May 15, 2012

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.

Filed under: Tires — petesauto970 @ 9:11 pm

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Pete's Auto Repair & Sales INC.

A lot of Brandon drivers get custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes, once they’re mounted, they just didn’t fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don’t want that.

Consulting a tire professional at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs in Brandon and what you want in your new wheels.

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC., we advise Brandon tire buyers that not every wheel can go on every car. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside so the tires rub.

If you don’t want to make any modifications to your family car, you need to focus on the wheels that fit. With trucks, some Brandon people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Brandon people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s, like the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The family car’s computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong speed. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your family car’s engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. For information on reprogramming the engine computer, call us at 920.324.3465.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Brandon. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs.

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun WI (53963) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 920.324.3465. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 9, 2012

Viva la Differential At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.

Filed under: Differential Service — petesauto970 @ 9:39 pm

Viva la Differential At Pete's Auto Repair & Sales INC.

With front-wheel drive being so common in Waupun these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Waupun folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive family car differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for WI people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many family car differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Waupun four wheel drive family cars need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. at different intervals.

Your Waupun service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your family car owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.
920.324.3465
501 East Main Street
Waupun, WI 53963

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun WI (53963) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 920.324.3465. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 1, 2012

Why Is My Check Engine Light On? Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. Has Answers

Filed under: Check Engine Light — petesauto970 @ 8:11 pm

Why Is My Check Engine Light On Pete's Auto Repair & Sales INC. Has Answers

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Waupun drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in WI.

First, if your family car check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Waupun highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Waupun service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your family car engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Waupun.

In order to make these adjustments, the family car computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The family car computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your family car looked at at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.. Your personable service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC., we also offer tires and alignment.

Give us a call

Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.
920.324.3465
501 East Main Street
Waupun, WI 53963

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun WI (53963) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 920.324.3465. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 25, 2012

Cooling System Service At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.

Filed under: Cooling System — petesauto970 @ 4:24 pm

Cooling System Service At Pete's Auto Repair & Sales INC.

Your family car cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the family car engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in Waupun.

Without coolant, the family car’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Waupun, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the WI cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your Waupun owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other Waupun cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your personable Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your family car cooling system.

Ask us about timing belt replacement, alignment and alignment.

Give us a call

Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.
920.324.3465
501 East Main Street
Waupun, WI 53963

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun WI (53963) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 920.324.3465. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 19, 2012

Battery Replacement In Waupun

Filed under: Battery — petesauto970 @ 9:14 pm

Battery Replacement In Waupun

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Waupun family car owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold family car engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Waupun, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the family car engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Waupun, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Waupun, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Waupun shows up with the increased demands on the family car battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the family car security system, the remote start system, even the power the family car computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Waupun. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the family car engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your personable Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Waupun motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. so you know what you’re getting. At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC., we have been providing quality auto service in Waupun for 30 years.

Give us a call

Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC.
501 East Main Street
Waupun, WI 53963

At Pete’s Auto Repair & Sales INC. in Waupun WI (53963) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 920.324.3465. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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