As the temperature drops and meteorologists start to predict snow, Milex Complete Auto Care encourages customers to winterize your electric vehicle to keep it running at peak performance and stay safe on the roads.   Americans have purchased 1.6 million electric vehicles since they hit the market in 2010, according to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The new line of electric vehicles are sporty, environmentally friendly, and run quietly. Many new electric vehicles can drive longer before requiring recharging, versus earlier models, according to ... read more

Getting into the Groove with Winter Tires When purchasing new tires for your vehicle, it may be very tempting to just buy a set of quality all-season tires. Surely, they’ll work in all conditions, right? They literally have all-season in the name! What you might not realize, is that depending on where you live, owning two full sets of tires, both an “all-season” set, and a set of “winter” tires, may be very beneficial for your vehicle in the long run. What are Winter Tires? How do they Differ from All-Season Tires? There are several key differences between a winter tire and an all-season tire, the first of which is the rubber compound that the tire is made. As winter temperatures begin to dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the rubber in an “all-season” tire begins to stiffen, which reduces overall grip on the road. Winter tires are made of a different rubber which can withstand colder temperatures, maintai ... read more

The Effects Freezing Temperatures Have on Your Car’s Fluids Depending on the area of the country in which you live, winter weather and frigid temperatures have the potential to wreak havoc on your vehicle. We often think about the dangers of snow and ice on the road or any problems of starting the car in the cold.  But people don’t always consider the impact freezing temperatures have on their vehicle’s fluids. Here is some information to know about your car’s fluids and what to monitor during the coldest points of the winter. Regular Gasoline Fortunately, with gasoline, there’s an extremely high probability that your tank will not freeze solid. Due to its chemical makeup, gasoline has a significantly lower freezing point than water. Different fuels have different chemical balances, but the estimated point of freezing for gasoline is approximately  ... read more

Preparing Cars for Winter WeatherIf You Haven’t Done So Yet, It’s Time to Prepare Your Car for Winter We have finally reached the point on the calendar in which it is winter, although depending on where you live in the country, it may feel like it’s the middle of winter. Winter has only just begun, and so we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone of some tips that may help you keep your car safer when you’re driving in the snow and ice. Remove snow and ice from your car before driving. Maybe it isn’t practical to get it all off, but you should make an effort to not drive what looks to other people like a giant snowball. After all, that snow and ice will come off, and it could come sloshing down your windows, making it difficult to see.  It becomes very dangerous when that snow or ice could go flying onto another car, causing another driver to swerve their vehicle. In fact ... read more

What to Do If…? Drive long enough, and unfortunately, something will go wrong. Maybe not terribly wrong, but not every trip is a smooth one. We’ve chronicled some of these situations previously in addressing what to do if you hit a pothole and “How to Protect Your Car and Stay Safe on the Road.” Here are several more “what if…” scenarios and some recommendations on what can be done in those situations. What to do if… your car overheats. If the temperature gauge light has come on and you are in heavy traffic with no immediate place to turn, you might be able to keep your car going briefly if you turn on the heat full blast. That is certainly not ideal if it the summer, but the idea is to take heat away from the en ... 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

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

As the cold weather continues to grip many areas of the country, we all wish we could speed up the winter. While that is not possible, we can slow down the affects that a brutal winter can have on your car’s battery.  If you live in a cold climate, winter is not your car battery’s friend. It is more like your car battery’s mortal enemy. Extremely cold temperatures can slow the chemical reactions that occur inside a lead acid battery, making it harder for it to function. It also doesn’t help that when your engine is extremely cold, the thing that helps it heat up faster and run better is your car battery. When the temperature drops, your odds increase of coming out to the car and starting the ignition, only to hear that dreaded sound of silence. If you want to keep your battery running properly and protect it from the bitter temperatures, you may want to try the following. First, look for the signs of a bad battery. Look for the subtle si ... read more

It is a common practice in winter and maybe you’ve done several times. There is snow covering your car and ice has settled over your windshield. And it is very cold. So, you trudge outside, start up your car and go back in your house and wait for the car to defrost. Contrary to popular opinion, that isn’t what you should be doing. In fact, there are several mistakes people make with their cars during the winter. Here are a few. Letting your car idle while it warms up. Several minutes isn’t going to kill your car, obviously, but letting it run while you finish breakfast inside is can be bad for your engine – unless your model is one that was built before 1995. Most cars built before 1995 had a carburetor, which combines air and fuel. With those cars, it was a good idea to let the car warm up for a while, as it helped your odds of the engine running properly once you started driving. But when car dealers began making engines with a fuel injectio ... read more

We’re in the middle of winter, and so snow storms are a common sight. Sometimes, it’s just flurries slowly drifting onto the roads. Other times, it’s a whiteout that covers the roads in snow and makes it impossible to drive any faster that 5 mph In some cases, you may even get stuck on the roads if you drive out there. You want to do as much as possible to avoid getting caught off guard, and prevent yourself from getting hypothermia or frostbite among other conditions. The professionals at Mr. Transmission would like to offer some advice if you have to drive out on the roads during a blizzard. However, the first piece of advice they would like to share is this: Do not drive out there unless it’s absolutely necessary. What to do before In the event that your travels will cause you to be in the midst of a snowstorm, planning ahead is essential. If you can, plan your work day and driving time s ... read more