Older cars that have gone through their paces and racked up the miles are bound to get a few dents and scratches. That is the way of life. What really sucks is when you get your brand new vehicle from your Acura, Kia, or Hyundai dealer, park it at the local grocery store and it gets scratched from a negligent shopper who bangs their shopping cart against your vehicle. You’ve owned it less than an hour and already the paint is scratched!
Before you have a meltdown try to remember that you can get the scratched fixed and have your vehicle looking as good as new again. Also, you may not have to pay a lot of money to remove the scratch.
Determine If It Really Is A Scratch
Scratches can be tricky. Sometimes what may look like a scratch, is actually paint transfered from another object. This is caused when the other object marks the paint surface by leaving behind paint or other materials.
If this is the case, then the mark is simply sitting on top of your car’s paint. You can use adhesive remover or acetone thinner to remove the mark. Then buff and wax the area.
Determine The Extent Of The Scratch
The extent of damage the scratch caused to the surface of your car will determine what methods to use to fix it. Your car has several different layers to the surface: a clearcoat, the actual paint, the primer, and the metal surface. The lighter the scratch, the easier it is to fix.
If you made someone mad and they went berzerk with their keys on your car, scratching a large amount of your car and deep into the surface, take your vehicle to one of the new car dealerships in Cincinnati to have the scratch fixed professionally. If it’s small, you can try to tackle it yourself.
Fixing Scratches
Wash and dry the area of the scratch. Use a fingernail to feel how deep the scratch goes. If it barely penetrates the clearcoat, you can place a glaze or polish to the surface for a quick fix. Anything deeper will require wet sanding of the area.
Use an ultra-fine sandpaper from 1,500- grit up to 3,000-grit. Sand the scratch only until reaching the appropriate depth where the scratch didn’t penetrate. If the scratch reached the paint and primer, you will have to apply primer, allow the primer to dry, then repaint the scratch and add the clearcoat. You have to let each layer application dry fully before adding the next layer.
Once the clearcoat dries, sand the surface so the new paint blends in with the car’s paint finish. Wash your vehicle, buff dry and wax your car.
If you run in to any problems with a scratch bring your car into one of our Cincinnati car service shops and let our experts do the work for you.
If you’ve been wanting a new car but you never bother to make the trip to the new car dealerships in Cincinnati, chances are that you’re telling yourself that you can’t afford a new ride. That may be the case, but it can also be the case that you can’t afford to keep driving that junky old thing you’re currently pushing. Here are a few ways to tell when your old car is costing you more than your new one would:
You Miss Work on a Regular Basis
Let’s say you miss three days of work every month because of your junky old car. Already, you’re probably losing enough money to cover the new car payments. When your old car is cutting into your income, you know it’s time to swap it in.
You Lose a Tire a Week
Either due to damaged wheels or a bad axle, it’s not uncommon to see your tires popping way more frequently than they should. If you’ve been forced to swap your tires for used ones every five hundred miles, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the risk.
You’re Spending More on Repairs Than You Do on Rent
Here’s the big one: a busted old car that’s costing you thousands a year in repairs simply isn’t actually saving you money in the long run, it’s costing you more than a new car would.
A good pre-owned car can be just as good as a new car for many drivers, but sooner or later you have to acknowledge that your old jalopy just isn’t cutting it anymore. Junky old cars can be expensive to keep running, they cause more headaches than they’re worth, and worst of all, they’re not even safe. A car that can catch fire or lose a tire at the drop of a hat just isn’t worth the stress. If you’ve been thinking of getting a new car, stop thinking about it and start looking at your options. We would be happy to help you find the perfect car for you at any of our Cincinnati car dealerships.
At some point you are probably going to have to learn how to jump your car. Winter tends to sap a lot of life out of your charge and there’s no doubt that you are going to need a jump at some point. This is probably the most basic maintenance you can do to your car other than pumping up the tires to the proper PSI.
If you’ve never jumped you car before, this is your lesson. If you have, and most of you have, consider this a refresher course. Keep in mind that your battery still holds a charge and deliver a pretty serious shock if you aren’t careful. Personally, electricity scares me a little. I don’t even like testing 9 volt batteries with my tongue. If you need a jump, here are some very important guidelines to follow I’ve collected over my years in the industry and fom articles I’ve read previously.
Here are some rules to obey when jump starting a car:
• Always avoid having any flammable material that can produce sparks around a live battery. Furthermore, no live electric or flammable material should be kept around jumper cables that are in use.
• Remember to never hook a car battery in a position that could be considered a series circuit. If this is done, there is a high possibility your car’s entire electrical system could catch fire, also ruining the starter.
• When jump starting the car, make sure the batteries that are connecting have the same voltage. While most vehicles today use a 12 volt battery, some older models use batteries that have different properties.
• Always ensure that the batteries that are being connected to each other have the same polarity, in that they both have the negative terminal grounded.
• Keep the vehicles a reasonable distance from each other, do not let them touch.
• Make sure vent cap holes are not covered or obstructed by any material.
• Do not smoke while you are jump starting a car and keep lit cigarettes away from the batteries.
• If you are trying to jump start a car in cold weather first make sure that the battery electrolyte is not covered in ice or frost. This is highly likely if your car’s battery has been discharging liquid in cold weather.
• Make sure the electrolyte fluid stays away from your skin. Contact medical care if this fluid makes skin contact.
It is important that you work to make sure you and other parties stay safe when jump starting a car. Always use your hazard lights and make sure you are pulled into a secure location or parking lot. If at all possible, avoid jump starting a car on the side of a busy road or highway in inclement or bad weather. Not only do you increase your chances of doing something wrong because you have to maneuver a car to reach a stalled vehicle, but it is dangerous to be so close to traffic.
Having a bad fuel pump will obviously be a catastrophic failure for your car. Your car simply will not run without your fuel pump delivering fuel to your engine. OK, now that we pointed out the obvious, the question is, “Why is you car not starting?” It could be a number of things that has nothing to do with your fuel pump, but for this blog, let’s assume that you’ve ruled out all other issues like your battery or a bad starter. Let’s say you are convinced that it is your fuel pump, but how can you be sure?
First, we’ve established that your car has a “no-start” condition” that is to say, your engine might be cycling, but not catching. The steps for diagnosing a fuel pump failure are fairly simple.
1. When you turn your car’s ignition, you should hear a buzz as your battery delivers power to your fuel pump. When you turn the key and you don’t hear the buzz of the fuel pump running, you’ll want to check the second source of issue which is the fuse.
2. Find the fuse box and pull the fuse or your fuel pump. Your owner’s manual should have a fuse diagram. Pull the fuse and examine it. It shouldn’t look burned out. If your fuse looks good, you want to move to the fuel pump relay and check that. It’s also located in the fuse box area.
3. The relay will make a click if it is operational when you turn the key over. You can also feel the click. IF you hear or feel the click, then your relay is okay.
4. Your last step is to check the pressure being emitted by the fuel pump. If you have mechanical knowledge of the inner workings of your engine you can check the pressure of your fuel pump your self with a gauge. At this point, you may want to have it brought into your Cincinnati car mechanics. Chances are if everything looks okay then your culprit is going to be a lack of pressure being emitted to your fuel pump.
Check out the video below for some more explanation.
If you’ve found that you have a bad fuel pump, it might be more difficult to replace than you are capable of. Many times the gas tank itself has to be removed to access your pump. This is something that we don’t recommend you do yourself. Your best bet is to bring it into any Superior Automotive location and let our Certified mechanics take a close look at it.
Which kind of car wax is the best? The purpose of waxing your car is to give it a layer of protection from the sun and rain to keep your paint and clear coat strong. Choosing the right kind of wax sounds easier than it is. With new high performance waxes, liquids, pastes, and everything else on the market, it may make you second guess what you need for your car. So which one is the best?
Well, the first thing you should know is that a higher price does not always mean higher quality or protection. Consumer Reports just tested a batch of waxes and wax agents for cars and they found out that the lower priced waxes perform just as well as the ones that are described as maximum performance. If you are unsure about what kind of wax will best protect your car, you may be looking for a higher price and think that it is a higher quality, but just remember that is not always the case.
With new liquid waxes on the market, the ease of use makes people think that it is not doing as good of a job protecting your car. Well here’s some more good news. In the tests, the liquid waxes had a negligible difference between the pastes that take more work to apply and use. In fact, if you are an owner of a car with a darker paint job, you may do more damage with paste based waxes because it may cause micro scratches in your paint while application. So what it all comes down to is ease of application and a better price. Both of these things well not make much of a difference in the amount of protection they provide.
Waxing your car before the long fall and winter months will really help keep your car looking good all year long. If you are looking for a new car that already looks great, then come into Superior Cars.
When vehicles aren’t properly prepared for winter driving, not only do you risk having to make additional repairs to your Hyundai, Honda, Acura or Kia, but without proper winterization the danger factor actually increases. Winterizing your car isn’t a very difficult thing to do, but make no mistake, our cold Ohio winters can wreak havoc on our vehicles.
There are a number of things that you’ll need to address when you winterize your car: wiper blades, belts, hoses, anti-freeze oil, tires. All of these things you can check yourself, but you may be better off bringing it to your Cincinnati car dealers at the Superior Automotive Group for a thorough and professional review of your winterization needs.
The video below offers some great tips when it comes to winterizing your car.
Our recommendation is to winterize your car now, before the colder winter weather hits. The last thing you are going to want is to be stranded because you neglected to have your belts checked. Trust us, being stuck out in the snow is not only uncomfortable, but it is also extremely dangerous.
We suggest that you bring your car, truck or SUV to any Superior Automotive Location for an evaluation and subsequent winterization of your vehicle. Being prepared now will end up saving you money this winter if you do encounter a temperature related problem. Obviously, it’s easier to fix the problem before it happens than spend additional money on a tow and any other damage you may have incurred as a result of NOT taking the opportunity to winterize your car.
Cincinnati, how much do you know about your car’s engine? For being such an important part of our lives, I’m surprised at how many people really don’t know much about how their car’s engine operates. Why should you know the finer point about how your engine functions? One main reason is if you encounter a maintenance issue you are going to have to be able to offer your Cincinnati car mechanic as much information as possible.
This is a great video that is really easy to understand and covers everything you’ll need to know about possibly diagnosing any issues you may encounter. Now the video is about 30 minutes, but the information is extremely valuable and could really help out your mechanic.
The engine in your car is a complex piece of machinery that isn’t always the easiest thing to understand, but hopefully watching the video above shed a little light on some of the basic function and operation. If you have any questions about the engine in your Kia, Honda, Acura, or Hyundai, don’t hesitate to call your Cincinnati car dealers at the Superior Automotive group.
A dirty air filter can affect the fuel economy and overall vehicle performance of your Cincinnati car. Both diesel and gasoline powered engines are designed to maintain a specific air-fuel ratio. A restricted air filter can affect the way the engine maintains the correct air-fuel mixture. If the air filter is restricted, the fuel mileage and overall vehicle drive-ability can deteriorate rapidly.
Removing and replacing your air filter is actually rather easy and you should be able to do it on your own. Simply remove the air filter element from the air filter housing. Clean the air filter housing and inspect the fresh air duct hose for any damage, dirt or obstructions. Inspect the warm air intake hose for signs of deterioration. Then just install a new filter element and reinstall the air filter housing access panel.
So, what’s the advantage of replacing your air filter? Besides the obvious better performance, replacing your air filter element is a quick and effective way to keep your engine running at its peak performance. A clean air filter helps your engine work more efficiently by letting the airflow get to the engine with no restrictions. Further, a clean air filter can also prolong the life of your engine.
If you think it’s time for you replace your engine air filter, then you are probably already way over due. If you’d like expert mechanics to help you do this, just bring your Cincinnati car to any Superior Automotive location and we’ll be able to do it for you for a very reasonable charge. While you here, you should probably consider getting your oi changed as well…just a suggestion.
If you are bringing your new car in for service at any Cincinnati Auto Repair shop, it’s okay to ask questions. A lot of time we get people who are needing repairs and when we explain what problems they are encountering, like what needs to be done to their vehicle, or what part is failing and why, they simply nod their head. Even when we ask if they understand what we are talking about, they respond with a semi-confident “yes”.
I’m not really sure why people feel they can’t ask detailed questions about their repair, or the costs involved in that repair. It is certainly intimidating when you are talking about the inner workings of your vehicle’s engine, suspension system or other complicated part, but this is the perfect time to both bolster your knowledge about your vehicle and put your service department to the test.
Remember, the only stupid question for your Cincinnati car dealers is the one you don’t ask. It’s very important that we communicate with our customers and that they, in turn, communicate with us back. Ask your questions. “I don’t really know what you are talking about” is a phrase we LOVE to here! Hey, we are car people, it’s our lives and we eat, drink and sleep automotive repair. We’re here to help you understand your car better, so we can provide you better service in the future.
What happens when you don’t change your oil, Cincinnati? Well, it’s not pretty. In fact it’s quite messy and terribly difficult to get clean. Why is that? Well, over time the heat of your engine changes the viscosity of your oil, thereby making it thick and gooey. In fact, if you let it go too long, as you’ll see in the videos below, the oil in your engine can nearly solidify. If this happens you are looking at an extremely expensive cleaning job, or even having to replace the engine entirely.
Check out how horrible this engine looks… and the car is just 3 years old!
This is part two of the video, just to show you how much work is involved in cleaning an engine that is full of coagulated oil gunk. This person could have avoided all of the trouble had they just followed the simple 3 to 5 thousand mile rule. It’s no secret, we all know that changing your oil every 3 to 5 thousand miles will significantly increase the life of your engine and over all performance of your car.
This really is a no-brainer if you own a new or used Cincinnati car. Your engine generates a tremendous amount of heat and friction. Without fresh oil in your reservoir, you are setting yourself up for disaster and will be bringing it in for repair sooner than you should. That’s even if it’s repairable. The chances of having to replace you engine totally is very high if you neglect changing the oil in your new or used car.
Haven’t changed your oil in a while? Do it this weekend! bring it by any Superior Automotive location and we’ll get you in and out in a jiffy.
The Superior Automotive Group and Mike Albert Direct have been serving Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky since 1928. We care about you, your cars, your safety, and our community.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask and any suggestions are always welcome at [email protected]
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