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Have you ever gone to Denver to listen to an orchestra? The musicians take the stage early and tune their instruments. Each individual instrument must be in tune, but the critical thing is for the entire orchestra to be in tune with each other. That’s why they tune up together.
 Now this is no surprise; I’m going to relate the orchestra to your car. Your engine has many component systems that each need to be working properly. And the components need to be working in sync, all timed up together in order for the engine to work efficiently.
We call this, (ta-da) a tune-up. When an orchestra’s out of tune you get a bad concert. When your vehicle’s out of tune you get bad performance and bad fuel economy.
So check your owner’s manual for recommended tune-up intervals. Or ask your Greenwood Village service advisor at Davis Repair what he thinks.
…Just be careful not to say you want to make beautiful music together – that kinda makes us uncomfortable.
One topic that hits the news in Greenwood Village on a regular basis is the price of gas. The answer for some people in Greenwood Village is to buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. For the rest of use, we need to improve our fuel economy anyway we can.
Following recommended service intervals by coming into Davis Repair is one of the best ways to keep your car running efficiently. That means better fuel economy. When you give it some thought, it only makes sense. Dirty oil or transmission fluid can’t lubricate or clean. That means more drag which reduces fuel economy.
Keeping up with scheduled oil changes and transmission services will save gas.
Dirty engine air filters are another efficiency pirate. They rob your engine of enough air to effectively burn the fuel, so you need more gas to get the job done. Replacing a dirty air filter can pay for itself in fuel savings before the next oil change.
You can imagine what dirty fuel injectors can do to your Ford as you drive around Greenwood Village. If your owner’s manual recommends a fuel system cleaning, come into Davis Repair and ask us to get it done for you.
A simple, but very effective way to save gas is to keep your tires properly inflated. Low tires can cost you up to a mile per gallon. Check your tire pressure when you gas up – or at least once a month.
Davis Repair
6867 South Emporia Street
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112
303-790-4789
At Davis Repair we recycle almost everything and pride ourselves on being a green auto service shop. In 2011 we recycled over 10 tons of steel and iron. According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) we conserved 25, 000 pounds of iron ore, 14,000 pounds of coal, and 1,200 pounds of limestone. The energy saved using recycled materials compared with virgin materials is up to 58% for iron and steel. We also recycled aluminum and copper. The energy savings using recycled aluminum is 92% and 90% for copper.
“Scrap metal recycling has an extremely positive impact on our environment,” said Rich White, senior vice president of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry association (AAIA). “It conserves natural resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, saves energy, and minimizes the amount of wasted sent to landfills.”
So what is the most distracting food to have in the car while driving around Greenwood Village?
Is it:
- A Hamburger;
- Coffee;
- A Soft Drink, or
- Gummy Bears?
Well, you may be surprised to learn that all but the gummy bears are in the top ten most distracting foods when you are driving, but if you chose ‘coffee’, then give yourself an extra two points; coffee is the number one food distraction for drivers in Greenwood Village and around the country.
Food distractions cause 25 percent of all car accidents; over a million and a half each year!
You’ll notice that all of the top ten distracting food items are messy. Messy foods are the type of food you might spill (very distracting!), then try to clean up (a safe-driving impossibility!). If you gotta eat on the run, take five-then drive. You’ll thank yourself later for two reasons, one being that you can actually relax for just a moment in our fast-paced world, and the other is that you won’t have to worry about getting that cinnamon roll frosting out of your dashboard after that near miss.
Keep drinks in spill-proof containers, too, so you can keep your eyes on the Greenwood Village road without worrying about where that spill is headed.
So; taking a food break… Or filling out accident reports. We don’t have to ask you which you prefer: It’s a no brainer.
Davis Repair, along with AutoNetTV, wants you to keep both eyes on the road. Please eat safely and keep your eyes on the road.
Davis Repair
6867 South Emporia Street
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112
Give us a call at: 303-790-4789
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 Colorado spends two and a half hours daily in their car.
The government says a hundred thousand 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 car smells while you’re driving around Colorado?
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 car, 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.
Davis Repair
6867 South Emporia Street
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112
303-790-4789
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In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your Ford engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected car driving down Centennial, Aurora, and Littleton roads.
 Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the Denver auto industry as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine.
A few auto makers have recently introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines. They are now available at some Denver dealerships. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure – many times the pressure of port injection systems.
Although more complicated, direct injection technology promises greater power with improved fuel economy for gas-poor Centennial, Aurora, and Littleton commuters. Colorado motorists can expect to see more of it in the future.
High temperatures under your Ford hood and variations in Denver gas quality cause fuel injectors to be fouled with wax, dirt, water, additives and carbon. Injectors can become partially clogged, preventing them from delivering the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure.
When injectors are dirty, the fuel doesn’t burn as efficiently resulting in poor fuel economy and loss of power. So it’s important for Greenwood Village drivers keep their fuel injectors clean.
Your Greenwood Village Davis Repair service center can perform a fuel system service for you in which the fuel injectors are cleaned so that they operate properly and deliver the right amount of fuel at the right time.
Proper maintenance of your Ford fuel system means that you will spend less on gas, enjoy strong performance and prevent costly Denver repair bills down the road.
You may have found yourself in the following situation: You go to get your oil changed and the service adviser at Davis Repair recommends you get a new engine air filter. You say yes, but because you didn’t know what an air filter is or what it does, but you were too embarrassed to ask.
First of all, you did the right thing by getting a new one. And, you should never be too embarrassed to ask for more information from any of our Davis Repair staff. It’s your money and you have a right to understand what you’re paying for.
Let’s review what an air filter does:
Air is the focus of this discussion. What is the air like outside in Greenwood Village right now? Can you see any smog? Is it full of pollen? How about dust? Anyone in Colorado with hay fever can tell you that there’s plenty in the air that you can’t see. Well, it’s the engine air filter’s job to clean that air before it goes into your engine, to mix with the fuel and be burned. Without an engine air filter, the inside of your engine would be extremely dirty from all the gunk that was burned in the cylinders.
Davis Repair
6867 South Emporia Street
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112
303-790-4789
In fact, for every gallon of gas you burn, your engine needs 12,000 gallons of air. That little filter does a very big job. It’s no wonder that the air filter gets dirty and needs to be replaced. Think about a vacuum cleaner. When the bag gets full of dust and dirt, the vacuum doesn’t clean as well. It can’t move enough air to create good suction. A clogged engine air filter is the same way – the engine can’t get enough air to burn the fuel efficiently. That means less power and wasted gas.
That’s why your manufacturer has recommended that you change your filter at regular intervals. Of course the conditions you drive in will affect how quickly the filter gets dirty. If you drive where it’s very dusty or where there’s lots of pollen or pollution, you may need to change the filter sooner. The filter is easy to check visually, so your service technician can quickly make the call. He might recommend immediate replacement, or simply let you know that it is getting close and that you’ll need to replace it soon – like at your next oil change.
Because a severely dirty air filter hurts your fuel economy, many people find that a new air filter pays for itself in gas savings before the next oil change. They also make premium air filters that have been proven to increase your horsepower and torque. If more power is important to you, a high performance air filter is some of the cheapest horsepower you can buy.
The better your car breathes, the better it runs – kind of like people. And don’t worry – if you have a question or don’t understand a recommendation just ask.
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Wheel alignment is often overlooked by busy Aurora and Littleton car owners until serious tire damage has been done. One wheel can be knocked out of alignment from the rest by hitting a curb or pothole on Denver roads.
When a vehicle’s out of alignment, one or more of the wheels does not track true and pulls against the others. The tires will wear out very quickly and will need to be replaced prematurely. It could also lead to Ford suspension damage.
But the big issue for Aurora, Littleton, and Greenwood Village motorists is safety. When your Ford wheels are out of alignment, the vehicle will pull to one side, which could lead to an accident. When you’re out of alignment, you should have it taken care of right away at Davis Repair in Greenwood Village.
At Davis Repair, your vehicle is put on an alignment rack where the tires, steering and suspension parts are checked for damage. Then the alignment is charted and checked against the factory settings.
Adjustments are made to bring the wheels back into alignment. This gets all four wheels going in precisely the same direction.
Signs of alignment problems are: Your car pulls to one side. Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you’re going straight. If you see the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down, you should have your Denver service center look it over. If you’ve been in an auto accident in Colorado that involved a wheel, you should get your alignment checked.
A big jolt can seriously knock things out of alignment, but Aurora drivers also need to understand that a series of smaller ones can add up.
That’s why your manufacturer recommends periodic alignment checks. If your Ford owner’s manual doesn’t specify, once a year might be appropriate. Or check with Larry Brown or your service advisor at Davis Repair in Greenwood Village.
One thing’s for sure: the cost of the alignment at Davis Repair is cheaper than having to buy a couple of new tires because of neglect.
For advice on how to make your Ford last longer, visit us at Davis Repair
6867 South Emporia Street
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112
303-790-4789
These days many people in the Denver area are really committed to making their cars last a long time. First thing: you’ve got to start with what you’ve got. It’d be ideal if people started with a brand new car, never missed a scheduled service item, paid attention to the severe service maintenance schedule and had regular inspections. But if you’ve had the vehicle for a while, or bought it used, its maintenance history is what it is; and that’s where you start.
Go through the maintenance schedule for your Ford and see what’s been done and when. Have your Greenwood Village service advisor at Davis Repair do an inspection and come up with a list of stuff that needs to be done. Review the list and prioritize the work, talk about budget and make a plan to get caught up.
Making a plan is so important. Suppose you go in for an oil change and learn you need your cooling system serviced, a transmission service and are coming up on a timing belt replacement in the next 5,000 miles. You might be pretty overwhelmed.
To make it even more stressful, these are all very important systems that are expensive to repair if there’s a failure. In consultation with your Greenwood Village service advisor, you might decide to take care of the transmission on this visit, set an appointment for the cooling system service next month and get an estimate for the timing belt replacement so you’ll be prepared for it in a few months.
Having a plan for taking care of these important services will set your mind at ease.
The hottest Greenwood Village news story may be different everyday, but there’s one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas in Greenwood Village. But we’ve found several basic things that any Greenwood Village vehicle owner can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the Denver environment. You can really impact your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here’s a review of things you can do for your car that’ll save gas no matter how you drive.
The first one is keeping your tires properly inflated. That can save two miles per gallon. Driving on low tires is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder. Most Greenwood Village service centers will fill up your tires for free, so just ask your service advisor. Also, make a habit of checking your tire pressure whenever you get gas in your car. Many Greenwood Village gas stations have an air hose you can use for free.
Another important item is to keep your air filter clean. An air filter all clogged up with dirt and bugs doesn’t let enough clean air through to efficiently burn fuel. Using a dirty air filter will cost you almost two miles per gallon in reduced fuel efficiency. And worn spark plugs can cost another two. A spark plug can fire as many as 3,000,000 times for every thousand miles driven. Check the owner’s manual for replacement recommendations.
The biggest item is the oxygen sensor. This device provides the engine management computer with information it needs to fine-tune the fuel/air mix. When that’s messed up it can cost up to three miles per gallon. And of course, there’s dirty or substandard oil. Dirty oil causes extra drag. The wrong grade may be too thick. That’s another .4 miles per gallon right there.
One item Greenwood Village residents seldom think about is their gas cap. A worn, loose or missing gas cap can cost another two miles per gallon. Adding up all of these worn, missing or sub-par items leads to a total of almost 11.4 miles per gallon in reduced fuel efficiency! And with current gas prices in the Greenwood Village area, the cost really adds up. Taking care of these simple maintenance items will save big bucks at the pump.
Now most people aren’t missing on all of these items, but think about which ones might affect you right now! And don’t forget tune-ups, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, fuel system cleaning, wheels out of alignment, PCV valve, fuel filter and other key services spelled out in your owners’ manual.
Davis Repair knows all this stuff and can tell you when you’re scheduled to take care of each item. Create a system of your own to track your service schedules, or just use the computer system at Davis Repair – which may also be updated with recall notices and maintenance schedule items from your manufacturer.
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