Here are six car myths.
Car myths
1. Fixing your car at home is the same as taking it to a shop
While fixing your car at home- for example a brake job- is less expensive, you don’t get your car up in the air to take a look at brake lines and brake hoses, you are most likely not going to do a brake fluid flush you are most likely not going to have a tester to measure if the brake fluid is bad. You are usually not going to be checking for other things that might be wrong with the vehicle. Thus, this may actually cost more money if these things are overlooked and are necessary for the vehicle to continue to run well.
2. Transmission flushes are bad
If you are going to get rid of your car at or around 100,000 miles then you do not have to change the transmission fluid but if you want to keep the car (as many of us do) for 150,000 miles or more you need a transmission flush to make the vehicle last.
3. Fuel injectors do not need to be cleaned
If you happen to have the good fortune of living somewhere that there is no traffic then this is probably correct, however if you are in stop and go traffic with lots of idling depending on your vehicle it is likely that you will need to clean fuel injectors in order for the vehicle to run correctly
4. You can use any oil in your car
Today’s engines have much closer tolerance and for some vehicles if you use the wrong weight of oil you can have engine performance problems.
5. Dealerships can fix your car better than independent shops
Like any business both of these rely on the people who are actually working for them. Auto techs have a wide range of skills and experience and like most professions there are good and bad, honest and dishonest.
6. You have to go to a dealership to perform vehicle maintenance to keep your warranty valid
As long as maintenance is performed on schedule according to your owner’s manual the vehicle can be taken to any shop or even done by the owner if records are kept.
Forget the myths – know the facts.
Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including BMW and Mercedes. Services include oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.