NEEDS SOME BODY WORK ... SO DOES THE CAR! Tips to avoid unexpected car trouble e Be sure your ýcooling systerm is morning, when they are cool. outiets. in good condition. You may have e How's your oil? Oul is flot only e Pay special attention to your bat- made it this far, but the advent of a lubricant, it is a coolant as well. tery. Be sure it is properly filled, fully weather changes could bring about And dlean, well-filtered ojl will help charged. Don't cut your battery's per- failure of a hose, belt or other com- your engine survive the heat. formance. ponients. How long has it been since e Check your transmission. This is e If you drive a late model car you checked your anti-freeze /cool- especially vital if youware towing a ant ? trailer. Most automatic transmissions equipped with a catalytic converter in a How about the condition of your share their cooling system with the the exhaust system, avoid parking on tires? Heavy loads at high speeds is engine. If you are towing a trailer, a(drich a e quTe o neree hard on tires. To avoid failure make you should consider adding a trans- normalconios can b tehtuldr up sure they have plenty of tread and are mission cooler, an inexpensiv~e device noum aotost tagron ire. properly inflated. Check them in the vou can have installed at most service Proper inflation ensures tire protection "lime lire on the lefi (photo below) Ig miore thon 49 percent underlinflaied. As a resthi Il willItu" bolier, Wear rsster snd/or tincvenly, (Idvcrgely af- fect vellic inîndhlingsitid iay rail in service, 'l'ie gnideCwOl bulge which 19 charâcleristileof radiaîl tires rtnkeg ih virtually inîpognibte 10 vistiullty defer- mine if a tire Ig properly lilsted as shown iii this exallple. The "right isîmoutt" of air is the numbcr of pounds per square inch (psi) specified by the vehicle nmanu- facturer for the front and rear tires on your particular model car. (Sorne- timnes différent inflation pressures are specified for front and rear tires.) You can find correct .air pressure informa- tion on the tire placard, or sticker, on the vehicle. It is pernianent1l' aff îxed to the glove compartment door, on the e nd of a car door, or on the doorjarnb surface. 18 PSI 35 PSI If*s important to rememnber that while the tread surface of the tire makes contact with the surface of the road, your car is.really being sup- ported by the air inside the body of the tire. If you fail to kecp thie proper amount of air in thcmn, you're likely to encounter'problemns. To kccp tires properly inflated, you necd your own tire pressure gauge. Accurate, hand-held pressure gauges are available at a rnodest cost at most lire dcalerships, auto supply stores or discount cenlers. Note that air towers nt service stations are oftcn inaccurate due to exposure or abuse. According to BFGoodrich, your tires should bc çhccked for proper in- flation ut least once a month and be- fore every long trip. Trires should be checked when they are cold, ideally before the vehicle is moved. Driving the car for even a short distance will create heat build- up and cause air pressure to increase. Again, check air pressure before the car is driven and note the amount of underinlation for each tire. Then add that arnount. of air when you reach a nearby service station, using your own gauge as a chcck. CoId pressure cannet be deterrnined from a hot tire. Ancl don't forget to check your spare tire! Neyer "bleed" or reduce air pres- sure when tires are hot. When tires heat up from driving, it is normal for pressures to increase above recoin- mendedcold levels. If you let air out of a hot tire, it will be underinflated when it cools down. Iniproper inflation is not only a safety concern, but an economie con- cern as weIl. Underinflation crates excessive heat, seriously reduces tire liUe and can cause tire failure. Tires opçrated in this condition generate more heat, increasing the chance fo r tire separations. A littie attention can prevent a lot of trouble. 2r