Modern Car Service Tips - Part 2: Changing Oxygen Sensors

In this edition of Modern Car Service Tips the importance of correctly functioning oxygen sensors is discussed. In Part 1 the importance of using the correct oil and timely oil changes was reviewed.

We all know that having your car serviced every 6 months (or sooner) is one of the best ways to fix minor issues with your vehicle before they become larger and more expensive problems. Changing radiator hoses & fluids, changing gear box fluids, oil changes with the correct oil, and keeping an eye on brake pad wear are some of the things every good mechanic does.

There is, however, a particular issue related to fuel economy that is very common among modern vehicles, and one that is often missed even by reputable mechanics. If you have owned a modern car for more than 3 years, you may start to notice a significant decrease in the performance of your car, and you use a lot more fuel. You might think that the car needs a good tune up, and that might be. Ask your mechanic to do this for you, but if don't see any increase in performance then something else is wrong. What could it be?

Modern cars are continually made more and more fuel efficient in numbers of ways: car body shape, weight, and engine design. Each engine has an optimal fuel to air ratio for the most efficient running. In old cars the carburettor was the place where the fuel was mixed with air. Now engines are fuel injected and the ratio of air to fuel is carefully monitored and controlled. If there is too little fuel we say it is running lean and you do not achieve optimum power. If there is too much fuel we say it is running rich and not all the fuel is being burned correctly. So the fuel-air mixture is critical to getting the best out of your engine.

Fuel is easily monitored and fed into your engine by fuel pumps. Now the car doesn't know what sort of fuel you are using (regular unleaded, premium or ultra premium) but the car's computer has good data on the amount of air required to burn petrol. Air is also pumped into the engine in the right amount based on some predetermined assumptions and one important measurement.

In order to increase fuel efficiency the one thing that engine designers started having the cars measure was oxygen concentration in the air, using an oxygen sensor. You might think that oxygen always makes up 21% of the atmosphere everywhere, but it can change significantly depending on if you are in a city traffic jam or not! The oxygen sensors pick up how much O2 is in the air and regulate the intake of air to the engine accordingly to get the best fuel-air ratio. They are one of the important things that help modern engines run fuel efficiently.

However, pretty much like everything on a car, the oxygen sensors wear out over time. Oxygen sensors are designed to have a driving life of about 100,000 km, and really start to operate poorly over 120,000km. Typically they will start to measure more oxygen in the atmosphere than what is really there. They tell the car's computer that the engine is running lean (when it is not) and asks it to increase the amount of fuel in the fuel-air mixture by reducing the amount of air being taken in.

The errors can be quite large and fuel efficiency can drop right off. For example I serviced a Toyota Prado that had more than 120,000km on the clock and its fuel efficiency before the service was 23L/100km. I changed 2 of the 4 oxygen sensors and the fuel economy picked up, and now it is only running 16.9L/100km. That is quite a saving in fuel, and quickly pays for replacing them.

So how do we avoid power loss and fuel consumption problems in modern cars? Here are some simple tips:
1) Monitor your car's fuel efficiency in city and country driving
2) Compare it to the fuel efficiency you had when your car was new.
3) Ask your mechanic to tune the car first to see if there is an improvement in performance.
4) Ask your mechanic to check the oxygen sensors age and accuracy of measurement
3) Replace the oxygen sensors once their driving life is up.

In Australia in 2011, genuine oxygen sensor parts are about $250 each, and non-genuine aftermarket ones are about $100 if you are in a city or major regional centre. With the way fuel prices are these days having correctly working oxygen sensors will save you a bundle and mean your engine is running efficiently and have the power when you need it.

Gavin Theodore is an experienced local mechanic and runs Cooloola New Age Mechanical in Gympie Australia. newagemechanical.com.au. He heads a team of experience auto mechanics who service and repair all makes and models of cars,and he knows the challenges that customers face with their vehicles. Their thoroughness and attention to detail has made them one of the leading mechanics for car servicing in Gympie.

Optimum Services Provided by an Auto Service Center

In this article, we will throw a light on some of the miscellaneous facets of oil change that is crucial for your vehicle.

Oil is as vital to a vehicle as water is to living beings. It keeps things in a moving condition and cleansed out. If you tend to display a sign of leniency as far as the timely change of engine oil is concerned, the engine parts would compress against each other and would be damaged.

Oil change is a process that is really required for the engine to perform well and last for a long period of time. It's evident that all engines require some sort of lubricant or element that will enable enhanced movement so that they do not have friction and not generating much heat. The grease is also needed to reduce the scratching that occurs when there is no even and liquid surface.

If you purchase a brand new car, it is strongly recommended that you come back to the distributor once you have driven your vehicle in case of a certain amount of mileage has been reached or it has passed a certain span of time. It is suggested due to the fact that the distributor can perform the necessary oil change procedure on the engine and to inspect the vehicle of everything is functioning well the way it should be.

It is understood that the cost of changing the oil of your vehicle's engine is not a costly affair. However, it is crucial for you to know how regular you change the engine's oil. Oil needs to be changed for innumerable reasons. First off, the engine oil tends to break down over a period of time and it loses all its lubrication properties. When there is a break down in oil, it tends to unite with blow-by gases from filth. The oils that are high detergent melt this dirt and hold it in suspension. If you disregard the change in engine oil that needs to be done on regular intervals, it might lead to premature engine failure due to augmented wear and lead to damage.

You should keep an average interval for the purpose of oil change and that ensures the best performance of your car. Unnecessary to say, this is one of the most important tasks that need to be executed on a regular schedule as part of maintenance. When you get accustomed to get the engine oil changed on a timely basis, your vehicle will ensure you the best condition and also it would enhance its long life.

Speedy Brake Centers Ltd. is a Vancouver-based auto service center that provides quality vehicle repair services all over British Columbia and also deals with oil change for vehicles.

Hybrid Vehicle Service

There are many different people who have caught the wave of driving hybrid cars. These are great ways that you will be able to get all of the performance of a regular gas vehicle while getting the gas mileage that an electric vehicle can offer. Of course, like any other car, you will need to make sure that you are getting the right kind of maintenance and repair service. It is important that you choose the right location to get the hybrid vehicle service that you will need.

Choosing the right place for hybrid vehicle service is easy to do as long as you know what it is that you are looking for. Among the different things that you will need to find is that you will need a mechanic who is certified to work on these kinds of vehicles. You will also need a shop which has all of the right parts to replace engine parts. You can make sure that you are getting a trustworthy shop by reading online reviews. This will help you to make sure that your car will always run like new.

Find a Certified Mechanic

Among the most important things that you will need to watch out for is that you will need to make sure that you are getting the best out of your hybrid vehicle service by getting a good mechanic. There are certification courses which can be taken to indicate the level of service that a mechanic can provide you. It is a good idea to make sure that you will be able to get everything that you will need by looking for those who are certified to work on hybrids.

Get the Right Parts

Unlike regular combustion engines, these hybrid engines require specific parts made just for them. This is the reason why it is important that the hybrid vehicle service that you receive has the ability to use the parts which will guarantee that your engine will operate the way that it is supposed to operate. A certified mechanic will generally only use the genuine parts, but it is always a good idea to make sure.

Read the Reviews

It is also important that you read all of the reviews that you can find about the different locations you are thinking about for hybrid vehicle service. This will help you to be able to make a decision on which one is right for you based on their ability to provide you with the best service and honest repairs. Even certified mechanics are known to be dishonest from time to time. By looking online, you can read the reviews which will help you to choose the right location.

Service Plus Automotive is a family owned business since 1991. We are focused on providing the best possible customer service experience when servicing or repairing a customers vehicle. We strongly believe in customer education and regularly show the customer what needs repairing. We are very involved in various community activities and believe in giving back to the community who has supported us for almost 20 years. For more information, go to http://serviceplusautony.com/

What Are The Services That You Can Expect From a Towing Service?

One of the most important things that you need to know about towing services is the services that you can get from them. Knowing these things will allow you to determine whether you already need to hire one or not. This article will be showing you the most common services that you can get from towing services. Reading this article will save you from the trouble of wondering whether they can really help you with the problem that you are experiencing or not.

Here are the most common services offered by reputable towing services:

Gas Refilling - running out of gas is not impossible to happen, and it you experienced this, the best thing that you can do is to contact a towing service. They will be going to your location while carrying gallons of gas that can fill your tank in no time. With the help of a towing service, you no longer need to walk for miles hoping to find a gas station nearby.
Towing - if you experienced problems with your engine, then the best thing that you can do is to dial the number of a towing service, and ask for their help. They will help you carry your vehicle to your mechanic, and you don't have to spend hours upon hours just to bring it to your mechanic.
Trouble Shooting - there are reputable towing services that can help you repair minor problems with your engine. Although it is possible to fix it yourself, contacting a towing service is still a better option since they have the necessary tools to fix the minor problems.
Tire Replacement - if you don't know how to replace the tire by yourself, then a towing service can help you with it. All you have to do is to contact them, and they will be carrying the necessary tools that will allow you to replace your tire easily.
Roadside Assistance - engine troubles can happen anytime, even during rush hour. If you don't have anyone who can assist you while you are working with the engine of your vehicle, then you can contact professionals who can assist you while you are working with the engine.

These are some of the services that you can get from a towing service. Just make sure that you will be getting the ones that can offer you the services that you need in order to be sure that you will get the best results from them.

Hiring towing services Cheyenne WY should not be done randomly. With all the choices that are available to you, you need to take your time in choosing the one that you will be hiring. Visit our website now to learn more about us, and to understand why we are the best towing services Cheyenne WY.