AUTONET TV

Automotive Tips from Acheson Auto Works: Air Conditioning – Common Problem

Your auto air conditioning system cools and conditions the air in your passenger compartment when you are driving around CLIVE. It also removes moisture from the air to keep your windows from fogging up.

A common A/C problem for CLIVE drivers that visit Acheson Auto Works is contaminated refrigerant (the gas that cools the air). The inside of the A/C hoses deteriorates over time and tiny fragments of rubber clog passages. This makes the system less efficient and overworks various components.

Leaks can develop at seals and gaskets and may reduce the amount of refrigerant, causing the system to work too hard to compensate. Dirty components can have the same consequences.

Ask your Acheson Auto Works service advisor for an air conditioning system inspection to make sure everything is up to spec.

Acheson Auto Works
8000 UNIVERSITY BLVD
CLIVE, IA 50325
515-223-4300

All Lined Up: Wheel Alignment Service at Acheson Auto Works

When all of your vehicle's wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday driving in CLIVE can cause your vehicle's wheels to be out of alignment.

Driving for an extended time around CLIVE when your wheels are out of alignment results in uneven tire wear. This is dangerous … and expensive. Worst case scenario, you have a blowout on a crowded IA highway. It can also cause premature wear to your suspension system, which can be really expensive to repair. At the very least, you may have to replace your tires years too early.

The ideal alignment for your vehicle was designed by its engineers. Alignment service at Acheson Auto Works starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – to see if anything's bent or broken. Then your friendly and knowledgeable Acheson Auto Works technician will look at tire condition.

From there, the vehicle is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to vehicle’s specifications.

Your vehicle owner's manual probably has a recommendation for how often your alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem, get it checked at Acheson Auto Works before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Acheson Auto Works
8000 UNIVERSITY BLVD
CLIVE, IA 50325
515-223-4300

What CLIVE Automotive Service Consumers Should Know

There are some things drivers should know about CLIVE car service and repair. First and foremost, Acheson Auto Works cares about you and your family's safety. And we really appreciate your business. Acheson Auto Works in CLIVE wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come.

Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix vehicles. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The pros who work for Acheson Auto Works need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networking with other technicians to help them with a difficult problem and pulling together a job order that makes sure that each step of the process is addressed.

The threshold for getting started as a technician gets higher all the time in IA, and there is a huge commitment to on-going training every year. This training takes time and money. It contributes to business overhead. Average consumers in CLIVE may not realize the business and environmental regulations Acheson Auto Works must comply with. Of course that costs money, too. Like any IA business, overhead is a big factor.

When you go into your favorite CLIVE area restaurant, you don't value the meal by what the food would cost at the grocery store. The restaurant has rent, wages, insurance, taxes, utilities, professional fees, equipment, supplies – you get the picture. The restaurant has to charge enough to not only pay for the ingredients, but for all these other things as well while making enough profit to remain in business. If you value the meal and are satisfied with your dining experience, you'll come back and tell your friends.

It's the same for Acheson Auto Works. The value of its service is not the cost of the parts they replace, but in your satisfaction with the results. If they deliver a good product at a fair price, customers are happy to see them succeed as a IA automotive business.

Contact Acheson Auto Works to learn more about our extensive auto service training.
You can find us at:
Acheson Auto Works
8000 UNIVERSITY BLVD
CLIVE, IA 50325
515-223-4300

At Acheson Auto Works, we love to see our CLIVE customers whenever they come in, but we would much rather see them three or four times a year for routine maintenance than once a year on a tow truck. We want to work together with you to avoid breakdowns. Tell your friends and family to come in for their scheduled maintenance too. That lowers our marketing costs and helps keep labor rates down. That's good for everyone in CLIVE.

Getting the Right Tires and Wheels in CLIVE

A lot of people get custom wheels in CLIVE. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you're not careful. Sometimes, once they're mounted, they just don't fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don't want that.

Consulting your Acheson Auto Works tire professional can ensure you get the right fit. First he'll ask you a series of questions about your CLIVE driving needs and what you want in your new wheels. Now, not every wheel can go on every car. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside so the tires rub.

If you don't want to make any modifications to your vehicle, you would need to focus on the wheels that would fit. With trucks, some people in CLIVE like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most CLIVE drivers don't realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your vehicle's anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn't know what changes you made so it can't tell how fast you're going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong speed. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your vehicle engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in IA. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your friendly and knowledgeable Acheson Auto Works tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and how to select the right tire for your vehicle. Your Acheson Auto Works service advisor will help you find the best tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs in CLIVE.

Acheson Auto Works
8000 UNIVERSITY BLVD
CLIVE, IA 50325
515-223-4300