Monthly Archives: August 2022

Top 5 Family Friendly Road Trip Games

Top 5 Family Friendly Road Trip Games

Road trips are fun in theory, but being stuck in a car for hours can get boring. If you’re traveling with children, you know that their attention span is even smaller than yours. To pass time and have a little fun with the family on the road this summer, we recommend playing some fun road trip games! Below are some games to play to get rid of everybody’s boredom: I Spy This is a childhood classic for many of us at Carmaster Automotive. To play this game, designate someone in the car to be "it,". This person will have to choose a specific thing that is visible to everyone else in the car. Then the rest of the car will have to guess what the chosen object is. Finish the Lyric Finish the lyric is a fun game for music lovers all around. The game’s name is pretty much self-explanatory. One person, who is not participating in the game itself, controls the music by playing snippets of songs. And the first passenger to shout out the rest of the lyrics of the son ... read more

The Harm in Skipping an Oil Change

Some new vehicle manufacturers are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more.  Following these recommendations is very important to avoid engine damage.  When you go too long between oil changes, oil starts to turn to sludge.  This causes small oil passages to clog and engine parts to fail. What causes oil sludge? It’s a factor of time and mileage.  There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off that leads to sludge.  Also, water from normal condensation can build up in the oil.  This water also creates sludge.  Severe driving conditions lead to more rapid sludge formation. Severe driving includes short trips under four miles or trips under ten miles in freezing conditions.  The engine just doesn’t get warm enough for the water in the oil to evaporate. Severe conditions are at the heart of the problem.  Stop and go driving, towing, dusty c ... read more

Pump it Up (Signs Fuel Pump is Failing)

You don't have to be an auto expert to know what a fuel pump does: it pumps fuel.  The fuel pump happens to be one of those vital parts of your vehicle that can leave you stranded when it isn't working the way it should.  Here are a few things to be aware of that might indicate your fuel pump is about to give up the ghost. One thing to watch for is something called "heat and stall." If you see your vehicle's temperature gauge go up and then your vehicle stalls, your fuel pump could be weakening. If you stall, but your fuel gauge shows you have plenty of fuel, that's another sign.  Also, if you are giving your vehicle a stress test (hauling a big load, going uphill, going at highway speeds) and your engine sputters, the fuel pump may be failing to deliver the fuel pressure your engine needs. Here are a couple more possible symptoms: your engine suddenly jerks or your fuel economy plummets. Finally, if you have trouble starting your vehicle, yo ... read more

What's Shakin' with my Brakin'? (Brake Rotor Service)

If you feel your vehicle vibrating when you’re braking, or if you don't stop in as short a distance as you used to, it may be time to have your brakes checked. All newer vehicles have disc brakes in the front, and more manufacturers are using disc brakes all around (instead of an older technology called drum brakes), so there's a pretty good chance at some point you'll find yourself facing a disc brake repair when yours begin to wear out. Before we go any farther, here's how disc brakes work.  If you've ever had a bicycle with hand brakes, you know there is a caliper that pushes pads on each side of your bicycle wheel when you squeeze the brake handle.  Disc brakes are similar, but there's a metal disc (called a brake rotor) there instead of the bike wheel's rim. In disc brakes, the vibration you feel when you are stopping is often because the surface of the rotor is not flat, or the rotors have an uneven thickness. Sometimes, the rotors ca ... read more

How Long Will My Brakes Last? (Brake Maintenance)

If you feel a slight shudder or vibration coming through your brake pedal when you stop, it could be a sign you need some brake work done. That gets you thinking, how long should my brakes last anyway? It depends on a lot of factors.  But for discussion's sake, let's talk about the components that wear out most often, the pads and rotors. One factor is how you drive.  If you drive on highways a lot, you won't use your brakes as much as, say, someone who lives in the city and is in the middle of a lot of stop-and-go traffic. Do you drive a lot in the mountains? Do you tow a trailer or haul heavy loads? Those driving habits will all wear down your pads and rotors more quickly than someone who doesn't put that extra friction on their brake components. Do you love jackrabbit starts and squealing stops?  That will wear out your brakes more quickly than smoother driving habits.  Do you drive a hybrid or electric vehicle? In that case, you may have reg ... read more

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