Maintaining a regular schedule for rotating your tires helps to ensure even tire wear and helps your tires last longer. Rotating your tires involves changing their position on the vehicle from one wheel location to another. All tire manufacturers recommend rotating your tires regularly. In fact, failing to do so could void the manufacturer’s warranty. Rotate tires at the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended intervals or at 5,000 to 7,000 miles if not specified.

There are two different schools of thought on how often you should rotate your tires on front wheel drive vehicles. The front tires on these vehicles tend to wear quicker than those on the rear of the vehicle. By rotating the tires front to rear and side to side the wear patterns between the wheel locations spread the wear out more evenly, allowing you to extend the life of all four of your tires.

Others argue it makes more sense to replace the front tires on a front wheel vehicle as they wear out, but to leave the back tires alone. This plan is especially effective if you do a lot of driving or plan to keep the vehicle a long time. It is estimated that the back tires will last as long as two sets of front tires.

To find out what rotation pattern would be best for your vehicle and tires, consult one of our highly trained Service Advisors in the Lamborghini Sarasota Service Department.

Wiper blades are one of the most neglected components on vehicles today. Many blades are cracked, split, torn, brittle, worn or otherwise in obvious need of replacement. Others may look okay, but do lousy jobs of wiping when put to the test.

Most experts say wiper blades should be replaced every six to twelve months for optimum performance and driving visibility. That’s because wiper blades don’t last forever. Exposure to sunlight and ozone causes the rubber to age, even if the wipers aren’t used much.

As a set of blades age, they lose much of their flip-over flexibility and they’re less able to wipe cleanly. They may develop a permanent set (called “parked” rubber) or curvature which prevents full contact with the windshield. The sun bakes and hardens the rubber. Then when the wipers are needed, they streak and chatter because they’ve taken a set and won’t follow the curvature of the windshield.

Cold weather can affect blade life, too. Freezing temperatures makes rubber hard and brittle, which increases the tendency to crack and split. The holders can also become clogged with ice and snow, preventing the holder from distributing spring tension evenly over the blade. The blade “freezes up” and leaves streaks as it skips across the glass.

Heavy use can be hard on wiper blades, because dust, abrasives, road grime and even bug juice wear away the edge that the blades need to wipe cleanly.

How well the wiper blades perform also depends on the condition of the wiper arms and holders. A blade’s wiping ability is affected by the amount of spring tension on the wiper arm, the number of pressure points or claws that hold the blade, and the design of the blade itself. If the springs in the arms are weak (which is more apt to be a problem in older vehicles), the wipers may not be pressed against the glass firmly enough to wipe cleanly. Replacing the blades won’t make any difference because the problem is weak arms not bad blades.

Ultimately, any blade that’s chattering, streaking or doing a lousy job of wiping is a blade that’s overdue for replacement. The same goes for any blade that is cracked, torn, nicked or otherwise damaged.

If you have replaced your wiper blades and chattering or streaking persists, visit the Lamborghini Sarasota Service Department to have one of our technicians inspect your wiper blades and wiper arms to ensure your continued safety on the road.

Source: [Yahoo Autos]

Motor oil is the lifeblood of your engine. Just as your body operates best with a specific blood type, your engine operates in a similar way. Do you know what type of motor oil helps protect and optimize your engine’s output?

When you take your vehicle to a service department for an oil change, do you know which oil to request in your vehicle? With so many motor oil choices available, it can be confusing to know what type of oil will work the best in your vehicle’s engine. The easiest answer to this question is found in your owner’s manual. For most passenger car and light truck gasoline engines today, any oil that meets the American Petroleum Institutes “SH” rating. While that’s a pretty broad range of oils, here is a breakdown of the different types and functions of motor oil to help you choose which type is best for your engine.

Every motor oil is rated by viscosity, which indicates the oil’s resistance to flow. The higher the viscosity the slower it will flow. Most engine wear occurs immediately after a cold start, so it’s important to have oil that is thin enough to circulate easily.

5W-30 – most new engines today require a multi-viscosity oil for all-round driving. The lighter 5W-30 oils contain friction reducing additives that help improve fuel economy, and also allow the oil to quickly reach critical upper valvetrain components when a cold engine is first started.

10W-30, 10W-40 – used in older engines and engines that are driven at sustained highway speeds during hot weather.

20W-40 – used in high RPM, high-load applications primarily and are not recommended for cold weather driving.

Synthetic oils are also an option when choosing the right oil for your vehicle. Synthetic oil offers greater engine protection in high temperatures, increased durability and a better all-around performance than ordinary petroleum-based oils. These can cost up to three times as much as ordinary petroleum oils because they are manmade rather than refined. The premium priced synthetic oil is recommended for vehicles operated in extremely cold or hot climates, turbocharged or supercharged engines, performance or high output engines, vehicles used for towing and anyone who wants ultimate engine lubrication and protection. Synthetic oil improves the performance of your engine in virtually every aspect:

• Superior temperature resistance. Synthetics can safely handle higher operating temperatures without oxidizing (burning) or breaking down. The upper limit for most mineral based oils is about 250 to 300 degrees F. Synthetics can take up to 450 degrees F. or higher. This makes synthetics well-suited for turbo applications as well as high RPM and high output engine applications.
• Better low temperature performance. Synthetics flow freely at subzero temperatures, pouring easily at -40 or -50 degrees F. where ordinary oils turn to molasses. This makes for easier cold starts and provides faster upper valvetrain lubrication during the first critical moments when most engine wear occurs.
• Better engine performance. Synthetics tend to be more slippery than their petroleum-based counterparts, which improves fuel economy, cuts frictional horsepower losses and helps the engine run cooler. The difference isn’t great, but it can make a noticeable difference.
• Longer oil change intervals. Because synthetics resist oxidation and viscosity breakdown better than ordinary motor oils, some suppliers say oil change intervals can be safely extended — in some cases stretched to as much as 25,000 miles. Such claims are justified by the fact that synthetics don’t break down or sludge up as fast as ordinary mineral-based oils do in use.

Synthetics are available in the same grades as ordinary motor oils (5W-30, 5W-20 and 10W-30) as well as “extended” grades such as 15W-50 and even 5W-50.

Are you still unsure of what oil is best for your engine? The next time you take your vehicle for service at the Lamborghini Sarasota Service Department, be sure to talk with our knowledgeable service advisors to determine what type and viscosity of engine oil will help keep your engine running like new for years to come.

Source: [Yahoo.com]

There is nothing more frustrating than driving down the highway and feeling like you are fighting to keep your vehicle in your lane. There are several possible culprits that can cause your steering to pull to one side or the other. If your vehicle is having trouble staying on a straight line, there are a few things you can check yourself to correct this problem.

Check your tire pressure. Often times an under inflated front tire can cause your vehicle to pull in one direction. Always check your tire pressure and be sure to keep your tires inflated according to manufacturer specifications. Keeping your tires properly inflated can also help improve your fuel efficiency.

Check your tire size. When buying tires always match tire sizes and tread patterns as close as possible. Different size, aspect ratio or even tread pattern can create enough of a difference to pull your vehicle to one side. If you are unable to purchase 4 tires at once, be sure to match your front two tires and back two tires to each other, to eliminate uneven wear and pulling.

Balance your car load. If you are carrying heavy items, like golf clubs or excessive weight, be sure to balance the weight evenly across your vehicle. If you can’t do anything about the weight, it is possible to have the wheels realigned to compensate for the pulling. This is not recommended, as when the weight is removed your vehicle will pull in the opposite direction.

Check your springs. This is actually easier than it may sound. Park your vehicle on a level plane and measure the distance between the ground and your fender openings on both the front and rear of your vehicle. If one side is more than an inch higher or lower than the other, there is a high chance that you need to replace a spring.

If you have checked these possible causes and everything looks fine, there are other causes that a mechanic can detect.

Misaligned wheels – when your vehicles wheels are not pointing directly straight ahead. There are many causes, the most common being rear wheel toe or axle misalignment, front wheel camber misalignment, too much cross camber or caster alignment. Sometimes the culprit can be caused from the steering wheel. Make sure your steering wheel has been aligned after your vehicles wheels have been aligned to ensure proper alignment.

Dragging break – caused by a frozen or sticking disc brake caliper. When the caliper freezes or sticks, it doesn’t allow the brake pad to kick back out from the motor, sometimes a weak or broken return spring in the drum brake doesn’t pull the shoe back from the drum. When this happens it causes the vehicle to pull one direction or another. Replacing the caliper will resolve the problem.

Excessive road crown – to allow for proper drainage, roads are built sloped (crowned) so that rain and other fluids will drain to the side of the roadway. For those who spend a large amount of time driving on crowned roads, you can realign the wheels on your vehicle to compensate for the excessive crown.

If you are tired of fighting with your vehicle to stay in a straight line, the factory trained technicians at Lamborghini Sarasota can diagnose and correct any problems your vehicle may have to get you back on the road worry free.

It’s every driver’s worst nightmare. You’re driving down the street, enjoying your day, when all of a sudden a light on your dashboard catches your eye. You look down and see – the dreaded “Check Engine” signal.

When this light flickers on, it means the onboard computer system in your vehicle has self-diagnosed a problem. The causes for this alert varies from a momentary hiccup that has little or no noticeable effect on engine performance or driving safety, to a failure of a major electronic component. Unfortunately, the only way to tell what has triggered this alarm is to run a diagnostic scan on your vehicle to determine the culprit.

The onboard diagnostic system in your vehicle is very complex. To accurately access and diagnose this system special tools are used to troubleshoot your vehicle. At Lamborghini Sarasota, our highly trained staff will access your vehicle’s computer system and put your vehicle into a special diagnostic mode to display the “fault codes.” These are numeric codes that are generated and stored in your vehicle’s computer system when a problem is detected. By retrieving the fault codes, the service technicians at Lamborghini Sarasota can isolate the failed component and begin repairing or replacing it.

Intermittent problems are often more difficult, and may take a significant amount of time to diagnose. In these situations, it is critical to make note of the conditions that caused the light to turn on. Were you driving at a certain speed? Were you accelerating or slowing down, or were you shifting gears?

If your check engine light has illuminated recently, feel free to bring your vehicle to Lamborghini Sarasota for a complete diagnosis and inspection.

If you missed out on the government Cash for Clunkers rebate program a few months ago, you can still receive a tax deduction, by buying a new vehicle, before the end of the year. While this tax deduction won’t exceed the rebates offered during the Cash for Clunkers program, you’ll still have a chance to receive a large sum of your purchase back.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed last February, allows all new car buyers to deduct the sales tax and other fees charged from the purchase of their vehicle after February 17th and before January 1st. The tax deduction can be added to the standard deduction, making it available even if you itemize your return. Plus, there is no limit to the number of vehicles you can claim under this deduction, as long as you purchase each vehicle before this deduction expires. There are some restrictions to this special tax deduction, so be sure to consult with a tax professional if you have any questions.

If you’re considering buying a new car this year, don’t miss this opportunity to increase your tax refund. Combined with low interest rates, high factory incentives and record trade-in prices, now is the perfect time to trade up to a new vehicle.