Hanover Park Auto Repair

Every Hanover Park vehicle owner has to purchase tires at some time or another, so it's a good idea to understand what the choices are. The best seasonal performance is achieved by purchasing tires to match the season you are driving in. Summer tires are designed for hot temperatures. The tread is engineered for good traction on dry or rainy IL roads. But the rubber compound in summer tires gets stiff when temperatures drop below 45°F, and snow and mud can pack into the tread, reducing the traction of the tire. Winter tires are designed for good traction on snowy surfaces. The tread actually throws snow off of the tire as the wheel turns. The rubber compound in a winter tire is soft so that it will remain flexible at Elk Grove Village temperatures below 45°F. At higher temperatures, however, the softer rubber wears down rapidly. All-season tires sacrifice some of the extreme performance of summer or winter tires, but they maintain adequate traction in either type of ... read more

Hanover Park motorists' current vehicles have over a century of engineering behind them. They have evolved into complex and powerful machines. Developments in their engines, however, have coincided with advances in many other vehicle components, including the fluids. It's critical for Hanover Park auto owners to always use the right type of fluid for their pickup. Your service advisor and your owner's manual are resources for auto advice on exactly what types of fluid your vehicle needs. Improper fluids can damage your vehicle and void your warranty. Some of the fluids that have changed significantly in recent years are cooling system fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid and motor oil. Each of these comes in many varieties now, and it's vital to know exactly which one your pickup needs. Cooling systems were once made of iron, steel and rubber. One coolant could be used to protect all of these materials. But new cooling ... read more

Do you ever shop for shoes in one of our Elk Grove Village area shoe stores?When buying a running shoe, is quality important?Does durability matter as long as the shoes look fabulous?Would you rather have one pair of long lasting shoes or two pair of lower quality shoes at the same price? Is the warranty important when buying tires? When you choose new tires in Hanover Park, what's the most important factor for you? You know, buying tires in Hanover Park is a big deal. It's a big ticket item so you know you'll be spending a lot. You're not only concerned about the price, but you want to know that it'll be a long time before you need to buy new tires again. And of course there's the safety aspect as well. The tires do a lot of work – they carry the weight of the vehicle and you and your passengers. They need to be up to the task. You want to be sure they hold the road and provide good traction. If you carry heavy loads or tow a trailer, the tir ... read more

Would you be surprised to learn that about half of the passenger cars in Europe have diesel engines? You might also be surprised to learn that most auto makers produce a variety of diesel-fueled cars for purchase abroad. Diesel-fueled vehicles haven't been as popular in the North American markets like IL. But that won't be true for long. North Americans are seeing a lot more diesel-fueled vehicles on the road. And we're not talking about buses and trucks. These vehicles will be passenger cars, pick-ups and SUV's. There are two reasons for this. The first is a recent change in environmental laws that have upgraded emissions standards for diesel fuel in North America. Diesel fuel in North America used to have higher sulfur content than European fuel, meaning that it was a dirtier fuel to burn. That was okay for larger vehicles, but the lighter-weight engines in passenger vehicles just couldn't tolerate it. But that high sulfur content is now a thing of t ... read more

Most Elk Grove Village folks worry about running out of gas or having a breakdown on the side of the road. That is why we practice preventive maintenance on our vehicles — that and to keep our repair bills down. But one important part of preventive maintenance that may get overlooked by Hanover Park drivers is a periodic alignment inspection. Poor alignment causes tires to wear rapidly, unevenly or both. This means they will have to be replaced early, and new tires are more expensive than an alignment check in Hanover Park. Bad alignment can also cause damage to suspension and steering systems, which can be expensive to repair in Elk Grove Village. Tire wear on misaligned wheels can also lead to blowouts, which are dangerous, can lead to serious accidents, and can seriously damage your pickup. Also, poor alignment itself can be the cause of an accident, since the pickup may not steer properly. One o ... read more

At AutoNetTV we love doughnuts. So let's pretend you have three doughnuts right in front of you for today's discussion about upsizing wheels and tires. Hey, don't eat them now – your going to need them later. Many Hanover Park auto owners want to accessorize their car – you know, make it theirs. One of the easiest ways to get a custom look is to get some new wheels. There are thousands of wheel designs at Elk Grove Village area tire shops to get you the look you want. And for many Palatine motorists, that look includes bigger wheels. It used to be that cars came from the factory with 15 or 16 inch wheels. Now 16, 17 and even 18 inchers are standard. And the factories are offering optional wheel packages up to 20 inches or more. So let's talk about what to consider when you want to upsize your wheels. It's not exactly a DIY project, so you need to know a thing or two before you get started. The most importan ... read more

The hottest IL news story may be different everyday, but there's one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas in Hanover Park. If you feel like most of your paycheck goes into your gas tank, this post is for you. Here are several basic things Hanover Park auto owners can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the Elk Grove Village environment. You can really improve your fuel efficiency by how you drive – but first, here's a review of things you can do for your car that'll save gas no matter how you drive. The first one for Hanover Park motorists is keeping tires properly inflated. That can save two miles per gallon. Driving on low tires is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder. Most Hanover Park service centers will fill up your tires for free, so just ask your Kamphaus AutoCare and Emissiontech. Also, make a habit of checking your tire pressure whenever you fill up. Many Hanover Park ... read more

  Most car owners worry about a breakdown or a tire blowout on a busy IL highway but don't worry too much about failure of their air conditioning system. A breakdown at the side of the road can be a miserable and dangerous affair during Elk Grove Village rush hour, but so can a long ride in a hot pickup. A lot of drivers judge their vehicles' air conditioning systems as “non-essential” and so may neglect them in favor of repairs and maintenance that keeps the pickup running. But preventive maintenance of an air conditioning system is simple and inexpensive, while auto a/c repair can be very costly. Motorists should have the refrigerant in their air conditioning system checked regularly to ensure it is adequate and clean. Air conditioning systems often fail because air and water have contaminated the refrigerant. Air reduces the efficiency of the refrigerant, and wate ... read more

There's a segment of the Palatine population that's not committed to proper vehicle maintenance. Mistaken perceptions have crept into the IL area over time. Many Palatine motorists think the root lies in the fact that modern cars are so reliable. Reliability has improved dramatically in recent years. Quality surveys report fewer problems with new cars than ever before. Back when cars spent more time in the repair shop, Palatine drivers were more mindful of routine service. Now, it's much easier to put it off. Take tune-ups for example. In the days of mechanical ignition systems, an engine needed to be tuned-up every couple of years. The ignition points had to be replaced, spark plugs and coils replaced and the timing adjusted. If your engine was out of tune, you knew it. It ran poorly and got bad fuel economy. Now, the ignition system in your pickup is electronic and controlled by the engine management c ... read more

Sometimes we hear Hanover Park auto owners say, “What's up with all this maintenance stuff? Modern cars just don't break down.” While it is true that today's cars and trucks are extremely reliable, they are also becoming increasingly complicated and use more exotic materials than ever before. All that complexity demands higher tolerances for everything. For example, most Hanover Park auto owners don't realize how high tech automotive fluids have become. Fluids like, engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant and brake fluid. Did you know that a modern engine would not run for more than a few months using motor oil formulas from 30 years ago? Today's automotive fluids contain a much higher percentage of additives to protect your vehicle's components from premature wear and corrosion. Time and miles march on for all of our cars. Please don't think we're using scare tactics to get you to take care of your maintenance – but here are some personal sto ... read more