Wilmot Auto Repair

Remember snow tires? They were basically just regular tires with big, knobby lugs to get them through deep snow. They were loud and rode hard, and Wilmot drivers couldn't wait to get them off the car. Then along came television advertisements for “all-season” radials. NH drivers ran out and bought some and we thought we were done with snow tires forever.Tires have come a long way since then. Modern winter tires sold in the Wilmot area are much better designed for the wide range of conditions that come with NH winter weather. They are made with a rubber compound that helps them stay flexible in cold weather. Regular tires become hard and stiff at Wilmot temperatures below 45°F (7° C) which reduces their traction. That's a concern in winter, especially with snowy or wet conditions. But it also means that Wilmot drivers are better off with winter tires in cold weather even when it's dry.The tread design on winter tires has been improved to move snow, slush and water ... read more

The automotive professionals at Walker Automotive would like to give Wilmot drivers an update on some of the things happening in automotive fluids. You know, vehicles are becoming more sophisticated every day.  Fluids such as, oil, coolant and transmission fluid are becoming more specialized at about the same pace.The Wilmot do-it-yourselfer has to be pretty careful so that they do not actually harm their vehicle with the wrong type of fluid. That is why so many NH ] owners rely on the advice of their friendly and knowledgeable Walker Automotive service advisor to not only get the correct family of fluids, but to suggest the formulation that is best for their vehicle and their driving habits in the Wilmot area.Let's start with engine oil. Wilmot drivers who have been paying attention will have noticed a number of new oil weights on the NH scene in the last several years. Modern engines are built to m ... read more

Here's a travel tip that'll I'll bet you didn't know, and it might keep you safer...The average American commuter in NH spends two and a half hours daily in their vehicle.The government says 100,000 auto accidents yearly are caused by drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. (Aggressive driving is the number one traffic safety concern.)So what does this have to do with how your vehicle smells while you're driving around Wilmot?Well, which scent did you think makes drivers more alert? Is it: A. Strawberry B. New Car C. Pine D. Warm Vanilla Breeze It's C. Drivers are more alert and have less fatigue with pine scent in the vehicle, according to AroMetrics.And, drivers were less angry with overall improved driving performance with strawberry and pine scents.And you thought they just smelled nice. Walker Automotive3 Deerwood DriveWilmot, NH 0328760

When your vehicle breaks down in the Wilmot, NH, area, or just needs some routine service, it can make you a little nervous. Because your vehicle's so important to your life, you need to be back on the road as soon as possible — with the problem fixed right the first time.We've been checking into some of the training our Wilmot, NH, technicians receive, and we're very impressed. It's amazing how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern vehicle. So it's not like when your uncle worked on his hot rod over the weekend.Today there are four-cylinder engines around Wilmot that make more power than the V-8's in luxury cars did 20 years ago. A new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket's Ferrari in a race to 60 mph/97 kph.Our engines are more and more powerful. And they're so reliable. This is all due to engineering. But the benefits come to Wilmot drivers at the price of simplicity. Modern cars are so much more complex from a mechanica ... read more

Hello, welcome to Walker Automotive. Today's focus is batteries. It seems like everything in Wilmot runs on batteries. Of course, the batteries we're most concerned with here at Walker Automotive are those in our customer's vehicles. Just like the batteries in our smoke detectors or TV remote, they wear out and need to be replaced . This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold vehicle engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live in NH, specifically how cold it is. (Many Wilmot drivers have first-hand experience trying to start their car on a cold winter morning.) The two factors are that the colder your vehicle's engine is, the more power it takes to turn the engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with.The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient when the temperature dips. Let's say it's ... read more

Bad air quality while you're driving around Wilmot is nothing to sneeze at. But seriously, more and more vehicles these days come equipped with a cabin air filter. Since they're fairly new on the scene, a lot of folks don't know about them yet.These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment, or cabin, of your car or truck. They do the same job as the furnace filter you have at home. They can filter out particles as small as three microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns.So your cabin air filter can clean out dust, pollution, pollen and spores to keep the air in your car nice and clean. And just like your furnace filter, they need to be replaced when they get dirty. Check your owner's manual or ask your service advisor at Walker Automotive, but they typically need to be replaced at around 12,000 to 15,000 miles (19,000-24,000 kilometers).The filter is usually either under the hood or under the dashboard. Some are a little tricky to get to, so you'll ... read more

In our auto video today we'll be talking with Alan Peterson about myths surrounding automotive maintenance. You can lump these myths into the statement that "modern vehicles are so reliable, they are virtually maintenance free."Any good myth has some elements of truth. No offense to Wilmot Bigfoot fans, but this maintenance-free myth has more evidence than most. If we look at some isolated areas of auto maintenance, we could conclude that maintenance isn't so important. But other areas would just as easily lead you to believe that maintenance is more important than ever.Here are some examples for our friends in Wilmot. Some vehicles in Wilmot no longer require chassis lubrication. They're made with self-lubricating materials and have sealed joints. There's literally no way to grease those joints. -Chalk one up for the myth.On the other side, some vehicles come with sophisticated variable valve timing. A lot of complicated parts are up in the valv ... read more

All NH pilots have checklists for every aspect of flying. They always use their checklists even if they only have two steps on them. They do this simply because a checklist is a great way to not forget steps. It is also how they can assure a predictable outcome. That is why Wilmot automotive service centers including Walker Automotive have procedural standards for each service they perform. Walker Automotive technicians are trained step by step. And they perform the procedures step by step, the same way each time. By training to procedural standards, NH service centers can assure a quality outcome. The job is done right every time and Wilmot customers leave happy with how their vehicle performs. Each company trains its technicians to standards. The NH automotive industry as a whole is very committed to standards of excellence and encourages individual NH service center operators to apply them to every vehicle they service. An example is how Walker Automot ... read more

Air quality has certainly become a hot issue in our modern world. We install air filters on our ventilation systems and in our vacuum cleaners. There's a filter that cleans the air going into our vehicle's engine — so why not one for the air in the passenger compartment?Foreign and domestic vehicle manufacturers haven't been ignoring the issue. Cabin air filters are becoming a standard feature on newer vehicles. These filters can clean particles out of the air down to three microns, which accounts for pollen, dust and most pollutants. Wilmot residents who suffer from allergies or have a respiratory disorder should be a lot more comfortable. And even if you don't have a medical need for the filter, the cleaner air in your car just might help you breathe better, figuratively as well as literally.Cabin air filters are still fairly new in the Wilmot area, so you'll have to check your vehicle owner's manual to see if you have one. If ... read more

The simple fact is that 70% of car batteries fail within 4 years. They just need to be replaced at Walker Automotive when they are no longer able to hold a full charge.Batteries are a big ticket item for most Wilmot drivers and it’s tempting to put off buying a new one as long as possible. But a battery that cannot hold a full charge requires the alternator to work extra hard, causing it to wear out prematurely.Your Walker Automotive service advisor can test your battery to see if it should be replaced. Testing is a good idea for NH drivers because a battery might still be good, but become dead because of a bad alternator or even a worn serpentine belt and tensioner. Walker Automotive3 Deerwood DriveWilmot, NH 03287603.526.4848