Santa Claus at Carolina Tire &Auto

Looking for Santa Claus at your local car dealership? Maybe your local auto service center? Better keep looking. That is unless you go to Carolina Tire & Auto.

From now through Christmas, come see Santa Claus singing and dancing away to your favorite Christmas carols at Carolina Tire & Auto. While you're there, get a fresh, hot cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee and a hot bag of popcorn. All free, courtesy of Charlotte's #1 auto center, Carolina Tire & Auto.

If you're in the need for a set of good quality Continental tires or any set of tires, Santa is giving away $50 bucks back for you to use on your next return to Carolina Tire & Auto for any auto repair work or service labor.

Thanks as always for your support,

The Seidel family

http://www.mercedescharlottenc.com

http://www.ballantyneautorepair.com

http://www.charlotteautorepair.info

$50 Bucks Back on a Set of Tires

Who couldn't use an extra $50.00 bucks to use on their car for maintenance or auto repairs in Charlotte, NC? Everyone knows that Carolina Tire & Auto is the best place in Charlotte for tires and service, but did you also know that Carolina Tire & Auto also is fast becoming the premiere place in town for auto repair? To prove it to you, they're going to give you $50.00 bucks to try them out. Buy any 4 tires from now until 12/31/2010 and you'll get a $50.00 certificate to use on any auto repair service or labor on your next visit. Need brakes? Timing belt, water pump, heating issues, or need a new radiator? Get your service quote from Carolina Tire & Auto and then bring in your $50.00 certificate. Sorry but cannot combine with other coupons or deals.

Head Gaskets

The head gasket is situated between the flat surfaces of the cylinder head and the engine block. The head gasket can consist of a composite material, a multi-layer metal "sandwich" design, or a one-piece, copper-like material.

The head gasket is critical—it must contain intense combustion pressure and temperature, extremely hot engine coolant, and equally hot engine oil under pressure. The head gasket must prevent both internal and external leakage. The clamping force applied to the head gasket is extreme by design—the cylinder head and engine block must be flat and true. In addition, the cylinder head bolts must be correctly installed or "torqued" as specified. An "inline" engine design requires one head gasket. "V" and flat engine designs require two head gaskets.

Coolant and your Cooling System

Coolant is a fluid which runs through the engine for the purposes of maintaining the correct operating temperature of many components, including the engine, transmission, and in some vehicles, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems and fuel systems. Coolant is also used to create heated air from your climate control system. Coolant is a mixture of water, an agent that prevents freezing (ethylene glycol or propylene glycol), and a small amount of corrosion inhibitor.

Manufacturer-specified and proprietary coolant types are becoming common. Make sure to use the coolant the manufacturer recommends; the wrong coolant can damage your vehicle. Some manufacturers suggest coolant should last the vehicle’s first 100,000 miles, however checking the “specific gravity” of the coolant during regular maintenance visits is a method of verifying coolant strength for prevention of freezing. Other tests can be done to verify the strength of corrosion resistance, which, when low, can be damaging to the cooling system components.

Spark Plug Replacement

Replacing the spark plugs is part of the regular maintenance schedule for any gasoline-powered vehicle. There are one or more spark plugs per cylinder. Replacing them can be labor intensive on some late model vehicles.

How to Replace the Spark Plugs

1. Allow the engine to cool off and remove any plastic engine cover(s)
2. On a transverse mounted V6 engine, you may have to remove the upper intake manifold
3. Remove each ignition wire or individual ignition coil to gain access to each spark plug
4. Using a spark plug socket, loosen each spark plug by rotating it counterclockwise
5. When the spark plug is completely free of its threads, lift it out of its spark plug hole
6. Treat the threads on the new factory specified spark plug with anti-seize thread compound
7. Using the spark plug socket, carefully insert each spark plug into each hole
   
8. Carefully install each spark plug by hand until they are tight
9. Torque each spark plug to the manufacturer's specifications
10. Reinstall each wire and/or coil and re-assemble the engine
11. Start the vehicle and let it idle to verify that the new spark plugs are working correctly

About this Repair: Spark Plug Replacement

Best Practices

• To prevent ignition misfires and Check Engine Light problems, we recommend using only high-quality spark plugs, and preferably spark plugs from the OEM.

• Spark plugs have different ratings and it's important that the correct type are used.

• Spark plug terminals wear down over time and can lead to engine misfires. At minimum, they need to be replaced at the mileage specified by the vehicle manufacturer.

Common Symptoms

• Failing spark plugs can cause the engine to run rough and misfire, which can trigger the Check Engine Light. Continuing to drive under these conditions can damage the catalytic converter.