Archive for the ‘Making Your Vehicle Last’ Category

Deciphering The Menu Board At AFS Service: F to W

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Deciphering The Menu Board At AFS Service F to W

You may not be familiar with all of the items on AFS Service’s menu board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed. Remember, the board is there for reference; speak to your AFS Service Service Adviser about other possible needs or services.

AFS Service Fuel System Cleaning
: Over time, the fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning at AFS Service gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas as you drive around Hortonville and on Appleton freeways, by the way.

AFS Service Headlamp Replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. When one burns out, replace both so they’ll have the same brightness. Also, if your headlamp lenses are yellowed or cloudy, you can have them professionally restored to like new-condition. As your courteous AFS Service advisor for information.

AFS Service Inspections: Hortonville drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they’re going on a trip or just want to make sure their vehicle’s ready for summer or winter in Hortonville. Maybe they just bought a used car and want to give it the once over. An inspection at AFS Service may reveal some things that are broken or are getting close to having a problem.

AFS Service Oil Change Service – there are several options: Some Hortonville auto service centers offer just an oil change and new filter as an option. Most will also check and top off all of your other fluids and do a quick visual inspection with a full service oil change. There may also be options for higher mileage fluids or an upgrade to synthetic oil.

AFS Service PCV Valve Service: PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve. It’s a little part that releases pressure from the engine. It can get gummed up and that can lead to engine damage. Just needs to be changed now and then.

AFS Service Power Steering Service: Often overlooked. Your AFS Service technician will evacuate the old fluid, clean out the system and replace it with clean fluid. Keeps the system running well for a long time.

AFS Service Serpentine Belt Replacement: That’s the belt that powers the engine’s accessories like the alternator, air conditioner, power steering and brakes. You’ll want to replace the serpentine belt at AFS Service before it breaks or wears down too much, because that’ll lead to other problems.

AFS Service Shocks and Struts Replacement
: This starts with an inspection of the suspension components. Shocks last a long time and wear out slowly, so many Hortonville motorists don’t notice when it’s time to change them. If they’re worn or leaking, they need to be replaced.

AFS Service Transmission Service: This involves removing the transmission fluid and replacing it with clean fluid. It’s like an oil change for your transmission.

AFS Service Tire Rotation and Wheel Balancing
: The tires are rotated from front to back using the recommended rotation pattern. This helps tires wear more evenly. Wheels need to be balanced from time to time to keep them turning without any wobble or bounce. Helps the ride and saves tire wear as you drive around Hortonville.

Give us a call

AFS Service
920.779.4199
330 E Main St
Hortonville, WI 54944

At AFS Service in Hortonville WI (54944) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 920.779.4199. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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Budgeting for Auto Maintenance In Hortonville WI

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Budgeting for Auto Maintenance In Hortonville WI Everyone in Hortonville WI does our best to budget for scheduled vehicle maintenance.

What’s hard is planning for unexpected midside sedan repairs.

The truth is that our vehicles can stay on our WI roads longer than ever before with proper maintenance. That’s because of improved vehicle design and manufacturing quality. But some of those same improvements also lead to higher repairs costs for every midside sedan or vehicle.

There’s a tool that can be found on Edmunds.com that you can use to prepare your Hortonville WI service and repair budget.

Let’s suppose you have a used Toyota Camry – a very popular car in the Appleton area…

It’s now paid for and you’d like to keep it running for the next three years. You can go to Edmunds’ True Cost to Own calculator and enter your vehicle’s data. The calculator will provide estimates of what it’ll cost to service and repair your vehicle in Appleton over the next five years. The estimate’s based on where you live in WI, manufacturers’ recommendations and repair experience for your particular model.

Of course these are just estimates – there’s no way to predict what’ll actually happen to the car in your driveway, but it’s a good starting point. The calculator also has estimates for depreciation, financing, insurance, WI taxes and fuel costs.

Let’s focus on maintenance and repair in the WI area: This table at Edmonds.com shows that the average monthly cost of maintenance and repairs for our example in WI is about eighty-three dollars. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to a new car payment.

So if you set aside eighty-three dollars a month, you’d go a long ways towards taking care of routine maintenance and being prepared for the unexpected repairs that arise.

Some folks in the 54944 zip code area are afraid of what can go wrong with their older car so they buy a new one. That’s fine if you really want a new car, but if you properly maintain your older vehicle, you’ll save a lot of money on new car payments and insurance. It just makes good economic sense when times are tight in Hortonville.

Give us a call for additional advice on how to keep your midside sedan running on a budget.

AFS Service
330 E Main St
Hortonville, WI 54944

At AFS Service we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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Making Your Vehicle Last With Regular Service in Hortonville

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Making Your Vehicle Last A lot of people in WI have older vehicles. They’re good commuters, grocery-getters or toy-haulers. They enjoy that fact that they’re paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their vehicles for 200,000 miles or more – as long as it’s economical to do so.

There are plenty of people in Hortonville whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles. We can learn from what they’re doing to keep our own cars on the road.

A common denominator is that they never skip an oil change. That may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it’s really not. First off, oil is the life blood of your engine and it needs to be clean to properly lubricate. Skipping oil changes leads to clogged oil filters and sludge that can damage your engine. Enough said.

There’s another reason why the scheduled oil change is so important. It’s simple – a AFS Service professional is going to be looking at your car. All of your fluid levels will be inspected and topped off so they won’t get so low that damage can be done. If there is a significant fluid loss, let’s use brake fluid as an example, your Hortonville technician can look for the cause of the loss and find the problem before it leads to an accident or costly repair.

Your Hortonville service technician will also visually inspect the vehicle for worn belts and hoses, uneven tire wear, leaking shock absorbers and more. Problems get addressed before they lead to repairs that cost more than the car’s worth. And your Hortonville service advisor will be able to remind you of other services that the factory recommends you get done.

Just think of that oil change the same way as you do about going to the dentist for your six month cleaning and checkup. Don’t skip it.

Of course, good maintenance costs money, but it’s far cheaper than new car payments.

Give us a call to schedule your next oil change today. You can find us online at AFS Service, or you can find us in Hortonville, WI 54944 at 330 E Main St. Or simply give us a call at 920.779.4199. At AFS Service we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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