Tire Replacement: What Markham Drivers Need to Know

January 24th, 2012 by


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Looking at getting some new tires? The choices at Markham tire stores can be a little overwhelming. Suppose you have an SUV and are trying to decide between all season tires or some that are also rated for off-highway. Do you get off the payment on the outskirts of Markham more than most? If so, some additional off-road traction would be nice.

Tire Replacement: What Markham Drivers Need to KnowMaybe the real reason for wanting those off-highway tires is that they look cool. Well there’s nothing wrong with that. If you make sure that you’ve got your functional needs covered with your selection, then you can have some fun with where you go from there.

Let’s suppose you zip around Markham in a sporty car. You may like to run a high-performance summer tire when the weather’s good. When Canada weather turns cold, you can put on high-performance winter tires. For the kind of driving you like to do, you want full-on performance tires. All-season tires are naturally a compromise that works well for most Markham drivers, but since you have a choice, go for dedicated summer and winter tires.

When it’s time for new tires, visit with a knowledgeable AE Auto Plus tire professional. Describe your needs and wants. He’ll come up with some selections for you to discuss. And once you settle on a type of tire, there are options for special needs: like pulling a trailer or carrying heavy loads.

Tires are one of the biggest purchases for Markham drivers. With so many choices, you’ll be able to get what’s best for you. Take their time. And don’t worry about what’s in stock. If you want something that isn’t here at AE Auto Plus, manager Andy Eaton can order it. Chances are you’ll be rolling on your new tires in a couple of days.

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Hey Thornhill Drivers; What Is The Most Distracting Food?

January 17th, 2012 by

So what is the most distracting food to have in the car while driving around Thornhill?

Is it:

  1. A Hamburger;
  2. Coffee;
  3. A Soft Drink, or
  4. Gummy Bears?

Well, you may be surprised to learn that all but the gummy bears are in the top ten most distracting foods when you are driving, but if you chose ‘coffee’, then give yourself an extra two points; coffee is the number one food distraction for drivers in Thornhill and around the country.

Food distractions cause 25 percent of all car accidents; over a million and a half each year!

You’ll notice that all of the top ten distracting food items are messy. Messy foods are the type of food you might spill (very distracting!), then try to clean up (a safe-driving impossibility!). If you gotta eat on the run, take five-then drive. You’ll thank yourself later for two reasons, one being that you can actually relax for just a moment in our fast-paced world, and the other is that you won’t have to worry about getting that cinnamon roll frosting out of your dashboard after that near miss.

Keep drinks in spill-proof containers, too, so you can keep your eyes on the Thornhill road without worrying about where that spill is headed.

So; taking a food break… Or filling out accident reports. We don’t have to ask you which you prefer: It’s a no brainer.

AE Auto Plus, along with AutoNetTV, wants you to keep both eyes on the road. Please eat safely and keep your eyes on the road.

AE Auto Plus
21 Harlech Court
Thornhill, Canada L3T 6L5
Give us a call at: 905-764-1339

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Fuel Filter Service in Thornhill Canada

January 10th, 2012 by

There are a surprising number of small, inexpensive parts that can lead to expensive engine damage when they fail. It doesn’t seem right.

Fortunately a lot of those things can be taken care of in routine maintenance. They may not be easy to remember, because it is a long list, but your service center at AE Auto Plus can help you know what’s scheduled to be taken care of.

Some of us in Thornhill Canada really don’t look forward to going in for an oil change and then getting a list of the other things the manufacturer recommends.

But automotive maintenance is all about prevention, and addressing small problems before they get big. Let’s take the fuel filter for example.

You may not know this but the median age for private vehicles on our Thornhill Canada roads is over nine years. When cars get older, five years or so, they’ve accumulated a lot of dirt and rust in their gas tanks. If that dirt gets into the engine it can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. So somewhere between that dirty gas tank and the price of a great vacation – is the lowly fuel filter: a very inexpensive part that doesn’t cost too much to replace. And your car’ll just run better too.

A clogged fuel filter can’t let enough fuel through. You might notice at first that your car is running fine around town, but struggles or sputters on the Thornhill Canada freeway or when you accelerate. Enough fuel can’t get through to meet the demands of higher speed. If it gets bad enough your engine might just shut off or not start at all, which could be dangerous.

Some fuel filters have a bypass. When they get clogged, they allow dirty fuel to move around the filter element so dirt ends up in the engine. We’ve already talked about how expensive that can be.

The fuel filter is even very important for newer cars. The fuel is still dirty even if there isn’t rust in the tank. It’s just that the fuel filter will need to be changed more frequently as the vehicle gets older.

How often should you change your fuel filter? Check your owner’s manual. Your Thornhill Canada service advisor at AE Auto Plus can tell you as well. It’s usually around thirty thousand miles or so. Ask if it’s time for a full fuel system cleaning as well. They often go hand in hand.

It’s good to know that your Thornhill Canada service center has your back. When you’re motivated to maintain your vehicle’s performance and to reduce operating costs, you’ll think of AE Auto Plus as your ally – and maybe even your memory.

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AE Auto Plus Maintenance Tips: The Belt Goes On

January 3rd, 2012 by


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Today’s AE Auto Plus auto maintenance article focuses on your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your imports air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Toronto.

Next, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that’s used by your imports’s electrical systems and also charges your car battery. AE Auto Plus Maintenance Tips The Belt Goes OnAll Toronto drivers know that without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. And, on many importss, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures as you drive around Toronto.

Now on some importss, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt. So you can see the serpentine belt does a lot of work. And it if breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That’s why manufacturers and your service advisor at AE Auto Plus have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn’t fail.

Your Toronto 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.

There’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley. Its 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. At AE Auto Plus, we recommend that the tensioner 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 imports. And it’s not that expensive to replace in Toronto – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

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AE Auto Plus Tire Safety: Washington vs. Lincoln

December 30th, 2011 by


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Welcome to the AE Auto Plus blog. Today, let’s talk about the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, most of us Richmond Hill drivers tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Safe Richmond Hill drivers need to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

AE Auto Plus Tire Safety Washington vs. LincolnLet’s focus on stopping in wet Richmond Hill 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. If it’s really bad, Richmond Hill drivers 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 your imports 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 AE Auto Plus 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 your imports on wet Richmond Hill roads.

So that’s why it’s so important to replace our imports tires 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 imports tire.

At AE Auto Plus, we want our customers to know that the deeper recommended tread depth makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet Richmond Hill roads. A safe stop from Canada 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 imports tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

Many Richmond Hill car owners have 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, imports tires are a big ticket item. Most of us in Richmond Hill want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

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PCV Valve Service At AE Auto Plus In Thornhill

December 20th, 2011 by


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The PCV Valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for Thornhill drivers. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the imports 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. PCV Valve Service At AE Auto Plus In ThornhillThis can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause imports engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at AE Auto Plus. At high speeds on Thornhill freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Back in the old days, engine makers simply installed a hose that vented these gases out into the atmosphere. But starting in the 1964 model year, laws mandated that these gases be recycled back into the air intake system to be mixed with fuel and burned in the imports’s engine.

This is much better for the environment and it saves gas too. (Budget-conscious Thornhill drivers take note!) The little valve that controls all this action is the PCV valve. The PCV valve lets gases out of the engine, but won’t let anything back in. 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 at AE Auto Plus and quick and inexpensive to replace. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Thornhill drivers don’t know about it. Check your imports owner’s manual or ask your AE Auto Plus service advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a replacement.

There’s another aspect to the PCV system. In order for the valve to work correctly, it needs a little clean air to come in. This is done through a breather tube that gets some filtered air from the engine air filter. Now some vehicles have a small separate air filter for the breather tube called the breather element. That’ll need to be replaced at AE Auto Plus when it gets dirty.

Please ask your friendly Thornhill service advisor about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals in Thornhill, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

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Suspension Service At AE Auto Plus

December 16th, 2011 by


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Suspension systems will continue to operate effectively for many years and tens of thousands of miles. Eventually imports components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive in Markham.

As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Canada highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads. In addition to just wearing out, imports 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 imports manufacturer recommends periodic inspections.

Suspension Service At AE Auto PlusDuring an inspection at AE Auto Plus, your friendly Markham service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts. Let me give a rundown of the major suspension components.

First there are the springs. The springs hold the weight of the vehicle. There are several kinds of springs. Springs are obviously heavy duty parts that rarely break or wear out. Shock absorbers work in conjunction with springs to smooth out the ride and help keep the tires on the road. The shocks are key to handling performance and ride comfort.

You’ve probably heard of struts. They combine a shock absorber and a coil spring in one unit. Shocks and struts will wear out over time. There are some signs that shocks or struts are wearing out. The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your imports 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, visit AE Auto Plus for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. If your imports suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so take care of these things.

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 AE Auto Plus service advisor 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.

There different grades of shocks and struts. You always want to use a replacement shock or strut that equals the one that came as original equipment when your imports was new. But remember, they were designed to meet the expected needs of the broad range of Markham people who buy that particular vehicle. Your needs may be more specialized.

For example if you want increased handling performance for your imports, your friendly AE Auto Plus advisor can recommend an upgraded shock or strut to give you what you want. If you haul heavy loads or trailers, you can get a more heavy duty shock absorber.

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Tracking True In Canada: Wheel Alignment In Markham

December 7th, 2011 by


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Wheel alignment is often overlooked by busy Markham and Richmond Hill car owners until serious tire damage has been done. One wheel can be knocked out of alignment from the rest by hitting a curb or pothole on Toronto roads.

When a vehicle’s out of alignment, one or more of the wheels does not track true and pulls against the others. The tires will wear out very quickly and will need to be replaced prematurely. It could also lead to imports suspension damage.

Tracking True In Canada: Wheel Alignment In Markham

But the big issue for Markham, Richmond Hill, and Thornhill motorists is safety. When your imports wheels are out of alignment, the vehicle will pull to one side, which could lead to an accident. When you’re out of alignment, you should have it taken care of right away at AE Auto Plus in Thornhill.

At AE Auto Plus, your vehicle is put on an alignment rack where the tires, steering and suspension parts are checked for damage. Then the alignment is charted and checked against the factory settings.

Adjustments are made to bring the wheels back into alignment. This gets all four wheels going in precisely the same direction.

Signs of alignment problems are: Your car pulls to one side. Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you’re going straight. If you see the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down, you should have your Toronto service center look it over. If you’ve been in an auto accident in Canada that involved a wheel, you should get your alignment checked.

A big jolt can seriously knock things out of alignment, but Markham drivers also need to understand that a series of smaller ones can add up.

That’s why your manufacturer recommends periodic alignment checks. If your imports owner’s manual doesn’t specify, once a year might be appropriate. Or check with Andy Eaton or your service advisor at AE Auto Plus in Thornhill.

One thing’s for sure: the cost of the alignment at AE Auto Plus is cheaper than having to buy a couple of new tires because of neglect.

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Keeping Your imports Young

November 29th, 2011 by

Sometimes it seems in Thornhill we live in such a disposable society. It’s amazing all the stuff we throw away.

New stuff comes out so fast, we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids in Thornhill, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough, we had to do without.

We couldn’t afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It’s a good thing that cars are more reliable these days. They just don’t break down as often. And the good news for us Thornhill penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering’s there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedules.

Is it really that bad to get off schedule? Well, it all adds up. Every time you go a couple thousand extra miles between oil changes, you’ve created an opportunity for sludge to form and clog passages. Then some parts don’t get oiled and they start to wear out faster.

Skip a cooling system service, and the corrosion inhibitors become depleted, and the radiator starts being damaged – one step closer to a failure. The same thing is true for transmission service, power brakes, fuel system cleaning – really everything on your schedule.

It’s also even more important for older vehicles in the Thornhill area. Those engines and other systems have had more time to get dirty, so they’re a bit more stressed anyway. But it’s never too late to get back on track with your maintenance and to hold off further damage.

It’s just another example of our parents being right. (Surprising how often that happens.) And it really does start with the oil change, just like Dad said. When you get a full service oil change they top off all your fluids and check for other items that are on your maintenance schedule. That’s like your safety net; go in for oil changes on time, and let your service advisor at AE Auto Plus in Thornhill help you keep track of the rest.

Of course, some things are going to wear out along the way, stuff like alternators, water pumps and such. But that stuff is cheaper than a new car payment. And taking care of problems early means they have less time to cause other problems. It’s like having high cholesterol; you don’t want to wait for a heart attack before you address it.

AE Auto Plus
21 Harlech Court
Thornhill, Canada L3T 6L5
905-764-1339

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Keeping Your Engine Cool In Thornhill Canada

November 22nd, 2011 by


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The cooling system keeps our engine from overheating while you are driving around Thornhill Canada. Its job is to move heat away from the engine. Let’s talk about the various components of the system and how they work to accomplish this.

The radiator is the part most everyone associates with the cooling system. Coolant flows through the radiator which has fine cooling fins that draw the heat out of the coolant and dissipate it into the air. To make sure there’s enough airflow over the radiator, a fan pulls air over the cooling fins even when the car is idling.

In some vehicles, the fan is powered by the serpentine belt. On others, an electric motor runs the fan. Electric fans turn on and off as needed. You may have heard the fan kick on shortly after you turn your car off. The sensor has determined that the engine needs a little help cooling down to a safe temperature.

Thornhill Canada Radiator A hose connects the radiator to the water pump. The water pump pushes the water into the engine block. Now the engine block and cylinder heads have passages for the coolant to pass through without getting into the oil or the combustion chamber. These passages are referred to as the “water jacket”.

While the coolant is passing through the water jacket, it absorbs heat from the engine on its way to the radiator for cooling. Between the engine and the radiator is a gatekeeper called the thermostat. The thermostat’s job is to regulate the temperature of the engine just like your home thermostat regulates the temperature of your house. It gets your engine up to the correct operating temperature and then keeps it from overheating.

When your first start the engine, it’s very cold and needs to warm up. So the thermostat blocks the flow of coolant to the radiator. As the engine warms up, the thermostat starts to let coolant flow through the system.

The final component I want to talk about is the overflow reservoir. This bottle is designed to hold some of the coolant. It’ll have a mark that indicates whether or not you have enough coolant. This is where you should add coolant if you just need to top it off.

Caution: never open the reservoir or the radiator cap when the car’s hot. The cooling system is pressurized and opening them while it’s hot can cause hot coolant and steam to escape resulting in serious burns.

Cooling system failure is the most common mechanical failure in vehicles around Thornhill Canada. Your Thornhill Canada service center can do a periodic inspection of the components for leaks, loose connections and weakening hoses.

AE Auto Plus
21 Harlech Court
Thornhill, Canada L3T 6L5
905-764-1339

Your manufacturer has also specified a cooling system service interval. With a cooling system service, the old coolant is replaced with correct clean fluid that contains the additives required to prevent corrosion. The additives are depleted over time and you need fresh fluid for adequate protection. Your radiator pressure cap should be replaced at this service as well.

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