The Sniff Test – Detecting Problems with Your Car Some car problems are can be easy to identify. You see a major leak coming from your car; it’s probably more than obvious something is wrong.  If there is smoke coming from your car or it is shaking as you drive, you probably know it would be a good idea to bring your vehicle into a Milex Complete Auto Care immediately to be checked out. But smells can be different. A smell be faint enough that you do not notice, or you have become used to the scent. Sometimes just because your car smells odd, it doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. But sometimes that is exactly the case. Many pungent smells are signals that your car is in trouble, and you need to get it checked out. Here are some tips and suggestions about some common smells that come from your car and what you should do about them. What it means if your car smells musty ... read more

Why Tire Rotation is So Important Have you rotated your tires lately? Even in terms of having a mental checklist of common car maintenance, remembering to get the tires rotated is not one of our first thoughts.  People will inspect their tires to make sure they are properly inflated.  They may also make sure the tread is good to make sure they have the proper traction. Tires are very important to the overall safety and performance of your car, and should be given plenty of attention. Specifically, you should be thinking about getting them rotated. By doing so, it will save you a lot of money in the long run. Why tires need to be occasionally rotated. In theory, if every road around the country was equally smooth, you might not have to rotate your tires. You could drive until they had equal amounts of wear and tear and eventually needed to be replaced. But roads have potholes, cracks and bumps. Meanwhile, some tires, simpl ... read more

Franchisee Spotlight: Tim and Laura Rodifer Tim and Laura Rodifer, who own a Milex/Mr. Transmission in Johnson City, Tennessee, were recently named Milex Complete Auto Care Franchisees of the Year for the second time.  They have worked in several roles in the Moran Family of Brands system for almost 20 years and are one of the most successful franchise ownership teams in the system. The Rodifers were selected for the award by their peers, which makes perfect sense given how much Tim has helped other franchisees over the years.  In addition to running a successful business, Tim is one Moran’s most helpful and influential owners. Here is the Rodifers’ story history with Moran. Their journey with Moran Family of Brands Tim and Laura bought a Mr. Transmission in Johnson City, Tennessee in September of 2001 and enjoyed immediate success in the market.  They purchased anot ... read more

October is Fall Car Care Month As the calendar turns to October and the start of fall is upon us, now is a good reminder that October is Fall Car Care Month. October is a good time to assess the condition of your car and determine if it needs maintenance.  It has been through a long summer with continued exposure to the hot weather, and maybe a long trip or two mixed in.  Now is the time to take your car in for any work that may need to be done before the winter weather arrives.  It feels a long way off right now, but the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting that two-thirds of the country will encounter a colder-than-normal season. So with that in mind, October’s a good time to get your car inspected at Milex Complete Auto Care or ... read more

Five Ways You Could Accidentally, Inadvertently Damage Your Car Routine maintenance or some standard problems with your car will lead you to bring in your vehicle at your local Milex Complete Auto Care or Mr. Transmission shop.  However, there will sometimes be some unexpected circumstances that require service that can be preventable. With our busy daily lives, we don’t always think about simple things we may be doing that can hurt the performance of our car.  Here are a few things to keep in mind and prevent an unnecessary trip into the shop for service. Driving near empty. Many people will wait to fill up on gas to when the needle hovers around “E,”. Maybe that is the sign that it is time for a refill.  Other times you may be too busy to stop, or the price at a certain station may be a few cents high.  Aside from taking ... read more

Be Prepared: 9 Must-Haves in Your Car In Case There’s an Emergency Nobody likes to think about it, but things can go wrong when you’re driving. Sometimes very wrong. One reason we often tell people to bring their vehicles in for regular maintenance is that things are less likely to go wrong if you take care of your car. You’re far less likely to have a flat tire or to see your car engine suddenly go up in smoke if you’re bringing in your car to Mr. Transmission Milex Complete Auto Care for regular oil changes. After all, it’s called Milex Complete Auto Care for a reason. Fluids are topped off, and if there’s a filter that needs changed, or the tires are looking anemic, we’ll let you know.  You also should stop by Alta Mere, the Automotive Outfitters, which have a lot of ... read more

Tips for Taking Care of Your Car and Saving Money at the Pump For a lot of people, September is the financial calm before the storm. That is, summer is over, and you’re done with back-to-school shopping, expensive vacations, paying for summer camp and maybe some home improvements. If you spent a little extra money this summer, now is a good time to start saving up before the holiday season arrives in a few months.    If you are trying to cut back right now, one easy way to do it is to save on your gas. Here are a few tips on how to save on your fuel bill… Turn off the air-conditioning and roll down the windows. Studies have shown that you can save anywhere from 3 to 10 percent on your gas bill if you turn off the air conditioner. Yes, if you roll down the windows, there’s that resistance from the wind that makes the c ... read more

Why Can’t You Just Add Oil to Your Car, Instead of Replacing It? Somewhere along the way in your life, one of your parents, or an older relative or mentor has probably shown you how to check the oil in your car. Maybe they’ve taught you how to add oil as well. You may have thought why should you go somewhere like Milex Complete Auto Care and get the oil changed when you can just add oil to the engine whenever it gets low? It is understandable that some car owners would prefer to just add oil, rather than get it changed. It’s far cheaper to buy some oil at a store and add it to your engine, and who doesn’t want to save money? That said, if you’re going to handle the oil part of your car yourself, you need to learn to change the oil, rather than just continually add oil to your engine. That means getting under the engine and finding the oil filter and drain plug and draining the oil, and th ... read more

Franchisee Spotlight: Bill and Sheri Granger If you have ever looked into franchises and how they work, it’s always interesting to see how one comes together. There’s no one right or wrong way to become a franchise owner. Sometimes people lose their job and then invest their life savings and become a franchise owner. Other times, investors will buy franchises and make all of the franchises part of their corporate mini-empire. Other people have done just fine in their careers but decide they want to be their own boss and so they buy a franchise. That’s where Bill and Sheri Granger come in. They recently opened a Milex Complete Auto Care and Mr. Transmission store in Bradenton, Florida. Bill Granger spent 17 years as a mechanic working for several car dealerships and spent 10 years in the oil refinery industry with BP.  He most recently ... read more

What to Do If You Hit a Pothole One of the most common and dreaded hazards of everyday driving is the pothole.  Not all potholes are created equally, of course. You might sail over one without any issues whatsoever, and your car may feel the lingering effects from one for some time.  Those effects can be quite costly, however, as the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates, drivers spend $3 billion a year on damage to their cars from potholes. If you do hit a pothole, here are some things to keep in mind. Don’t panic. Try to not panic or get too angry at yourself for driving over a pothole. They’re everywhere. In Denver, for instance, the city fills 60,000 to 100,000 potholes a year. Houston h ... read more