Tire Service At Compton Automotive In Dallas

Tire Service At Compton Automotive In Dallas

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For most car owners
buying tires in Dallas is a big deal, so consult with your cheerful Compton Automotive tire professional about proper size, type and grade for your driving needs. He can help you balance load requirements, fuel efficiency, performance, durability and cost.

When buying new tires in Dallas, it’s best to replace both tires on the same axle in order to keep the rolling diameter as close as possible.

Dallas car owners with four-wheel-drive vehicles should replace all four tires at the same time because you can run into problems if the tires have different rolling diameters due to wear or different type of tire. Four wheel drive vehicles should have all tires very close to the same rolling diameter to avoid binding and wheel hop between the front and rear axles.

Also, TX tire manufacturers recommend that if you are buying just two new tires that they be installed on the rear for
safer slippery road traction – regardless of which wheels drive the vehicle. Compton Automotive in Dallas has you covered for all of your tire needs including tire repair, tire mounting, wheel balancing, and wheel alignment. We also provide cooling system service, brake service, power steering service, and transfer case service.

Give us a call!

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Replace Your Engine Air Filter At Compton Automotive

Replace Your Engine Air Filter At Compton Automotive

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When driving around Rowlett, your minivan engine needs
clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas.

All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually the filter gets completely full. Because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. This dirty air passes through the mass airflow sensor, and starts to accumulate on the delicate sensor element. The mass air flow sensor measures how much air is getting into your engine. When the airflow reading is incorrect, your minivan engine doesn’t get the proper amount of fuel. It runs rough and doesn’t perform as well as it should.

Eventually, the sensor is so damaged it needs to be replaced – which is pricy. In fact you could buy a case or two of air filters for the cost of a sensor replacement.

Of course, that dirty air keeps on going through to your minivan engine where it’s burned along with the fuel, which dirties up your combustion chamber and increases
harmful exhaust emissions - not a good thing for Dallas air quality, not to mention our lungs.

When your cheerful Compton Automotive service advisor brings out your dirty air filter and recommends a replacement, remember the cost and poor performance that can be waiting for you down the road if you neglect this simple Compton Automotive service. Ask your Compton Automotive advisor if it’s time to
replace your engine air filter.

Compton Automotive in Dallas has been providing
quality auto repair services for Rowlett car owners for 7 years. Our specialties include power steering service, cooling system service, and transfer case service.

Give us a call!

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Compton Automotive’s Guide to Batter Maintenance

Compton Automotive’s Guide to Batter Maintenance

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In today’s Compton Automotive auto care blog, we are focusing on
battery maintenance. Eventually your car battery will fail and you will need to replace it. In fact, 70% don’t even make it four years. There are some things Dallas drivers can do, however, to make their battery last a little longer.

It’s all about the flow of
electrical power. When you start your minivan, the battery uses power to get your engine cranking. As your engine runs, your alternator generates electricity to run all your electrical systems: like lights, a half dozen computers, anti-lock brake system, traction control, power windows, electronic fuel injectors, stability control, air conditioning, transmission servos – the list goes on. Any leftover electricity goes to recharge your minivan battery. Then you turn on your radio and seat heaters; maybe plug in your cell phone and computer; the kids watch a DVD and pretty soon there isn’t much extra electricity to go back into the battery.

Now, if you were on a long TX road trip, no sweat – you’d have plenty of time to fully recharge your battery. But not if you’re making stops around Dallas. Every time you start your minivan engine, your battery takes that big hit again. Multiple starts – multiple hits. By the time you get home, you have less than a full charge.

When the battery is continuously in a discharged state,
it loses its ability to fully recharge. This starts a downward spiral in your battery life. Now when your battery is on its way to getting this bad, your alternator is working overtime trying to keep it charged – which causes the alternator to wear out prematurely. A lot of experienced Dallas technicians suggest replacing your battery after five years, even though it hasn’t yet failed, as a maintenance item to extend alternator life.

Now, there is something you can do to
help your battery last longer by hooking up a battery charger once a month in the summer and every three months in winter. This will ensure your minivan battery routinely has a full charge. You can do this less often in the winter because the electrochemical process slows down when it’s colder and less damage is done when your battery is low. Computerized battery chargers are real easy to use because they monitor and control the charging rate to keep the battery from overheating while it’s charging.

We recommend that you ask your cheerful Compton Automotive advisor to
test your battery so you know how much life is left. If it’s good but needs a maintenance service, he’ll have it cleaned up and make sure the connections and cables are good. If it’s looking like you ought to replace it, he’ll help you with a battery that’s right for your minivan and driving needs.

Give us a call!

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Need New Tires In Dallas?

Need New Tires in Dallas?

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Buying tires in Dallas is a big deal so, consult with a tire professional at Compton Automotive about proper size, type and grade for your local Dallas TX driving needs.

We can help you balance load requirements, fuel economy, performance, durability and cost.
When buying new tires, it's best to replace both tires on the same axle in order to keep the rolling diameter as close as possible.

If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, you should replace all four tires at the same time because you can run into problems if the tires have different rolling diameters due to wear or different type of tire. Four wheel drive vehicles should have all tires very close to the same rolling diameter to avoid binding and wheel hop between the front and rear axles.

Also, tire manufacturers recommend that if you are buying just two new tires that they be
installed on the rear for safer slippery road traction - regardless of which wheels drive the vehicle. At Compton Automotive, we also offer transfer case service.

Give us a call!

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Schedule a Suspension Inspection at Compton Automotive

Schedule a Suspension Inspection at Compton Automotive

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Today's Mesquite car care article focuses on your suspension system. After many years and tens of thousands of miles, your minivan suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Mesquite highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads.
In addition to just wearing out, Compton Automotive customers need to know that
suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road. Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your minivan manufacturer and Compton Automotive recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Mesquite service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Mesquite. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your minivan dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Compton Automotive for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other minivan suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well.

If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Compton Automotive. When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Compton Automotive because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

Give us a call if you need to do some customer detective work in Dallas TX 75218!

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Tire Tread Depth

Tire Tread Depth

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When talking about stopping power, we tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn't enough: we have to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.
Let's focus on stopping in wet conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can't move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water. To move water out of the way so the tire has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you'll see channels that run around and across the tire. They're designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

The deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet roads. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups think that a good standard of replacing tires when the tread is worn down to four-thirty-seconds of an inch. That's 3.2 millimeters.

When tires are worn to two-thirty-seconds of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire - and that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from freeway speeds with four-thirty-seconds of an inch of tread could result in a crash with worn out tires. There's an easy way to tell when a tire's worn to four-thirty-seconds of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn't cover George Washington's hairline; it's time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

Give us a call at 214.321.2617 or stop by and visit:

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At Compton Automotive we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Automotive Work in Dallas TX 75218

Automotive Work In Dallas TX 75218

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One might say the most challenging part of being an
automotive service technician in Dallas is diagnosing a problem before it can be fixed. Cars in Dallas are made up of a bunch of complex systems. There usually could be a number of reasons for any given symptom. So it's challenging to track down the actual cause of the problem. And it can be frustrating for the Dallas vehicle owner because it can take time and money to get to the bottom of a problem.

If it's not something obvious, it's easy for the customer to focus on the fixing and not the diagnosing.
Let us at Compton Automotive introduce you to something we'll call 'Customer Detective Work' – that is helping the technician find clues to what's wrong. We start with the detective basics: What, Where and When. Play along with me; You come in to Compton Automotive and your car is making a funny sound…

  • Where's the sound? – 'Around the right front wheel'.
  • What kind of sound? – 'Kind of a clunk, clunk sound'.
  • When do you hear the sound? – 'When I turn and accelerate.
  • Right and left? Forwards and back?'
You see where we're going. You're gathering additional information to help your Dallas technician at Compton Automotive know where to start. Based on your car and the tech's experience, we'll know where to look on you minivan and can start with the obvious suspects. You can see how that would be more helpful than dropping the car off with a note that says "making a funny noise". When you think you need to bring your minivan in, make some notes about the problem it's having. Rather than just saying "it's leaking", tell the tech the color of the fluid, and approximately where under the car you see the puddle. Things like 'the car is stalling or sputtering' are often very hard to diagnose because they're intermittent. They may not happen every time you drive and may not be happening when you actually bring the car in. So, it is a big help for you to describe what's happening in as much detail as possible. Your Dallas technician at Compton Automotive will need to be able to duplicate the problem if possible so he needs to know details, like "It stalls after it's been driven for about 20 minutes and I go over 50 miles an hour". If your Dallas technician at Compton Automotive can experience the problem personally, he's better able to make a diagnosis and repair. And, then test to see if the repair solved the problem. Give us a call if you need to do some customer detective work in Dallas TX 75218!

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Compton Automotive Serpentine Belt Service

Compton Automotive Serpentine Belt Service

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Your
serpentine belt drives your alternator and air conditioning compressor. The power steering and power brake pumps are driven by the serpentine belt in many Dallas vehicles. In some minivans, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt (in others it’s driven by the timing belt). The radiator cooling fan on some vehicles are also driven by the serpentine belt. Some have separate electric motors. Serpentine belts do a lot of work, but they’re tough and can last for thousands of miles, but just how long will they last? That’ll vary for each individual Dallas car. Your manufacturer or Compton Automotive technician will have a recommendation for when it should be changed, but it could need it sooner. The good news is that a visual inspection can reveal a belt that’s worn. It’s often recommended that the tensioner pulley that keeps the belt at the proper tension be replaced along with the serpentine belt. This pulley is mounted to the engine block with a spring loaded arm. What are the warning signs that there’s a problem with the serpentine belt? You may hear a squealing sound from under the hood when accelerating. A loose belt might give you a slow, slapping sound. If you suspect a serpentine belt problem, or if it’s just been a while since it was last checked, ask your cheerful Compton Automotive service advisor to have it looked over. Give us a call.

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX zip code 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

How To Save Gas In Dallas

How To Save Gas In Dallas

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High gas prices have hit most of our budgets in the Dallas area. 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 at Compton Automotive in Dallas.

According to news reports and industry studies, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten personal vehicles on the road have at least one maintenance or repair item that hasn’t been done. Some of these items are serious safety concerns. Others are just more likely to affect the cost of operating your vehicle in Dallas.
In this area, we can take a lesson from professional vehicle owners: fleet owners and operators like trucking companies and delivery services. Because their livelihood depends on it, they have gotten scheduled maintenance down to a science. And the last thing they skimp on is regular maintenance. Why is that? Well, for one thing they know that routine maintenance prevents expensive repairs and costly breakdowns. They also know that a well-maintained vehicle uses less fuel.  For them, even a small decrease in fuel economy may mean not being profitable. Here are some Compton Automotive services that could potentially save you some gas in Dallas: Fuel system cleaning, transmission service, differential service, wheel alignment, oil change, tune-up. Ring any bells? Is there at least one thing on the list that hasn’t been done for your minivan? Let’s suppose you chose to spend one hundred and fifty dollars and get caught up on some of these services and that they combine to improve your fuel economy by fifteen percent. What would that mean to your pocketbook? Well, the average personal vehicle is driven about twelve thousand miles a year. If you get twenty miles per gallon in your minivan, over the course of one year you would pay for the hundred and fifty dollars’ worth of service and save an additional hundred and sixty five dollars if gas is at three dollars and fifty cents. If gas is four fifty, you would save two hundred and fifty-five dollars. And you’d rack up savings of three hundred and forty five dollars with gas at five and a half bucks.

Gas Price   $3.50   $4.50   $5.50


20 MPG        165      265       345


From this you can see that the more fuel costs, the more it pays to take care of your minivan.
Some of us drive trucks for work or recreation – or want a large SUV for family needs. A fifteen percent improvement in fuel economy can generate huge savings – six hundred and sixty dollars a year if gas is four fifty a gallon. Take a look at this table to see where your savings could lie.

Gas Price   $3.50   $4.50    $5.50


10 MPG       480       660        840
20 MPG       165       255        345
30 MPG         60       120        180


So catch up on those services you’ve been neglecting.
Talk with your cheerful Compton Automotive advisor about your minivan’s needs. Get a couple done now and a couple next time. Chances are you’ll save a lot of money on fuel this year – and a lot more on repairs in years to come. Give us a call.

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX zip code 75218


At Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Suspension Problems in Dallas?


Suspension problems in Dallas?

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Suspension systems should continue to operate effectively for many years and tens of thousands of miles, holding your tires’ foot print on the road.
Eventually components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth TX highways, your minivan shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy Dallas roads or hauling heavy loads. In addition to just wearing out, upgraded shock suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road. Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your vehicle manufacturer recommends periodic inspections. During a car inspection at Compton Automotive, your Dallas service technician will check for worn, broken or missing suspension parts. If the inspection reveals any problems, take care of this important safety and handling work. When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you even handling at all four corners of the vehicle. If you have special road handling needs like improved cornering or towing or hauling requirements in Dallas, your Compton Automotive advisor can recommend an upgraded shock or strut to get you what you want. At Compton Automotive, we have been providing quality auto repair in Dallas for 7 years. Ask manager Donnie Compton about power steering service and cooling system service. Give us a call.

Compton Automotive
10333 Garland Road
Dallas, TX zip code 75218

At
Compton Automotive in Dallas TX (75218) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 214.321.2617. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.