Fix-a-flat is a spray that helps fix flat tires by sealing holes and adding air. But it can make it hard to repair the tire later because it leaves a sticky substance inside.
PSI is a way to measure how much air is in your tires. It's important because the right amount of air helps your tires work properly and keeps you safe on the road.
The tire bead is the part of the tire that connects to the wheel. If it's damaged or rusty, it can cause air to leak out of the tire, making it go flat.
All-season tires can be used in different weather, like rain and light snow. They are a good choice if you don't want to change tires for different seasons.
A CV boot is a rubber cover that protects a part of the car's axle called the CV joint. It keeps grease inside and dirt out, helping the car's wheels turn properly. If the boot gets damaged, it can cause problems with the axle.
A CV joint is a part that helps connect the car's engine to the wheels, allowing them to turn smoothly. It helps the wheels move up and down and turn without losing power from the engine.
A CV axle is a part of your car that helps transfer power to the wheels. It has a protective cover that can wear out, causing grease to leak, which can lead to problems with your car's ability to drive properly.
The Honda CR-V is a small SUV that is known for being reliable and practical. The 2000 version is one of the earlier models and is appreciated for its space and fuel efficiency.
Diagnosis means figuring out what's wrong with the car. Mechanics use special tools to read codes that tell them what might be causing problems like warning lights.
The wheel well is the space in your car where the tires sit. It needs to be the right size for the tires to fit properly without rubbing against anything.
Suspension is the system in your car that helps it ride smoothly over bumps and keeps the tires on the ground. It includes parts like springs and shock absorbers.
The Honda Pilot is a type of SUV that can carry a lot of passengers and cargo. The 2008 version is known for being comfortable and practical for families.
Power steering makes it easier to turn the steering wheel of a car. If it stops working, it can feel like you're trying to turn a heavy wheel without help.
The serpentine belt is a long belt in the engine that helps power things like the power steering and air conditioning. If it breaks, those systems might not work properly.
The Ford Explorer is a popular SUV known for being roomy and practical. Older models can sometimes have issues, like problems with the seats moving correctly.
The 2016 Kia Sorento is a family-friendly SUV that is comfortable to drive. Sometimes, the parts that help the seats move can break, but fixing them is usually not too hard.
Wheel alignment is how you adjust the angles of your car's wheels so they are set to the manufacturer's specifications. This helps your car drive straight and prevents uneven tire wear.
Tire balancing is making sure that the weight of the tire and wheel is evenly distributed. This helps your car run smoothly and prevents shaking when you drive.
Abnormal tire wear means that your tires are wearing out unevenly, which can happen if your car isn't aligned properly or if the tires are not inflated correctly. This can make your car harder to control and can mean you need new tires sooner.
The Honda Odyssey is a big family car that can fit a lot of people and their stuff. It's designed to be comfortable and easy to use, which is why many families like it.
The Volkswagen Rabbit is a small car that is fun to drive and easy to park. It's a good choice for people who want a car that works well for daily use and is also enjoyable to drive.
LIVE
Get those car care questions ready for ASC certified technician Nick Stauffo from
Loy's Automotive on the beautiful Grand Avenue in St. Paul which may be
getting a little bit of snow as we speak. Nick good morning to you happy
Thanksgiving again to you and your family. I know he's there. Here we are.
There you are. I'm hearing a bit of an echo and I'm not sure why. Yeah I'm trying
my AirPods are acting up this morning so I'll get them reset here. Okay very good
well in the meantime let's invite our listeners to join in on the
conversation here if you have any kind of a car truck van problem and you need
to bring it in for service but you might want to know ahead of the game
what might be ailing and it's always good to know a little more information
rather than less is always a good thing so whatever your question you don't have
to be a motorhead or a gearhead either if you have issues with your vehicle and
you want a little analysis over the radio call us who texts us and we always
like to say do it sooner rather than later our time goes by so quickly Nick
takes his leave about 745 so call us to text us here's the number for either a
phone call or a text 651 461 9226. Nick you're getting questions already here's
one I've seen the ads in fact I think a couple years ago I bought one but I
couldn't get it to work right this listener wants to know what's the best
you've seen those portable tire inflators that you can carry in your car have you
heard good or bad about them any any reviews of those I honestly don't know
I would say that you know there's different versions one that you plug
into a some sort of adaptive electrically run a pump I think that's
probably your best bet you know years ago they had that hand essentially like a
fix-a-flat can and it makes reviews there yeah yeah that much I think but
in a pinch in a pinch can you hear me still yeah I'm sorry about that coming
your pods reset so in a pinch get an air in the tires most important the thing
with that fix-a-flat it leaves a layer of stuff inside the tire which can be
very difficult to get removed so if you're stuck somewhere do whatever you
need to but ideally I would rather you not use that product because we just
have had a lot of hard time getting that cleaned out of the tire in the wheel
once we get it in for repair I was just thinking about it so many years I can
even tell how many years they made a it was kind of heavy but you plugged it
into the cigarette lighter and you know you had that power but now they are
basically battery or whatnot and you can charge them up with USB or whatever but
I'm not sure I'm not sure how good maybe some of our listeners have used them
and give us a bit of a review but in the meantime any any other car care question
sure we'd love to hear from you 651 461 9226 text there wants to know yeah here
we go something we get all the time at this time of year the question is about
leaking tires basically they're concerned that maybe their tires are bad but
what can be done about tires that maybe are still in good shape but here we are
in cold weather what can be done if anything to make sure they don't leak
well what happens as you know as the temperatures cool the tire pressures
will adjust and that's usually like a one-time occurrence so you know as it's
cooled down the accident slows down the PSI might drop down maybe two or three
PSI which could be enough for the monitoring system to turn the light on
and that's usually what when we notice if you top the pressures back up two or
three PSI to where they should be this should be fine for remainder of the
winter if you continue to have problems where the light is coming on the tires
are going low no one needed to figure out is there a puncture in the tire or is
that bead where the wheel and the tire make have some corrosion in the cause of
a leak in those situations we separate the tire from the wheel clean the
corrosion puts them adhesive or some lubricant on there reinstall the tire
and that should keep things full of air you see that a lot at Lloyd's do you yeah
it uses vehicles have a few years on them a lot of time for that corrosion to
happen and what it is really is from the salt and the moisture it kind of wicks
and worked its way between the rubber and the aluminum compound and with time
and age and with air it'll start to corrode that corrosion kind of bubbles
up a bit and that's what allows the air to seep through but it is repairable oh
absolutely yeah well that's good to know again 6514619226 is our phone number
and if you again if you want to call in the chat with Nick we open that out too
as usual 6514619226 listen I was not talking asking about the front end
alignment and I have a question as I mentioned to you I've ordered some new
tires I've been putting it off and and Lloyd's is going to be putting him in
on for me are snow tires worth it now these are not snow tires these are what
you call them all season again I seem to be get by with fine with all season
tires but what about snow tires is that a good deal the listener wants to say is
it worth it well it really depends on the vehicle in your your needs you know
there's a lot of the sportier vehicles have a much lower profile tire I think
benefit probably most greatly from a set of a second set of tires the other thing
people often forget too is it sounds great but the perfect scenario would be
by a second set of tires and wheels because really tires aren't designed to
be mounted and dismounted you know multiple multiple times we like to get
them on and leave them but you still have to store them that's the other piece
of this is like where do I keep it a whole set of tires in my garage or my
aunt or where basement and you're gonna love them around so I think for most
people a good season or a good set of all season tires even something called
like an old weather tire which has a more of the snow rating is probably more
practical for the vast majority of us of us but like I said some of these
sportier vehicles with a really low profile tire set up it's no tire
probably benefit fits them I think when you and I are in past shows we talked
about this very thing but there are some places I think you mentioned some
places may store will charge you to to store those tires right you can find
them it's just it's difficult because one set of tires doesn't take up much
space but a couple dozen sets of tires take up a lot of space so just do your
research right you hate to see someone go out to spend the money and then have
that aha moment so just do the research you know ask around talk to your
friends neighbors look online and reviews and if it's the right fit for you by
all means I don't want to talk you out of it but I do believe a good set of all
season tires is probably sufficient for most of us yeah very good hang on Nick
we're gonna take a quick break here be right back on the other side don't
forget Nick will be with us till Ted Farrell time from Haskells that's about
745 so any kind of a car care question love to hear from you by phone or by
text 651461926 I can tell you right now in the twin cities a light snow is
falling 22 is the temp not gonna get much warmer maybe near 25 or so how much
snow today during the day the weather folks are saying right now 2 to 4 inches
here in the twin cities maybe overnight and maybe another additional inch
possible but the farther south of us maybe maybe almost double that keep in
mind 2 to 4 now is predicted for the twin cities metro today but a sunny day
tomorrow near 21 again light snow CCO temp 22 stay with good Saturday morning
to you the final weekend of the month of November in the midst of some snow here
in the twin cities 2 to 4 inches we're talking cars as we always do this time
week here on CCO radio Danny along here along with the next alpha from Lloyds
automotive again I was just visiting the other day and we'll again see your crew
there this coming week but for those in need the help of Lloyds what do we find
you guys yes sir if as always give us a call we'll answer your question that phone
number 6512281316 and if you're out in St. Paul doing a little shopping for the
holiday season run Grand Avenue and the corner brand in Chatsworth and if you need
more information you can always look at our website which is Lloyds automotive.net
very good Nick we'll get you that information before Nick leaves this
which is about 745 or so this morning call us or text us 6514619226 with any
kind of a car care question you may have how serious maybe you can explain what
the CV boot is but the question the listener wants to know how serious is
seepage from the inner CV boot what is that so the front axle of the vehicle they
have a joint a zv joint that allows for flexibility the reason it has to be
flexible is because our front tires need to turn on the rear of the vehicle you
know a lot of times there was like a straight axle not some mobile drive
vehicles will have a CV axle front and rear but what happens is with age the
material the rubber material that those boots are made from will start to
deteriorate and allow some of the grease to leak out now they use the word
seepage in my opinion that means you probably have some time if the boot is
worn open and there's grease flinging through that will well area
you're gonna have to replace that there are some options to try to reboot them
you know take them apart and reboot them but my opinion has always been like
putting a band-aid on a dirty wound it's difficult to get those joints very clean
can be it can happen but can be very quite difficult so typically the common repair
to replace the CV axle there's a driver side one and a passenger side one
and like I said it happens with you know your car is 10 15 years old a lot of
winters a lot of salt a lot of debris coming up from the roadway maybe making
contact with that rubber boot can inflict a little damage and over time that'll
deteriorate and split open a lot of grease to to leave and that without the grease
the action not being lubricated that's where the axle can fail so
it's a fairly common repair you know we've front-wheel drive vehicles been
wrong for decades now so we we tend to do those repairs on a semi-regular basis
okay very good let's grab a phone call Mohammed's calling in from Saint Paul
this morning I believe Mohammed thank you what is your question for Nick
Nick I have a hand 2000 Honda CRV is very good is only 195,000 miles in it sorry 130
at 93 miles uh that's all the math uh
you know the car is you know when we stop side coming to check the engine light is on
okay and whenever stop sign comes in there the hard to pick up and I showed to my mechanic
and my mechanic told me just junk it you know I like I wouldn't junk it just based on that so
what we need to do is we need to do a little diagnosis we need to figure out what that fault
code is for the light to be on and see how that's affect how it's running so you know oftentimes
it's easiest just to say uh get rid of a get a new one well um you know cars are very expensive
obviously repairing vehicles can be quite expensive also so I think the first step is
have somebody uh diagnose that repeat that fault see what the code description is you
know if it's a misfire or some something determining what's going on with the engine
once we know what area of the engine to assess we'll go go through to some testing if it's the
fuel system if it's the ignition system you know maybe it's a spark plug maybe it's a coil
things that are maybe hundreds of dollars but that's much less expensive than a new vehicle so I
would my advice to use you know maybe try a different mechanic someone's willing to look a
and give you some better information what why and how and then at that point you make a better
informed decision but I wouldn't just junk it with based on that I would probably do a little more
research first yeah there's a possibility like you said you get another doctor's opinion that's
good to go another a few thousand miles if not more you never know uh thanks Mohammed for the
call uh yeah you can call it in your question or text it in 6514619226 uh we're talking tires
earlier this morning I'm looking at a listener text that says should I ever put more air in my
tires in the cold weather we we get that this time of year all the time is that a good idea
it's just a couple ps i i don't see the problem there but you have to be careful because we can
often overdo it you know people will come in with 60 pounds of pressure and a tire that's
that's bad you know too much can be bad also so inside the driver's side door jam there's a
placard there on that b pillar kind of where the door closes you'll see a detail there and it'll
tell you tire psi at cold temperature so you can look at that and if you add maybe two or three
pounds of pressure that's just fine anything more than that you know I would tell you the cost and
I'd probably advise against it I think I've asked you this before but you open it you're right the
driver's side door and you look at that panel down there and it's got that cold weather psi
what if you change and use all sorts of different tires over the life of the car
and that's supposed to be that's kind of the standard and no matter what tires you buy
it is because it also tells you the size and the speed rating of the tire
which is kind of goes hand to hand with the vehicle so most most cases if you're looking
for tires for your vehicle that if that information is out of taking consideration
that the brand tire isn't going to make a difference you should not change the size of
the tire or you should have a serious conversation somewhere before you do you know that's going
to affect you know maybe the way the tire fits in the wheel well the way the car handles it the
way the transmission shifts so I would not I would advise you against changing the size from
what it calls for so I wouldn't do that but yeah as far as the pressure goes that should be with
any brand tire that you buy or throughout the life of the vehicle I remember owning a used foreign
car several years ago I remember bringing in deloids and I don't know if I had the tires replaced
or what the deal was but I didn't realize at the time but the front tires were a different size
than the rear tires on this particular foreign car is that common with some of these imports
yeah there's why is the difference you know I honestly don't know you know makes it difficult
because you can't really rotate them very well because if they make them directional on top of
it not even directional tire that's two different sizes so it's kind of stuck in that one corner
of the car but I'm sure it's something to do with the traction the handling and suspension you know
they try to get these vehicles kind of tuned in the best they can and they determine that the
rear tires needed a little more drive to them so made them a little bit wider
but yeah be very careful if you're buying a used vehicle you know pay attention to another little
detail of a attention to on some of these sportier vehicles that might have that different fitment
front to rear on the tire size yeah it was a surprise Nick we're going to take a quick break
for that weather forecast so stand by let's invite our listeners to join in again if you
have any kind of a car care question we will pick up on some text messages that we are receiving
right now but you can join in if you have a car care question 6514619226 from News Talk A3O
this is WCCO and we're just joining us good morning Nick Stoffel from Lloyd's Automotive
answering any kind of a car care question you may have at least for another 10 minutes or so
so if you have one call us text us as soon as you think of something 6514619226
here is a another one another via text something is wrong with the steering in my 2008 Honda
Pilot it's extremely hard to turn especially when I need to turn the wheel all the way it
feels like back before there was power steering power steering fluid doesn't work what do you
think's going on there is that a belt or what do you think well you can check to see the belts
there most commonly though if there's a problem with the belt you know it's a serpentine belt so
they oftentimes will drive multiple things I'm more curious about the condition of that pump
and if the fluid is flowing or not or pumping you know if that power steering pump has failed
you're not going to have any assist in winter driving you need to have your power steering to
keep keep that feel for the road so I would get that in get that assessed might be a pump
like you said it could be a belt you know that's a possibility so there's a few areas to be assessed
and looked at but I'd probably get on somebody's schedule here this week get that remedy before
we get further into winter here yeah good good point I'm looking at another text that
reminded me of of a time that I we had the the 20-some-year-old Ford Explorer that had an issue
with the the lever I'm looking at a text the lever that moves the seat forward and backward
isn't allowing the passenger seat to go back as far as it used to it makes getting into the car
difficult is this common and easily repaired listener wants to know it's a Kia Sorento 2016
well I would get down on my hands and knees and get a flashlight and see if there's something
caught up in the track that's my suspicion a pen you know I had a matchbox car stuck in the
mind from one of my kids years ago loose change change I mean all these and so look carefully
but my advice is do not operate the seat with your other hand underneath there because you
don't want to pinch it because that that too can hurt so just get get under there with a you know
flashlight investigate maybe with you looking without your hands and then try to operate the seat
front front to rear and you should be able to pinpoint where that pivot or that spot where
it's getting stuck take your hand off the switch or the handle then you know investigate a little
further if you'll just find something caught up in there and hopefully it's a quick easy easy fix for
you I can't remember what the problem was but I remember bringing the vehicle into Lloyds and
our friend Dan Burns I think he took the whole seat off is that that that does happen that's
usually one of the motors has failed or sometimes there's some linkage in their cables that kind
of operate oh maybe that was some of those features you know because it's not just not just front
back it's up and down and tilt and every other thing that these seats do for us but like I said
in the the easy button is that there's something caught up under there so if you can find that get
that removed that's good to go if it's more than that then you need to probably take it into some of
its add a few uh a few a few times that they're taking these seats out in it and apart before yeah
can be time consuming and costly but let's let's hope for the best if it's just uh some loose change
or a pen absolutely and who knows it might be a silver dollar okay uh I'm looking at another
this is a good question too we're talking about tires when I buy four new tires do you strongly
recommend a wheel alignment at the same time it's not a bad idea like we talked off air dining it
really comes down to the condition of the tires coming off the vehicle and the people installing
the tires this is what they do all day every day they should be able to tell you there's a
abnormal wear there obviously when the tires get mounted to the wheel they're gonna be balanced
which keeps that rotating mass balance keeps from vibration the wheel alignment's gonna
determine how the car goes down the road which is based on how the tires are contacting the road
so if it's out of an alignment like an effect how the car tracks down the road it will also
affect how the tires wear so you get some abnormal wear you know inside outside copying
whatever you have there some abnormal wear which can be remedied with an alignment so if
you're buying new tires your old tires wore out prematurely or wore poorly we're likely
going to recommend an alignment to make sure things are all squared and straight uh therefore you
don't uh ruin or prematurely wear out your new tires some question maybe but you know the term
front end alignment but you are alluding I assume to all four tires right front end rear right yeah
you do measure all four but it's most common that the adjustments that are needed on the front
short of some you know wear and tear the steering suspension components on the front end will
allow that or cause that not as common on the rear end there are some adjustments not a significant
not as common but when you do an alignment you're essentially measuring the whole vehicle if you
see something off of adjustment in the rear obviously you can have that conversation say
we got it on the alignment rack we've taken our measurements we found that there's some adjustments
in the front and rear there's a little more cost associated with that because it takes more time
but it isn't always a guaranteed it just because you're doing the front does not mean that the rear
will need adjustment also okay now I'm thinking I think we talked about this in several years ago
if your steering wheel is not even you know when you're trying to even it out with the dash
is that is that an alignment issue there that's another good telltale sign of that steering is
not clocked properly where you can say it's kind of tilted maybe the one o'clock or 11 o'clock or
something that tells us that there is a bit of adjustment that is needed there so if you do have
that you know as we hit in the winter months we want to make sure our tires are contacting the
road properly helps with the handling especially in slippery conditions so if you're noticing any
of these types of situations have your tires inspected have your laminate inspected make
sure you have the car in the best condition for winter driving here's a nice comment you
probably never get tired of hearing of the listener says I bend the Lloyd's they definitely care
about you and your vehicle again you have great people you're very fortunate to have surrounded
yourself we do and it does start with that's a caring about the people's like you know as this
movie called life goes along you know you start to realize that you know it's it's not
you know fixing cars can be difficult I don't want to minimize that and we have some very talented
people but it's more about the relationship with the customers and the repeat customers it makes
our days a lot easier I promise you that so we're sure we're very fortunate to have a wonderful
staff and couldn't be happier absolutely uh Denny and Nick good morning Texas is our most
spark plugs we buy pre-gapped or do we need to adjust them no the the ones with the precious
material tips you can measure them but be very careful you don't want to damage that
radium or that platinum tip on that spark plug so for the most case you know you're if you're
older like us you used to gap your spark plugs but they should be preset I'm not against taking
the fueler gauge and checking to see if it's with the specification but I think you'll find that
they are very good I think we have time for one more text here's a 2025 Honda Odyssey last night
the listener stopped at a red light the engine did its fuel saving effort by
pausing the engine while stopped Texas says when I hit the gas for the green light
the engine died completely I had to restart the engine do you think this is a software glitch
um possibly you know that's a good place to start um I would try to determine you know as
as we think through this you know there's an auxiliary battery that operates part of that system
so maybe that battery needs some testing see if there's any fault codes or fault information
state uh stored in the system uh is it a one-time occurrence you know I always have a hard time
taking a one-time occurrence and running down that rabbit hole because you could end up with nothing
right so if it's something that's happened more than once I'd probably take it in and hopefully
they can replicate that to try to determine what what happened and why you know obviously come
when we're driving we don't want to have our car stalling on us so pay attention the next few days
if it happens again get on somebody's schedule sooner than later yeah see what's going on boy
for sure this time of year like you said speaking to this time of year I think we have time for one
more kind of a generic question about low heat uh doesn't say what what uh kind of a vehicle it is
but it's it's not as warm as it used to be uh what could be the issue what what what are some common
uh problems with low heat well people come in same same as the in the summer months and
have to go to cold air um and the question is is it a temperature theme or air flow you know if
we're not getting the full hot air it's like it's blowing hard but it's a cooler air then we
start to uh wonder what the blend door is um has there something going off the heater car
but if it's like no the air is hot just not a lot of it we're not going to have a restriction cabin
filter uh once again maybe one of those control uh actuators that move that the air around is not
fully seating and we'll see that where you're turning the knob or tapping the buttons to
change the location and temperature but the vehicle is not reacting to it properly because one of those
motors or doors isn't operating properly so I would say there's a little more questions to be
had there whether it's an actual air flow issue or temperature issue uh or a combination of it
actually that happens too so uh you know if it's used to be better it's worse now I'm you know I'm
thinking we just lost you well I'll tell you what let's see if we can't get nick back here because
nick if you can hear me uh we're out of time but let us uh for those of folks that maybe need some
help from uh Lloyd's automotive if you're still with me tell us how we get in touch
nick is gone well I'll tell you what I'm gonna be lost all right nick well modern technology
I can tell you Lloyd's is uh located 952 Grand Avenue in St. Paul uh you give them a call
they'll be glad to help you in fact if you just have a question
just like the show they'll answer those questions at Lloyd's automotive nick will be back with us
next weekend as usual next Saturday in the meantime stay tuned next for Ted Ferrell's wine chat
and then get those lawn and garden questions ready for master gardener Teresa Rooney
in the eight o'clock hour that's straight ahead here news talk eight three o w cco
About this episode
Nick Stauffo from Loy's Automotive shares valuable car care tips as winter approaches. He discusses the effectiveness of portable tire inflators, the importance of maintaining proper tire pressure in cold weather, and whether snow tires are worth the investment. Listeners call in with questions about CV boot seepage, power steering issues, and the necessity of wheel alignments when purchasing new tires. The episode emphasizes proactive vehicle maintenance and the importance of diagnosing issues before making costly decisions.
It is that time of the year! The snow is falling and the temperatures have dropped significantly which means Nick Stoffel of Lloyd's Automotive is here if you need to monitor your car’s upkeep in the winter! We tackle your car questions regarding tires, tire pressures, CV joints, check engine lights, spark plugs, power steering issues and much more! Be sure to reach out to Nick and his team at Lloyds Automotive by visiting lloydsautomotive.net or you can call 651-228-1316
