Yearly Archives: 2017

Gear Up: Transmission Service at Walker Automotive in Wilmot

The transmission system in your vehicle allows you to change gears. Lower gears are power gears. They get your vehicle moving and get it up hills. Higher gears get the vehicle up to speed and get it rolling faster. If you have a standard transmission, then you have to do the work of shifting gears yourself. But with an automatic transmission, the vehicle shifts gears on its own. It automatically starts out in low gear and automatically shifts to high gears as it gets rolling. Again, it will automatically shift to a lower gear to climb hills or when you need a burst of speed.How does it know when to change gears? Today's automatic transmissions are computer-controlled. The computer gathers information about what the vehicle is doing and changes the gears as needed.Automatic transmissions are becoming more sophisticated all the time. More gears, or “speeds,” are being added. Almost all vehicles have at least four speeds. Five or six is common. Some are even increasing to sev ... read more

Categories:

Air Conditioning

Automotive Detective Work in Wilmot

There's a reason we use the word “diagnose” when we talk about fixing cars in Wilmot. Figuring out what's wrong with your vehicle has a lot of similarities to figuring out what's wrong with someone who is ill. Vehicles are a mass of complex systems that can produce a variety of symptoms when something goes wrong. As with human diagnoses, a specific symptom may be indicative of a number of problems, and figuring out the specific cause takes training and experience.Sometimes the diagnosis of your vehicle's trouble comes down to a matter of trial-and-error. This can be frustrating for Wilmot drivers because time and money are on the line. You may feel you should only be paying for repair work. Of course, you only want to pay for the right repair – and a proper diagnosis is part of getting it right. Like at the doctor's office — some of what you pay for is the doctor's time and effort to figure out w ... read more

Categories:

Air Conditioning

Have You Checked Your Headlights?

Like everything in the NH automotive market, there have been great strides in headlight technology in recent years. NH drivers can be safer at night because of it. Good headlights improve visibility on Wilmot roads, enabling you to see farther. They also improve your peripheral vision, helping you to see the sides more clearly. The more you can see, the more quickly you can react to road conditions. This is because nearly half of traffic fatalities take place at night. And as Wilmot resident population ages, everything that helps older eyes is welcome.Most new vehicles sold in NH come with halogen headlamps. A decade ago, halogens were exotic and expensive. Now that they are standard equipment, the price has come way down. Many luxury cars are equipped with high intensity discharge, or HID, headlamps. You have probably seen them on some Wilmot roads; they're very bright and have a bluish tint.From behind the wheel, there is no doubt that HID headlamps are the ... read more

Categories:

Air Conditioning

Tracking True in Wilmot: Wheel Alignment

At Walker Automotive, we occasionally see severe tire damage that could have been prevented with proper wheel alignment. During a Walker Automotive alignment service, your vehicle is put on an alignment rack where the tires,steering and suspensionparts are inspected for problems. Then the alignment is charted and checked against the vehicle factory settings. Adjustments are made to bring the wheels back into alignment. This gets all four wheels moving in precisely the same direction.If you don't remember hitting a pothole, how do you know if your wheels are out? The most obvious sign is that your vehicle pulls to one side. Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you're going straight. If you're in the habit of checking your tire wear regularly, you may notice the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down. You should have your Wilmot auto service center look it over. Of course, if you've been in an accident, you s ... read more

Categories:

Alignment

The Harm in Skipping an Oil Change for Wilmot Drivers

People in Wilmot have been hearing a lot about higher oil change intervals these days. Maybe you're wondering: What are the key issues?Some new vehicle manufacturers are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles (8,000 km to 13,000 km) or more. This practice came under scrutiny when four of the largest new vehicle manufacturers announced that owners like those in Wilmot were experiencing engine damage resulting from these higher oil change intervals.The manufacturers' standard oil drain service for particular vehicles was scheduled at around 7,500 miles/12,000 km. People following these recommendations were experiencing engine damage. It turns out that oil sludge was building up. This caused small oil passages to clog and engine parts to fail.What causes oil sludge? It's a factor of time and mileage. There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off that leads to sludge. Also ... read more

Categories:

Air Conditioning

Braking News: Keep Your Stopping Power

Richard Petty once told AutoNetTV, “You've gotta have good brakes. If you've got good brakes you can keep yourself out of a lotta trouble.”That's why a regular brake inspection is on every Wilmot driver's maintenance schedule. An inspection by your service advisor at Walker Automotive will check your brake system and let you know if there are any problems.Of course, if you're having trouble with your brakes, get your car into Walker Automotive in Wilmot right away. Here are some symptoms for Wilmot drivers to watch for: Low or spongy brake pedal Hard brake pedal A brake warning light that stays on Constantly squealing or grinding brakes Vibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakes If you are experiencing any of these, it's time to get your brakes checked. Talk to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Walker Automotive .There are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that's attached to the axle. Cali ... read more

Categories:

Air Conditioning
Walker Automotive - New Hampshire is committed to ensuring effective communication and digital accessibility to all users. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone, and apply the relevant accessibility standards to achieve these goals. We welcome your feedback. Please call Walker Automotive - New Hampshire (603) 526-4848 if you have any issues in accessing any area of our website.