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So summer’s right around the corner, and summer means road trips and vacations in the family car. Is your car up to the job? Here are some things you’ll want to check over before you pack up and hit the road… Fluids: That means coolant, transmission fluid, windshield washer fluid, motor oil. You’ll need to make sure you’ve got plenty of each, and that they’re clean, free of contamination and in good shape. Coolant and motor oil, in particular, are essential to dissipating heat and keeping...

At Don Owen Tire, we’ve seen a lot of change in the automotive world in the last 30 years. Yes, that’s how long we’ve been in business. We opened our doors way back in 1986, with Don himself and his wife Carole establishing Don Owen Tire Service, Inc. at 620 West Olive St in Bloomington. Don was 45 at the time but already had 23 years in the tire industry under his belt, at both the commercial and retail sales/service levels. We had a modest little business at first, with just one service ba...

You notice that suddenly your vehicle seems to be getting worse gas mileage than it did awhile back. Why? What happened? Like with most things on your vehicle, there can be numerous problems at the root of poor fuel economy. Let’s start with the simple ones and work our way to the more complicated issues: Tires: This one’s easy. Underinflated tires mean more rolling resistance (think about riding a bike with a low tire), and more rolling resistance means poorer fuel economy. Check your tire ...

So you got a new set of wheels – congratulations! You’re going to want to hang onto it as long as possible, so you’ll want to keep it maintained as well as you can. Here are some suggestions: First, read the owner’s manual carefully and stick to manufacturer’s recommendations for service intervals. There are certain things that are critical enough that failure to adhere to recommendations can void a new car warranty. Don’t let that happen! For instance, just about every manufacturer recom...

In the old days, a tune-up was necessary about every 35,000 miles. It would usually consist of setting the ignition timing, replacing the mechanical breaker points in the ignition, cleaning and adjusting the carburetor and replacing the plug wires and spark plugs. Today, of course, the carburetor’s job is done by fuel injection and the ignition timing and spark are controlled by the engine computer. Few vehicles still have plug wires anymore either, as the distributor was replaced by the compu...

So you come out to start your car one morning and the Check Engine light on the dashboard comes on…and doesn’t go back off again. You can’t really notice any difference in the way the car runs and drives, but it’s on anyway. What does it mean? Since the late 80s, most engine functions have been controlled by a central drivetrain computer. This includes emissions controls, fuel metering and delivery, ignition timing, shift points and many other elements of drivability and performance. The dr...

It can be a lot of work and attention to detail to get your car really clean…especially if it’s pretty dirty to start with…but here are some ideas for truly thorough cleaning that you may not have thought of! --A cheap foam paintbrush can get into crevices (like A/C vents) that might be impossible otherwise. As you loosen up dust from these spots, keep a vacuum cleaner nozzle at work in your other hand to suck up the dust and prevent it from settling other places. --A soft-bristled brush is ...

Yeah, yeah…your vehicle’s fairly new and you take care of it, and you’ve even got a membership in AAA. That doesn’t mean that your chances of ending up in a tight spot are zero. It’s just common sense to be prepared with a trouble bag in your car. Here’s a pretty good rundown of things you should keep in a car emergency kit: Fully charged cell phone: You may want to consider a cheap prepaid “burner phone” with a long battery life and keep it strictly in the car. If nothing else, at leas...

Nobody wants to be freezing in their car in this weather. Here's a few reasons why your heater might not be performing.

Around the holidays (and after, while you pay the bills), everyone’s trying to get a dollar bill to go a little farther. Here are a few ideas to help you squeeze a little more out of a dollar while you drive: --Starting your vehicle and letting it warm up isn’t really that great an idea. The engine’s actually going to warm up a lot quicker once you’re rolling and it’s under load, not while it sits there and idles. If anything, it’s not good for your engine as the idling engine generates w...