Archive for January 2021Steve & Stacy's Servicenter Advice on Buying New TiresPosted January 31, 2021 9:14 AMToday's tires and wheels offer a lot of options for every Charleston driver's style, habits and driving conditions. Steve & Stacy's Servicenter Your Well Trained Technician at Steve & Stacy's ServicenterPosted January 24, 2021 12:33 PMWhen your vehicle has a problem or just needs some routine service, you might get a little nervous. Your vehicle's so important to your life in Charleston, you need to get back on the road as soon as possible – with the problem fixed right the first time. Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up – even with steep Charleston gas prices. They are also amazingly reliable: Kudos to the automotive engineers. But the advances come at the price of simplicity. The modern vehicles driven around WV are so much more complex from a mechanical standpoint that it makes your head spin – not to mention the electronics. Some vehicles have several networked computers controlling most of the engine functions and many other vehicle operations as well. Charleston motorists take all of this sophistication for granted, but somebody has to fix it when it breaks. It's a real challenge for Steve & Stacy's Servicenter in Charleston technicians to keep up, but we work hard to stay ahead of the technology. It requires a high level of commitment on the part of the technicians and the Charleston service centers as well. In addition to the expensive training, there's the financial commitment for Steve & Stacy's Servicenter to purchase the diagnostic and repair tools. It's like those medical diagnosis shows on TV. Here are the symptoms – what's the diagnosis and treatment? Diagnosis is every bit as much an art as a science. At Steve & Stacy's Servicenter, we want everything to be simple, straightforward and inexpensive – but sometimes it just isn't. The next time you bring us your vehicle, don't worry. You're in good hands at Steve & Stacy's Servicenter. Steve & Stacy's Servicenter A Non-Starter (Alternator Problems in Cold Weather)Posted January 17, 2021 8:43 AMAs the temperatures dip, we all know there could be problems starting our vehicles. After all, batteries can grow old and not hold a charge as well as when they were newer. Or starters can go bad. But there's one more component to keep an especially sharp eye on during winter: your alternator. The alternator is sort of like a small generator. It sends power out to various parts in your vehicle that need electricity. That includes the battery, which needs charging to keep its power topped off. The alternator creates electricity by taking mechanical energy from the engine and turning it into electricity. It is connected to the engine by belts and pulleys. In cold weather, the material the belt is made from is less flexible than it is in warm weather. That means it may not be turning the pulleys as effectively since it doesn't have the same grip. Also, when it's colder, lubricants, including the engine oil, are a little stiffer and parts just don't move like they do when the weather's warmer. With that extra strain, sometimes it takes the alternator longer to recharge the battery. That, in turn, may leave the battery a little less power to start the engine when it's cold. You may have a warning light on your instrument panel that looks like a battery. If it lights up or if you notice your headlights flickering or not shining quite as brightly as they usually do, it could mean a weak alternator. But it also could be an aging battery, corroded battery terminals, a loose belt or another charging system part. Yes, it's complicated. Pinpointing the cause involves testing the battery and charging system with diagnostic equipment. If it does turn out to be an alternator, there are options besides replacing it with a brand new, original equipment part. Ask your service advisor for recommendations. Obviously, you want your vehicle to start reliably, especially in cold weather. Take care of your charging system and it will take care of you. Steve & Stacy's Servicenter When "Oh, no!" Turns Into, "All right!"Posted January 10, 2021 11:10 AMThings we don't expect happen to our vehicles. And let's face, no one really wants to spend money on an unexpected repair. But if you are putting off going to your vehicle repair facility because you're dreading bad news, you might just be putting off some good news. There was one minivan driver who'd had the same van for years and never had a problem with the power sliding doors. Then one day, the electrical switches in the door pillars stopped working. The key fob would still open them, but the door switches wouldn't do a thing. Of course, the van driver feared the worst: an electrical problem, a major computer failure, mice chewing up the wires. So, he put off going into the repair facility for a couple of months. One day, it was time for his regular oil change and the service advisor asked him if there was anything else going on with the van. The owner mentioned the door problem but said he didn't want to spend a fortune on it. He waited for his van, and it wasn't long before the service advisor came out with good news. The doors weren't working because a switch on the overhead console had been turned off. (It was a safety feature to allow parents to disable them.) The owner had accidentally switched it when he was unloading the van. It was the first thing the technician had checked. Flip the switch back and all was working as usual. Another example? A mother was driving a minivan with her two kids inside on a hot day when she felt the front end shaking violently as she drove down the road. Fearing something major had broken in the van (and fearing for the safety of her kids), she pulled into a fast-food restaurant parking lot and started to look underneath to see if it was anything obvious she could see. She couldn't see any broken parts, but she also didn't feel safe getting back in the van with her kids. So, she called her local service facility and asked if they could send someone to look at it. When the technician arrived, he took it for a test drive on the same road on which she'd described having the trouble. Then he put her van up on the lift. His conclusion? Nothing was wrong with her van. It was the street she was driving on. Crews repairing it had left the surface full of potholes, and that was causing her rough ride. Ultimately, what these two drivers feared would be an expensive trip to the shop resulted in each driver getting different news than they had expected. One learned something new about his vehicle. The other? Well, the technician saw that her tires were badly worn and convinced her to get them replaced, perhaps preventing an accident and giving peace of mind for a mom with two kids. Steve & Stacy's Servicenter
130 Virginia Street W
Charleston, WV 25302
(304) 343-4611
Regular Schedule or Severe Service Schedule at Steve & Stacy's Servicenter?Posted January 3, 2021 11:47 AMToday's Steve & Stacy's Servicenter article focuses on severe service maintenance. Many Charleston drivers are not aware of them and yet there are also very vocal advocates in WV who think that severe service schedules apply to everyone. Somewhere between a complete lack of awareness and the dire blanket statements lies a reasonable approach to severe service maintenance at Steve & Stacy's Servicenter. Here's another example. Most trips around Charleston are less than 10 miles/16 km and outside temperatures are below freezing. This is the same reasoning, but in very cold WV weather it takes even longer for the oil to get hot enough to evaporate the water, hence 10 miles/16 km as opposed to 4 miles/6.4 km. Steve & Stacy's Servicenter A New Battery in CharlestonPosted January 1, 2021 9:09 AMHello Charleston drivers, let's talk about batteries. Car batteries are just like any rechargeable battery. They will eventually wear out and die. If you are shopping for a new battery in Charleston, here's some auto advice to help you. Steve & Stacy's Servicenter | ||
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