic sanctions imposed by Western countries are curbing Russian oil exports, causing the price of gasoline to soar.   The national average price of gasoline in the United States rose to $4.104 per gallon at the end of the first week of March, shattering the existing record, according to GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform. The previous all-time high was set back in 2008 at $4.103 per gallon, ahead of the Great Recession and housing crisis.   “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine paired ... read more

Understanding when something is wrong with your vehicle, including silent signs, can save you money on repairs and prevent a long stay at the auto repair shop.   Only 39 percent of Americans can comfortably cover an unexpected bill of $1,000, according to Bankrate, an online financial resource. Regular car maintenance is key to preventing breakdowns and ensuring your ride delivers you safely to your destination. Despite saving customers money, many Americans put off car maintenance, especially during the past year. Hectic work and childcare schedules can make it difficult to put car care on your to-do list.   Following the outbreak of the pandemic, many Americans did not keep up with maintenance schedules. They were driving less and coping with the stress of telework and remote schooling. According to the ... read more

Before you pack the car for your summer road trip, Mr. Transmission and Milex Complete Auto Care have some tips to help improve your car’s gas mileage, boost efficiency, and ensure a comfortable ride.   Half of Americans are slated to take a trip this summer, according to an online survey of nearly 2,600 adults by The Points Guy and Healthline Media. Of those likely to take a vacation this summer, 49 percent said they are interested in taking a road trip. Last summer, the American Automobile Association forecast that Americans would take 700 million trips as states slowly reopened following closures during the pandemic. As more people are vaccinated and COVID-19 numbers reach record lows ... 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

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

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