Grand Prix Performance - Costa Mesa, CA

Getting your car serviced regularly is one of the most important things you can do to minimize emissions and maximize fuel efficiency.

Regular service can spot lots of problems that reduce gas mileage and increase pollution, such as a broken thermostat, low transmission fluid, sticky brake calipers--or even something as simple as a dirty air filter.

If you can't remember when the last time was you had your car serviced, take it in. In extreme situations, you might increase your mileage by up to 10 percent. So what? Well, if you drove 20,000 miles a year, you would save $145--enough to cover the cost of the service and then some!

Did you make your Automotive New Year's Resolutions?

#1 Check tire pressure

#2 Rotate tires if you’ve been putting it off

#3 Update your look with a new set of “shoes”

Give us call to discuss how to get your vehicle in good shape for the year ahead!

Short trips of less than 10 minutes can be particularly hard on a car, resulting in excessive wear and tear. During a short trip, your car's engine never has a chance to reach its full operating temperature.

So what? Here's why it matters: One of the byproducts of engine combustion is water. When an engine reaches its operating temperature that water turns to vapor and is expunged, either out the tailpipe or the crankcase ventilation system. On a short trip, however, that water stays inside your car's engine and exhaust. Unfortunately, water is one of only three ingredients necessary to make rust (you've already got the other two, oxygen and metal), and rust kills.

A further complication of condensation and water is that it dilutes your oil, which then does a poorer job of lubricating the engine. If you can't avoid taking lots of short trips, we recommend you change your oil frequently, such as every 2,000-3,000 miles.

Sure, we know that tires rotate, but we're talking about another kind of rotation — rotating tires to different corners of the car and maybe even reversing the direction in which they turn.

Many tires are rotated front-to-back and side-to-side, but some tires are directional, which means they're only supposed to turn in one direction. They have to stay on the same side of the car. Directional tires often have arrows on the tire's sidewall to show you the direction in which they should turn.

If you're not sure which kind of tires you have, check with us at Grand Prix when we service your vehicle.  And we gladly offer free tire rotation to our customers!

Keep your gas tank close to full..especially in the winter.

In the winter, if you do get stuck or stranded, the engine will be your only source of heat. And you don’t want to have to worry about conserving fuel and saving the planet right at that moment...you want to stay warm. You can run the engine indefinitely at idle to stay warm-or as long as you have gas. No harm will be done to the engine.

 

Make sure your battery and charging system are up to snuff.

You need to have us check the battery, charging system, and belts. Your battery can leave you stranded simply because it’s old and lousy. Or it could leave you stranded because your charging system isn’t working well, and the battery isn’t getting charged properly. So have your mechanic check the battery and charging system.

If you find that you need a new battery, get the biggest, meanest, ugliest battery that will fit in your car. Two things to remember about batteries: First, the battery that started your car easily in the summer may not have enough oomph to do it in winter. In winter, the engine is harder to start, because the oil isn’t as “fluid” as it was last July. And secondly, batteries lose power as the temperature drops (you remember your high school chem- istry, right?). So not only do you need MORE power to start the engine in winter, you also get LESS power from the same battery.

Batteries are rated by a measure called “cold cranking amps” (CCA), the maximum number of amps that the battery can deliver at zero degrees (F) for 30 seconds. Good, powerful batteries are rated at or above 600 CCA. We’ve never really liked this CCA rating because some batteries rated at 600 CCA can just barely make the 30-second criterion, and some can pump it out much longer - clearly better batteries. Along came our pals at Consumer Reports. When they rate batteries, they do the CCA test and report how long the battery puts out the 600 amps. Great, says us. So take a look at their ratings for the lowdown.

The softer your tires are, the greater the friction between the road and the rubber and the harder your engine will have to work to get you where you're going. When we check tire pressure on our customers' cars, we notice that they are often nowhere near the recommended pressure. And being off by as little as four pounds of pressure can reduce your mileage by 10 percent.

Check out our Facebook page to see our photos from the Coastline Car Classic '09. Beautiful Cars. Vroom Vroom....

We just got the exciting news that we got voted as one of the top 3 Car/Truck Custom Shops by OC Register Readers, and we must admit that we are just tickled pink!  Here's what they had to say about us:

• The owners maintain relationships with tire and wheel manufacturers so the store can have fast access to products.
• The waiting area for service customers has amenities including free Wi-Fi internet access.
• Years in Orange County: 38.

 

Claim to fame: By remaining family-owned, Grand Prix Performance has always been able to operate under its own terms in both the service garage and the retail area, which has an exceptionally large inventory of tires, wheels and accessories. Grand Prix Performance has worked to stay on the cutting edge of new trends and technologies.

Inside scoop: The store and service facility is still operated by its founder, Jerry Palanjian, who has focused on nurturing repeat customers through better service and product options.

Fan favorite: Many regular customers have dealt with the same friendly folks behind the counter since the first day they stepped into the store, as some employees have been there for more than 30 years.

Fun fact: Grand Prix is now on its fourth generation of customers.

– Alissa Meagher and Jan Anderson

Here's the link: 

http://www.ocregister.com/best/sections/boc/shopping-services/car_truck_custom_shop.php#TAGLINK3