AUTOMOBILE MAINTENANCE FOR THE LAS VEGAS DESERT – Part 7 of 8

The 7th of 8 Part Series from The Collision Center for Car Care in the Las Vegas desert

1. Car exterior paint damaged by the hot sun – Exterior Paint
2. Car battery maintenance in the Las Vegas desert
3. Maintain your vehicle air filter in the Las Vegas desert
4. Maintain your vehicle Oil in the Las Vegas desert
5. Maintain your vehicle Air Conditioning for the Las Vegas desert
6. Maintain your vehicle Coolant for the Las Vegas desert

7. Low tire pressure can lead to tire failure

8. Las Vegas desert rain, check your windshield wipers

Help Your Car Survive the Las Vegas Summer Heat with great The Collision Center car care.

The extreme high temperatures in Las Vegas take a toll on your vehicle, making automobile maintenance a high priority if you want it to last. The Collision Center will take a look at the most important things to check up on to keep you in the driver’s seat during the hot summer.

Vigen Khachikyan, the General Manager of The Collision Center, cites overheating as the most common issue he sees during the summer, with the primary culprit being coolant leaks. However, Khachikyan notes that a general distrust of auto mechanics can prevent people from bringing their vehicle in — turning a minor problem into a major one.

“A lot of times, the misconception is that a lot of shops may actually be trying to sell you something you don’t need,” Khachikyan said. “Some may actually be honest with you, but the bad reputation the auto industry has nowadays is that they’re always trying to sell you something, so a lot of people discredit the person’s advice unless they’ve trusted or used them before.  At The Collision Center we think you the customer, deserves to know what is wrong with your vehicle, how we are going to fix it, and how long it is going to take. We have initiated our Transparent Repair Service^tm or TRS^tm, we encourage our clients to ask questions and they will be answered by our knowledgeable staff. We understand how important it is for you to have answers for all of your questions. We want you to have peace of mind regarding all of your repairs.”

People don’t have the time to become their own mechanic, but Khachikyan recommends that people learn how to check their vehicle’s fluid and tire pressure levels. Being able to identify when the fluids or tire pressures are low allows motorists to find possible leaks on their own.

Khachikyan warns that anyone checking their coolant levels should make sure their radiator is cool beforehand.  “If you open up a radiator when it’s hot, you can get hot fluids spilling out everywhere and you can get very serious burns,” Khachikyan said. “The fluids can get up to 220 degrees. That being said, it’s good to check your own fluids.”

Khachikyan recommends that people consult with someone they know and trust — preferably in the auto industry — to learn how to check a vehicle’s fluid and tire pressures levels. He said The Collision Center is willing to show customers how to check these levels, which fluids go where and how to avoid overfilling.

1. Low tire pressure can lead to tire failure

In the Las Vegas summer heat tire failure can be miserable!  The tires are arguably the most important parts of your vehicle. Most all other parts are metal, while these are rubber and they keep you on the road. In car care it is very important to monitor your tire pressure as the seasons change. it is estimated the PSI (pounds per square inch) of a tire will increase 1 pound for every 10 degree variance. For example, during the summer it’s 110 degrees and you’re running at 40 PSI. When the temperature drops to the 90’s as the season changes, your tires could go down to 38 PSI, losing 2 pounds of pressure.

Two pounds of pressure doesn’t sound like much, but tires lose air naturally through a process called permeation. Changes in the outside temperature can affect the rate at which your tires lose air. On the average, a tire will lose one or two pounds of air per month in cool weather, and more during the hot months.

Did you know that According to a new study from AAA, nearly one-third of new 2017 model year vehicles don’t come equipped with a spare tire?  And even though the number of cars without spares has decreased in the last few years (36 percent of new cars came sans spares in 2015) many drivers still don’t seem to realize it’s a problem — until they get a flat. Case in point: AAA says it received more than 450,000 calls from members in 2016 who had flats and were surprised to discover they didn’t have spares.  That means that taking care of your tires is even more important!

Dan Edmunds, the director of vehicle testing at car-research website Edmunds.com, cautioned mobile motor-home owners to check their tire pressure every couple of weeks, because the fluctuating temperatures between winter and summer can age tires more quickly than usual.

The heat still affects regular car tires, but Edmunds doesn’t believe the heat-related aging catches up to the normal natural wear from regular driving.  “It’s really common for those tires to start to crack along the sidewall and basically get to the point where they need to be replaced, even though they might have a lot of tread left on them,” Edmunds said.

Taking proper care of your tires can prolong tread life by as much as 50 percent! Just by taking just a few minutes a week to check the inflation levels and check for unusual wear patterns will add thousands of miles to the tread life and help increase fuel economy.

Come into The Collision Center and mention this blog for a very special free car care offer, checking your tires, and if needed, an unbeatable price replacing your Tires!  

Just In Case

Carry “just in case” items, especially if driving long distance through the desert. It’s a good idea to carry extra drinking water, basic tools, a blanket, sunscreen, a first aid kit, car coolant and extra oil. It is a helpless feeling breaking down on the side of the road, but that feeling is magnified when you’re broken down in the middle of the desert. I wouldn’t count on the kindness of strangers in Las Vegas.

Not Mechanically Inclined?

If all of this car care seems like gibberish to you, come into The Collision Center and our professionals will give you our great car care service!

Proper maintenance will help your vehicle last in the brutally hot Las Vegas desert sun.