Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Madison sedan owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold sedan engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Madison, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the sedan engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Madison, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at GENIN’S AUTOCARE if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Madison, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Madison shows up with the increased demands on the sedan battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the sedan security system, the remote start system, even the power the sedan computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Madison. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the sedan engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your Friendly GENIN’S AUTOCARE service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Madison motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at GENIN’S AUTOCARE so you know what you’re getting. At GENIN’S AUTOCARE, we have been providing quality auto service in Madison for 20 years.

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GENIN’S AUTOCARE
3505 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Most Madison drivers know that braking means slowing or stopping a vehicle. The mechanical aspects of the brakes themselves are just one issue. There’s also the power brake system and brake fluid. And then there are the tires, which are critical to the effectiveness of the brakes.

Let’s step back. A car or truck rolls brand new off the showroom floor at a local Madison dealer. It has brand new brakes with brand new brake pads. The brake lines and the power assist are filled with fresh fluid and are completely clean inside. And the sedan tires are brand new, with full tread. Naturally, braking power is at its peak performance.
 
Now, as your drive from Madison to Madison and back, the miles start to add up. Most Madison car owners tend to focus on the brake pads. In the Madison automotive service community, the pads, and shoes on drum brakes, are called the friction material. That’s because they provide the friction used to stop the sedan. The pads are designed to be effective throughout their useful life – it’s not until they are worn so thin as to be out of spec that they lose stopping effectiveness.

The mechanical parts of the brakes have pistons and springs that get quite a workout while stopping the sedan. Over many miles, these wear and get gummed up. They start to lose effectiveness gradually and could even fail. That’s why a regular brake inspection is important. At GENIN’S AUTOCARE, we can test the operation of the brakes and see if any parts need cleaning or replacing.

That leads us to brake fluid service at GENIN’S AUTOCARE. Some of the critical additives in the fluid that lubricate and clean the sedan fluid system are depleted over time. That and moisture building up in the system deteriorate the performance of the brake fluid. Brake fluid replacement at GENIN’S AUTOCARE includes flushing the brake system to clean out deposits, water and dirt. Then the system is filled up with fresh fluid.

The tires are what connect the sedan to the road. The stopping force is ultimately dependent on the traction provided by the tires. The better they grip the road, the quicker you’ll stop as you drive around Madison.

For questions about brakes, brake pads, brakes, fuel system flush, or tires, talk to GENIN’S AUTOCARE  manager Rick Genin.

Give us a call

GENIN’S AUTOCARE
608.238.1088
3505 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Your sedan cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the sedan engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in Madison.

Without coolant, the sedan’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Madison, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the WI cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your Madison owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other Madison cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at GENIN’S AUTOCARE: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your Friendly GENIN’S AUTOCARE service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your sedan cooling system.

Ask us about shocks and struts, fuel system flush and differential service.

Give us a call

GENIN’S AUTOCARE
608.238.1088
3505 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

A lot of people in the Madison area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison can ensure you get the right fit for your sedan. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. 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. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your sedan, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Madison people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

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

The sedan 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 sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your sedan vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At GENIN’S AUTOCARE, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Madison. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Madison tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your Friendly GENIN’S AUTOCARE tire specialist see your sedan in person so mistakes are not made.

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE, we also offer brakes and fuel system flush.

Give us a call

GENIN’S AUTOCARE
608.238.1088
3505 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

With front-wheel drive being so common in Madison these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Madison folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive sedan differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for WI people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many sedan differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and GENIN’S AUTOCARE technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your GENIN’S AUTOCARE service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Madison four wheel drive sedans need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at GENIN’S AUTOCARE at different intervals.

Your Madison service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your sedan owner’s manual.

Give us a call

GENIN’S AUTOCARE
608.238.1088
3505 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53705

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

In addition to just wearing out, GENIN’S AUTOCARE customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your sedan manufacturer and GENIN’S AUTOCARE recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Verona service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Verona. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your sedan dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into GENIN’S AUTOCARE for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other sedan suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at GENIN’S AUTOCARE.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at GENIN’S AUTOCARE because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some sedans, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your GENIN’S AUTOCARE service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Madison drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your sedan. And it’s not that expensive to replace at GENIN’S AUTOCARE – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the sedan engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your sedan. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Mc Farland car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at GENIN’S AUTOCARE. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Mc Farland drivers don’t know about it.

Check your sedan owner’s manual or ask your GENIN’S AUTOCARE advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Madison conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. At GENIN’S AUTOCARE we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet Madison roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Madison drivers to replace the tires on their sedans when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from WI freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for Madison car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Madison. At GENIN’S AUTOCARE, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

• Most trips are less than four miles
• Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Madison
• You drive in very hot WI weather
• Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
• Stop and go driving
• Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
• You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your sedan

Most Madison drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your sedan?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your GENIN’S AUTOCARE advisor can help you with your decision.

At GENIN’S AUTOCARE in Madison WI (53705) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 608.238.1088. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.