Automotive Industry News & Information - ABC Transmission & Auto Care / Auto Body

You car’s belts and hoses are essential to the cooling, air conditioning and charging systems, and the engine. Don’t take these routine replacement intervals for granted because they can break down and leave you stranded.

What is the purpose and importance of your belts and hoses? The timing belt keeps the crankshaft and camshaft mechanically synchronized to maintain engine timing. Whether serpentine, V-belt or fan belt (the belts on the outside of the engine), they all transmit power from the front of the engine to accessories that need to be driven, such as the air conditioning, the charging system and fans. Radiator and heater hoses carry coolant to and from the engine, radiator and heater core.

Your car’s brake system is its most critical safety system and you should check it immediately if you suspect any problems. A properly operating brake system helps ensure safe vehicle control and operation under a wide variety of conditions.

ABC Transmission & Auto Care / Auto Body in Atlantic Beach now is able to provide GM front axles for 4WD & AWD vehicles solving the issues of many vehicles ranging from 2002 models to 2009 models. Our supplier, Jasper Engines & Transmissions, the nation’s leader in re-manufactured drive train products, is offering complete re-manufactured GM front axle actuator assemblies for 4WD and AWD late-model SUVs.

These actuator assemblies fit the following vehicles:

2002-2009 Chevy Trailblazer
2002-2008 GMC Envoy
2002-2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
2004-2007 Buick Rainier
2003-2007 Isuzu Ascender

Car Exterior care tips include:
1. Protect car paint from the sun: Paint does more than make your vehicle look great. It’s also the first line of defense against rusted body panels. Of course, the best way to protect the paint is to park the car in a garage. If that is not possible, park in the shade or purchase a car cover. The sun’s ultraviolet rays break down paint and cause it to fade. Some car covers protect your car from more than sun, moisture, bird droppings, and dust — they also have a thin layer of cushioning that will guard against light impact, such as from a tipped bicycle or small falling tree branch.

2. Touch up nicks sooner rather than later Touch-up paint won’t adhere well to rust. So be sure to keep some matching touch-up paint on hand so you can touch up any minor nicks, often found around door edges, before rust has a chance to form.

You've probably noticed a bunch of warning lights on your dash when you start your engine. They flash on to test the circuits and then go off if everything's OK. One of the warning lights looks like a car battery. Its job is to tell you if your battery's not charging properly.

JASPER Re-manufactured Nissan VQ40DE 4.0L DOHC Engine now available at ABC Transmission & Auto Care / Auto Body in Atlantic Beach

Jasper Engines & Transmissions, the nation’s leader in remanufactured products, announces the availability of its re-manufactured Nissan VQ40DE 4.0L engine. This DOHC V6 engine is available in exchange for the following 2006-2011 vehicles: Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder, X-terra

When driving around town, your family car engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas.

All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually the filter gets completely full. Because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. This dirty air passes through the mass airflow sensor, and starts to accumulate on the delicate sensor element. The mass air flow sensor measures how much air is getting into your engine. When the airflow reading is incorrect, your family car engine doesn’t get the proper amount of fuel. It runs rough and doesn’t perform as well as it should.

Most auto owners come to the shop with specific services in mind and an idea of how much they’ll be spending. Sometimes, a courtesy car inspection and a review of your service history will uncover additional items that require attention. How should you react to that?

Here’s some advice: It’s not as if your service advisor is saying “Do you want fries with that?” or “Supersize for 59 cents more.” We are not recommending something extra or something you don’t need. Recommendations are either based on the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule or on a problem uncovered during an automotive analysis.