Automotive Industry News & Information - Jim Van Dyke's Automotive Center

Air filters are an important part of vehicle maintenance. What many people don’t realize is you actually have two filters; one for your engine, and a cabin filter to filter the air coming into your car. Both of them function the same way, but have entirely different purposes. They are often neglected, particularly the cabin filter, and yours may need to be changed right now. This guide, provided by Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH, highlights the importance of filters, symptoms of an overused one, and how to maintain them.

Transmissions, like engines, are a major component of your vehicle, and very expensive to replace. Transmissions often go out for very preventable reasons, and sometimes replacing one can be troublesome and expensive enough that it’s not even worth doing, depending on the vehicle. With the right maintenance, most transmissions are extremely reliable; it simply boils down to how well a transmission is cared for. Follow these tips to make your transmission last as long as possible, courtesy of Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH.

An engine can last anywhere from 50 to 500,000 miles depending mostly on how well you maintain it. While some engines are certainly more reliable than others, all of them depend on maintenance to fulfill their greatest potential. Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH has provided for you some of the determining factors of engine lifespan, to help you make sure your engine lasts as long as it possibly can.

From our family to yours, Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Travel is an essential part of the holidays, and since cars are our specialty, we’d like to share some travel tips with you to make sure your extra-long weekend goes as smoothly as possible.

A good technician will give your car a quick inspection whenever you have maintenance performed. Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance. At Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH, we're good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off, when it’s been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

Tires are often neglected, but easy to maintain. As long as they work, most people don’t really think about them. However, if you take care to properly maintain your vehicle and your tires, they will last much, much longer. At Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH, we see all too often the results of poor tire maintenance, and the result is expensive new tires. Here’s what you can do to make sure you don’t become part of that statistic.

There’s a huge percentage of cars on the road, right now, with the check engine light illuminated. Many of them have had it on for years, even. Frequently, a check engine light will illuminate, but pose no immediate problems, so people just get used to it and learn to live with it being on. However, Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH would like you to know that it’s worth having it looked into. Typically, the problem can be diagnosed by simply plugging your car into our computer; the car gives us a code, and we know what the problem is immediately.

Does your steering wheel feel like it’s fighting you when trying to drive in a straight line? Does your car turn too aggressively when you try to go one direction, and poorly when you try to go another? There are a few possibilities as to what it means if your car resists going in a straight line. Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH has the answers for you.