Service Tips

Service, Safety and Important Inspections Tips

The Carland Service Center in Atlanta would like to offer you some tips on how to stay safe in your car or truck. Most safety related issues are centered on your tires!

Here are some recommendations we have found during our monthly Honda Owner Clinics.

• Check your tires including your spare, especially if you are leaving for a long trip.
• Look for uneven or peculiar tire wear
• Check Pressure with a tire gauge
• Inquire about filling tires with Nitrogen at any of our Carland Locations

Fall Tire Safety Tips

Measuring your tire and filling when tires are cold is crucial. Do not take a measurement when tires are hot or recently driven for a long period of time. Tire pressure will drastically increase and decrease with air temperatures.

Again, Nitrogen is a good option to help minimize these types of fluctuations. Brake Fluid is crucial, make sure your fluid is in great condition, and be sure to have your brakes inspected.

It also important to check your engine and cabin air filters. Springtime in Atlanta, GA can fill your filters full of pollen and pollutants, which can affect air quality and engine performance.

Winter Safety Tips

Batteries, batteries, batteries.

Extreme cold will usually accelerate the failure of batteries in marginal operation. The Carland Service Center will test your battery and give you a copy of the test which will essentially look at indicators to help you understand the overall condition of your battery.

Many customers still prefer the battery to fail, but with modern technology we can confidently provide you with future notice of battery failure. Honda Battery
Also, if you have Vehicle Stability Assist or Traction Control Systems- remember you will need to disengage them if you are trying to drive up a steep icy driveway or will require your tires to slip to get you through an ice patch. The Carland Service Center wants you to be familiar with the VSA and TCS Systems. Please be sure to have your TCS and VSA on at all times. Only when you have to allow the tires to slip, will you need to disengage the VSA or TCS. NEVER disengage TCS or VSA in severe or normal driving conditions, these safety features very important. Know and understand the operation of Anti Lock Brakes (ABS), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), and Traction Control (TCS).

• If you get stuck, gently rock back and forth, use salts , never , try to accelerate out of being stuck, you will essentially dig deeper, and may cause tire failure
• 4WD on icy roads can still slip and offer minimal advantages in skidding or braking when road conditions are icy.

Fall Safety Tips

Great time to check your wiper blades, remember wiper blades are inserts, and most of the time you will only need to replace the insert and not the actual blade. Fall is typically a bit more rain, so be sure to follow these safety tips!

• Braking on wet roads take 4X longer than normal distance. Tire tread is important here, so be sure to have good tread depth.
• Slow down in sudden downpours, oil and grit are lifted, and can cause extremely slippery conditions during the beginning of a downpour.
• Pay attention and look for indicators that lead to skidding or increase braking distances- when in rain, slow down- and try to maximize your visibility when using your wipers.

Spring Safety Tips

During the winter your car may have slipped or hit potholes, curbs, or bumps that may have possibly misaligned your tires. The Carland Service Center offers complimentary alignment inspections. Our Fully Trained Alignment Techs will share with you the results of the Alignment inspection. Again take a look at your tires and brakes, winter time is hard on tires and brakes, and the spring is a great time to have them inspected. If you have not had your cooling system inspected in the winter, the spring is a also a good time. You want to make sure all cooling system hoses are in good condition, and your HVAC system is functioning properly.

Proper Tire Inflation is Crucial!

A tire can lose up to 10lbs of pressure in as little as a month. It is important to check your tires with a tire gauge about once a month. Most recent Hondas will have Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems that will monitor your tires’ air pressure. The system will alert the driver when a tire’s air pressure is significantly lower than the OEM recommended pressure. If the letters “TPMS” light up on the dashboard, please see Carland Service Center – that indicator is sensing a malfunction in the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Properly inflated tires are critical for safety, handling, and fuel economy.

Tire Balancing and Wheel Alignment

Our Atlanta Carland Service Centers all have the latest technology. Our Alignment Racks offer fully integrated alignments with real time specs to all of our customers. Our service technician will provide you with a complete analysis of your Honda’s alignment needs.

Keeping your vehicle properly aligned is crucial for safety, handling, and tire and suspension wear.

Balancing is often overlooked at most tire locations. In fact, unbalanced tires cause road vibration that sometimes will translate through the steering wheel.

Unbalanced tires can cause premature wear to your tires and suspension components. Tires should be balanced at replacement and at least once a year.

Tire Rotations

Tire Rotations are important to evenly wear a set of tires. Keep in mind a vehicles weight is not equally distributed. It is extremely important to adjust tire pressures to account for tire position in front and rear. Some vehicles will have directional tires treads – so be sure to check before doing a rotation (Example 2001 S2000).

Shopping for Tires?

The Carland Service Center offers OEM tires and several competitor brands. While shopping for tires, be sure to get the OEM Specific Tire in terms of Tire Rating, Size, and load rating. OEM Tires are suggested, since they were designed to optimize your vehicles performance.

Many Tire Stores will sell a cheaper tire, the Carland Service Center will provide you with several tire options, and insure that it is a proper fit for your Honda!

The Carland Service Center has a low price guarantee and we also include tire rotations, alignment inspections, Nitrogen for Life – (Household) and many other benefits that you will not get from a “Discount” Tire Store.

Too often we have had our Honda owners become concerned with drivability issues, and the cause was traced back to improper matched tires.