Tires are a substantial investment for your vehicle. Like an oil change, making sure you get a tire rotation is another important regular maintenance you shouldn’t skip. When you properly take care of your vehicle’s tires, you can expect optimal tread life, as well as outstanding performance.
Routine tire rotation is done to ensure that the tires wear evenly, allowing your vehicle to have a balanced and smooth ride.
What happens if I don’t rotate my tires?
If you check your vehicle’s manual it will more than likely suggest having your tires rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (or every time you have an oil change). When you don’t have regular rotations, your tires will wear out much faster than they should.
Skipping rotations can lead to things like:
- Tire blowouts
- Deterioration of your brake pads
- Flat tires
- Poor traction and skidding
Rotating the tires on your vehicle is a critical routine maintenance step because it helps extends the life of your tires, as well as increase your safety on the road.
It could also help increase your vehicle’s gas milage. Having worn down tires can put a strain on your engine, which could increase fuel consumption.
Did you know?
- Tires can wear differently depending on their location on the vehicle and your vehicle’s drivetrain.
- There are numerous rotation patterns for vehicle tires. It’s best to follow your vehicle’s owner’s manual for the right pattern for your vehicle.
- Did your tires come with a warranty? Did you know that some tire makers may require routine rotations in order to keep their warranty in place?
To find out when your tires should be rotated, consult your vehicle’s owner’s handbook or stop by one of our six convenient locations and ask!
As a car owner, one of the most important steps in prolonging the life of your vehicle is to perform routine maintenance. Following the recommended time frame and schedule in your owner’s manual is a great way to keep your vehicle running at its best, increase its life and save money on repairs!
When there is a problem, sometimes it is tempting to “do it yourself” to save money, but it’s important to leave some, like the ones below, to the professionals.
Tire Rotation
Routinely rotating your tires is one of the easiest ways to prolong their life. Did you know that all of your tires do not wear the same?
While you may think it is an easy task to jack up your vehicle to rotate your tires, it’s a job that needs to be very done accurately by someone with training. When rotating your tires, it’s important to make sure everything is re-balanced and aligned for even wear and tear of your tires’ sidewall and tread. Rotating your tires on your own could put you at risk of driving with an unsafe alignment! This is an inexpensive maintenance item; leave it to the pros.
Check Engine Diagnostics
Check engine lights make it easy to “self diagnose” with newer vehicles. You can go to your local auto store or even download an app to your phone! The problem with using those programs to diagnose your vehicle is that many check engine codes are vague. Instead bring your vehicle into a place like Fast Lube Plus where there is high level equipment to get a more in-depth read of the issue – saving you money in the long run. By letting a professional read and decipher the code, they can use their expertise to help correctly solve your problem!
Keeping Your A/C Cold
The next time you’re in your vehicle and your A/C feels like it’s just not cooling down your vehicle the way it should, you should have a mechanic evaluate what’s wrong with the system before you consider going to your local store to pick up a DIY A/C recharge kit.
While it’s tempting to just spend a few dollars on a recharge kit, you could do MORE damage to you’re A/C. If you’re A/C is low on Freon there is probably a leak. DIY kits can be a quick fix but will not fix the underlying problem. They can also overcharge the system and cause more issues to the valves and seals inside the A/C’s compressor, causing them to crack from the pressure.
If you need to get your A/C under control leave the job to the professionals at Fast Lube Plus!
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Saving money by doing it yourself can work for some fixes on your vehicle, just make sure you do your research, as you may be facing a larger financial cost if you attempt to “fix” the problem on your own. Our team at Fast Lube Plus understand what it takes to repair your vehicle to have it functioning at its best!