Automotive Industry News & Information - Elite Auto & Tire

If you drive a vehicle with more than a few miles on it, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed an occasional drip underneath it that leaves spots wherever you park. Identifying what is leaking from your car will help you determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern, and what to do about it.

There are seven liquids a car can possibly drip: oil, gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil, water, and coolant. How do you tell the difference? This article aims to help you know how.

Your Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is essentially your car’s fingerprint. In its entirety, it is specific only to your car. Each car has its own unique VIN number, and can be decoded to provide manufacturing and identification information on any vehicle on the road. Date of manufacture, manufacturer, vehicle type, where it was made, and options such as engine and transmission type, whether a car is a two or four door, and a multitude of other specifications can be gleaned from a VIN number. Essentially, a VIN number will tell you exactly what a car is and where it came from, without even having to see the car.

At some point while waiting for your tank to fill up, you’ve probably wondered what the difference is between the choices of gasoline at the pump. Typically you see three buttons, with a number between 85 and 98, in ascending order and ascending prices. These numbers are octane ratings, which you probably know; but what is an octane rating, really?

Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by flood waters at all, or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.

Your brakes have a lot to do with how your car drives. Brakes are a frequently neglected item on a lot of people’s checklist, and many drivers on the road have subpar brakes and don’t even know it. A car that brakes well and brakes correctly is just as important as acceleration, handling, or any other aspect of a vehicle’s drivability. A car with brake issues has the potential to be a far more enjoyable ride, when fixed.

All the lights on your car have an important job to do. Brake lights, tail lights, blinkers, reverse lights, and headlights are a crucial part of driving. Lights make you visible, make things visible to you, and allow you to communicate with other drivers. All of a vehicle’s lights make driving easier and safer, and all of them are important...not to mention legally required

The interior of your car can be difficult to maintain; between you, your kids, and anyone else who gets a ride from you, wear and tear on the interior of your vehicle is constant. Drinks get spilled, burn holes appear, rips and tears happen. Unlike the rest of your car, the interior isn’t made of metal, so it requires special treatment to keep it in good condition.

At Elite Automotive LLC in Covington, we know the key to making your vehicle last; good maintenance. An overwhelming percentage of the problems we see, especially the really catastrophic ones, are a result of poor maintenance. While properly maintaining a vehicle can seem a like a bit of a hassle, it is absolutely worth the payoff. Good maintenance is the only difference between a car that lasts 80,000 miles and a car that lasts 400,000 miles. Preventative maintenance and repair when a problem occurs are are your two concerns, and both will keep your car on the road far longer, if observed properly.