No matter how well they’re made, vehicles in Katy, TX will have design or manufacturing problems.
And when the government thinks a problem is really serious for people in Katy, TX, they require the auto manufacturer to issue a recall notice and fix the car free of charge. The car maker then tries to contact everyone in Katy, TX who owns that type of car to get the recall work done. Perhaps you have received a postcard notifying you of a recall issue on your car. Because these recalls always affect safety, Katy auto owners should take them seriously. This isn’t difficult to do because it’s easy to see if a vehicle’s being recalled.
The government has links on its websites, or just visit AutoNetTV for links. There are many websites with free recall information and searches. There’s CarFax, AutoByTel and the DMV.
Recalls are serious, but not all that common. But sometimes there are less important issues, and for these, manufacturers issue a Technical Service Bulletin, or TSB, that tells service centers like Autotechtronics how to repair a frequent or difficult problem.
The pros get updated information through subscription plans, also available in consumer versions for a reasonable cost. So when manufacturers recalls occur, get the work done, and keep you and yours safe.
All modern Katy vehicles come with fuel injection systems, so it’s a topic Houston drivers need to know something about. The mighty fuel injector is a valve that delivers the gas or diesel fuel to the right place, in the right amount, at the right time; to be mixed with air and burned in the engine.
So how many fuel injectors does your car have? There’s one for each cylinder. So four, six or eight for most folks in Katy, TX. Some vehicles have 10 or 12 cylinders. The engine control computer makes adjustments to the fuel injector as it monitors the engine and other sensors. Fuel injectors are a pretty high-tech.
Autotechtronics can help Houston drivers with a fuel injector cleaning service. What’s the benefit? In order to work right, the fuel injectors have to deliver the fuel at a precise pressure at a very precise time. It’s vital that the fuel is sprayed in a particular pattern as determined by the engine design.
Over time, varnish can start to build up in the fuel injectors, effecting the pressure, pattern and timing of the fuel charge. The result is that the fuel doesn’t get burned as efficiently as it could. That robs performance and hurts fuel efficiency.
What about dirty fuel – how does that affect the fuel injectors? The fuel injectors are the last stop in the fuel system. It starts at the fuel tank. Frankly, the best way to keep your fuel injectors working well is to use high quality fuel. It’s tempting to shop for bargains in Houston with fuel prices as high as they are, but major brands in the Katy, TX area have better detergents and additives and deliver consistent quality.
What about a good fuel filter? The fuel filter is an important component of the fuel system. Its job is to filter out the dirt and rust that collect in the fuel tank. If it’s clogged up, the dirt will bypass the filter and head upstream to the fuel injectors.
It’s critical to replace the fuel filter when your car maker recommends it. That’s part of a comprehensive fuel system cleaning.
There are different kinds of fuel injection systems. Port fuel injection systems, the kind most gasoline engines have, operate at 60 pounds per square inch. The injectors for the new gas direct injection engines Katy car owners are starting to see require 10 to 30 times as much pressure. And some diesel engines for passenger vehicles have injectors that operate at 30,000 pounds or more per square inch. There’s no room for dirt and gum in a precision part like that.
There are a lot of good products available in Katy, TX that can clean fuel injectors. They’re best used by Katy auto owners to prevent fouling in the fuel injectors. Many can’t clean a seriously gummed up injector – that requires a professional deep cleaning, like those we offer at Autotechtronics in Katy. But putting the cleaner in the fuel tank after you’ve had Autotechtronics take a look at your fuel system will help keep it clean. Be sure to read the label for directions.
Give us a call if you think your pickup may be ready for a fuel injector cleaning.
Manager: Robert Gruener Autotechtronics 5330 E. 5th Street Katy, TX 77493 (281) 391-7617
The price of gas and the uncertain economy are both causing TX residents to review their finances. More and more Katy drivers are opting to keep their vehicles longer and put off purchasing a newer car. It is estimated that two-thirds of the vehicles on the roads of North America today have over 75,000 miles on them. And the average age of vehicles is now over eleven years. That translates to some car care issues that many Katy men and women haven’t dealt with in the past. Older vehicles simply have different maintenance requirements than newer ones. Learning those requirements presents a challenge for Katy drivers because many owner’s manuals only publish maintenance schedules up to 60,000 or 90,000 miles. Vehicle owners have to keep good records and be more involved in planning preventive maintenance if they want to keep their pickups on the road. First of all, any service in your owner’s manual that comes with a recommended mileage interval should be continued at that interval.
For example, if it is recommended that you change your oil every 5,000 miles, you should continue to change your oil every 5,000 miles. The owner of an older vehicle has to recognize that his engine is operating under higher stress than a new one. It’s just starting to show its age. So many experts suggest that the “severe service schedule” should be followed once a vehicle has racked up some serious miles. On this schedule, the mileage interval for many services is shortened or should be performed more often. Check with your personable Autotechtronics technician.
Katy auto owners who own older vehicles should also be careful not to neglect or postpone oil changes. A full-service oil change is more critical for an older pickup than for a new one. Older engines have had a lot of time to build up sludge in their oil compartment, so changing the oil at regular intervals is a must. Skipping an oil change compounds the sludge problem. With a full-service oil change, the vehicle’s fluids are also checked and topped off. Your personable Autotechtronics service specialist will also let you know if these fluids need to be replaced. Older pickups have older seals and gaskets, which often develop tiny leaks. Regularly checking fluids will compensate for these leaks and offer a heads-up about any serious ones. So, again, it is important to stay on schedule and not skip or procrastinate a fluid check.
Older seals and gaskets begin to dry out and show their age by becoming brittle. High-mileage formulation oils and fluids can help extend the lives of these gaskets and seals. These products contain additives that recondition seals and gaskets and keep them from leaking. High-mileage formulas cost more than standard products, but in the long run they can pay for themselves by preventing more costly repair bills.
If a vehicle is getting on in years or mileage, its parts are as well. High-mileage car maintenance requires necessary repairs and replacements. Timing belts, radiator hoses, parts of the suspension system, anti-lock brakes, air bags, water pumps, alternators and batteries will not last forever and will wear out in higher-mileage vehicles. They need to be inspected regularly by your personable Autotechtronics service advisor and replaced as necessary.
But don’t go running for the new car lot just yet. These repairs may sound like a lot, but in total, they’re still cheaper for Katy car owners than new car payments. And if you stay on top of them and budget for them, they aren’t as burdensome as it may appear.
If you plan on driving your vehicle into its high-mileage years, there are two relationships you need to develop. The first is with your Katy service center. Your Autotechtronics service professional can offer you invaluable auto advice and help you develop a service plan that is right for you and your vehicle. Second, you need to develop a relationship with your pickup itself. You don’t need to name it, but you should become familiar with its noises and idiosyncrasies. Pay attention to changes in its habits such as new or unusual sounds, smells, vibrations, etc. Taking note of such things and sharing them with your service advisor can help stave off a lot of big-ticket repair issues.
As we get older, keeping up with a diet and exercise plan becomes more and more critical to maintaining good health. It’s the same with our vehicles. A preventive maintenance plan and smart car care will keep them on the road and keep them safe for a good many years to come.
Repair or Replace? That’s a question Katy car owners ask when they have tire damage. Some punctures cannot be repaired because of their size or location. Punctures larger than a quarter of an inch are considered too large to be safely corrected. Punctures in the sidewall or near the shoulders may not be able to be repaired. And sometimes there is internal damage revealed on inspection that indicates the tire should not be repaired.
Run flat tires should not be corrected. Repairing high performance tires may make them unsuitable for motorsports. Your personable Autotechtronics technician can inspect your damaged tire and tell you if it can be safely repaired or if it should be replaced – and then help you get back on the road.
Give us a call
Autotechtronics (281) 391-7617 5330 E. 5th Street Katy, TX 77493
If the fuel system in your pickup is dirty, you will be hurting your gas mileage and losing performance as you drive around Katy, TX.
Unless they drive a vintage car, Katy car owners have fuel injectors which need to be properly maintained. That is why your pickup owner’s manual has a schedule for cleaning your fuel injectors and other parts of your fuel system.
Your personable service advisor at Autotechtronics in Katy has the tools and chemicals to do the job right. Autotechtronics uses a process that gives your car a deep, professional fuel system cleaning. The particles, gum and varnish that build up in your fuel system are removed so that it can run cleanly and efficiently.
After a professional fuel system cleaning at Autotechtronics, you’ll notice more power, improved fuel economy and reduced exhaust emissions. AutoNetTV strongly recommends you follow your car makers fuel system cleaning service recommendations to keep your pickup running strong.
Katy drivers don’t need the added expense of replacing a fuel injector that’s been damaged by neglect. Check with your personable Autotechtronics technician and see when your car is scheduled for a critical fuel system cleaning.
Your brake pads are the vital parts that rub against the rotor (or disc) to slow and stop your vehicle. They eventually wear down.
When your pads are worn too much, they won’t stop your vehicle as well. When the friction material is worn away, metal parts of the pad are exposed and you’ll hear a squeal or grinding sound.
That’s when Katy auto owners should replace their brake pads. Not only will new pads restore your stopping power, but replacing them on time will prevent damage to the rotor.
If your brakes are making noise, ask your Autotechtronics service professional to check your brakes. Addressing troubles early will restore your safety and prevent expensive brake damage.
Give us a call Autotechtronics (281) 391-7617 5330 E. 5th Street Katy, TX 77493
Hey Katy drivers – this is something really amazing: For every gallon of gas your pickup burns, it uses 12,000 gallons of air. All of that air has to be filtered to keep your engine clean.
That’s like a hundred gallons of air every block! The engine air filter is just another example of a very critical but inexpensive part that has to do a tremendous amount of work. And when it works, everything goes well. But, when it doesn’t, well, it can lead to pricey problems. Of course, your vehicle manufacturer recommends how often to change your air filter. But like most service intervals, where and how you drive your car in TX affects when your filter needs to be changed.
Dusty conditions around Houston or polluted city driving means you’ll need to change your filter more often. Your personable Autotechtronics service specialist can check your filter for you. In fact, it’s often a routine part of an oil change.
When you think about it, a clogged air filter won’t allow as much air through as a clean filter. Your pickup needs this air to efficiently burn its fuel, giving you better MPG and performance.
Dirtier filters don’t work as well as clean ones. A filter can only hold so much, after that, it allows dirt to pass right into your engine. Air filters come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in different grades. There are high performance air filters available for most cars. These high performance filters are a little more costly in Katy, but they increase horsepower and may improve MPG to boot.
So it’s important for Katy motorists to have their air filter checked. If it needs replacing, it doesn’t cost very much at Autotechtronics in Katy and it should easily pay for itself in better gas mileage before your next oil change.
Stop by Autotechtronics at 5330 E. 5th Street, Katy, TX 77493, and we’ll take a look at your air filter for you. Feel free to give us a call at (281) 391-7617 to make an appointment.
Autotechtronics 5330 E. 5th Street Katy, TX 77493 (281) 391-7617
If you’re a quart low in your pickup, there isn’t enough motor oil to lubricate your engine properly. The extra friction causes drag that reduces fuel economy while you’re driving around the Houston area.
The same goes for dirty oil; it doesn’t reduce friction properly. The result is you get to watch those numbers at your local Houston gas pump rolling higher and higher.
The transmission also needs the proper amount of clean fluid to do its work. When it’s in need of service, the transmission drags your fuel economy down.
So keep it clean and give yourself a fighting chance.
Autotechtronics 5330 E. 5th Street Katy, TX 77493 (281) 391-7617
At Autotechtronics we’ve had a lot of Katy, Barker, and Cypress clients asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that’s been building for several years in TX. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles on them. It looks like it’s going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices, a lot of Houston folks are putting off buying a new car. Thanks to AutoNetTV, we can provide you with a video answer to this critical question.
So let’s say you’re one of the average auto owners in the Houston area; you’ve got a nine year old car with 80,000 miles on the odometer. What can you to do make it last another year or two?
Let’s start with the premise that there’s no reason that a modern car can’t run for 200,000 miles with proper care in Katy. The engineering and manufacturing quality is there.
Of course, some parts will wear out along the way, but there’s no reason for a catastrophic meltdown if wise Katy car owners stay on top of their recommended car maintenance. The maintenance schedule in some vehicle manufacturer’s owner’s manuals runs out at 60,000 miles or so: how do Katy car owners know what to do when they’re way past that?
It is a challenge, for example: If a service is recommended every 15,000 miles for the first 60,000 miles you can just keep getting it done at least every 15,000 miles after you hit 60,000 miles. But, it gets more complicated because older engines lose some efficiency, are dirtier inside and are just more stressed. That means it’s very important to not miss any scheduled services. Skipping just one oil change at Autotechtronics in Katy, for example, leaves an opportunity for harmful sludge to build up. Talk to your personable Autotechtronics technician.
So all the usual things like oil changes, transmission service, coolant service, brakes, power steering, fuel system cleaning – all that stuff needs to be maintained. People responsible for fleet vehicles around Katy are sticklers for scheduled maintenance. They know that money spent on maintenance saves them three ways:
it keeps gas mileage from decreasing;
it prevents costly repairs, and;
they can postpone purchasing new vehicles.
Having the oil changed may be the most critical thing motorists can do. A full-service oil change at Autotechtronics means that all of your other fluids get topped off so they are never low enough to cause damage. It also gives your personable Autotechtronics service advisor a chance to spot problems in the early stages so that you can fix them before they get pricey. And it gives you a touch point with an automotive professional along the way to remind you of things that aren’t scheduled as often – things like differential service and timing belt replacement.
If you live in the Katy area and have an older vehicle, you may need to follow the severe service maintenance schedule. Check your owner’s manual and talk with your service professional at Autotechtronics. Conditions inside an older engine, transmission and cooling system can arguably be considered severe – so shorter intervals could well be called for.
And, the team at Autotechtronics strongly encourages Katy drivers to consider using high mileage formulation fluids. They’re fluids like engine oil, transmission fluid and coolant that are formulated for older engines. They have special additives to clean deposits, and to condition and restore seals and gaskets that dry out with age. Some Katy auto owners start using higher mileage formulations at around 50,000 miles as a preventive measure.
Of course you also want to still look marvelous in your older car as you drive around Houston. Salt and road grime wreak havoc on your paint job and can lead to body rust – so regular washing is very important. Also, a good quality waxing is recommended at least twice a year.
Give us a call for more information:
Autotechtronics 5330 E. 5th Street Katy, TX 77493 (281) 391-7617
Katy auto owners know that engines need to burn fuel to operate. Fuel is pumped from your fuel tank to your pickup engine where it is squirted—or injected—into your engine’s cylinders. This is the function of the fuel injectors.
There are two ways to inject fuel into an engine. Fuel needs air to burn, so in the first method, fuel is injected into a port and allowed to mix with air and before it is drawn into the cylinders. In the second method, fuel is injected directly into the cylinders and mixes with air after it enters the pickup engine.
Direct injection engines burn fuel more efficiently than conventional pickup engines. Some models can deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.
For example, in one family of engines, the conventional version (a V6) delivers about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version delivers over 300 horsepower and gets about the same gas mileage. The turbocharged version delivers 350 horsepower.
Why the big difference in power? Direct injection systems allow fuel to be squirted into the pickup engine at hundreds of times the pressure of a conventional engine. This atomizes the fuel better (breaks it down into tinier droplets), which means more of it gets burned, which translates to more power for your engine. It also results in cleaner emissions.
Fuel injectors are precision instruments. They have to deliver the right amount of fuel at exactly the time the pickup engine needs it. They are also engineered to inject fuel with a specific spray pattern. This spray pattern allows for maximum fuel efficiency and proper atomization. Direct injection engines require a much higher degree of precision than conventional engines. For this reason, they are equipped with more sophisticated computers.
When fuel injectors get dirty, their precision drops off. The spray pattern won’t be precise, and the timing of fuel delivery may be off. This decreases fuel efficiency and gas mileage as well as delivering less power to the engine.
Katy car owners should understand that fuel injectors are not cheap to replace. Direct injection fuel injectors are even more expensive. And we’re talking a mortgage payment to buy a set of new fuel injectors for a diesel engine.
So keeping your fuel injectors clean is just good auto advice. The best way to do this is to change your air and fuel filters regularly and practice other habits of good car care and preventive maintenance. Cleaning additives in your fuel can also help.
If you do end up with gum or varnish in your fuel system, you’ll need a professional fuel system cleaning. This will clean out your whole system, including the injectors. The good news is that with proper maintenance, Katy motorists will enjoy better fuel efficiency and their fuel injectors will last for a long time.
The government has links on its websites, or just visit AutoNetTV for links. There are many websites with free recall information and searches. There’s CarFax, AutoByTel and the DMV.
