Getting enough fuel to your engine is very important for performance, fuel economy and safety. In order to accomplish this, your fuel system needs to be clean.

Today’s production cars have fuel injectors, rather than a carburetor. The injectors need to be cleaned from time to time in order to deliver the fuel with the correct pressure, spray pattern and volume.

You can buy fuel system cleaners that you just pour into your gas tank that can help maintain an already clean fuel system, but can’t do a major cleaning. For that, you need to see Atlantic Car Care. They have the tools and chemicals to do the job right. Atlantic Car Care can remove particles, gum and varnish from your fuel system and get those injectors running cleanly and efficiently.

You’ll find Atlantic Car Care at 21 New Bern Street in Wilmington, North Carolina 28403. Or just give us a call at 9107941390 to schedule an appointment.

You’ll enjoy more power, better gas mileage and reduced exhaust emissions. The cleaners also help prevent rust and corrosion in your fuel system and lubricate vital engine parts.

And, as with all maintenance, it can help prevent costly repairs that can happen because you didn’t take preventative steps. Check with your service technician at Atlantic Car Care and see when your car is scheduled for a fuel system cleaning.

A lot of gas is wasted in the Burgaw area by dirty fuel delivery systems.

Let’s start at the tank. The gas tank gathers dirt, rust and sediment over the years. That’s why there’s a fuel filter to clean the fuel after it leaves the tank. A dirty filter will rob the engine of the clean gas it needs to run efficiently.

The fuel intake components get coated with gum and varnish over time. This results in fuel being delivered inefficiently and some of that gunk getting into the engine. A fuel system service at Atlantic Car Care will leave your intake as clean as a whistle.

The big fuel thief is dirty fuel injectors. They deliver fuel to the engine at a specified pressure and in a particular spray pattern. When they’re clogged, the fuel doesn’t get atomized the way it’s supposed to and doesn’t get burned as efficiently.

See your owner’s manual or ask your Burgaw service advisor at Atlantic Car Care when a fuel system cleaning is recommended.

The car is one of the most recognizable inventions of the modern era. Without vehicles, we wouldn’t have access to the majority of opportunities we have these days. We wouldn’t be able to see the world, take trips, get from point A to point B in such short time, or live the every day lives we lead. Look back on some of the facts and interesting tidbits about them and its crazy to think how far we have come!

•      The first cars did not have steering wheels. Drivers steered with a lever.

•     The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.

•     The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.

•     In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.

•     The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.

•     In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported. Among these inventions were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.

•     The first car radio was invented in 1929.

•     Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.

•     The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.

•     Most American car horns beep in the key of F.

•     The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today.

We can sure be thankful for how far we have come in the world of automobiles. And it sure is neat to look back on the facts!

Contact Atlantic Car Care today with questions or comments!

21 New Bern Street
Wilmington, North Carolina 28403
910-794-1390

Most of our Burgaw clients want to save on gas and seek our advice on improving fuel economy. At Atlantic Car Care, we are frequently asked, however, just how much money Burgaw motorists can actually save.

Well the US government has a website dedicated to helping us use less fuel. It presents the cost savings in a way Burgaw car owners can relate to and is relevant for all vehicles. Let me give you an example: Having your sedans engine properly tuned, can save up to 4%. If you’re paying three-fifty for a gallon of gas, you could save fourteen cents a gallon.

In today’s Atlantic Car Care post, we’re going to talk about several things you can do to improve your sedans fuel economy driving around Burgaw. We’ll tell you the potential savings per gallon of gas at three dollars and fifty cents, and we’ll show a graphic that also shows the savings at three and four dollars.

The next item is replacing a clogged engine air filter. Your engine needs enough air to burn fuel efficiently for the best economy. A clean air filter means you get plenty of air. The fact that the air’s clean protects your engine. That can save you up to ten percent or thirty-five cents a gallon.

Fixing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve economy by up to forty percent. That’s a whopping dollar forty in savings per gallon. Bring your car to Atlantic Car Care and we’ll check your oxygen sensor.

Chances are that if your oxygen sensor is kaput your check engine light will come on. Now, there’s any number of things that could cause your check engine light to come on besides oxygen sensor problems. But if it’s on, get it checked out as soon as you can at Atlantic Car Care.

Here’s an easy one. Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure. That could save you three percent or eleven cents a gallon. Even a little drop in pressure will cost you at the pump so check your tires every week.

Your sedans manufacturer has recommended a specific weight of motor oil. The recommendation is based on engine design and will give you the best protection. Using a heavier weight could cost one to two percent in reduced fuel economy, or up to seven cents a gallon.

Here’s one that’s free: Take it easy when you drive. Aggressive driving (we’ve all seen this on Burgaw roads), rocketing away from stop lights, standing on the brakes, punching it for lane changes – really takes a toll on your fuel economy.

Cutting out aggressive driving around Burgaw can save five percent or eighteen cents a gallon. Now on the highway it gets really costly: thirty three percent or a buck sixteen a gallon. Think about that.

A related item is exceeding the speed limit. For example, if the speed limit is sixty miles per hour an additional five miles will cost seven percent or twenty-five cents a gallon. Fifteen miles per hour will cost you upwards of eighty cents a gallon.

The last thing we’ll talk about is excess weight. Our sedanss tend to accumulate a lot of things and the weight adds up. Clear out the trunk and only haul stuff when you really need it. For every one hundred pounds you can save two percent or seven cents a gallon.

Sorry honey, your brother can’t come with. It’d cost an extra thirty cents a gallon.

Home Remedy to Clean Car Carpet

Dirty carpets in your car are not only unsightly, but unsanitary.

Since most people don’t take off their shoes when getting into a car, the carpet can get dirty very quickly. With all that dirt getting trapped in the fibers of your car’s carpet and it being in an enclosed space, it can not only be unsightly, but unsanitary. You’ll pay quite a bit of money to have someone clean your car, but there’s no need to do that if you have time to do it yourself.

Getting Ready

Remove trash, floor mats and anything else that may hinder the cleaning process. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove loose dirt and debris. Be sure to clean under the seats.

Mix a cleaning solution of one gallon of warm water and a scoop of bleach free detergent. Add a cup of white vinegar to the solution to help eliminate carpet odors. Make sure that you have rubber gloves, a clean cloth or sponge, and clean dry towels.
Removing Stains

Mix a solution of white vinegar and water in equal parts in a spray bottle and add a couple of tablespoons of dish soap. This is one of the best and cheapest ways to eliminate stains. Spray the solution on an area and scrub it into the carpet with a clean cloth or sponge. Leave it for at least a half hour. Be sure to leave the windows down to help the carpet dry faster. Blot the area dry with a clean cloth to remove any residual cleaning solution.

For grease stains, sprinkle baby powder or cornstarch on the stain and leave it for two to three hours before vacuuming it. Clean the area with warm soapy water if there is any residual stain. A grease cutting dish soap mixed with hot water will render the best results.

Cleaning the Carpet

Scrub the carpet with a medium bristle brush or a clean cloth or sponge, being careful not to saturate it. Use the brush on particularly difficult areas and don’t forget to clean under the seats. “Rinse” the carpet with a clean cloth or sponge and use clean water to remove any residual soap. Press dry towels to the carpet and lift them to help absorb excess moisture. To avoid mold, leave the windows down to help the carpets dry and avoid setting anything, such as floor mats, on the carpet until it is completely dry.

By Melynda Sorrels, eHow Contributor

Warm weather or cold, Wilmington drivers still need to think about their sedans’s air conditioning. Most Wilmington people don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. At Atlantic Car Care, we can advise you on your vehicle manufacturer’s preventive maintenance schedules for air conditioning service, just as we do for transmission service, oil changes and so on.

Maintaining your air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the sedans’s air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well. We see that a lot at Atlantic Car Care in Wilmington.

The refrigerant also contains a special oil that lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and all Wilmington car owners know that air conditioning repairs can be costly. At Atlantic Car Care, we recommended that the air conditioner be run regularly, even during winter months, to keep the parts and seals lubricated.

Corrosion is what leads to many air conditioning system failures for Wilmington motorists. The small leaks mentioned earlier also mean that air and water can leak into the air conditioning system. This can lead to rust and dirt in the internal workings of the air conditioning components. This greatly accelerates wear and, ultimately, failure.

Air conditioning service at Atlantic Car Care starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear. The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the system is retested.

Then the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the sedans’s air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.

How often this should be done varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your sedans owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your Atlantic Car Care service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.

If you’re not getting enough cool air you know something’s wrong. Also, if you hear strange sounds when you turn the air on, there might be a problem with the compressor and you should get it checked out at Atlantic Car Care. Replacing a bad A/C clutch in a sedans is cheaper than waiting for it to ruin the compressor.

Wilmington drivers need to be aware that there’s one more thing that isn’t directly related to air conditioning service, but does impact the quality of the air in your sedans. And that’s your cabin air filter. This filter cleans dust, pollen, pollution and other impurities in the air that comes from the heater and air conditioner. The cabin air filter needs to be replaced when it’s dirty. If you don’t it’ll start to smell. Not all vehicles have one, so ask your Atlantic Car Care service advisor to check your cabin air filter at the same time they’re doing your air conditioning service.

How Do I Know When to Replace My Struts

If your original struts are worn out, damaged or leaking.  Leaking is easy to see, look for oil or wetness at the top of strut, damage or broken mount, badly dented housing or noise when going over bumps and turning.  But wear is often more of a subjective thing to judge.  There are also instances where the original equipment struts may not be worn, damaged or leaking, but may not be adequate for the job they’re being asked to do.  In such cases it would be best to measurer the ride height or bounce the car to judge rebound and damping.  Ther are several ways to upgrad the suspension with stronger, stiffer or some type of special shock or strut may be recommended to improve handling, for trailer towing, hauling overloads or other special uses.

How Long a Set of Original Equipment Shocks will Last

Some original equipment shocks may be getting weak after only 30,000 or 40,000 miles. Struts usually last upwards of 50,000 or 60,000 miles.

But when exactly a shock or strut needs to be replaced is hard to say.  Because the damping characteristics of shocks and struts deteriorate gradually over time, the decline in ride control often passes unnoticed.  So by the time to think you need new shocks or struts, it’s usually way past the point when they should have been replaced.

Replacing these worn components will restore the ride control and handling the
vehicle demonstrated when it was new. It also means longer tire wear. New shocks
and struts also help reduce potential wear of other steering and truck, SUV or
car suspension components.

Shocks and struts should always be replaced in pairs or, better yet, all
four, for even, predictable handling and control. After all, all four have been
on the vehicle for the same number of miles and worked under the same
conditions. Remember, too, that whenever the struts are replaced, it becomes
important to check the alignment, as it may have changed, to protect your
vehicle tires and assure maximum safety.

You may have an alignment problem if your car drifts or pulls to one side, your steering wheel’s off center, you have uneven tire wear or your car doesn’t feel like it handles right as you drive down our local Wilmington North Carolina streets.

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Running into potholes, smacking a curb or other objects around Wilmington, North Carolina are great ways to knock your car out of alignment. Then one or more of your wheels starts pulling in a slightly different direction and the problems begin.

Driving for an extended time when your car is out of alignment causes your tires to wear unevenly and excessively. Sometimes the tire can be worn so badly that it will fail.

At the very least, you’ll have to replace your tires sooner. You could end up with premature wear to your suspension system, which can be really expensive. The front wheel alignment is adjustable on all vehicles, and the back wheels are also adjustable on some cars.

Now, let’s talk about some alignment basics. Wheels are adjustable for toe, caster and camber. The ideal alignment for your car was designed by its engineers.

So, what is involved in an alignment check at our Wilmington North Carolina auto dealership? First, there’s an inspection of the steering and suspension to see if anything is bent or broken. Tire condition will also be evaluated.

From there, the vehicle is put on an alignment rack and we take an initial alignment reading.

If all four wheels are adjustable, they are lined up perfectly parallel with the vehicle’s centerline. If the back wheels aren’t adjustable, the direction they push is determined and the front wheels are aligned to match.

Like most things, your manufacturer has suggested a mileage interval for having your alignment checked. But if you run into a curb, pothole or something else that’s given you a big jolt, pay attention to whether your vehicle is pulling to one side when you drive around the Wilmington area. It’s better to have your alignment checked before waiting to see if there is uneven tire tread wear – by then, the damage is done.

Getting your alignment checked when needed is a great way to extend the life of your tires and suspension parts. It also makes sure that your tire meets the road properly for maximum performance and safety.

Come see us at Atlantic Car Care for more information about your tire alignment. We look forward to seeing you.

Today Atlantic Car Care is talking about the proper fluids for your vehicle. It’s become more complicated with changes in automotive design and manufacturing. It’s not that people in North Carolina are confused as much as they don’t realize how much things have changed in recent years.

If you have questions about the fluids in your vehicle, please don’t hesitate to stop by Atlantic Car Care. You can find us on 21 New Bern Street in Wilmington, North Carolina 28403.
Just give us a call at 9107941390

Let’s take engine oil. Twenty or thirty years ago, there were just a handful of different weights of oil. The weight of an oil is a scientific measure of its properties, particularly its viscosity or thickness.

It was common in those days to use a lighter weight oil in the winter when it’s cold outside. That way the oil would be able to splash around inside the engine and protect the parts before it was fully warmed up. And a heavier weight oil would be used in the summer. The thicker oil wouldn’t thin out too much in the summer heat and vaporize in the engine.

Modern valve trains have become very complicated with more moving parts and small passages than ever before. The valve train is in the top of the engine, so when the car has been turned off for a while, the oil tends to run down to lower areas and the valve train parts are vulnerable at start-up, before the oil starts circulating.

So new weights of oil have been introduced to meet the engineering specifications of these newer engines.

Manufacturers are recommending specific weights of oil. The recommendation is often printed on the oil fill cap. It’s certainly in the owner’s manual. Of course, your Wilmington North Carolina auto service center can look it up for you.

It’s more important than ever to have the correct weight of oil. The wrong weight could actually harm the engine.

Other fluids are also becoming more sophisticated. In the last few years new types of transmission, power brake fluid and coolant have all been introduced for some of the same reasons as for engine oil.

In addition, vehicle manufacturers are now using a wider variety of materials in these systems. Looking at the cooling system as an example, it used to be that the parts were all made out of steel or iron and the hoses were rubber. Now, some parts are plastic, aluminum or other materials.

So the anti-corrosion additives contained in the coolant, or anti-freeze, need to be different in order to protect the different materials used to make the cooling system. If you use the wrong coolant that wasn’t formulated to protect your plastic cooling system parts, they could become corroded and fail. And if you’re using the wrong coolant, your cooling system won’t be covered under warrantee. So it’s important to use the right coolant and to not mix different types.

Your owner’s manual or your Wilmington North Carolina service advisor at Atlantic Car Care can make sure you’re using the right type. You may have heard of universal coolant. Universal, or global, coolant can be added to other types without harmful reactions. That’s OK for an emergency top off, but following your manufacturer’s recommendation for your sedans or other auto type is always a safe bet.

In the area of brake fluid, there are a couple of new formulations. It’s important to remember that the new ones aren’t better than the old ones. They’re just different formulations for different vehicles. So if your vehicle calls for DOT 3, using DOT 4 or DOT 5 is not an upgrade. Use the recommended formula.

There are fluid formulations for vehicles with higher mileage. These are special engine oil, transmission fluid, and so on that contain additives to condition and restore seals and gaskets in older engines.

They’re fine to use as long as they’re a variant of the proper fluid. In other words you can use a high mileage engine oil as long as it’s also the correct weight recommended by the manufacturer. Same goes for transmission fluid; as long as it’s the right type for your transmission.