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Home › Articles › Your Automobile › Kyle's Corner

Kyle's Corner

Tips to Make Your Vehicle Go the Distance

By Kyle Busch

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Service stations usually run specials on oil changes (i.e., $10.99 to $13.99). However, make certain that the station is reputable. Some stations have been known to skip changing the oil or to do part of the job by changing the oil but not the oil filter. To help make certain that the oil filter was in fact replaced, use a black marker to put an X on the new oil filter after an oil change. When the next oil change has been completed, the newly installed filter should not include an X.

  • Prior to winter, have a service station attendant check the antifreeze in the clear plastic coolant bottle with a hydrometer (a device that takes a sample of antifreeze and specifies how cold the temperature can become before the antifreeze freezes). The antifreeze should be able to withstand (i.e., not freeze) temperatures of at least 30 degrees "below the coldest" winter temperature.

    If the antifreeze is too weak, have additional antifreeze added to the coolant bottle. Purchase the type of antifreeze as specified in the vehicle owner's manual (i.e., usually a type that is suitable for "aluminum and all types of metals" that are used in today's engines). It's important to avoid frozen antifreeze because it can crack an engine's block, which could result in possibly thousands of dollars for the repair.

  • If you drive about 6,000 miles or less per year, have the engine air filter changed once every two years. If you drive more than 10,000 miles per year, have the engine air filter changed once a year in the spring. Many discount stores regularly have sales on air filters.


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