May 17, 2012

Wheel Alignment Service At Larsen Auto Care In Santa Rosa

Filed under: Alignment — larsenaut177 @ 4:51 pm

Wheel Alignment Service At Larsen Auto Care In Santa Rosa

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

Here are some alignment basics from Larsen Auto Care:
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 minivan was designed by its engineers. Larsen Auto Care alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Larsen Auto Care technician will look at tire condition. From there, the minivan 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 minivan alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your minivan, get it checked at Larsen Auto Care before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 9, 2012

Why Is My Check Engine Light On? Larsen Auto Care Has Answers

Filed under: Check Engine Light — larsenaut177 @ 9:51 pm

Why Is My Check Engine Light On Larsen Auto Care Has Answers

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

First, if your minivan 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 Santa Rosa highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa.

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 Santa Rosa service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Larsen Auto Care on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your minivan 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 Santa Rosa.

In order to make these adjustments, the minivan 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 minivan 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 minivan looked at at Larsen Auto Care. Your helpful 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 Larsen Auto Care technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Larsen Auto Care, we also offer brake service and suspension service.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 4, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Larsen Auto Care In Santa Rosa

Filed under: Tires — larsenaut177 @ 4:50 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Larsen Auto Care In Santa Rosa

A lot of people in the Cotati area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa can ensure you get the right fit for your minivan. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. 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. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your minivan, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Santa Rosa people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Santa Rosa people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s 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 minivan 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 sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your minivan vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Larsen Auto Care, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Santa Rosa. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Santa Rosa tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your helpful Larsen Auto Care tire specialist see your minivan in person so mistakes are not made.

At Larsen Auto Care, we also offer brake service and suspension service.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 24, 2012

Battery Replacement In Santa Rosa

Filed under: Battery — larsenaut177 @ 5:10 pm

Battery Replacement In Santa Rosa

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Santa Rosa minivan 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 minivan engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Santa Rosa, 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 minivan 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 Santa Rosa, 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 Larsen Auto Care 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 Santa Rosa, 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 Santa Rosa shows up with the increased demands on the minivan 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 minivan security system, the remote start system, even the power the minivan computers require to maintain their memory.

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

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your helpful Larsen Auto Care 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 Santa Rosa motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Larsen Auto Care so you know what you’re getting. At Larsen Auto Care, we have been providing quality auto service in Santa Rosa for 12 years.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 19, 2012

Cooling System Service At Larsen Auto Care

Filed under: Cooling System — larsenaut177 @ 8:34 pm

Cooling System Service At Larsen Auto Care

Your minivan 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 minivan 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 Santa Rosa.

Without coolant, the minivan’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 Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Santa Rosa, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the CA 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 Santa Rosa owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa.

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 Santa Rosa 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 Larsen Auto Care: 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 helpful Larsen Auto Care service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your minivan cooling system.

Ask us about alignment, suspension service and air conditioning service.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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