Posts by dakotaridgeauto

An oil change at your local Littleton, CO, auto shop sounds simple, but there are some pretty important things to know about preventing oil sludge. Oil eventually starts to turn into jelly, literally:  petroleum jelly. Sludge clogs up oil passages and keeps oil from getting to some areas of the engine, causing parts to wear out prematurely.…

You don’t have to be an auto expert to know what a fuel pump does: it pumps fuel.  The fuel pump happens to be one of those vital parts of your vehicle that can leave you stranded when it isn’t working the way it should.  Here are a few things to be aware of that…

We’ve all been there.  You park somewhere only to return and find one of your tires is flat; you’ve picked up a nail on the road.  You’re hoping you can just have it patched and be on your way.  That beats the cost of replacing the tire, but will that patch hold up for the…

Funny how the mind can play tricks on you when it comes to your vehicle’s service.  If you’re not keeping track closely, time can slip away. A driver recently took his 10-year-old vehicle into his AutoCare Center for an oil change.  Knowing the colder weather was approaching, his technician took the opportunity to check out…

High CO gas prices have hit most of our budgets here in Littleton. If increased fuel costs are consuming a bigger portion of your budget, you may be tempted to skimp in some other areas – like scheduled maintenance. According to CO news reports and industry studies, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten personal vehicles on…

When your fuel isn’t clean, your fuel injectors can start to become clogged up and your engine may not get the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure to run efficiently. This hurts fuel economy and performance and can also lead to the buildup of harmful deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber.…

In cold weather, you may notice your windows fogging up. Then you can’t see where you’re going, and suddenly you and those around you are in danger. So, what causes your windows to fog up in cold weather, and how can you stop it? Fog is simply moisture condensing on a cold surface. When the…

You push a few buttons or turn some knobs, and voila, you have warm air blowing on your feet or cool air chilling your face. How does all that happen? Well, it’s all thanks to the air blend box. This box lives behind your dash and serves up just the right temperature of air right…

Profit margins in the automotive service industry are a lot narrower than many people imagine. Cars are far more complex, thus the tools and diagnostic equipment are also more complicated and expensive. Diagnosing why your Check Engine light is on may require a machine that costs $18,000. Ask a senior technician how much he/she has…