This is a Nissan Altima from 2019. The host is talking about a battery that died very quickly, and they’re suggesting the car’s charging system and any “battery drain” while parked should be checked.
The charging system is what recharges your battery when the car is running. If it’s not charging properly, a battery can fail much sooner than expected.
The alternator is the part that makes electricity while the engine is running. If it doesn’t charge the battery correctly, the battery can go dead quickly.
Battery drain means something in the car keeps using electricity after you turn it off. If that “something” pulls too much power, the battery can die even if it’s new.
A draw test checks how much electricity your car is still using when it’s turned off. If it’s using too much, that can explain why a battery dies early.
Concept
gas to hybrid to electric
The host is talking about how car powertrains are changing over time: gas cars, then hybrids, and now fully electric cars. That matters because the parts that can fail—and how you test them—are different.
Hybrid batteries are the batteries in a hybrid car that help the gas engine and run the car’s electric parts. The host says they’ve had to replace hybrid batteries, but not yet full EV batteries.
An EV battery is the big battery in an all-electric car that powers the motor. The host is saying they haven’t had to replace many yet because the cars are still newer, but it should happen more as they get older.
Term
10 15 year age range
The host is basically saying that battery problems usually show up more after cars have been on the road for about 10 to 15 years. That’s when more replacements and repairs become likely.
A carburetor is an older way of mixing fuel and air for the engine. Newer cars usually use fuel injection because it can control the mixture more accurately.
Fuel injection is how most modern cars deliver gas to the engine using electronic controls. It helps the car get the right amount of fuel for different driving conditions.
Electronic ignition is the system that controls when the spark plugs spark. It’s more precise than older ignition systems and helps the engine run better.
A master technician is a top-level mechanic certification. It usually means the person has proven they can diagnose and fix complicated issues, and they may need to retest over time.
A tire is made from rubber, and that rubber has a specific recipe. With age and heat, that rubber can get stiff and crack even if the tread still looks okay.
Tires have a stamped number on the sidewall that shows when they were made. It usually includes the week and year, so you can tell if the tire is getting old.
A visual inspection is just looking closely at the car parts to spot obvious problems. It’s often the first step before deciding whether something needs replacement or a closer check.
OEM means the part was made for the car brand to match the car’s original specs. Sometimes OEM is the safest choice, but some aftermarket parts are just as good.
A cabin filter is a small filter inside your car that cleans the air coming into the cabin. When it gets dirty, it can’t filter as well anymore. How often you replace it depends on things like dust and nearby trees.
Cabin filters use pleated media—folded layers that create more surface area to trap particles. The hosts’ point is that while vacuuming or shaking can remove loose debris, particles embedded in the pleats may not come out, which is why replacement is often the better option. This is especially true once the filter is loaded and airflow is affected.
Aftermarket parts are made by companies besides the original automaker. They’re sold as alternatives to the factory part. With filters, some aftermarket ones work great and some don’t, so quality can vary.
Fitment just means whether a part actually fits your car the way it’s supposed to. With aftermarket parts, the shape or mounting can be slightly off, which can cause leaks or poor performance.
Engine oil does more than keep things from rubbing—it also helps keep the engine cool and clean. Using the right, high-quality oil helps prevent buildup that can damage the engine.
“Lighter weight” oil is thinner and flows more easily. The worry is that if the oil gets dirty or forms sludge, it can still clog small oil passages and cause trouble.
This is how often you’re supposed to change your engine oil. If it’s set to every 5,000 miles, going much longer can let the oil get worn out and stop protecting the engine as well.
If you wait longer than recommended to change the oil, the oil gets dirty and less effective. That can cause extra engine wear and, in bad cases, an engine breakdown.
“Engine failed” means the engine stopped working properly, sometimes permanently. In the example they gave, it happened after the oil wasn’t changed for a very long time, so the engine didn’t get the protection it needed.
Warranties often only pay if you take care of the car the way the manufacturer says. If you skip required maintenance—like oil changes—they may refuse to cover the repair.
They’re basically asking what the oil looks like after it’s been left too long. If it’s been neglected for a huge number of miles, it can be so worn out and dirty that it no longer protects the engine.
Concept
oil flushing vs loosening buildup
If an engine has a lot of gunk, using strong cleaners can sometimes break that gunk loose all at once. That can clog the oil system, so the safer approach is often to change the oil more frequently instead of dumping in chemicals.
Synthetic oil is a higher-tech type of engine oil. It tends to last longer and hold up better, which can help if your oil has been getting dirty or breaking down.
They’re talking about changing the oil very often—about every 1,000 miles. The idea is that frequent fresh oil helps pull out dirt and sludge over time.
Transmission fluid is the fluid that keeps your car’s gearbox working smoothly. If it looks dark/discolored or smells burnt, it can be a sign the transmission has been running too hot or isn’t healthy, and it may need service.
A flush is a more aggressive fluid change where the system is cleaned out more forcefully than a simple drain-and-fill. Some transmissions don’t like that approach, so many shops use drain-and-fill more often now.
On some transmissions, the shop can take off the bottom pan to reach the filter. Then they replace the filter (and usually the gasket) so the transmission fluid can flow through a clean filter again.
A flat spot is when a tire sits in one position long enough that part of the tread gets a little deformed. When you drive again, it can feel like a thump or vibration until the tire warms up and the shape returns.
The tailpipe is where the car’s exhaust comes out at the back. On a cold start, the exhaust can look like steam because moisture is coming out—after the car warms up, it usually goes away.
Here, “abnormally” means the tires are wearing in a weird or uneven way. That usually suggests there’s an underlying problem, not just normal driving wear.
Wheel alignment is how your wheels are aimed. If it’s wrong, your tires can wear unevenly and you may need new tires sooner. Fixing alignment helps tires last longer and keeps the car driving straight.
Alignment specifications are the exact numbers a shop tries to set your wheels to. Checking them tells you if your car’s wheels are aimed correctly or if they need adjustment to protect your tires.
A clear windshield means you can see the road clearly through the glass. In rain or snow, worn wipers can blur your view, so replacing them helps you stay safer.
“Stable” is a product you add to gas when you’re storing a vehicle for months. It helps keep the gas from going bad, so the engine is easier to start again in the spring.
LIVE
And on this Valentine's Day time once again to give you the opportunity to ask
an auto mechanic your question whatever that may be maybe you're having
problems with your car your truck your van and you need to bring it in for
service but you want to know kind of ahead of the game what could be wrong
with it what you could be facing well this is your chance to do that very
thing to get next awful ASC certified technician at Lloyd's Automotive a chance
to to kind of analyze that vehicle of yours over the radio you can call it in
your question or you can text it in maybe there's a question you've always
wanted to ask a mechanic we'll do that too 6514619226 is will get you either a
phone call or a text to next awful Nick good morning to you happy Valentine's
Day to you and your bride thank you and good morning to you also as you know we
have our anniversary which was the 12th we stuck down to T West for a long
weekend and I know the weather there is nice and warm but I'll take this this is
this is a good break from winter absolutely key wet and I haven't been
there that's what you recommended I have a friend of mine who has a place in
Florida who goes down there all the time but kind of a neat place yeah we've
really enjoyed ourselves you know there's the popular hot spots but we we've
kind of got off the beaten path we took a little bit of a boat ride went onto
some sandbars yesterday and kind of really relaxed and probably got a little
too much sun but I'll survive it's great we're having a great time well
that's good happy anniversary to all right Nick we'll put you to work here
we've got textures are calling in already just reminded to our listeners we
always like to say pose your question earlier rather sooner rather than later
because our time goes by so quickly Nick will take his leave about 745 so as I
said it goes by so quickly so don't wait love to hear from you either by phone
or by text again 6514619226 the other day with all this melting going on I
literally ran into a couple of potholes and I know every season at this time of
year or the spring we talk about that but outside of tire damage and I want
you to address that too if you would please what else can happen if we hit
the wrong pothole what can happen to our vehicles well you keep in mind too
when with all the melting and refreezing that's all that water gets into the
pavement it freezes expands cracks and starts that process of creating that
pothole also remember when you're driving on the road and you see a puddle
you don't know how deep that is so try to avoid those obviously don't go in
oncoming traffic but try to slow down maneuver around to avoid those because
you mentioned tires it can cause a blowout it can crack the wheel or bend
the wheel which is costly or even worse some of the steering suspension
components from that huge jarring action can become damaged or out of alignment
which is making that much more work for you have you seen that a lot in your
career the damage from potholes I imagine you have well we joke about
pothole season which we all kind of under our you know it's more
fresher than anything you know we want to sit busy won't have good business but
we don't want to have people have damage that can be avoided kind of you know so
if you once again if you're driving along don't you know if you know the
certain stretch of road that's common to handle spot holes slow down pay
attention try to avoid them the best you can save yourself hundreds if not
thousands of dollars in damages so it's well worth the to take a moment and
try to avoid that well like you said a minute ago you've been looking at a
puddle you never know how deep that thing is so try to avoid it without you
know running into another car so again call us text us with any kind of a car
car question here's one that came in via text today happy Valentine's Day thank
you the two-year-old battery on my 2019 Nissan Altima abruptly died yesterday
triple a came out said it was a defective battery there was no prior
warnings of a pending failure are there any other causes for this such as an
alternative problem should the car be taken in for a mechanical check well I
think it's fair to say you know it's good to ask questions you know why did it
just fail it's only two years old there are its defective parts is different you
know that can happen but I do think it's fair to say I would probably have an
electrical systems test done check the charging system including the alternator
check for any kind of drain from the system when the car is off when you shut
your vehicle off after a few minutes when all the internals electronic shut
down there should be very minimal drain on that battery if it is excessive you
slowly deplete that battery obviously when you get start the vehicle the
alternator charges it but the battery is not designed to be completely or not
completely but drawn down that far and recharge that cycling can cause a problem
so I think it's fair to say would probably you know if you don't not
notice anything else have something to do a draw test make sure there's not
something going on that you're not aware of all right very good here's a
question we get especially over the last couple years as manufacturers go from
gas to hybrid to electric listen I want to know electric vehicles does
Lloyd's automotive work on them we do you know the full EV vehicles is quite
similar to a hybrid vehicle a lot of electronics and the pumps and the motors
are similar we haven't had to replace one of those we've replaced the hybrid
batteries but we haven't done a full EV battery yet you know they're still too
new I imagine when they get into that 10 15 year age range we might start seeing
some of that but yeah there's still suspension there's still brakes there's
still stirring there's still cooling systems there's a lot of similar
systems a lot of sensors so we do serve with some but you know for the most part
they're not super common and there's just you know not that much out there for
us to have to see too many yet yeah we talk about you and your technicians one
I want to ask you about you yourself being the boss have to go through a
testing every so often and over the years suddenly there's a lot of electric
cars or hybrid cars is that I assume that's all addressed in these tests as
well right they have the testing have evolved with cars you know going from
carburetors to fuel injection electronic ignition hybrids EV so as as
technology changes in the vehicles the testing and the training that we take
involves with that so we do our best to keep keep up on what's out there what's
coming along and as you know as they come into the doors when we fix them
that's what we learned the most and the best but you know it's out there and we
do we kind of keep on top of it now you are being as I said the boss do you still
kind of keep up on everything I mean you still make it a point to keep your
your level of master technician up there I'm actually I think I'm due and my
good friend sorry is on me but it's not just on me about taking the test and
like oh yeah if you don't know me very well I don't like to sit stationary very
long so put me in the room and taking a test for a few hours is about the worst
thing in the world for me but I I should do it lead by example and I'm sure I
still got it right you know it's I need to take every five years and undo so I
should hopefully have it forgotten more than I've learned that was my next
question is how often so every five years or so all right if you have any
kind of a car care question would love to hear from you at 6 5 1 4 6 1 9 2 2 6
next awful from Lloyd's automotive answering again those those very
questions here's one interesting question about tires doesn't say it just
says it's a 10 year old SUV and it's got the original tires and basically the
question is can they they seem fine but some some tires that are the 10 years
old with 20 let's see 27,000 miles on the vehicle can they still be bad I
guess is the question yeah we always assume that tires are good into the
wear out in most cases that's true because we drive enough miles to wear
those tires out in the time frame the situation which there are some cars
out there they're not driven much got more years and miles we inspect the
tires you notice that tire compound starts to dry out of structures and
cracking in there and the crackings deep enough to create a failure so if we see
anything like that we're gonna say hey based on the age of the tires there is
tread but there's some what we call dry rotting and the cracking in the tire we
want to replace those before we have a failure and you end up with a flat tire
it's kind of like running shoes or tennis shoes right even those things over
the years get almost brittle don't they yeah you know the compound in only 27,000
miles in 10 years but it's still out in the heat if it gets out into the snow in
the salt you know they're still those those things out there causing not
it's not just the wear but the breakdown of the component from the product
can a mechanic you know obviously we've talked about tread depth but in can
your technicians look at a tire and even though the tread might be fine can
you see these other defects oh absolutely you know anytime we service a
vehicle we check steering suspension tires or one of the things that we look
at and they do check the tread depth which is like this is the obvious answer
but they do say you know this this tire is discolored or they'll say there's
some cracking in there and there's a date code when that tire was
manufactured it'll be a the week in the year and then the last two years it was
made so you'll know it's the 40th week of 2012 or whatever it is okay and you
can determine okay this tires is 10 years old what are the other three like
you know maybe they didn't replace that one replaced the other two and so you
do a little a little assessing a quick visual inspection and you know give
people advice you know they might not be aware of it share with them what you see
and they can make the best decision all right Nick hang on we'll take a quick
break invite our listeners again to join in we were getting more text messages
any kind of a car care question if you want to phone it in and chat with Nick
great otherwise if you want to send a text that's good to 65146
19226 on Valentine's Day from Newsdog 830 this is WCCO good
Saturday morning to you welcome back to CCO's car care show Denny along here along
with ASC certified technician from Lloyd's automotive Nick Stoffel answering
any kind of a car care question that may be on your mind today call it in text it
in 6514619226 let's see is there is a good
question good morning Denny and Nick is there a big difference between OEM parts
and non OEM parts what do you recommend tell our listeners what those what's
that mean OEM the original equipment manufacturer and keep in mind the car
makers assembled vehicles they don't really make any of the parts they have
other vendors that they source those components and parts from a lot of those
vendors also make pockets parts for the aftermarket so depending on the component
the system the vehicle sometimes that we definitely want to use the original
equipment that being said there are a lot of examples where the aftermarket is
as good if not better than we see a high fail point or even price point you know
if you're looking for a certain maintenance item me or whether it's you
don't want to go down the whole list of spark plugs or brakes or a water pump we
do the research we've learned over the years what companies and manufacturers
are confident in we price them we price the original equipment and try to take
the best value for our customers all right listener wants to know is there a
timeframe when to change a cabin filter actually it's two part question and he
wants to know can they also be vacuumed there's a maintenance schedule we will
inspect them when we do service if they're easily accessible sometimes they
are easy sometimes a little more involved in removing them and you know
vacuum or shake it amount it gets a lot of the loose stuff but I do believe the
the stuff that gets caught up in the the pleating material it's kind of like your
furnace filter at home you're not gonna shake it out of vacuuming out you know
when they're dirty they're kind of used up you know I'm sure you'll get a lot of
the stuff out but you're not gonna get all of it so I would say it's probably
most likely the best plan is just to replace it you know it's every year every
two years depending on where you drive how you drive you know you're on a dirt
road or a lot of cottonwood trees in your neighborhood there's a lot of
different different scenarios that will affect the length in the routine of
helping you replace it you know we talk Nick you and I about the quality of
differences in in oil filters and we've had questions before you know doesn't
make a difference are there differences and to get you know what you pay for we
always say yes there's definitely quality differences what about cabin
filters there's so many on the market I've used both I've used what quote OEM
and aftermarket what about cabin filters it's similar with most parts that
there's a there's a need someone's gonna make an alternative and I would say
usually with like the cabin filters it's a lot about fitment a lot of times in
aftermarket or you know they try to find two or three make them into one part
number so it mostly fits you know it's maybe not quite the right size yeah so
I would say you know those situations we always try to put back the way it was
designed you know so we get the appropriate number the appropriate part
like it's an oil filter same thing you know that the quality might be a dollar
or two more for the better filter but your engine greatly appreciates it
along with the quality oil you don't want you know this it's funny how we get
kind of hung up on trying to you know pricing out an oil change trying to save
value and money is expensive people need to value their their money but your
engine deserves to have good quality oil and a good quality filter help that
thing running and maintain as long as you can keep it on the road speaking of
oil there's a text that came in a couple of minutes ago about oil that the
manufacturers is and again is marketing you know you don't have to change for 10
or 20,000 miles on some of these makers text or says on some of these oils
doesn't mention a manufacturer but you've seen them comment about the 10,000 and
the 20,000 mark you know I do believe I'm not a chemist I do believe that they've
proven that the oil can do what it needs to for that length of time but I
always wonder about the the dirt the carbon the things that creates sludge
because to be honest some of the biggest things that we see now or mechanical
repairs related to oil oil related issues camshafts sludging up you know
turbos have the you know that with the lighter weight oils the supports that
the oil needs to flow through are very small and that starts to get gummed up
oils not flowing where it should or how it should and create more more problems
so I don't want to you know say it's not true that that oil might not last that
long but I what I will say what is true is you know we stand behind the 5,000
mile interval and the vehicles that may be tended not be maintained like they
should they go those longer oil change intervals whether it's intentional or
unintentional over the years we've seen where that damage can become very costly
so I think it's an extra oil change a year if you see what how many miles you
drive you know maybe 12500 dollars if it saves you a
several thousand dollar repair it's well worth it so absolutely like my two
cents I think I've asked you this a long time ago but you you have changed in
your illustrious career oil on cars and trucks for many many times what's the
worst you've seen what's what's the longest interval you've seen somebody
change or actually not change well it's happened more than it should
unfortunately I think the first time was probably maybe 15 years ago some
folks had a vehicle that they bought that they never changed oil and it goes
around 26 27,000 miles when the engine failed and there's not that's not oh
it's under warranty it's not a warranty situation which was another
complicated conversation maintaining the vehicle is required to keep that
warranty intact so unfortunately he thought that she didn't she thought that
he did and no one did and it went you know two and a half years and then it
just stopped and at that time it was you know that the first time I think we had
a job at eight several thousand many thousands of dollars 78
thousand dollars and we were all like afraid to call but yeah it's you know
it's so silly that we just you know how we we go have busy lives which we all
do we're all running circles but you know take take a minute maintain your
vehicle to keep you and your busy life on the road what is that if there's any
oil left what does it look like after all this time if we'll see we'll see it
come out and it's almost like the sludge I mean that like you you know you
see commercials and stuff we take the drain plug out and it just like kind of
like really bad milk shake almost and you know and then the scary part is how
do you combat that you know we you know I'm not a big proponent of like putting
some chemicals to clean it because you're gonna loosen up a lot of stuff and
plug up morphine so we just try what do you do usually tell me we're gonna use a
high quality synthetic oil we're gonna have you come back every thousand miles
to the next perceivable time you know maybe we're gonna change it you know
four or 56 times or the next several months and just try to slowly
clean it out and you know if it made it that far obviously the end of its life
is probably shortened to some extent but if we can get that thing back on the
road for a couple more years I think it's a victory yeah it is it is the best
in the long haul the cheapest maintenance you can do and they hang on
we're gonna take a quick break here have a look at that forecast their warm
forecast we have a holiday coming up on Monday if you have any kind of a car
care question now's your chance keep in mind Nick takes his leave in about 15
minutes so don't wait love to hear from you 6514619226 any kind of a car care
question for Nick at Lloyd's at News Talk 830 this is WCCO good morning
welcome back to our car care show Danny all here along with ASC certified
technician Nick Stalfel from Lloyd's on the motor. Nick I forgot to ask you for
those that need the help from Lloyd's how do we find you guys always if you do
have a question need some advice before you take it into your shop or dealer you
can call us we'll help 6512281316 and if you're in St. Paul ever and this warm
weekend or next week we're at 982 Grand Avenue stop and say hi if you need more
information you can check our website which is Lloydsautomotive.net very good
we'll get you that info before Nick takes his leave here in a matter of eight
or ten minutes or so let's say grab a phone call this morning Tim calling in
from Andover I believe this morning Tim thanks for waiting what is your question
for Nick? Question is I bought a used car and I don't have any maintenance on it
but transmission fluid can you tell by looking at it if there's a need to
change it? Yeah if it's just colored you're gonna know that it's due one thing
I would tell somebody a used vehicle you just bought with no maintenance history
have a good once over on it you know maybe figure what mileage the vehicle is
that go to that interval at the mileage schedule and have all those things
checked inspected maybe some of the bigger items they don't have the spark
plugs these fluids that you're referring to just get a get a visual
inspection you know and kind of give yourself a good starting point so
therefore you can continue or start maintaining the vehicle if the transmission
fluid has become quite discolored or has a smell to it like a burnt smell to it
I'd probably recommend servicing that you know depending on the type of vehicle
most commonly now is what we see is a drain infill system they used to be
like we talked in the past used to have flushes and even some cases there were
some transmissions can remove the pan replace the filter a lot of that's
changed so the most common service is a drain infill that we see these days but
if it needs more attention there might be some other options. Alright here's some
looking at a text Nick from a listener who said can tires thump while in motion
if they have a flat spot after sitting for a while haven't thought about that in
years. Does that still happen? Not as much as it used to I think the tires are
better than they used to be but yeah sometimes you get a flat spot or if
somebody skidded or slid off the road you can get a little flat spot there so
if you're having that thumping type sensation have somebody look at that
that's a warning telling you something's not right and then they can look at the
tires determine if it's something that maybe they can rotate or do something
rebalance them to try to help combat that I'm gonna make sure you don't have
anything more serious going on that could leave you stranded somewhere. Here's
one that's a good question it's the one we get from time to time if you are an
older person text or says how often to change oil somebody who doesn't drive
many miles at all I think that's a good question but still the change even if
it's not driven at all needs to happen doesn't it? Yeah the heated and cooling
the moisture is gonna get into the oil it absorb into the oil which can make
some other you know sludging type problems I think the vehicle should be
looked at twice a year spring and fall let's make sure that there's no issues
coming out of the winter months going through those potholes make sure everything's
tight and clean and you know properly working inspect the oil make your
recommendation you know the baseline of the miles driven the condition of the
oil same thing in the fall before we drive into those winter months we want
to make sure we have good tires and brakes and all those things again so I
think a vehicle need to be looked at twice a year depending on the condition
of the oil I would say at least once a year that too might be twice a year as a
as a standard process and procedure like we've always said you guys have always
said the cars are meant to be driven if they sit what else can happen I mean I
was thinking about a home improvement show we did many years ago with an
appliance repair guy and we got a call in excuse me from a senior couple who
said we use a hard dishwasher maybe once a year well what happened was in that
case is all this a lot of the seals everything dried up yeah I think they
can be similar with the vehicle you know like you said they're meant to be
driven and we don't want you know it's a nice weekend this is a good weekend to
go out and take the long way somewhere I know a lot of folks live in it in the
community or close to work close to school the grocery store everything they
needs really close knit for them so they don't need a lot of driving
but the car still needs enough driving to get it fully warmed up you know get
it on the highway exercise those brakes let that exhaust burn all that
condensation all that moisture out you know when you see a car freshly started
you'll see how there's a big steam cloud come out the tailpipe and after once
it's fully warmed up that's gone well it's because all that moisture is burnt
off so we want to try to do that to keep that exhaust from rusting away you
know and same with the brakes you want to get on the highway and heat those up
keep those brake rotors good and clean same for the tires so you know it's not
that you need to you know on the bad weather day put yourself in in harm's
way but a nice day if you need to take some you know I always take I always say
take the long way to the store you know go that I'll go out of your way just a
little bit to give the car a chance to to warm up and kind of stretch out a
little bit yeah looking at a text here I guess we have time I just bought new
tires texture says checked at four places and they were evenly split about
doing a tire alignment what are your thoughts texture wants to know you know
it's good maintenance we will recommend for replacing tires and they are worn
abnormally we want to get a figure out why because the last thing you want to
do is install brand new tires and have them come prematurely worn so let's
figure out what component or something maybe just needs adjustment so it's not
necessarily worst case scenario but you don't when tires are gotten so costly
you don't want to waste your money to have something prematurely wear out and
still have to perform whatever alignment repair that was needed so if the tires
look like they're worn fine that they haven't worn abnormally and they got a
good life all of them it maybe it's not necessary but you know the more questions
were had I can't be hitting any large bottles right any situations where you
know you had a pause right well those situations are make us think maybe we
should measure the alignment specifications see what see what they're
at to maybe make those adjustments so it's not a have to do a thing but it's
pretty cheap insurance to protect your investment in new set of tires once in a
while as you know Nick we talk about changing wiper blades but a listener
wants to know how personally how often do you change your wiper blades I think
you probably have access maybe more than we do but how yeah how often do you change
on your personal vehicle or any of you it's it's it's about once a year and it's
funny like if your wipers are a couple years old I always joke with people
will replace the passenger side one for free and you have to double for the
driver side one when you come back because you don't it's one of those that's
slowly deteriorates you don't realize it you know at nighttime as we get older
if it's raining or snowing and that you know having a clear windshield is
priceless you know you can't dispense those extra few dollars to get a set of
wiper blades every year maybe every it really depends on your driving you know
I'm around everywhere all the time now but mine were starting to streak and I
said you know what I should follow my own advice I got a pair of wiper blades and
I was like geez I should have done this sooner now I and we talked about this is
it again do you get what you pay for because I've put on a different wiper
blade some of them are pretty expensive they are and the options that the
parts of the aisle is like you know a dozen different versions and options and
you have to be very careful because another reason I don't know why but
every manufacturer within a manufacturer is different clip or a different way to
attach them yes be very careful make sure you get the correct one and I don't
know how many wiper we probably have 30 probably 30 different wiper blades at
the shop okay it seems so silly because there's only what six links you when I
started there was two wiper blades I think it was a 14 and a 16 inch wiper
blade and they fit everything well now you know they're as long as 28 inches and
short as 12 inches and everything and every different attachment in between so
I'd like to say we want to use the ones that have the exact fit meaning there's
not a big clunky piece of an additional piece of plastic adapted to make it work
electric try to get the ones that were designed for that wiper arm and for that
vehicle so it's a good easy attachment secured attachment therefore you know
you can have confidence that they're gonna work yeah absolutely finally I
think we have one more time for one more text in storing a car should you use
stable tell us what that is and should you use it it's a pretty long story in
the vehicle I use it up up north on our little writing a lot more on our ATVs
and stuff you know it's just a little it kind of keeps the fuel from breaking
down once again it's probably accounts I can describe it better to us but it
does work it keeps the gas thing from becoming tarnished it's not a forever
thing but you know I'll put a little bit in the fuel the last time they write
them in the fall night before when it comes springtime it definitely makes a
lot easier to start them up so I thank you for storing the vehicle for an
excessive period of time it doesn't hurt you know I'll keep that fuel working
right keeps it from being kind of like shellac or something I think something
like that anyway Nick we're just about out of time and let's tell our listeners
if they need some help from Lloyd's how do we find what how do we connect with
you guys absolutely you can always call us 651-228-1316 and as always if you're
in St. Paul where they're Monday to Friday 7 to 6 stop and say hi we're in
the corner grand and Chatsworth which is 982 grand if you're looking for more
information
well I think we just lost Nick well in the meantime coming up
at in just a minute or two Ted Ferrell's wine chat and then in the 8 o'clock
hour Julie Weisenhorn will be with us Julie of course from the U of M and
we're gonna be talking lawns and gardens on a smart garden show so stay with us
Newstalk 830 this is WCCO
About this episode
Listeners call in about pothole damage, a battery that died suddenly, and tires that fail from dry rot or age. The tech explains how freeze-thaw creates potholes, why excess battery drain points to an electrical issue, and how to read tire date codes. The show also covers cabin filter replacement, sticking to a 5,000-mile oil interval to prevent sludge, and common transmission service methods. For infrequently driven cars, it recommends warming up to burn off moisture, plus yearly wiper blade checks.
Pleased to have Nick Stoffel LIVE in the studio with us this morning for the show answering all of your car questions! We begin with sensors, codes - things you typically need a scan for. Also how to fix those cars with A/C not pumping, tires in the summer time including hydroplaning in the rain and much more with Nick! Be sure to stop by and see Nick and his team at Lloyds or visit their site at lloydsautomotive.net or call them at 651-228-1316!
