May 15, 2012

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Jimmy’s Automotive Center

Filed under: Tires — jimmysaut469 @ 9:27 pm

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Jimmy's Automotive Center

A lot of Leicester 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 Jimmy’s Automotive Center can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs in Leicester and what you want in your new wheels.

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center, we advise Leicester 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 truck, you need to focus on the wheels that fit. With trucks, some Leicester people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Leicester 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 truck’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 truck’s engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. For information on reprogramming the engine computer, call us at 828.658.3030.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Leicester. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Jimmy’s Automotive Center tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs.

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center in Asheville NC (28804) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 828.658.3030. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 8, 2012

Serpentine Belt Replacement At Jimmy’s Automotive Center

Filed under: Serpentine Belt — jimmysaut469 @ 5:55 pm

Today’s Jimmy’s Automotive Center article focuses on 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. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. Serpentine Belt Replacement At Jimmy's Automotive CenterIn some trucks, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Jimmy’s Automotive Center service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Asheville drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your truck. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Jimmy’s Automotive Center – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center in Asheville NC (28804) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 828.658.3030. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 1, 2012

Why Is My Check Engine Light On? Jimmy’s Automotive Center Has Answers

Filed under: Check Engine Light — jimmysaut469 @ 8:10 pm

Why Is My Check Engine Light On Jimmy's Automotive Center Has Answers

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

First, if your truck 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 Asheville highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Jimmy’s Automotive Center in Asheville.

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 Asheville service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Jimmy’s Automotive Center on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your truck 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 Asheville.

In order to make these adjustments, the truck 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 truck 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 truck looked at at Jimmy’s Automotive Center. Your cheerful 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 Jimmy’s Automotive Center technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center, we also offer air conditioning service and battery service.

Give us a call

Jimmy’s Automotive Center
828.658.3030
277 Weaverville Hwy
Asheville, NC 28804

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center in Asheville NC (28804) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 828.658.3030. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 25, 2012

Wheel Alignment Service At Jimmy’s Automotive Center In Asheville

Filed under: Alignment — jimmysaut469 @ 6:42 pm

Wheel Alignment Service At Jimmy's Automotive Center In Asheville

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Asheville or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday NC driving can cause your truck wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.

Here are some alignment basics from Jimmy’s Automotive Center:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your truck was designed by its engineers. Jimmy’s Automotive Center alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Jimmy’s Automotive Center technician will look at tire condition. From there, the truck is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.

Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your truck alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your truck, get it checked at Jimmy’s Automotive Center before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Jimmy’s Automotive Center
828.658.3030
277 Weaverville Hwy
Asheville, NC 28804

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center in Asheville NC (28804) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 828.658.3030. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 20, 2012

Viva la Differential At Jimmy’s Automotive Center

Filed under: Differential Service — jimmysaut469 @ 9:09 pm

Viva la Differential At Jimmy's Automotive Center

With front-wheel drive being so common in Asheville these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Asheville folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive truck 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 NC 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 truck 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 Jimmy’s Automotive Center technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Jimmy’s Automotive Center 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.

Asheville four wheel drive trucks 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 Jimmy’s Automotive Center at different intervals.

Your Asheville service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your truck owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Jimmy’s Automotive Center
828.658.3030
277 Weaverville Hwy
Asheville, NC 28804

At Jimmy’s Automotive Center in Asheville NC (28804) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 828.658.3030. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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