Air quality affects us wherever we are in Aurora. Many decades ago, Aurora residents began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?

Cabin air filters are now coming on most new minivans since the 2000 model year. These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment. They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants. If you suffer from allergies in Aurora, this is very good news.

You can look in your minivan owner’s manual to see if you have a cabin air filter. If you do, there’ll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often. You can also ask your caring service advisor at Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora.

How hard it is to change a cabin air filter depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible; others take some doing to get to them. They’re usually in the minivan engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some Aurora motorists haven’t heard of them – even people who have cabin air filters. Tilden Car Care Aurora service advisors report customers complaining of an unpleasant odor in their vehicle and it turned out to be a dirty cabin air filter.

An important note for Aurora hybrid owners: there is a special air filter that cleans the air that cools the hybrid battery pack. This filter should be inspected every time the cabin air filter is inspected and replaced if it is dirty so that the battery pack doesn’t overheat.

Give us a call

Tilden Car Care Aurora
720.306.8174
606 Peoria Street
Aurora, CO 80011

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

With front-wheel drive being so common in Aurora these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Aurora folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive minivan 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 CO 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 minivan 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Tilden Car Care Aurora 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.

Aurora four wheel drive minivans 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora at different intervals.

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

Give us a call

Tilden Car Care Aurora
720.306.8174
606 Peoria Street
Aurora, CO 80011

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Most Aurora area car owners don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. Maintaining your minivan air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well.

Along with the refrigerant, a special oil circulates in the system. The oil lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and we all know that air conditioning repairs can be costly in Aurora.

Air conditioning service at Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear.

The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation by your Tilden Car Care Aurora service advisor. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the minivan system is retested. Your Tilden Car Care Aurora technician will also perform a temperature drop test.

If needed, the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.

How often this should be done at Tilden Car Care Aurora varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your minivan owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your caring Tilden Car Care Aurora service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.

Give us a call

Tilden Car Care Aurora
606 Peoria Street
Aurora, CO 80011

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

A lot of people in the Aurora 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora can ensure you get the right fit for your minivan. 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 minivan, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Aurora people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Aurora 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 minivan 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 minivan vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Tilden Car Care Aurora, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Aurora. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Aurora 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 caring Tilden Car Care Aurora tire specialist see your minivan in person so mistakes are not made.

At Tilden Car Care Aurora, we also offer brake service and serpentine belt replacement.

Give us a call

Tilden Car Care Aurora
720.306.8174
606 Peoria Street
Aurora, CO 80011

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Aurora or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday CO driving can cause your minivan wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.

Here are some alignment basics from Tilden Car Care Aurora:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your minivan was designed by its engineers. Tilden Car Care Aurora alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Tilden Car Care Aurora technician will look at tire condition. From there, the minivan is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.

Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your minivan alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your minivan, get it checked at Tilden Car Care Aurora before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Tilden Car Care Aurora
720.306.8174
606 Peoria Street
Aurora, CO 80011

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Aurora 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora 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 Aurora roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Aurora drivers to replace the tires on their minivans 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 CO 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 Aurora 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. 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 minivans, 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora 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.

Aurora 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 minivan. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Tilden Car Care Aurora – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. 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 Aurora. At Tilden Car Care Aurora, 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 Aurora
• You drive in very hot CO 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 minivan

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

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 Tilden Car Care Aurora advisor can help you with your decision.

At Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

In addition to just wearing out, Tilden Car Care Aurora 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 minivan manufacturer and Tilden Car Care Aurora recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Watkins 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 Watkins. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your minivan 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora 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 minivan 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora.

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 Tilden Car Care Aurora 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. 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 minivan 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 minivan. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Commerce City 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Commerce City drivers don’t know about it.

Check your minivan owner’s manual or ask your Tilden Car Care Aurora 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 Tilden Car Care Aurora in Aurora CO (80011) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 720.306.8174. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.