Orlando Auto Repair

Hello Orlando! Today's Honest-1 Auto Care vehicle care topic is: Synthetic Oil vs. Petroleum Based Oil. Synthetic motor oil is a substitute for petroleum based oil. If you aren't currently using it, why not? Synthetic motor oil maximizes engine power and fuel economy. To see why, we'd need a microscope, so we'll have to settle for using our imaginations. The molecules of conventional motor oil are long hydrocarbon chains. Synthetic motor oil, on the other hand, has uniform, round molecules. Which is slipperier, a pile of pencils or a pile of marbles? Synthetic motor oil lubricates better because there's less friction. This results in myriad benefits: better wear protection, cooler operating temperatures, more power and better fuel economy. And synthetic oil doesn't sludge up like conventional oil so it prevents those small oil passages from clogging up. (We see that all the time at Honest-1 Auto Ca ... read more

The last new American vehicles sold in Orlando with a carburetor rolled out of the FL dealerships in 1990. Since then, all new vehicles here in Orlando, and nationally, have had fuel injectors. In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much gas to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute. Fuel injectors deliver fuel far more precisely than carburetors. That translates into better fuel economy and more power for Orlando drivers. Virtually all fuel injectors for gas engines are known as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. Port fuel injectors operate at about 40 to 80 pounds per square inch of pressure. A few vehicle manufacturers have introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines recently. These systems inj ... read more

Your vehicle alternator doesn't get enough credit. Though your battery gets your engine started, after that – it's all about the alternator. Driving around Orlando is a lot of work for your alternator, and as upgrades such as heated steering wheels, cooled seats, stability control and lane departure warning become more common, it will have to work even harder. Eventually this workhorse just wears out. When it does you have no choice but to order an alternator replacement because your vehicle won't run without one. Come see your friendly and professional service advisor at Honest-1 Auto Care to learn more.

Today in our Honest-1 Auto Care blog, we're going to talk about following recommended service intervals. Your vehicle isn't the only aspect of your life in Orlando with recommended intervals: Let's start with twice yearly dental check-ups and regular physical exams. How about laundry, watering the lawn and paying the bills? Now, what would happen if you didn't follow these intervals? Well, you'd get more cavities. You may not discover health conditions that could be more effectively treated with early detection. And you'd have to wear dirty clothes, be embarrassed by your brown lawn and have your utilities shut off. Clearly, there are some things in life that we have to take care of regularly. If we don't, there are negative consequences. Our quality of life in Orlando takes a hit and it inevitably costs more money. So why is it so hard to remember to follow regular preventive maintenance on our vehicles? Probably a couple of reasons ... read more

A lot of us drivers are asking ourselves the same question lately: how can we save on fuel? Orlando area residents are all cutting back, if not in fuel consumption, then in other areas of our lives. Preventive Maintenance Preventive maintenance is an important way people in Orlando can conserve fuel by improving fuel economy. And one of the easiest and most effective ways to do that is to keep the oil in our vehicle adequate and clean. Oil lubricates your vehicle engine and keeps it running smoothly. If you're running low, there is increased friction in your engine. Friction creates drag, which means it takes more fuel to keep the vehicle motor running. This all translates to lower fuel economy. Check your oil to make sure the engine is getting all it needs. Your owner's manual and service advisor at Honest-1 Auto Care will tell you the proper weight and type of oil for your vehicle. Responsible Car Care Dirty oil grits up your engin ... read more

Many Orlando car owners have probably wondered: "What's the harm in putting off replacing an engine air filter? The answer is that not replacing it could cause your Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor to fail. This expensive sensor is situated between your engine air filter and your engine. Dirty air filters are a leading cause of mass air flow sensor failure – and these babies can cost several hundred dollars to replace in Orlando.Change your vehicle air filter at Honest-1 Auto Care when it's dirty. Your vehicle engine will thank you. Give us a call.

If you're a quart low in your vehicle, there isn't enough motor oil to lubricate your engine properly. The extra friction causes drag that reduces fuel economy while you're driving around the Orlando area. The same goes for dirty oil; it doesn't reduce friction properly. The result is you get to watch those numbers at your local Orlando gas pump rolling higher and higher. The transmission also needs the proper amount of clean fluid to do its work. When it's in need of service, the transmission drags your fuel economy down. So keep it clean at Honest-1 Auto Care  and give yourself a fighting chance

Higher Orlando fuel prices aren't going away any time soon. That's not good news for our wallets. A lot of Orlando drivers are trying to find ways to cut down on fuel consumption and hang on to some of their hard-earned money. North Americans drive billions of miles less during months of high fuel prices. That's right, billions. Of course FL vehicle owners can't stop driving altogether, so we still need to find other ways to cut fuel bills. Preventive maintenance at Honest-1 Auto Care in Orlando and good car care can actually pay for themselves by lowering our fuel consumption. Here's a real-life example of how that can work. A family planned a four-day camping trip. Before leaving, they took their SUV into Honest-1 Auto Care for an oil change. They flushed the cooling system, serviced all three differentials and cleaned the fuel system. They replaced the PCV valve and breather element. Then they checked the tires to ensure they ... read more

Ever heard the sad tale of a staggeringly repair bill from a broken timing belt? Bad news. Let's take a lesson from their woes and remember to think about our timing belt. First, let's review what a timing belt does. The top part of the engine, over the cylinders is called the cylinder head. The head contains the valves. There's at least one valve that lets the fresh air into the cylinder. This air, mixed with fuel, burns to create power. Then another valve or two open to allow the exhaust out of the engine. Each cylinder has 2 to 4 valves - that's 12 to 24 valves for a V-6, up to 32 values on a V-8. The opening and closing of the valves is done by a camshaft. The timing belt uses the rotation of the engine to drive the camshaft which opens and close the valves. It's called a timing belt because it has to be adjusted to rotate the camshaft to keep proper time with the engine so that everything's in sync. The timing belt is a toothed rubber belt. But some ... read more

Ask any Orlando man or woman if they've taken their vehicle in for preventive maintenance preventive maintenance lately, and the answer may well be “no.” Surveys indicate that over 80% of vehicles on the road today are in need of some kind of repair or maintenance. Now, ask that same person why he hasn't taken his car in for care. The answer will probably be that he forgot or that he just didn't think about it. Most Orlando residents seem to have a hard time remembering about scheduled maintenance for their vehicles. Funny, because most of us in Orlando have no trouble remembering to wash our clothes, mow our lawns or brush our teeth. It isn't that we can't remember to take our vehicles for service; it's a matter of making it a priority. When it comes to our vehicles, Orlando drivers like myself, need to be a little more maintenance-minded. The fact is, we can choose to do it, or we might find ourselves being compelled to do it. For ... read more