Tag: winter tires

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Pre-winter Car Maintenance

This time of the year the days are getting shorter and the weather getting cooler. Most people start doing their pre-winter automobile maintenance, other than regular timely oil changes. If you drive in winter, you should have your winter tires ready for the oncoming season.

You should have your vehicle inspected before the snow starts to fall.

Don’t Hesitate – Prepare Your Car for Winter

Randomly we will find some surprises like a somewhat worn tire which looks just fine from the outside but it may hide a serious belt separation at the inside.

Like the BMW tire on the picture which was at the right front, unfortunately it was destroyed, because worn bushings and misalignment. The owner said he was driving it at 130 kph and felt OK. This could end up in a crash or cause a serious mishap while endangering others.

worn tiresTypes Of Services Offered by Techmax Auto

Tire safety and vehicle safety is your responsibility and is a serious matter, which should not be taken lightly. Always regularly check for excessive tire and suspension wear and correct it in a timely manner. It will save your tires, fuel and excessive wear and tear in the long term. There is no magic to having a safe vehicle, it should be second nature.

Whenever we do regular maintenance on any car, we do provide a visual comprehensive inspection on the car, with you as a car owner / driver safety in the forefront to get you to your destination.

Get Ready for Winter Driving Again

Don’t forget to clean your windshield drains from leafs this time of the year, or your electronics may go for a “swim” ! See pictures for partially clogged drains on a 3 series BMW.

Click on the thumbnail to view bigger photo.

Do you have any questions, how may we help? Give us a call to:
(1) 905.795.0419.

 

Related:

Time to think about winter driving again

Get Your BMW and Mercedes Benz Winter Ready

Mini Cooper pre winter check

More information on our  winter service.

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The Dangers of Worn Tires

Every year we go through the change of the seasons, none of them more dramatic than fall to winter. There are a number of things to do, perhaps nothing more urgent than replacing your worn tires, weak battery and last but not least your wiper blades with some quality components.

The Dangers of Worn Tires

Driving around on all season or worn winter tires at winter time has their consequences. In slippery snow or on an icy road the choices you make, might have more expensive, longer lasting and yes, sometimes fatal consequences.

I made the next pictures, after the recent snowstorm a few days ago where the driver tried to get around on worn tires, probably also going too fast as well.

Click on any of the next images to view in bigger.

worn all season tireDrive on worn all-season tire at winter time is suicide.

If you thought you can “fly” around town with worn out “all season ” tires here is the result of that. Pretty much a disaster so to say. The entire right front suspension is torn apart.

New Budget Winter Tires

The cost of a set, new budget winter tires are $800.00,  the cost of destroying this car, which was a perfectly functioning car about $8 thousand. This car is a total write off, meaning the repair would exceed the value of the vehicle.  I think it’s not hard to decide which one makes more sense.

Broken Suspension AssemblyBroken suspension assembly from the same car as above.

On the photo at left is a broken suspension assembly, due to going way too fast and running over the curb which broke the suspension assembly entirely.

Worn winter tires are dangerous, worn all-season tires are lethal, when your car become a nearly 2 ton unwilling projectile in foul weather. So make wise choices your decisions will have long-lasting effects in either direction. Here are some more pictures to show you the effects of a wrong decision.

Click on any of the next images to view in bigger

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Battery Maintenance

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Time to Think About Winter Tires Again

When it comes to winter tires they are more less all black and round…

Click on any of the next image to view bigger.

Car dore handleFrozen Door Knob

When your car’s temperature gauge shows  -12C outside, like at above, and your door’s knob looks deeply frozen, like the one at left, than just like in footwear you have to switch from flip flops to winter shoes, just makes sense.

When it comes to winter tires they are more less all black and round; So which will suit you your car and your driving habits the best?

Always pay close attention to  the details…

Well, you need someone with decades of driving experience, who tried all and can provide you with an unbiased opinion.  Always pay close attention to  the details and the manufacturers recommend load and speed rating.   Alloys must be EH2 approved to support run flat specific tires.

The rubber compound on winter tires is designed to stay soft and provide more grip in freezing temperatures.

tire groovesWinter Tire Grooves

The grooves and channels on winter tires are designed to push water out of the way to help stop you from hydroplaning. They keep your vehicle stable, and help you to stay in control.

One more thing, don’t forget to check your car’s battery and the wiper blades.

Ask us about our heated  tire’s storage. For more information please visit us on facebook.

Give us a call to: (1) 905.795.0419.

Related:

All weather all-season or winter tire?

BMW 328-I Cooling System Failure

 

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Winter Tire Replacement

When you are in the rush to get your wheels replaced in a hurry, and if you go to the wrong place, you may end up with all sorts of problems just like on the picture.

Mcguard anti theft wheel lock

A gentleman wanted to have his car tires replaced in a hurry and took it to a tire shop.  Unfortunately he’s Mcguard anti theft wheel locks stripped by using the air gun to remove it. So the person trying to remove it, figured let’s hammer a long socket on to dislodge the stuck wheel lock.

Well as the picture can attest to it, that didn’t work out as intended. Indeed, the cheap Chinese socket shattered and got jammed between the alloy rim and the wheel lock bolt still remaining on the wheel.

Click on the image to view it bigger.

anti theft wheel lock

Looking at it, he probably tried to extract it but now the long socket firmly jammed on and dug into the alloy rim as well.

So what does he do? Instead of coming up with a solution, he decided to park the car outside and release the vehicle. Keep in mind this late in the day, so by the client went to pick his car up, it was pitch dark, so he was not aware of the problem.

Completely unacceptable to release a vehicle with this socket protruding out of the whee!

Long behold owner drove home, and next day this problem ended up with us to be resolved. Needless to say this is completely unacceptable to release a vehicle with this socket protruding out of the wheel and spinning at high speed which could literally kill someone if it would have dislodged by the rotating bouncing wheel on the road.

Buyers beware, in your rush and effort trying to get the cheapest alternative, you may end up with something like this. Bargain hunting on essential safety items has its consequences. You get what you pay for. This is a perfect example for having unqualified persons working on your car to cut cost.

Bargain hunting on essential safety items has its consequences.

Naturally we took care of this problem.  I had to weld the socket together while it was stuck on the bolt and weld a nut to it and applied a puller to extract it.

We understand, everyone wants to get their car taken care of as fast as they can especially in the winter.

I share this with you so others learn from this drivers experience. Any questions, how may we help? Give us a call to: (1) 905.795.0419.

Related:

Winter Tires for European Import Cars

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Our Winter Driving Tips

Winter might be taking a nap, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to come. It’s coming whether we like it or not! Winter is the toughest season you and your car can face. We can prepare your vehicle for the ice, snow and freezing temperatures.

Winter Tires

All four wheels need them regardless of whether it’s a front-wheel, rear-wheel, all-wheel, or four-wheel-drive. All-season tires are not winter tires. Winter tires reduce the number of collisions by almost 20 per cent. Enough said.

Winter or summer, your car tires are the only point of contact that your vehicle has with the road, they need to be in good condition at all times to ensure your safety. Inspect your tires regularly for wear and any damage to avoid any sudden problems. Check your tire pressure monthly and before every long trip.

Driving with incorrect tire pressure can affect your car’s handling and braking, particularly in wet conditions, and can seriously compromise your safety. Driving on severely under inflated tires can cause heat build up and eventually a premature tire failure. Read more about winter tires…

Brake

You car brake system should be in top working condition at all times. Have your brakes checked by a professional regularly? Your and others life depend on it.  At winter time is more important than ever, in the case of slippery conditions like icy snow covered roads, the effectiveness of your traction control and ABS system depends on the quality of your braking system. Have it inspected and tested by a professional for ultimate safety in any weather and or road conditions. Bring your car in  for ABS and brake system service.

Battery Test

If your car is five years old or older have your battery tested for strength and performance to prevent possible no start condition in foul weather. It might not necessarily need a new battery, but having it tested can save a lot of headache.  To prevent breakdown and keep you on the road safely, we use Midtronincs GR8-1200 Electrical System Tester – Analyzer to check, test your battery and your automobile electrical system. Read more about battery testing…

Fluids

While the use of long-life engine coolant has increased, it still should be checked for strength and condition every fall.

Washer fluid level is an easy check and a spare bottle should be in your trunk all year long and especially in the winter.

The engine oil in your car has to go thru temperature extremes. Therefore it’s very important to have your engines lifeline the engine oil up to the highest possible standards, by performing your oil service on time, especially on today’s modern high tech engines, during winter operation thanks to fuel contamination from cold starts and water contamination from condensation. If you getting close to oil change, start off the season right with a fresh oil and filter change. While we perform your oil change we also check your brakes, tires and most fluid levels for your added safety.

Our Cooling System Service

Oil – Lube – Filter – Service

Wiper Blades

Windshield wipers consumable items. Doesn’t matter what brand name they are, they due for replacement at around 18 months of use or sooner. Most wiper blades can freeze, even dedicated winter wiper blades can get stuck to the windshield in extreme conditions.

When we inspect your car’s wiper blade, we lubricate the hinges to prevent water and ice formation at the base.

Locks & Doors

Before the Canadian deep freeze hits, we lubricate door locks, latches, and hinges and treat the door and window seals. We use silicone lubricating compound (Made in Germany). By spraying the door and window weather seals, they will be less likely to freeze you out on a cold winter morning.

Floor Mats

Never stack floor mats on top of one another or use a mat that’s too thick. The risk of jamming your accelerator pedal to the floor is real and the results can be catastrophic. Winter floor mats are great for reducing salt stains on the carpeting.

You should remove mats from time to time throughout the winter to dry them out indoors. Moisture on floor mats is the cause of hard frost appearing on the inside of windshields and door glasses.

Full  Tank of Gas

Drive with full tank of gas at winter is a good idea. Never know when you stuck in the snow, so you can keep your car and yourself warm if you have enough gas in your gas tank.

Some people put something heavy, like a 50 kg concrete block in their car’s trunk to get better traction, but if you get in a collision, consider the damage a 50 kg piece of concrete will do. The best weight to carry to improve traction is fuel in the gas tank. This brings the mass lower to the ground for improved stability and reduces the effect of winter water contamination in the tank.

But if you still want to put something heavy in your car trunk put there a bag of Kitty litter? Yes, kitty litter!

It can help provide better traction for rear wheel drive vehicles, because of the weight, and if you get stuck in the snow a little bit of kitty litter sprinkled under the tires can help you get traction and out of the snow.

We wish you happy winter driving!

Don’t hesitate to contact us. Our phone number is:  905.795.0419

 

Related:

Winter Service

 

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Pre Winter Vehicle Maintenance

We are slowly drifting into fall which brings us closer to winter weather sooner or later.

This is the time to get our cars ready, possibly doing some standard maintenance like oil and filter change. It should be part of an annual maintenance strategy, clogged, saturated filters will effect, hinder engine performance and could cause hard start rough running at times and increased gas mileage as well.

engine analysis Computer aided engine analysis

Make sure the brakes are in great shape. Often overlooked the fact that the traction or stability control system uses the brakes to be able to bring a slipping sliding car under control.

The cooling system should be also inspected for proper freeze point and the quality of the coolant. The system should be also pressure tested to ensure reliable heating and cooling when required. The system pressure is 29.4 psi or 2 bar in most BMW, Mercedes Benz and Porsche automobiles. The cooling heating system level and performance is essential for proper operation especially in or before winter.

Does the heating system, thermostat works well? What about the condition of drive belts, clamps, and hoses? Are they ready for our Canadian winter?

battery testerBattery test’s print out at left.

The battery; Have your car battery checked lately? The battery should be also inspected and tested for reliable starting and idling.

Battery performance suffer with age and in cold temperatures, so system performance including the charging system should be checked out as well, by our state of the art starting- charging and battery system analyzer.

Our heavy duty charging and battery – electrical system tester analyzer also records the alternator performance for maximum reliability, with an actual system performance print out  as a proof of entire system test.

This complete electrical system performance test result essentially provides  a peace of mind in the winter.

The last but not list your car’s tires. New or fresh all season tires are a bare minimum for foul weather, winter tires are the perfect solution which should be the natural choice for this part of the world.

We are happy to help to get your BMW, Mercedes or Porsche prepared for the coming season and wish you safe motoring in the winter weather.

Call us for more details. Telephone: 905.795.0419.

Related:

Battery  and electrical system service

Cooling system service

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Manufacturer Endorsed Tires

The season for tire change is fast approaching as spring comes closing up.  The winter tires will need to be removed and summer or alternatively all season tires needs to be installed.

This may mean for some of us new tires needs to be purchased and fitted for the season.

BMW run fllat tire

Run Flat Tire

Choosing the right tire for the car is one of the most important purchase you will ever make. There is a new phenomenon which is manufacturer endorsed tires, this is a relatively new thing and mostly European manufacturers started doing it.

The question remains, could you or should you use manufacturer endorsed tires only on your BMW or Mercedes? The short answer is no, the manufacturer endorsed tires are a safe bet if you want to follow their guide lines but logic says it is physically impossible to test every single tire on every model on every make, so for the very reason I recommend to consult a licensed experienced technician with decades of tire know how to select the best tire for your fine automobile.

You should never base your tire purchase on price or impulse only.  Be cautious with large chains whom only have a wasted interest to move their stock tires and operate at volume sales at very thin margins.

The rule of thumb as always, you get what you pay for.  Same goes for advice, online information also should be treated with caution since most people rating tires are by no means experts on the field of tire evaluation.

We hope this will help to have a more informed choice.  Please visit  or call us for further details. Telephone: 905.795.0419.

We wish you all the best at Techmax Auto.

Related:

The advantage and disadvantage of run-flat tires

Our brand name tires comparison

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Winter Driving

We are going to deal with a seasonal weather change soon, which will require some serious adjustment in driving dynamics and economics.

Yes, you guessed it right, we are talking about winter driving and cold frozen roads occasionally snow or ice covered by sudden weather conditions. We highly recommend to properly prepare your BMW, Mercedes and Porsche for this season, which should include of checking the tires and replacing them with appropriate winter tires.

Furthermore you should get your import automobile’s cooling system check out for any leaks or defective worn hoses. It’s extremely inconvenient to break down in the middle of a snow storm or in any winter conditions. It is always inconvenient to break down needless to say in winter, perhaps it is possibly the worst for obvious reasons.

We also recommend to check your car’s service records for the age of your vehicles coolant, suffice to say it should be replaced in or after five years. Chemical degradation is inevitable in a closed high temperature mobile system with multiple dissimilar metals and components.

We recommend a cooling system service which is rather inexpensive in every five years to keep your heating and cooling system in top shape.

The vehicles braking system should be also inspected closely (it’s a perfect time when you switch to winter tires) most folks don’t realize your traction or stability control works by applying your brakes at an accelerated rate to help you keep your vehicle under control. We naturally recommend a complete per-seasonal inspection and last but not least checking and – or replacing your car’s wiper blades, if needed for a clean clear view.

We wish you safe and comfortable motoring in the coming winter season.

All the best from Techmax Auto.

Related:

All weather, all-season or winter tire?

BMW 328-I Cooling System Failure.

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Great tire debate about winter tires

The great tire debate about winter tires or all weather tires. May be all season tires? How should you choose? They all black and round what’s the difference?

I get this questions quiet often from my clients. What do you think of the Nokian all weather tires? Most people would like to avoid to install winter tires if they could. The Nokian could do the job on my BMW, Mercedes and or Porsche? Theoretically it could (Than it begs the question why did you invest in a high tech high performance car?) practically it will not  suffice, your car’s manufacturer of the above brands spend hundreds of millions of dollars (Euros) to make your car handle behave like intended a performance oriented finely honed machine.

Yokohama iceGuardYokohama iceGuard Winter Tire

Winter Traction: Interlocking and adaptive 3D sipes work in tandem to enhance stability and grip on icy surfaces.

Wet Traction: Dual-action shoulder grooves are straight at the bottom to evacuate water.

Resistance to Wear: A high-density reinforced compound allows for a more stable tread block, providing longer more even wear.

What could be the difference between all weather and winter tires?

The easy way to make a comparison, like your seasonal shoes, you definitely don’t want to wonder outside in flip flops in the snow and ice. How about running shoes? They would be your all weather tire equivalent so this is why we wear winter boots to keep you on your feet securely in any inclement weather.

Your winter tires, like your winter boots are purpose built for the cold slippery road and severe conditions.

We hope this helps to make your tire decision somewhat easier in the coming winter.

Drive safely, think before you drive and have a safe and secure driving winter season from all of us at Techmax, your tire experts.

Related:

More Yokohama Winter Tires related info

Do you really need winter tires? Read More…

Contact us for more at: (1) 905.795.0419

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Our advice for winter driving

The season is upon us again to have our cars in order before the snow flies. The question is what should we do as the mornings are getting colder? How can we keep our cars in great shape as we heading towards to the winter?

How should you prepare a European import car for driving under Canadian winter conditions?

First and foremost have your car checked by a professional?

Yokohama winter tireYokohama Winter Tire

We can advise you what work your car will need in the near future as you can carry on with your daily business without interruptions.

Try to build a relationship with your chosen technician, it should be just as important as is your doctor or dentist and the others whom there to make sure you can carry on with your daily life.

The most important is to check your tires and if you do have winters (need less to say everyone should have them in Ontario) have them inspected, pressures checked and brakes suspension and the heating /cooling system perform at their best.

Remember your car is like a fine orchestra, when all is well and every system performs great the whole thing is a pleasure to live with. It’s a cliche to say, all works like a well oiled machinery when you turn the key comes alive and it’s ready for your command.

We are here to help you, stay on the road, it’s our sole business.

Please keep it safe, drive well, stay in touch with your automobile, know your car.

We at Techmax wish you all the best thru the seasons.

Contact us for more at: (1) 905.795.0419

Related:

Do you really need winter tires?