Car Care Tips

At Tire King Tire & Auto Repair, we want our customers to be in the know about vehicle maintenance and care. Your car or truck is your lifeline, getting you where you need to go. But without ongoing vehicle care and preventative maintenance, it can be easy to have your vehicle go from being reliable transportation to a stressful headache.  The key is to keep your car current on its service and to look for problems before they happen. 

Auto Repair & Service with Integrity

When you visit our auto repair shop in Wappinger Falls, you can trust that we'll offer quality service as well as advice with integrity. For more than 25 years, our shop has provided quality automotive maintenance to countless families from around our region of Dutchess County. From understanding how to extend tire life to getting better gas mileage, we'll help you make the most of your vehicle.

Our conveniently located tire shop and auto repair shop is conveniently located in Wappinger Falls, but we're a short drive from neighboring Fishkill and Hopewell Junction. Visit us when you need quality service and competitive prices on tires and auto repair. We're trusted in our community and look forward to serving you!

Trusted Car Care Tips 

Check out our car care tips to keep your vehicle running at its best between service appointments. From tackling tire rotations to improving fuel efficiency, these hints are a great place to start for taking better care of your vehicle. But, when the time comes for service or auto repair, remember to choose a trusted shop like ours. Give Tire King Tire & Auto Repair a call at (845) 298-8555 today to schedule your next maintenance appointment.

Car Maintenance and Care

• Change your fluids on time, every time.
• Change your oil every 3,000 miles for regular, 5,000 miles for synthetic oil
• Change antifreeze fluid every 30,000 miles.
• Change brake fluid every 30,000 miles.
• Change transmission fluid every 30,000 miles.
• Schedule a maintenance check every 15, 30, 60, and 90,000 miles.
• Replace your air filter every 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever comes first).
• Replace your fuel filter every 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first).

Tire Maintenance and Care

• Rotate your tires every 5,000 miles or every 6 months.
• Check your tire pressures approximately once a week. Low tire pressures can affect fuel economy, handling and comfort. To accurately measure your tire pressure, check tires when they are cold. Wait at least three hours after driving.
• Always make sure that your wheels are properly aligned. Badly aligned wheels will again lead to dragging of the car on the road.
• Check your spare tire each month and keep it properly inflated so it¹s ready to go when you need it most.
• Use the penny trick to determine if the tread on your tires is worn to low. Take a penny and put Abraham Lincoln's head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you're ok. If you can see all of his head, it's time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, tires must be replaced.

Gas Mileage Tips

• Check and/or change your air filter every 6 months to improve fuel economy and keep your engine running smoothly.
• Don't top off. Don't bother topping off when filling your car's gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out.
• Tighten up that gas cap. Gas will evaporate from your car's gas tank if it has an escape. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year.
• Go for the shade. The hot summer sun that makes the inside of your car feel like a sauna also evaporates fuel from your gas tank.
• Use the right oil. You can improve your car's gas mileage by 1 percent to 2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil.

And most important of all……

• Always check for potential problems before they happen.