At Main Street Automotive, we want you to know which key scheduled dealer maintenance intervals you should have performed. Neglecting to have them done could lead to damage to your car which will cost much more than preventative maintenance that keeps your car in tip-top shape.

– Regular Car Maintenance

Changing the oil and oil filter in proper intervals is important, even when your car is brand new. Because most cars run on synthetic oils, it generally lasts around 5,000 miles, depending on your driving habits. Tire rotation and balancing are also part of routine maintenance, though they don’t need to be performed as often.

– Before 30,000 Miles

In addition to changing the oil, during this checkup for your car, changing the air filter and replacing the fuel filter are important milestones. A pressure test can help determine whether or not the mechanic should replace these filters.

– Before 60,000 Miles

Among some common checks added on to your regular maintenance, you’ll want to have the battery checked out and likely replaced. Most of them last 4 or 5 years, or 50,000 to 60,000 miles. Brakes also require special attention at this time. Brake fluid, brake pads, and brake rotors likely need a look and possibly replacing. Coolant and transmission fluid levels should be checked and cleared out if necessary to keep them clean.

– Before 90,000 Miles

When your car has been on the road this many miles, checking the hoses, timing belt,  and spark plugs is critical. Power steering fluid will need to be flushed and replaced somewhere around 75,000 miles.

Keep in mind that the services you will need and when you need them depending on the type of vehicle you drive and how you drive it. FOr example, what a Ford, Chevy, Jeep, Honda, Toyota, or Nissan requires is different. When you have your routine maintenance checks done, every mechanic will check major points on your vehicle to catch any problems before they arise.

If you have a new car under warranty, don’t think that you must go to the dealership to get your service. All that’s required to keep your warranty intact is keeping your service records of having these scheduled maintenances completed. You can have them done anywhere.

In fact, it’s best to avoid going to the dealership. With high markups and long wait times, you’ll be wasting a lot of time and money. Dealerships love to make it seem like they must do the maintenance, but you are free to see any certified auto mechanic for your repairs and maintenance.

To keep your car in the best running condition for as long as you own it, bring it to us at Main Street Automotive in Crestview, FL, and avoid the outrageous dealer fees!

Be on the lookout for these 5 ways that kill your car faster and if you find yourself guilty of any of these, hurry in to Main Street Automotive so we can help you. No judgement, we promise! We just want you on the road running safe!

1. Neglecting oil changes and routine maintenance

While you don’t need to go every 3 months anymore as was the old standard, you do need to follow a routine maintenance schedule for your car. It might seem like a pain, but we get you in and out fast and make sure your car has enough oil and other important fluids to run efficiently. Putting it off when maintenance is required can lead to much more expensive repairs.

2. Not keeping tire pressure at optimum

When you don’t keep your tires filled up at the right levels, your tires build up heat from the extra flexing. So your car works harder and reduces your fuel economy. Tires that aren’t properly inflated can be harder to handle and compromise braking ability too.

3. Skipping the balancing and rotating of tires

Tires don’t just need to be filled up right. They also need to be balanced and rotated. This helps them give you the best support on the road. It also reduces the wear on your tires and makes it more even. When you do it right, you won’t destroy your tires before their prime.

4. Driving when you can walk

Do you take the car just to drive to the mailbox instead of walking? If you love your car, give it a break. Short journeys that are less than one mile don’t allow for your engine oil to get to that sweet spot in viscosity which lubricates the moving components in your engine. For those short jaunts, just walk.

5. Keeping your hand on the gear shift

Whether you drive a manual or automatic transmission, keeping your hand on the gear shift is a bad idea. It can prematurely wear the gear. If you have a stick shift, wiggling the stick around can wear out that gearbox, leading to that grinding and crunching sound when you shift. And for automatics, you can weaken the gear grip, shifting out of gear accidentally. It’s not something you want to have to fix, trust us!

You don’t want to kill your car before you’re able to comfortably buy a new one. Make sure you take good care of it. Main Street Automotive in Crestview, FL is here for you anytime you need service. Whether you’ve neglected your car or not, come see us and let us help keep it roadworthy!

The car in question: the Audi E-Tron GT. In the movie, the car makes quite a bit of noise, especially considering it’s powered by batteries. This was all the doing of sound engineers. Interestingly, the sound was developed digitally with Audi experts to add drama for the scene.

When it comes to your car though, if you hear unusual engine sounds, it’s something you shouldn’t ignore. In fact, your mechanic uses those sounds to help diagnose the problem. Here are some of the sounds you might hear and what they mean.

– Whirring

Whirring sounds could mean several things. It’s either a power steering problem, bad water pump, or issue with the alternator. If you hear a whirring sound, bring it to us at Main Street Automotive immediately so we can fix it before it leads to worse damage.

– Knocking

If your car sounds like it’s knocking but can’t come in, you might be facing troubles with your spark plus, timing chain, or distributor cap. When one of our mechanics gives it a listen, we’ll be able to check those points more quickly to get your repairs done and get you back on the road again.

– Pinging

Pinging is often a sign that the timing gears, crankshaft, or transmission mount has a problem. Let us look to know for sure!

– Hissing

In Florida, it could be a snake under the hood! It happens, but that’s rare. What’s more likely is a cooling system problem or troubles with your vacuum line, exhaust, or catalytic converter.

– Popping

There’s a lot that can be wrong when you hear popping sounds. Hurry in as it could be your ignition wires or engine compression, among other things!

– Grinding or screeching

These sounds when you turn the ignition on are most likely a starter issue. However, if you hear them when you step on the brakes, you’ve got to let us check your brake pads and rotors.

If you hear unusual sounds coming from under your hood, it’s certainly not an added sound effect for flair. Save the drama for the movies and come in for a diagnostic at Main Street Automotive before you wind up having to call AAA to tow you over. We’ll listen and take a look under your car’s hood to find out what all that racket is about and get you back on your way fast!

1. Take along a cooler

Snacks, drinks, and ice are all treasures to behold when you’re on the road. It will keep you from spending too much money at rest stops too. Put it in the back behind the driver’s seat or front passenger seat and entrust one of your passengers with the job of handing out drinks and snacks as needed.

2. Use the center console wisely

As the driver, your sole job is to pay attention to the road and keep everyone safe. Having a central point, like the center console for example, filled with necessities like paper towels, cleansing wipes, and hand sanitizer, is ideal for any mishaps and messes on the road.

3. Keep a dedicated trash bag

The longer the road trip, the more likely garbage can get out of hand. Bring along several garbage bags or even plastic bags from the supermarket. Once they fill up, throw them away when you stop at a gas station or rest stop with a trash receptacle.

4. Bring entertainment bags

If you have kids, this is critical. Allow your kids to pack up a personal bag full of activities that can keep them occupied. Books, coloring books, tablets, and whatever else you’ve got to keep the are-we-there-yets from popping up too soon into the journey.

5. Use a backseat organizer

Traveling with kids or not, a backseat organizer is another way to keep the interior of your car under control and organized. You can stash change for tolls, tissues, chips, hold tablets, and do so much more if you’ve got one.

6. Remember your Tetris skills

When it comes to packing up your vehicle, remember to use your space wisely. Stack and pack the stuff you won’t need until you get there in the trunk and keep the things you’ll need for the journey up in the cabin.

7. Think about first aid

It’s always a wise idea to have first aid items and OTC medications on hand when you’re on the road. You never know when all that driving will go to your head or you accidentally slice your finger when opening a can of soda. Always be prepared!

8. Bring an emergency kit for your car

While you should always have one in your car, it’s imperative when you’re taking a road trip. It should include all the essentials like jumper cables, a flashlight, and your emergency roadside assistance card.

And before you ever get going, come see us at Main Street Automotive to check your car out so you can drive with peace of mind to your destination!

Today’s cars can go a lot further, especially if they’re running on synthetic oils. As a general rule of thumb, you can go about 5,000 miles or 6 months before it’s time to change the oil. Most cars today have computerized systems that will remind you when it is time to make an appointment for your oil change.

But what if you don’t? What if you ignore it and keep on driving? Cars are certainly designed to give you fair warning. For example, when your gas light comes on, you’ve got about 40 miles left on that tank to get to a gas station. But that doesn’t mean you should push your luck.

If you don’t change your oil in your vehicle on time, you’re not lubricating your engine properly and carrying the heat away from it. There are thousands of components in your engine and that oil helps keep it going. But as it does, it picks up dirt and other little bits of debris from your engine. This is food for keeping those particles out of your engine, but with time, the oil becomes dirty and needs to be changed.

Neglect to change your oil and you’ll wind up with engine problems, a much more expensive repair than taking it in for maintenance as you should. Your parts will become too hot and with time, the engine becomes less efficient. Leave it too long and the parts of your engine will wear out. If you don’t change your oil at all, your engine will likely shut down and need to be replaced completely.

It’s not cheap to replace an engine, and although we have fair prices here at Main Street Automotive, we think you’d rather do the preventative maintenance of an oil change a few times a year than drop a chunk of change on a new engine. Depending on the age of your car, it may not even be worth it to replace.

Let us take care of your car at Main Street Automotive. We’re here to help keep your car running as it should and we offer oil changes and other maintenance at great prices. We’ll have you in and out so you’ll be ready to hit the road. With the weather warming up, now’s a great time for spring cleaning and getting that oil changed. Make an appointment today!

Honest and affordable are very important qualities to uphold that owner Mike Starr strongly holds dear. You can feel it from the moment you walk in for service, whether it’s routine maintenance or you’ve got a problem with your vehicle. As part of caring for the customer, Mainstreet Automotive is like a good neighbor in Crestview. One that makes you feel comfortable from the start.

Recently, Mainstreet Automotive underwent some serious renovations in late 2017 to further ensure the comfort and convenience of all customers. The next time you visit, you’ll notice the window that makes it easier for the staff in the front to communicate with technicians. You’ll also notice the completely refinished checkerboard floors that look like a fresh checkered flag at the races.

The waiting area is comfortable and clean with plenty of chairs around a flat screen TV and magazines for you to pass the time. But one of the best improvements is something that every parent and child will be happiest about. Even though the technicians at Mainstreet Automotive do their best to serve you as quickly as possible, waiting for the completion of your service is something you must do.

For those waiting with small children, 5 minutes can feel like 5 hours. Every parent knows that feeling as they try to sit and watch TV, read a magazine, or even get some work done via their smartphones. Waiting for your car to be serviced while you have your kids with you is a form of torture for every parent out there. The new kids’ play area at Mainstreet Automotive will forever alleviate that. This enclosed carpeted area offers a safe space with toys and tv for kids to play just adjacent to the waiting area.

Parents can sit and read, work or watch TV in peace, or even have a grown-up conversation without being interrupted constantly while kids play within sight in a safe area filled with games and toys to keep them occupied. In fact, it will keep them so busy that when you tell them it’s time to go home because the car is ready, they’ll throw a fit. But hey, at least you’ll get a little quiet time while you’re visiting Mainstreet Automotive for your next service check up! Make an appointment today at 850-689-1728.

1. Windshield Wipers – Every hurricane brings large amounts of rain with it.  If your windshield wipers are streaking and not cleaning the window well you are compromising your vision and the safety of you and your family.  It’s a quick and easy fix from your local automotive store.  We also recommend using rain-x on the windows to give you improved visibility even in a downpour.
2. Tire Pressure – Make sure your tires aren’t under-inflated or over inflated.  This affects the traction of your tires and also can harm your gas mileage.  Most people don’t bother to check their tires and I bet 95% of you have under-inflated tires if you were to check right now.  Most local gas stations have an outside air pump that takes quarters.  Just drop by and check and inflate each to the recommended pressure inside of the doorjamb,
3. Spare Tire – Have you checked it lately? Is it properly inflated? Do you have the proper tools if you need to change a tire.  Some people buy used cars and don’t even realize they are missing a tire jack or lug nut tool.  If any of those things is missing or defective you can’t change your tire. As your trying to escape a natural disaster is not the time you want to figure this out.
4. Basic Maintenance – Oil changes and recommended maintenance are important to keeping your reliable and running where you can count on it.
5. Burnt Out Lights – Do you only have one headlight working?  Are your blinker lights, brake lights, and flashers all working properly?  It’s easy to have someone in your car testing brakes and indicators while you walk around and check. If a light isn’t working get an easy bulb replacement from your local automotive shop and replace.  Usually pretty easy and prevents you from getting a ticket too.
6. Car Insurance – As of today most insurance companies will still let you modify your insurance in the Florida Panhandle.  But as the storm gets closer, they prevent you from making any changes.  I just added comprehensive and collision to my personal car today in the Geico app just for safety and in case I need to drive extra among a bunch of other stressed out drivers on the interstate. I even added rental car coverage too.  If you do this for only a week it usually only costs about an extra $10 – $15 for a week.  Just make sure once the hurricane passes to remove the coverage. Your car insurance company will NEVER tell you this.
7. Fill Up on Gas Early – As the storm gets closer more and more people start running to the gas pumps.  Going late at night can help you avoid long lines since most gas stations are 24/7 in today’s world. If you have an extra 2.5 or 5 gallon plastic gas dispenser this is your chance to fill it up now.  Worst case scenario, the hurricane misses us and you just use that gas the very next time you vehicle needs it.  You don’t want to leave gas with ethanol stored for very long.
8. Emergency Tool Kit in Your Vehicle – “Must-have” emergency items include: an automotive toolkit, a pocket knife, extra fuses, road flares, emergency tire sealant, extra quarts of motor oil, power steering fluid and antifreeze, sandpaper, electrical and duct tape, a tire jack, jumper cables, a flashlight, extra batteries, a battery-powered radio, pen and paper, a blanket, a can opener, a first aid kit, and extra reserves of water and food.

BONUS – Get cash from the bank – When electrical problems happen, credit card processing machines can stop working but businesses will still take cash.  It never hurts to have an extra $200-$300 on you in cash if you can.

Drop by or call us today to get tires checked or replaced, routine maintenance, or a even simple oil change in Crestview, FL at (850) 689-1728.