Yearly Archives: 2015

Your Well Trained Technician at Twin City Auto

When your vehicle has a problem or just needs some routine service, you might get a little nervous. Your vehicle's so important to your life in Scottsbluff, you need to get back on the road as soon as possible – with the problem fixed right the first time.If you've ever checked into some of the technician training Twin City Auto professionals receive, you may be surprised at how much specialized knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. For example: Today there are four cylinder engines that generate more power than the 1980s-era V-8's. I mean a new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket's Ferrari in a race to 60 mph/100 kph. Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up – even with steep Scottsbluff gas prices. They are also amazingly reliable: Kudos to the automotive engineers. But the advances come at the price of simplicity. The modern ve ... read more

Categories:

Safety

A New Battery in Scottsbluff

Hello Scottsbluff drivers, let's talk about batteries. Car batteries are just like any rechargeable battery. They will eventually wear out and die. If you are shopping for a new battery in Scottsbluff, here's some auto advice to help you.There are two measurements to consider when purchasing a new battery: cold cranking amps and reserve capacity. The power required to start a cold engine is measured in cold cranking amps. The number you need is determined by what kind of vehicle you drive and where you live. In general, higher-cylinder engines require more cold cranking amps than lower-cylinder engines. In other words, an eight-cylinder engine needs more cold cranking amps than a six-cylinder one. Also, diesel engines require more cold cranking amps than gasoline engines.The weather where you live in NE also determines the number of cold cranking amps you need. The colder the ve ... read more

Categories:

Battery

Automotive Tips from Twin City Auto: Air Conditioning Inspection

Most auto manufacturers recommend an interval for an air conditioning system inspection. The inspection uncovers leaks, worn hoses and assesses the condition of the other components.Environmental laws in some around Scottsbluff require leaks to be repaired before refrigerant can be added. Also some parts manufacturers require other components to be replaced along with certain failed parts in order to maintain the new part warranty. This is because a given failure may be the result of another worn or damaged part that will, if not replaced, prematurely damage the new component.Twin City Auto in Scottsbluff is fully equipped to restore your flow of cool air.Twin City Auto1802 E Overland Suite #4Scottsbluff, NE 69361308.635.7404  

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Air Conditioning

Coolant/Antifreeze Service at Twin City Auto

Anyone who drives a car in Scottsbluff knows that engines get hot when they run. But did you know that engines need to be cooled to keep running? Heat inside an engine can cause the metal parts to expand, which can seize up an engine and make it stop running. It can even ruin the entire engine! Good vehicle care requires keeping its cooling system in good condition.A vehicle's cooling system circulates water and antifreeze (coolant) through the engine where it absorbs heat. It then flows to the radiator where the water and antifreeze are cooled by the air that flows over the radiator. Then it circulates back into the vehicle's engine to absorb more heat.Why shouldn't Scottsbluff auto owners just use water? Because water boils at temperatures that are often reached inside of an engine. Steam won't cool your vehicle engine and is hard to contain within the cooling system. The antifreeze keeps the water from boiling.So why d ... read more

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Cooling System

Automotive Tips from Twin City Auto: Making a Battery Last Longer

One thing all Scottsbluff drivers can do to extend the life of their battery is to keep it clean. A greasy, dirty battery holds in damaging heat. Same goes for removing corrosion from the terminals. Twin City Auto can help maintain your battery.Allowing your battery to be deeply depleted – like from using your headlights when the engine is off – is very harmful to your battery. Most automotive batteries can only take that about 10 times before they are ruined.Also, making sure you have a full charge every month or so extends battery life. Either an extended drive at freeway speeds around the Scottsbluff are or using a battery charger will preserve your battery’s ability to hold a full charge.Give us a call.Twin City Auto1802 E Overland Suite #4Scottsbluff, NE 6936130

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Battery

Twin City Auto Advice on Buying New Tires

Today's tires and wheels offer a lot of options for every Scottsbluff driver's style, habits and driving conditions.Tires are designed for high-performance in winter or summer and even come in a long-wearing variety for all NE seasons.Scottsbluff off-roaders should be excited about the options available to them as well. The tread on off-road tires is designed to handle the wear from bumps and rocks. The tires' high profile protects rims from damage.But what if you own an SUV but aren't interested in off-roading around NE? You can change out those high-profile beasts for a lower, wider look if it suits your style.Twin City Auto tire professionals can offer great auto advice on how to choose tires that match your needs and style.If you just need to purchase new tires, a tire professional at Twin City Auto can also help you select the tires that are best for your driving needs and habits. The right tires will protect you and your vehicle on the road.So personalize your vehicle ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Fuel Injection: It Keeps Getting Better for Scottsbluff Drivers

Scottsbluff residents know that engines need to burn fuel to operate. Fuel is pumped from your fuel tank to your vehicle engine where it is squirted—or injected—into your engine's cylinders. This is the function of the fuel injectors.There are two ways to inject fuel into an engine. Fuel needs air to burn, so in the first method, fuel is injected into a port and allowed to mix with airbefore it is drawn into the cylinders. In the second method, fuel is injected directly into the cylinders and mixes with air after it enters the vehicle engine.Direct injection engines burn fuel more efficiently than conventional vehicle engines. Some models can deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.For example, in one family of engines, the conventional version (a V6) delivers about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version delivers over 300 horsepower and gets about the same gas mileage. The turbocharged version delivers 350 horsepowe ... read more

Categories:

Fuel System

The Easy Way to Save Cash in Scottsbluff

The hottest NE news story may be different every day, but there's one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas in Scottsbluff. If you feel like most of your paycheck goes into your gas tank, this post is for you. Here are several basic things people in Scottsbluff can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the environment. You can really improve your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here's a review of things you can do for your vehicle that'll save gas no matter how you drive.The first one for Scottsbluff drivers is keeping tires properly inflated. That can save 2 miles per gallon/.85 km per liter. Driving on low tires is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder. Most Scottsbluff service centers will fill up your tires for free, so just ask Twin City Auto. Also, make a habit of checking your tire pressure whenever you fill up. Many Scottsbluff gas stations have an ai ... read more

Categories:

Maintenance

Why Wheel Balancing and Tire Rotation Save You Money on Tires

Scottsbluff drivers want their tires to last as long as possible. Two ways to extend tire life are wheel balancing and tire rotation.When wheels are out of balance, they wobble and vibrate. That makes the tires wear in a cupping pattern. If a front wheel is out of balance you'll feel it in the steering wheel. If it's a rear wheel you'll feel it through your seat. To fix this, your technician at Twin City Auto puts weights on your wheels to balance them out.That brings us to tire rotation. The front tires on a vehicle wear out faster than the rear tires. As they push through turns, the shoulders of the front tires wear down. So rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate over the life of the tire.Proper tire inflation will also help Scottsbluff folks' tires last longer. Underinflated tires wear more on the shoulder and may even overheat. This could cause tire damage or a blow out. Overinflated tires wear too fast in the middle.Four-wheel ... read more

Categories:

Tires and Wheels

The Twin City Auto Guide to Caring for Your Transmission

Most vehicles have automatic transmissions, yet a lot of Scottsbluff drivers only have a fuzzy understanding about what a transmission does. Think back to the last time you rode a bike in Scottsbluff. You started out in a lower gear and shifted to higher gears as you went faster. Down shift for hills, stuff like that. Think of your legs as the engine – there's an ideal speed you can pedal and you change gears to leverage the work you're doing.Lower gears for power on hills or for starting out. Higher gears for more speed. That's what the automatic transmission does – it automatically starts in lower gears and shifts up to higher gears to go faster on NE roads. And it automatically shifts back down to climb Scottsbluff hills, pass or start up again.Vehicle automatic transmissions have certainly gotten more sophisticated in recent years. They have more speeds than before: the base is four speeds, five is very common. At Twin City ... read more

Categories:

Transmission