General Auto Maintenance Services

Tune-ups are performed differently depending on the mechanic. The reason? Years ago, a tune-up simply meant replacing the key ignition network. Ever since the beginning of the 21^st century, however, tune-ups started involving the following:

• Battery services (charging and starting)
• Engine and mechanical work
• Powertrain control (this includes onboard diagnostic checks)
• Fuel and ignition
• Emissions

Garlisch Automotive Services Inc provides full-service tune-ups and maintenance services for your car or truck to ensure they’re running in optimal condition. Call us at (815) 242-6331 for service today!

It’s always an inconvenience when your car or truck breaks down in the middle of the road, but in the cold winter months, this situation can be life-threatening. If you’re stranded in frigid temperatures with no heat, hypothermia can result, and this can easily result in death. This is why auto maintenance is essential to safeguard you and your family when you’re on the road.

Also, a well-maintained car or truck drives much smoother, lasts longer, and can be sold at a higher resale price. These procedures can possibly save your life if you’re driving in cold weather:

• Engine performance: If your vehicle experiences hard starts, stalling, rough idling, or lessened power, it should be serviced right away. The frigid temperatures are only going to worsen the problem, so bring your car or truck to us for new filters, remedies for air-flow issues, etc.
• Fuel - We give your car or truck a bottle of fuel deicer every month to eliminate moisture from turning into ice in the fuel line. Bear in mind, a full gas tank will also help stop moisture formation.
• Oil - We’ll change your oil and filter as per the specifications in your vehicle’s manual. We’ll also change it more times than recommended if your driving is mostly short trips or is primarily stop-and-go.
• Cooling Systems - Your vehicle’s cooling system needs to be completely flushed every two years. You should also have your vehicle’s coolant checked for condition, level, and concentration periodically. It’s recommended that you maintain a 50-50 anti-freeze/water mix. You must never remove the radiator cap until the engine is completely cool. Also, the drive belts, clamps, and hoses should be checked for tightness and condition by a member of our team.
• Windshield Wipers - Our team can replace old wiper blades in minimal time. We recommend that you purchase rubber-clad winter blades since Illinois is well-known for harsh cold temperatures. These blades are great for scraping off ice build-up. We also recommend that you stock up on windshield wiper fluid (many don’t realize how often it’s used) as well as have an ice-scraper handy.
• Heater and Defroster - Always make sure your defroster and heater are in good condition for driver visibility. Newer car or truck models have a cabin air filter, and these filters should be periodically replaced. Your owner’s manual should have the information needed for the location of the filter and the replacement intervals.
• Battery - It takes professional equipment to determine if a car battery is weak, so bring your vehicle to us if you need to have its battery checked. Ways you can care for your car battery include scraping away corrosion from the cable connections and posts, tightening the connections, and cleaning the surfaces. If you can remove the battery caps, you should check the fluid level every month. Always avoid contact with any corrosive deposits and the acid in the battery. It’s imperative that you also wear eye protection and rubber gloves at all times when handling a car battery.
• Lights - Our team will inspect all the lights and bulbs in your car or truck. Burned-out bulbs can easily be replaced by our staff, and they’ll also clean off-the-road grime from the lenses. We never use dry rags since they’ve been known to scratch lenses.
• Exhaust System - The best way to check for exhaust system leaks is to have our professionals place your vehicle on a lift. We’ll check the floorboards and trunk for any leaks. Always keep in mind that exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide and can thus be deadly to inhale.
• Tires - If you’re driving in the snow, worn tires on your vehicle will prove useless. Our team will check the tires for the remaining tread life, cupping, and uneven wear. Sidewalls will be checked for nicks and cuts, and tire pressure will be checked monthly. Always look at your tires to ensure they haven’t been damaged by the cold before you drive any distance. Be sure to also rotate the tires as per the recommendations of your vehicle’s manual.

Always keep emergency gear handy. These items include:

• Gloves
• Boots
• Blankets
• Flares
• Shovels
• Sand or cat litter
• Tire chains
• Flashlights
• Energy snacks

Properly maintaining your car or truck not only enables the vehicle to last longer and run smoother (as well as safer) but also benefits the environment. Here are some environmentally conscientious car care tips:

• The importance of engine tuning – Fuel efficiency is reduced by up to 30% from a misfiring spark plug, so always follow the service schedules outlined in your driver’s manual. Fluid and filters need to be replaced as often as the manual suggests. 
• Tires need to be properly inflated – When your tires are underinflated, the engine has to do more work to keep your vehicle in motion, and you end up wasting fuel. If your wheels are not lined up correctly (uneven tread wear as well as vehicle pulling are symptoms of improper alignment), the engine also must use more fuel to keep the car or truck moving. If you maintain your tires routinely, they’ll last longer, and this means fewer scrap tires will fill up the disposal yards.
• Maintaining your vehicle’s AC – Old refrigerants in your AC should be handled by a certified technician so they can be recycled accordingly. Almost one-third of the CFCs (ozone-layer-depleting gases) that are released into the air are due to mobile ACs as per the research gathered by the EPA. People don’t realize that most CFCs escape from vehicles during automotive repair services, so this is why you should rely on our professionals to handle the job of servicing your car or truck’s AC to prevent this issue.
• Recycling your own automotive components – Always dispose of antifreeze, used motor oil, tires, and batteries at locations that specialize in the handling of these items for recycling purposes. Your local or county government can be contacted for recycling locations. Antifreeze or used motor oil must never be disposed of in streams, lakes, rivers, or the ground.
• Obey the speed limit – This seems obvious, but understand this. Not going over the speed limit will not only ensure you won’t get a speeding ticket, but going faster than 55 mph decreases mileage significantly and thus forces your engine to use more fuel. 
• Be gentle with the accelerator pedal – Sudden accelerations as well as jerky stop-and-gos are never good for any vehicle. If your car or truck has cruise control, use it on open highways so your speed will remain consistent.
• Excessive idling wastes fuel – If you’re waiting for a passenger, it’s best to shut off your vehicle while you wait since today’s cars and trucks are built to warm up faster than older models. Even on cold mornings, modern vehicles can still start up quicker than older ones can. Save gas by keeping the vehicle off until it’s time to go.
• Take excess items out of your car or truck – Your vehicle has to use more gas if there’s more weight to carry, so for better mileage, remove any unnecessary loads. If you need to haul luggage or cargo, keep it in the trunk since putting them on the roof causes air drag and thus makes the engine work harder.
• Plan your trips – Traveling when there’s less traffic means lesser stop-and-go conditions, and when you plan daily errands using the quickest routes, you avoid unnecessary driving. Joining a carpool also helps reduce the number of carbon emissions released into the environment. 

Let’s summarize these tips. When it comes to the environment, how you dispose of old tires, antifreeze, used motor oil, and batteries combined with how you drive your vehicle (along with how well it runs) all impact the environment. We can each do our part by being responsible with our cars or trucks to better our world in the long run.