Clean Your Ford’s Tires

Your Ford vehicle relies on your tires to get down the road safely and efficiently. In addition, your tires say something about your vehicle, about how you care for it, and about where you take it. Keeping your tires and wheels clean is an important part of caring for your Ford vehicle.

You need to understand, from the outset, how the wheels on your Ford vehicle get dirty in the first place. The main source of dirt and grime on your wheels is brake dust. Brake pad adhesive is at the root of most of the wheel dirt problems. When that adhesive residue gets wet, it can etch your wheels. In addition, the metal filings of your brakes become hot during braking and may burn tiny holes in the finish of your wheels. You might also find small droplets that look like tar from the road on your wheels, which is probably re-polymerized adhesive.

It’s important that you pick the least possible aggressive way to clean the wheels on your Ford. Start off the cleaning process by using a detergent, and see if that will do the job or not. If not, move up to a tire cleaner. Try to choose one that isn’t heavily acidic, or you’ll possibly cause some damage to the wheel finish.

Need a new Ford to go with those clean tires? Come and see your Omaha Ford dealer today.

Using Synthetic Oil In Your Ford Vehicle

When you need to get the oil changed in your Ford vehicle, one of the options you’re going to be presented with is that of synthetic oil. You may not realize it, but synthetic oil has been in use for more than three decades, although it’s really only come into common use in the past 10 years.

Synthetic oil is different from regular motor oil in the way it is produced. Synthetic oil is produced in a lab; it’s man-made. Regular oil is produced in the ground, and refined.

Synthetic oil has an advantage over petroleum-based oil in that it doesn’t have the same degree of contaminants that can be found in crude oil. These contaminants, over time, can build up in one part of your engine and eventually reduce your engine’s life.

Using synthetic oil gives you other benefits, too. Synthetic oil is able to maintain its level of viscosity at much higher engine temps than traditional motor oil. What this means for you is that it’s longer before you need to have your oil changed.

If you’re due for an oil change, consider getting synthetic oil in order to extend the life of your engine and save you money in the long run. Talk to your Omaha Ford dealer about synthetic oil today.

When To Replace Your Ford Timing Belt

The timing belt in your Ford vehicle is an extremely important component. The timing belt helps all of the different parts of your engine to work together at the right time. When your timing belt isn’t working correctly, your engine can malfunction. The results of a bad timing belt can be truly disastrous.

Your timing belt should be inspected around every 10,000 miles of driving. The timing belt is usually found underneath a plastic timing cover, located near the front part of your Ford vehicle’s engine.

You are looking for several different things when you are inspecting your timing belt. For example, you’re looking to see if there are any cracks in the timing belt. You might find a few tiny cracks, and that can be normal. But anything more than just a couple of tiny cracks indicates a problem with the belt.

You’re also going to take a look at the teeth on your timing belt. If any of the teeth are broken, It needs to be replaced right away.

If you don’t see cracks and the teeth in your timing belt are fine, the last thing you are going to do is try to twist the timing belt, to see how much play it has. If it twists more than half a turn, it may be time to replace it.

Get your Ford’s timing belt checked out today at your Omaha Ford dealer today.

Checking Your Ford’s Brake Fluid

Your brakes are, in many ways, some of the most important components to your Ford vehicle. You use your brakes everywhere you go, no matter what you’re doing. Brakes help keep you safe by letting you stop and avoid accidents, and they help you obey basic traffic laws. Taking good care of your Ford vehicle’s brakes is an important part of caring for your vehicle.

One of the things you need to do in order to properly care for your Ford’s brakes is to maintain your brake fluid level. Your ford vehicle has a reservoir of brake fluid that you need to check at least a couple of times a year.

If your brake fluid is low, you need to add some more. YOu will start by cleaning the reservoir. Brake fluid is especially prone to collecting foreign particles, so you want it to be as clean as it can.

You should check your brake fluid again within a couple of days of adding fluid. If the level has gone down, you may have a leak and need to have it repaired.

Your Omaha Ford dealer can check your brakes and fix any problem you might have. Get in to see them today
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Checking the Coolant Level in Your Ford

Some of the most basic maintenance tasks you can do on your Ford vehicle may seem rather obvious, but they’re also some of the most important things you can do. Today, as it is becoming less and less common for people to be familiar with basic auto service and maintenance issues, it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about one of the very basic tasks you need to do on a regular basis checking the level of engine coolant in your Ford vehicle.

Your Ford’s engine coolant is important to your car. Engine coolant lowers the boiling point of water, which allows it to carry heat away from your car’s engine. When you’re low on coolant, your engine can overhead very quickly.

Checking the coolant level in your Ford vehicle is relatively simple. First, make sure to check your engine coolant when the engine is cool. Under your hood, you will discover a, overflow coolant tank next to your car’s radiator, right up toward the front of the engine. This tank is made of white plastic, and it lets you see how much engine coolant is inside. There should be markings on the side that will tell you if there’s enough coolant inside.

If your coolant level is low, you can simply add coolant to the overflow tank. Make sure that you check it again in a day or two, because you want to be able to tell if you’ve got a coolant leak. If there’s a leak, call your Omaha Ford dealer about getting it looked at today.

Your Ford’s Power Steering Fluid

Today’s Ford vehicles come with power steering. In fact, most vehicles on the market today all have power steering. Most people would be rather shocked if they tried to drive a vehicle that didn’t have power steering. Because power steering is such an important part of how you control your vehicle on the road, you want to make sure that your power steering fluid is at the right level at all times.

You can usually find the power steering fluid reservoir on the passenger side of your Ford. The reservoir will be labeled as such.

The best way to check your power steering fluid in your Ford vehicle is to open the cap. The cap has a dipstick built into it. You will want to make sure that you clean the dipstick before you put it back into the power steering reservoir. When you remove it again and look at the dipstick, you’ll be able to see the fluid level.

If the power steering fluid level in your Ford is low, you can add some fluid to it. Make sure you check it again after a few days to see if it’s leaking, as well.

At your Omaha Ford dealer we can fix problems with your Ford’s power steering. Come see us today.

When To Replace Your Ford’s Tires

Your tires are, in many ways, one of the most important parts of your vehicle. YOur tires are the “feet” of your vehicle, and if they’re not working right you can’t get where you need to go. Knowing when it’s time to replace the tires on your Ford vehicle is an important part of regular vehicle maintenance, and avoiding a blowout or a flat tire.

Over time, tires generate a certain amount of heat. This heat will eventually cause the tire to become deformed. The more you drive on our tires, the more worn out they’ll become. Eventually, they lose part of their tread. When your tires have less tread, you have a harder time controlling the vehicle and are at a higher risk for accidents.

When your Ford’s tires show wear on the treads, its time to replace them. To figure out if your tires are ready to be replaced, do the penny test. Take a penny and push it down in between the tread of the tire. If Lincoln’s head comes up above the tread of the tire, you need to replace it.

Another way to tell you need to replace your rire is if you can see wear bars. These are molded indicators that you can see on the pattern of the tread, and they indicate it’s time for the tire to be replaced.

If you need new tires, get to your local Omaha Ford dealer today.

Should You Change Your Own Oil?

One of the most common do it yourself tasks when it comes to maintenance of a Ford vehicle is changing the oil. Many people enjoy changing their own oil, and get a great deal of satisfaction from being able to do so. However, it’s worth thinking about whether or not its worth it to change your own oil.

To start with, there are several benefits to changing your own oil. You’ll save a few dollars off the typical oil change price. You’ll also know that the job was done correctly. In addition, you’ll get the satisfaction of working with your hands, which is something that can be lacking in many of today’s career choices.

On the other hand, there are reasons why you might take your vehicle in for an oil change. For example, you might not have specialized tools that would make it easier. In addition, many dealers offer an inspection and fluid top off when you take your vehicle for an oil change. You probably are going to save less than $5 or $10, and still need to pay a fee to dispose of your used oil and fee.

If you want the hassle taken out of an oil change, call your Omaha Ford dealer today.

How to Check Your Ford’s Belts

One of the easiest maintenance tasks you can do yourself is to check the belts on your Ford vehicle. While your service professional will usually check your belts for you when you bring your vehicle in for service, it can be worth taking a few minutes from time to time to check them yourself.

To check the belts on your Ford vehicle, start by turning off the engine. Open the hood, and locate the belt or belts on your vehicle. You may have many belts, if your vehicle is older, or you may just have a couple. The belts operate a number of important components, such as the water pump, fan, air conditioner, alternator, and the power sttering pump. In many newer vehicles, a single “serpentine” belt serves to service the vast majority of these items.

On each belt, press lightly with your thumb on the longest portion of the belt between the pulleys. Generally speaking, your belts should not give more than an inch or so in either direction. if they are, they probably need to be replaced.

Some belts you may be able to replace yourself. Others will require a service professional. If you have a belt on your Ford vehicle that may be loose or about to go bad, call your local Omaha Ford dealer today and get it in for service.