Automotive Industry News & Information - Downtown Automotive

Person driving with hands on the steering wheel

Good steering is an underrated, and often neglected aspect of driving. At Downtown Automotive in Siler City, NC, we believe in making sure you have the best vehicle possible, whether you’re driving across town or traveling long distance.

You don’t have to buy a new, fuel-efficient car to get great fuel efficiency. No one wants to trade a fuel bill for a car payment, so take a look at our top 5 ways to save on fuel and you may just be able to pocket a little extra money at the end of the month.

1. Change Your Driving Style - If you’re the kind of person who enjoys the rush of hard acceleration, typically runs 10 mph over the speed limit and brakes abruptly, we’ve got bad news: you’re hurting your vehicle’s fuel economy, and your wallet, in a big way. Depending on the kind of vehicle you drive and just how extreme you are with the throttle and brake, tempering your driving style can up your vehicle’s fuel economy by more than 5 mpg. That’s a serious bump. Scaling back the speed by just 5 mph means you’ll also see an increase in fuel economy.

Your radiator hoses are under a lot of pressure, in both the figurative and literal sense. From Downtown Automotive in Siler City, NC, here’s what you need to know about the radiator hoses on your car, truck, or SUV.

If your car has climate control, then it also has a cabin filter. Cabin filters are simply air filters for the interior of your car, truck, or SUV. All air entering circulation through the climate control system first passes through this filter, to prevent your AC or heat systems from accumulating debris or blowing them out of your vents. The result is cleaner, quieter, and longer-lasting climate control systems, which keep the inside of your car as comfortable as possible.

At Downtown Automotive in Siler City, NC, we know how annoying a dead battery can be. Here’s some information on the subject, that will hopefully help you understand your battery issues a little better.

Your car’s radio and headlights, plus a slew of other important functions, are powered by an electrical current generated by your vehicle’s engine. A vital part of generating electricity is having a place to store it while it’s not being used. This is where your car battery comes into play. The battery of your vehicle holds electrical energy while the car is off in order to help the engine turn over and create a spark to start internal combustion. Without a working battery, your car will not be able to start. If you allow our team here at Downtown Automotive to perform proper maintenance, an average car battery can start your car reliably for roughly four years.

It’s not always easy to recognize when your vehicle is suffering from a simple problem that requires a little maintenance and TLC or there is real engine damage as symptoms can be overlooked and seen as “normal.” While not all sounds and smells may threaten the life of your vehicle or truck engine, there are some obvious warning signs that require a vehicle inspection here at the shop right away.

Your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot of clean air. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At Downtown Automotive in Siler City, we ensure you get the best air quality in your vehicle and explain the process of where this dirty air is going to our area drivers.