Top 3 Tips to Ensure Your Vehicle is Ready For Winter

As the Friday night lights burn bright in high school football stadiums all over this country temperatures begin to cool off. With cooler temperatures comes the need to winterize your vehicle. Express Oil Change & Service Center wants to help you be ready to stand up to Jack Frost. Here are 3 very important things to consider when getting ready for the cold.

1. Have your radiator flushed and your antifreeze at the proper mixture.
2. Inspect your battery.
3. Inspect your tires and air pressures.

On most vehicles it is recommended to have your antifreeze flushed out about every 30,000 miles (refer to your owner's manual under severe service). Keeping the antifreeze flushed will help keep the system clean and functioning properly by reducing deposit build-up, calcium deposits, and damage to the system from electrolysis (the escape of electrical charge through an engines coolant system). This will help protect your radiator, heater core, water pump and coolant passages inside of the engine itself.

Have a certified automotive technician inspect your batteries water level (if serviceable) and run a diagnostic check on the batteries ability to hold a charge. Cold temperatures can create major issues with a weak battery and we don't want you stranded in a cold parking garage!

Lastly, inspect the condition of your tires as well as the air pressure. it is very important that you have maximum traction when operating your vehicle on wintry roads. Air pressures may need to be adjusted during cold temperatures to keep them at the proper level.

At Express oil Change & Service Center we care about our customers and we want to help you protect your investment and more importantly your family! Stop in to any Express Oil Change location to have your vehicle inspected today. Old Man Winter is just around the corner, so don't delay, we're here to serve you!

Brake Fluid...It's worth stopping for!

Part of your braking system that is very vital but often times is the most neglected is the brake fluid itself. Did you know that most vehicle manufacturers recommend that you have your brake fluid flushed as often as every 30,000 miles? This is one of the fluids that is often overlooked when we think about fluid maintenance.Did you know that the average person who drives 15,000 miles a year will apply their brakes over 75,000 times a year! So let's look at why brake fluid should be flushed. There are several reasons to service your brake fluid, one, brake fluid is Hygroscopic, which means it attracts and absorbs water.
When your brake fluid gets water in it this lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid which can result in a soft brake pedal, extended braking distance and even brake loss! Think about this, after just three years of service the average boiling point of brake fluid has dropped to a potentially dangerous level because of moisture contamination! Not only from a safety stand point but also the integrity of the brake system parts are affected by moisture. Water also promotes corrosion and pitting in caliper pistons and bores, wheel cylinders, master cylinders and brake lines. So the next time you have your vehicle in Express Oil Change & Service Center ask one of our technicians about having your brake system flushed!

Looking Ahead to Spring - For You and Your Car!

As we round out our winter season many of us are already looking forward to the warmer weather of springtime. Spring means warmer temperatures, blooming flowers, and hay fever if you are among the many with allergies! There are things you can do to help improve your comfort this spring and here are some tips relating to your vehicle. For the exterior of your car warmer days and higher levels of UV rays means abuse to your cars outer shell, your paint job! These Ultra Violet rays attack your vehicles paint and clearcoat to slowly begin to oxidize your car's paint job. But, There are ways you can help fight against UV rays and oxidation. The biggest key to fighting clearcoat depreciation is keeping your vehicle clean and most importantly using a high quality finish wax for best results.
"But what about my interior comfort" you might ask? Well for all you allergy sufferers out there many of todays vehicles are coming equipped with a filtration design for the cab of the vehicle referred to as the "Cabin Air Filter". Your Cabin Air Filter filters out pollen, mold spores and dust molecules to trap them inside the filter element and away from your eyes or nose.
This filter can be located in many different areas according to the different vehicle manufacturers. They are anywhere from behind your glove compartment to underneath your window cowling near your wiper blades. This filter is installed in the air duct system of your vehicle so all of the air coming through your heater and air conditioning vents first must be filtered through it. As these filter elements get full of contaminates it can begin to effect the performance of your heating and air conditioning system and reduce the volume of air coming from your vents. Also a common problem with these filters is that they are often located where they are pulling in damp or wet debris which will then sit in this dark place and begin to form mildew. So chances are that if you have a "musty" smell coming from your air vents, especially that first blast of air when you get in your car and turn on the fan, is probably related to mildew in the cabin air filter. At Express Oil Change & Service Center we will be happy to inspect your vehicle to see if your car came equipped with this option. Because this is a filter, it does need to be changed occassionally with most manufacturer's recommending 15,000 to 30,000 miles. We also make available a cleaning system or A/C Refresher service that will eliminate foul odors from A/C system, disinfect A/C evaporater assembly and deoderize and clean the vent system. We look forward to helping you make spring a breath of fresh air! Also visit us on Twitter @ExpOilChange.

Hunting for a Cure!

I want to take a moment to thank Express Oil Change Owners Jim and Mickey Johnson and Mickey's Daughter Jennifer Kotouch for being owners that care! Currently they have stepped up and taken a leadership role in trying to raise money and awareness for the Rotary Club Miracle Playground in Dothan, Al. The entire Month of January a portion of the money spent at Express Oil Change is being donated to this cause, but their love doesn't stop here. My wife and I are very thankful for Express oil Change and the entire Johnson family for always stepping up and being willing to help out those in need. Most recently they have impacted our lives with their donations to the CF Foundation (Cystic Fibrosis) which is a cause very close to home. Almost 15 years ago we were blessed with a wonderful son, Hunter, who was diagnosed very early with this disease. Through his life Hunter has been a fighter an inspiration and a true blessing to be around. He has fought through countless hospital stays, several surgical procedures, and most of all just the everyday fun things that children do, that he could not, to remain a strong teenager, a loving son and a very beloved brother to his little sister Payten! Hunter has done very well dispite his battle with his disease and manages to stay very active in school, church & sports as well. There are many small children in this world today that struggle for every breath and that don't know what it's like to play kickball and not be completely out of breath. Doctor's have made great strides over the years to help improve the lives of these kids and in their ultimate goal of finding a cure! It is through the love of people and companies such as Express Oil Change that these children can hold on to the hope of one day finding that cure. Each year in Dothan the CF Foundation has a charity walk to help raise money for research for a cure and this year Hunter is gathering his group of supporters to help him in this fundraiser. On April 24th, 2010 at the Kiwanis/Westgate Park we will be taking steps to cure Cystic Fibrosis with The Great Strides Fundraiser Walk. Here is a link to help support Hunter in his efforts and for all the children that fight this disease everyday http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/MelanieWynkoop6782. Express Oil Change invites everyone to come walk with us this year. For details about CF or the CF Foundation go to www.cff.org. Again my family would like to take a minute and thank The Express Oil Change Family for their support and corporate sponsorship of this event. Don't forget that through the end of January every oil change at Express oil Change contributes money to the Miracle Playground park, because every child deserves a place to play! thank you and may God Bless you all.

Month of Miracles

The month of January 2010 will be an extra special month at Express Oil Change & Service Center. January will be a month of miracles. At Express Oil Change we want to provide support to our local causes that will impact the lives of our citizens and especially the lives of their children. The Dothan Rotary Club is leading the way to developing a dream playground for special needs children in our area. This playground will have specially designed equipment and access to allow them to enjoy a fun day at the park. We are teaming up with the Rotary Club for the entire month of January to raise money to fund this project. For every vehicle serviced at our area Express Oil Change locations we will be donating $1 per vehicle to the Rotary Miracle Playground Fund. We want your help in making this contribution be all that it can be and to partner with us to help build a better community for our children. At Express Oil Change we are changing oil, and changing lives, because every child deserves a place to play! Pass this message along to as many friends and family members as you can and touch the heart of a child today. Thank you for your help and may God Bless you.

What Oil is the Right Oil for My Car?

The need for manufacturer's to compete in the fuel economy race as impacted many things about you car's engine including the motor oil. Today's engines use a lot lower viscosity oil than ever before. It wasn't very long ago that 10w30, 10w40, and even 20w50 motor oils were the preferred motor oils of most vehicles but not any more! New engine designs have lowered oil viscosity down to 5w30, 0w40, and even 0w20. These oils have less resistance to flow because of their lowered viscosity which in turn reduces the drag and resistance in your engine causing the vehicle to get better fuel economy. The best way to determine which motor oil is best for your car is to go by your manufacturer's recommended oil for your particular car. In most cases the preferred oil can be found on the eninge oil cap or in your owner's manual.
If you ever have a question about your motor oil just come by Express Oil Change & Service Center, or just call us and we'll be glad to help you.

Tuesday's....Always Special!

At Express Oil Change and Service Center we value our customers and we want you to know it. Through the years it seems like its always been a task taking care of your vehicle maintenance, well not here! At Express Oil Change we make it easy for you to maintain your vehicle while using superior products and services which will maintain your manufacturer's warranty. We believe in fast, friendly service done by highly trained, professional crews. We want to thank all of our customers for your years of support. We want to give back to our customers as often as we can and one of the ways we do this is "special event days", so just a quick remider that every Tuesday is Ladies Day at Express Oil Change. All ladies will receive a $3 discount on there oil change service all day on Tuesday.