Why Using an Auto Maintenance App Can Help Your Franklin Vehicle

Franklin Vehicle

If there’s anything that you should know about auto maintenance, consistency is highly important. Staying on top of important maintenance tasks is the only way to ensure that your Franklin vehicle continues running properly for years at a time.

Unfortunately, it’s very easy to forget about maintenance tasks, or to overlook important tasks that should have been completed by the shop. It doesn’t matter if you rely on a shop in Franklin, TN to maintain your vehicle, or you do it yourself, a good solid app will help you stay on top of what needs doing.

Track Vital Maintenance Tasks

Some of the very best apps designed for vehicle maintenance are already programmed with common maintenance tasks, and you can easily add more into the system if you like. With a quality app in use, you’ll be able to see when important maintenance tasks are coming up and make sure that your tires are rotated, brakes are changed, oil and filter are maintained and that you are doing everything that needs doing.

This will extend the life of your Franklin vehicle, and give you the peace of mind that comes from staying on top of important maintenance tasks.

Keep Franklin Vehicle Records

Good service records let prospective buyers know how you maintained your Franklin vehicle while you were the owner. When you keep them maintained and up-to-date, you’ll find it much easier to sell your vehicle for a premium.

When the records are lacking, it’s difficult to command a decent price. A good solid app will serve as a service record keeper for you, and some will even allow you to store receipts and other proof of work completed.

Avoid Unnecessary Maintenance

I don’t know about you, but it’s common for me to schedule excessive service visits and maintenance related tasks just to ensure that my vehicle is staying in good shape, because I don’t quite remember the last time it was in the shop being cared for. This is a pretty serious issue, and is a bit wasteful to be honest.

With an app on your smartphone, you’ll always know when every single maintenance task was completed, and you’ll be able to schedule visits more reliably, so you don’t bring your Franklin vehicle to the shop too often and spend more than necessary.

Good auto maintenance apps are easy to obtain, and they will help you keep your vehicles in better shape, for less money. Add one to your phone and you’ll know exactly when you need to schedule your next service visit in Franklin, TN right here at the Auto Clinic of Franklin.

Washing your Vehicle is Vital When Visiting a Northern Climate

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While Tennessee doesn’t suffer from too much snowfall throughout the year, that’s not the case in some of the northern states. As temperatures dip down snow is a regular problem and ice is often applied to the roadways to help prevent snow buildup and problems with ice while driving around. If you happen to go up north to visit during the winter, it’s vital that you take the time to wash your vehicle while you’re up there, and also before you head back down to Tennessee once again.

How Often Should You Wash?

It’s tough to say just how often it’s necessary to wash your vehicle while up north, but a good rule of thumb is at least once a week when the roads are icy or have snow on them. Even when the roads aren’t too bad, they might still have ice on them regularly, so be sure to look out for ice each time that you drive to decide if you need to wash the vehicle or not.

Pay for an Underbody Treatment

Heading to a standard car wash while up north might not be enough to get your vehicle clean where it matters. The important thing is to ensure that the bottom of the car or truck gets washed thoroughly. The best way to make that happen is to pay for an advanced car wash that includes an underbody treatment as well. This might cost you a bit more money, but will ensure that all the salt and gunk is removed from the frame of your vehicle. That’s the best way to prevent your investment while up north and to make sure that you don’t end up with rust issues just because you decided to take a trip.

Even if you don’t make a regular habit of traveling up north, it’s still important to pay attention to the roads around you when temperatures drop down around freezing level. It’s common for salt to be used to prevent freezing rain and other dangerous driving conditions in the heart of winter, and you shoul wash your car whenever salt is laid down on the roads around you as well.

Spending a bit of extra money to keep your vehicle nice and clean throughout the winter is the best way to ward off problems with rust that can prematurely age the frame of your car or truck. Speak with the professionals at the Auto Clinic of Franklin to get winter upgrades and diagnostics to complete the vehicle care.

The Importance of Proper Nashville Tire Rotation

Transmission Repair Franklin

Nashville, Tennessee and the surrounding area, has its fair share of rain showers, icy driving conditions in the winter, and many days that really test out tire quality while driving down the road. It’s during these days that rotating your tires frequently is most important. Taking the time to do Nashville tire rotation yourself, or paying someone else to do it for you is an excellent way to ensure that you have tires that you can rely on.

Slower Tread Wear

The main reason that you should get Nashville tire rotation is to keep the tires from wearing too quickly. By rotating the tires they all wear out at around the same speed, which means that you won’t have two tires that are all worn out, and two others that look relatively new. Instead your tires will degrade slowly, and eventually you’ll have to replace the whole set at once.

Even Grip with Nashville Tire Rotation

Since well-rotated tires wear evenly, you don’t have to worry about achieving a high amount of grip with two of your tires and a relatively poor level of grip with the others. This leads to driving imbalances and can make vehicles less safe to operate. Rotated tires all grip the road about the same, which means that the car is pretty balanced and offers you a good amount of grip everywhere.

More Modern Tires

Without Nashville tire rotation, you pretty much have to continuously match two new tires with a set of older tires that you are still using on your vehicle. The main problem that this causes is that you never get to get more modern tires that offer performance improvements. When all the tires wear out at the same time, you’re free to change to a completely new style of tire, and you’ll enjoy those performance improvements when you do so.

How Often Should You Do it?

It’s generally recommended to rotate your tires once every 3,000 to 6,000 miles, and many people simply have it done with every oil change. This is a task that you can do yourself if you take the time to research it properly and make sure you’re using a good pattern and not putting directional tires on your vehicle the wrong way, but it’s also something that makes a lot of sense to hire out to a garage. It’s a task they can complete in minutes, and something that won’t cost you much either when you work with an experienced garage in Franklin, Tennessee.

That’s why we welcome everyone to come stop by our garage here at the Franklin Auto Clinic. We can ensure those tires are as safe as can be.

Buying Versus Leasing a Nashville Car

Car Repair Franklin

If you’re considering getting a new vehicle, you really need to take the time to think about whether you should buy or lease your next Nashville car. There are benefits to either one, and the option that you choose should depend on which benefits are best for your needs.

Buying offers Long-Term Value

Buying a Nashville car is the best way to spend your money if you are in it for the long-haul. If you don’t mind keeping your vehicles for a decade or longer before you replace them with something else, then buying makes a lot of sense. You’ll save money once you don’t have the car payment any longer, and overall your cost of ownership will be more affordable than leasing all the time, as long as you pick a reliable vehicle.

Buying a Nashville Car is Good for High Mileage

If you drive very heavily, you pretty much need to buy your vehicle. That’s because when you lease a vehicle, you pay for the miles that you put on it. If you go over the agreed upon mile cap, and you will as a heavy driver, you pay a fee for every additional mile that you put on your vehicle, and it isn’t cheap!

Leasing Means Lower Payments and Lower Down Payment

When you want to minimize the amount of money that you’ll spend on your vehicle, leasing is really your best short-term solution. That’s because you can get into a lease with less money down, and you’ll enjoy lower monthly payments as well. Leasing is especially effective when buying luxury cars that would otherwise be too expensive.

Leasing Means Lower Repair Costs

Since you’ll continually have new vehicles that are under warranty, it’s uncommon to have to pay much in repairs. If you don’t like dealing with garages, or handling vehicle repairs, you’ll enjoy leasing. However, you might not have the choice on where to bring your Nashville car to obtain these repairs.

Switch a Nashville Car More Frequently with a Lease

If you enjoy switching from one Nashville car to another frequently, it makes a lot of sense to lease your vehicles. That’s because you can change to something newer and nicer every two or three years. You don’t have to worry about trying to sell off the vehicle, or building up massive loans from repeated trade-ins.

There are benefits to leasing or buying a vehicle. If you’re a long-term car owner that doesn’t mind dealing with repairs now and again or you drive a lot, owning is right for you. If you like new vehicles, don’t want to deal with repairs and want a lower monthly payment initially, leasing makes more sense.

Whether you buy or lease, your Nashville car is going to need maintenance, service upgrades and diagnostics done to it. Speak with us here at The Auto Clinic of Franklin to find out how our professionals can ensure that your vehicle is running in the best shape possible. Bring it in right after you purchase it to ensure that you’ve gotten a good deal.

Obtain Vehicle Service to Ensure Durability and Your Warranty

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If you have a new vehicle, it’s really important that you bring it in for scheduled service visits. This isn’t just so that you can say you’re a good vehicle owner and that you care about your vehicle, it’s for its health and to make sure you maintain your warranty coverage. Heading to the local service department is something that new vehicle owners simply have to resign themselves to, and it can actually save you a lot more money than it costs you.

Handle Regular Maintenance

Even brand new vehicles require regular maintenance, and if you aren’t taking the time to properly maintain your vehicle you could run into all sorts of issues. Old oil can contaminate your engine and increase wear and tear or even lead to early engine failure. Unchanged brakes create serious problems in the brake system that will have to be repaired later on, and those problems are much more costly than simply swapping out a pair of aging pads.

By having your car serviced, you get important maintenance issues out of the way, and ensure that you aren’t stuck with repair problems that simply shouldn’t exist. In this way, having your vehicle serviced regularly is likely to save you a whole lot of money, especially if you intend to keep the vehicle for several years.

Enhance Your Resale Value

One thing that prospective buyers like to see is that you took the time to maintain your vehicle. When you have a folder of receipts from all your vehicle service records, it’s really easy to prove that you took the time to care for your vehicle. If you plan to resell later on, it just makes sense to head in and have your vehicle serviced every time that it’s due, and doing so will likely improve the resale value of your vehicle.

Maintain Your Warranty With Regular Service Visits

A new vehicle almost always comes with a warranty of some sort, and that warranty is only going to protect your vehicle if you bother bringing it in to be serviced. If you just let it sit home and drive it around with handling maintenance issues you’ll find out that you don’t qualify for warranty coverage if you run into an issue later on. When you have records showing that the vehicle was serviced it becomes much easier to file a warranty claim and have the problem fixed without you having to pay for it.

Speak with us here at the Auto Clinic of Franklin to find out more regarding the service that we can provide. Schedule an appointment today!

Importance of Changing Your Nashville Wipers

Wipers in Nashville Tennessee

Driving is a pretty dangerous activity on a good day. There are hundreds of different obstacles and it only takes one driver to make a minor mistake and you’re in a whole lot of trouble because of it. Things become much worse when you can’t see out your vehicle properly. Whether it’s raining, sleeting or you simply have a dirty windshield, you are at a serious risk when you can’t see right where you are going. That’s why you have to pay attention to your Nashville wipers and make sure they are in excellent shape all throughout the year.

Look for Streaking

An early indicator that your Nashville wipers are failing is streaking. Your windshield should come almost entirely clean, and if that isn’t happening any longer, the rubber on your wipers is wearing out. This is the time that you should head to the store and pick up a new set of wipers. If you are proactive about changing them, you’ll never run into a problem while driving around Nashville Tennessee.

Choose Quality Wipers

Just because a pair of Nashville wipers are affordable, doesn’t mean you should buy them. Instead, take the time to pick out a high quality pair of wipers that are at a medium price-point. These wipers will do a decent job of keeping your windows clean, while also not breaking the bank in the process. Check the box to make sure that they will fit your specific vehicle properly, and try the wipers on right outside the store whenever you can, so you can return the wrong pair if you happen to get them. You should try out a few different kinds of wipers over your first couple changes, until you come up with a brand that you prefer, and when you do you should stick with them from then on.

Changing Your Nashville wipers

When you’ve selected the proper size Nashville wipers, closely follow the directions on the package to swap them into your vehicle. Doing so shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes after you read through the packaging. Make sure that you are careful to clip them in completely, so that they remain on your vehicle as you drive around.

Consider Keeping a Spare

When you go to buy a new set of windshield wipers, you should consider buying two sets at that time. Doing so allows you to keep a spare available in your vehicle in case your other ones where out and you can’t get a new set immediately. With a spare set stashed away, you’ll never have a reason not to replace your windshield wipers.

If you aren’t sure about changing your own Nashville wipers, or you just don’t want to deal with the hassle of it all, consider going to a garage in Nashville Tennessee and having professionals make the swap for you. You’ll save time and you’ll know they are installed properly as well. Let us here at the Auto Clinic of Franklin help you switch them out. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

How to Maintain Your Franklin Car’s Leather Interior

Franklin car's leather interior

While a Franklin car’s leather interior can be one of the best parts about your automobile, it also means that you’ll have to take extra time ensuring that it remains in good condition over time. Leather is quite durable, but if you want it to continue looking nice and relatively new over time, you need to know how to clean it and maintain it properly.

Pre-Cleaning Your Seats

One of the most important parts of maintaining your leather seats is keeping them clean. Keeping away dirt, grime and sand will help slow down wear on your seats and keep them looking nice. Begin cleaning by wiping them down with a soft brush. Use the brush to wipe off any dirt or debris down onto the floor where it can be vacuumed up with ease.

Now quickly go over your seats with a vacuum using a soft hose attachment. Get into any cracks and crevices that the brush may have missed during the first pass. Once the vacuuming is complete, take a damp cloth and gently wipe it over all the surfaces to remove any remaining dirt and dust.

Thoroughly Clean the Franklin Car’s Leather Interior

Now that you are finished pre-cleaning, it’s time to get your seats cleaned up using an actual cleaner. Take the quality leather cleaner that you selected and apply a small amount to a section of the seat that isn’t in view. Follow the directions for the cleaner and make sure that you don’t get any discoloration during the process.

Now apply the cleaner to all of the Franklin car’s leather interior surfaces in the vehicle and allow it to sit for time listed on the directions. Spray the seats down with the amount of cleaner listed in the directions, and then rub it around with a soft damp cloth to get it into place everywhere. Gently scrub the seats using the same brush that you used earlier to help achieve a deep clean on your seats. Finally, take a microfiber cloth and wipe away all the foam and debris from your seats. They are now clean.

Conditioning Your Seats

Cleaning up your seats is just the first step to good Franklin car’s leather interior maintenance. You also need to take the time to condition the seats against future damage. Obtain a water-based conditioner with a neutral PH, and test it on a small section of your seat just like you did with the cleaner. Apply the conditioner by rubbing it in with a microfiber cloth. Once applied you should let the car sit alone in a dark spot for at least 12 hours. This will help the conditioner set in fully.

Now your seats are protected and ready for regular use. Just make sure you remember to repeat the process regularly. You should do the same thing once every month, or every other month at the latest. If you want other valuable vehicle tips, like Franklin car’s leather interior maintenance or diagnostics on your vehicle; speak with us here at Franklin Auto Clinic. Set up an appointment with us today!

Common Franklin Auto Maintenance Myths to Ignore

Common Franklin Auto Maintenance Myths

Many people know very little about modern-day automobiles, but there are certainly enough Franklin auto maintenance myths floating around about how to maintain these sophisticated machines! These myths may cause vehicle owners to do some pretty silly things, some of which could actually damage the vehicles, and many will cost them a whole lot of unnecessary money. Some of these Franklin auto maintenance myths were started by auto accessory companies to help drive up their profits, but many were started by clueless vehicle owners that believe they know what they are talking about. Here are five common Franklin auto maintenance myths that should be ignored by car owners today.

Get an Oil Change Every 3,000 Miles

While this might have been true 40 years ago, it isn’t any longer. It’s often possible to drive 7,000, 9,000 or even 12,000 miles on a single change without running into any issues. Most new vehicles come with an oil life indicator that you should rely on to dictate when you change the oil, stop changing  it too often because you’re just throwing your money away in the process.

Clean Your Fuel Injectors is One of the Franklin Auto Maintenance Myths

There are a bunch of products out on the market today for cleaning up your fuel injectors. Sometimes you add a bottle to your gas tank, some garages will even offer to wash out these units for you. This is almost always unnecessary, so only use these products if your vehicle manufacturer calls for them in the manual.

You’ll Void Your Warranty

Dealerships try to scare owners into continuing to come back for services in order to avoid voiding their warranty. It’s quite difficult to void the warranty as long as you’re performing proper service procedures. Have the work done at a reputable garage, or even do it yourself and you won’t void the warranty as long as you keep the receipts and do the work when it’s called for.

Flush Your Transmission Fluid Regularly

Transmission fluid is a very rugged material that’s designed to perform for an extended period. Don’t allow service centers to convince you to have this procedure done on your first few services. It’s a procedure that often doesn’t need doing until 60,000 miles or more.

Replace Filters with Every Oil Change

You’ll find air filters, transmission filters and oil filters throughout your vehicle. Some people believe that they need replacing with every oil change, and this isn’t typically the case even with oil filters. Read through your owner’s manual and maintenance manual to see the recommend filter intervals for the many different filter types throughout your vehicle. You’ll quickly see that you can keep those old filters going for much longer than you might think.

In general car maintenance is very simple today. There are so many Franklin auto maintenance myths that will have you doing unnecessary work and spending more money than you have to. Instead of following along with everything that you hear, rely on your owner’s manual for car care facts, and only have maintenance tasks performed when you know they are necessary.

Speak with us here at the Auto Clinic of Franklin to find out how we can maximize the value and performance of your vehicle, without costing you further cash down the road.

Flat Tire? The Reasons Why You Need Franklin Vehicle Maintenance

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Franklin Vehicle Maintenance

If you find yourself with a flat tire, and unsure of why this is; it might have been time for a Franklin vehicle maintenance check up. Not only does this provide you with many benefits, but it can keep your vehicle is the best working order, so nothing happens in the long run. With the right maintenance done on the vehicle throughout the year, you can feel more confident when it comes to driving around town, without having anything happen.

It Runs the Best it Can with Franklin Vehicle Maintenance 

When you want your vehicle to run to the best of it’s abilities, then you want to speak with the Franklin vehicle maintenance team that we have. They can do a thorough check to find out any issues that might be happening within the vehicle, while providing you with a way to easily have any problems fixed and restored back to how the vehicle should be running.

Be Aware of Issues You Might Not Have Known About 

During the inspection and Franklin vehicle maintenance check, the professionals will let you know about any problems or issues that they come across. This gives you a good idea of what to expect when it comes to what is being repaired or replaced inside the vehicle.

You Can Have Replacements Done 

There are many replacements that can be done when there is an issue found within the vehicle. When you speak with them more, they can replace them right then and there for you, so you do not have to worry about it later on. This includes the tires. Never have a blow out when you have the proper maintenance done throughout the years by qualified professionals.

Speak with us here at the Auto Clinic of Franklin to find out how we can provide you with the Franklin vehicle maintenance you’re in need of. We want to ensure that you’re happy with the outcome and through the use of our qualified service techs, you can have your vehicle maintained. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

Signs That Your Franklin Auto AC is Going Bad

Vehicle Diagnostics

The AC unit inside your vehicle is important. Not only do you need it through the hot summer sun, but you’re going to need it to cool down the vehicle when it is sitting in the sun. When the Franklin auto AC starts going bad, you need to have someone that knows what they’re doing fix it for you. Here are the signs to watch out for if you think your Franklin auto AC is starting to go bad.

Signs of a Broken Franklin Auto AC

Though some of these are obvious when it comes to the care and maintenance of your AC unit, it is still important to note them on the list. Sometimes, these signs can come about and the problem has nothing to do with the Franklin auto AC at all, but something else.

  1. There is only hot air blowing from the inside of the vehicle’s vents. This shows that the AC unit might not be creating the cold air that needs to come from outside to cool the inside of the vehicle down.
  2. You do not hear the fans inside the vents running. This could be multiple problems, but if the blower is not blowing out cool air or anything at all; it could also mean a problem for the engine.
  3. You hear a ticking or buzzing sound from inside the dashboard while driving around. This could happen mostly when the AC unit is turned ON, but may also happen when it is off.
  4. Your vehicle is leaking fluids from the front. This could be anti-freeze or coolant that is leaking from the radiator inside the vehicle, which is what provides the cool air to it.

When it comes to your Franklin auto AC, trust in a company that can take a look at the unit and find out what the exact problem is. With the professionals at the Auto Clinic of Franklin, you know you’re in good hands when something happens and you need to have it fixed. Don’t go through the whole summer without the proper AC care. Contact them today to set up an appointment.