Ricks Auto High Quality Automotive Services Competitive Pricing Dallas

 For over fifteen years Ricks Auto has continued to provide high quality automotive services. Competitive pricing, superior customer service, and, staying current with the change in technology sets us apart in the industry.   

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Tire Rotation

Description: Tire rotation refers to the regular practice of switching the position of each tire on the car.

Purpose: Tire rotation helps to equalize tread wear and is critical to gain the maximum life from your tire investment.

Maintenance Tips/Suggestions:

Refer to your owner’s manual for the recommended rotation interval and pattern; generally a rotation interval of 6,000 miles is recommended. The rotation pattern varies with different makes and models, which shows the tire locations during rotation. Some vehicles have different size tires on the front and back or directional tires. This limits the locations that a tire may take on the vehicle. When in doubt, check the owner’s manual or consult a professional technician for guidance. Tire rotation time also offers a good opportunity to have the tires and wheels balanced. It’s another step you can take to maximize your tire investment.

Wheel Balance

Description: Wheel balance refers to the proper distribution of weight around a revolving tire and wheel assembly. Poor wheel balance can have a marked impact on both your car and your safety.

Purpose: Proper wheel balance ensures that the wheels, while spinning, do not have a heavy spot that can cause vibration and premature wear of tires, struts, shocks and other steering and suspension components. When combined with proper wheel alignment, balanced wheels ensure smooth and enjoyable driving.

Maintenance Tips/Suggestions: The most common signs of unbalanced tires are vibration and noise problems. When driving with an out-of-balance wheel, the wheel literally bounces down the road rather than spinning smoothly. This can affect the speed, handling and mileage of your car. Many of today’s cars have lightweight suspension systems and are therefore, more sensitive to imbalance than older cars. It’s a good idea to have your car’s wheels balanced when rotating the tires, about every 6,000 miles. It’s not uncommon for wheels to lose a wheel weight from time to time; so periodic balancing minimizes the impact of unbalanced wheels on your car.

Oil, Lube, Filter

Oil change

Check the owner’s manual to see if your driving habits are considered to be “severe service.” This type of driving requires more frequent oil changes, warns the Car Care Council. Have the oil changed accordingly, usually every 3-5,000 miles. For less wear and tear on the engine, drivers in cold climes (sub-zero driving temperatures) should drop their oil weight from 10-W30 to 5-W30. Your mom and dad would probably suggest simply moving to someplace warmer.
Description: The typical oil filter consists of a high-strength steel housing containing various types of filtering media. An anti-drainback valve prevents oil from running out of the filter when the engine is off. Today’s oil filters have a convenient spin-on design that makes removal and installation easy. 

Purpose: The oil filter sifts out contaminants, allowing the oil to flow through the engine unrestricted. Should the oil filter become restricted or clogged with contaminants, they will flow around the filter. This bypassing is a safety mechanism, but you never want to let oil and filter changes go so long that bypassing takes place.

Maintenance Tips/Suggestions: For best results, consult your owner’s manual, but consider that your driving probably constitutes a severe maintenance schedule. Usually, this means oil and filter changes every 3,000 miles or 3 months. If you change the filter yourself, dispose of it properly. Take used filters to a facility that accepts them. Used filters can be crushed, removing the used oil and the steel part of the filter can be recycled. The oil from one used, seemingly innocent filter leaking into a landfill can taint 62,000 gallons of ground water.

Transmission Maintenance

Vehicles with automatic transmissions require transmission fluid. It protects the transmission from running too hot, especially during strenuous conditions such as towing or steep hills. If you will be putting more driving stress than normal on your vehicle, it's important to have your car inspected and serviced to prevent the transmission from overheating. However, completely flushing and replenishing your transmission fluid requires a specially-designed machine.

Tire Repair

One of the leading causes of tire failure and casing rejection during the retread process is a faulty repair. This area is most often overlooked when fleets design tire maintenance programs, but as a recent survey from the monthly magazine Tire Business indicates, 46% of tire failures were caused by improper repair procedures. Of course this means higher tire costs.
When a radial tire has been damaged to the point where the steel cords are exposed to the elements it is important that the area be repaired as soon as possible so that moisture is not allowed to migrate along the belt package causing further damage.

The most effective method of repair for nail holes (1/4") is the plug and patch repair. The plug stops the migration of moisture and the patch on the inside of the tire supports the plug. For repairs larger than a nail hole (3/8" and larger) the tire should be removed from service.
This method of repair not only reduces the number of tire failures but promotes casing recovery as well.
    

So contact Rick's Auto for High Quality Automotive Services and  Competitive Pricing.