Most Wilmington drivers know that braking means slowing or stopping a vehicle. The mechanical aspects of the brakes themselves are just one issue. There’s also the power brake system and brake fluid. And then there are the tires, which are critical to the effectiveness of the brakes.

Let’s step back. A car or truck rolls brand new off the showroom floor at a local Wilmington dealer. It has brand new brakes with brand new brake pads. The brake lines and the power assist are filled with fresh fluid and are completely clean inside. And the family car tires are brand new, with full tread. Naturally, braking power is at its peak performance.
 
Now, as your drive from Wilmington to Deepwater and back, the miles start to add up. Most Wilmington car owners tend to focus on the brake pads. In the Wilmington automotive service community, the pads, and shoes on drum brakes, are called the friction material. That’s because they provide the friction used to stop the family car. The pads are designed to be effective throughout their useful life – it’s not until they are worn so thin as to be out of spec that they lose stopping effectiveness.

The mechanical parts of the brakes have pistons and springs that get quite a workout while stopping the family car. Over many miles, these wear and get gummed up. They start to lose effectiveness gradually and could even fail. That’s why a regular brake inspection is important. At Ponte’s Auto Care, we can test the operation of the brakes and see if any parts need cleaning or replacing.

That leads us to brake fluid service at Ponte’s Auto Care. Some of the critical additives in the fluid that lubricate and clean the family car fluid system are depleted over time. That and moisture building up in the system deteriorate the performance of the brake fluid. Brake fluid replacement at Ponte’s Auto Care includes flushing the brake system to clean out deposits, water and dirt. Then the system is filled up with fresh fluid.

The tires are what connect the family car to the road. The stopping force is ultimately dependent on the traction provided by the tires. The better they grip the road, the quicker you’ll stop as you drive around Wilmington.

For questions about brakes, brake pads, battery service, safety inspection, or tires, talk to Ponte’s Auto Care  manager Jim Ponte.

Give us a call

Ponte’s Auto Care
302.478.9786
2401 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

A lot of people in the Deepwater area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington can ensure you get the right fit for your family car. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your family car, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Wilmington people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Wilmington people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The family car computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your family car vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Ponte’s Auto Care, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Wilmington. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Wilmington tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your helpful Ponte’s Auto Care tire specialist see your family car in person so mistakes are not made.

At Ponte’s Auto Care, we also offer battery service and safety inspection.

Give us a call

Ponte’s Auto Care
302.478.9786
2401 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Wilmington family car owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold family car engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Wilmington, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the family car engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Wilmington, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at Ponte’s Auto Care if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Wilmington, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Wilmington shows up with the increased demands on the family car battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the family car security system, the remote start system, even the power the family car computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Wilmington. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the family car engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your helpful Ponte’s Auto Care service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Wilmington motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Ponte’s Auto Care so you know what you’re getting. At Ponte’s Auto Care, we have been providing quality auto service in Wilmington for 10 years.

Give us a call

Ponte’s Auto Care
2401 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Most Wilmington area car owners don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. Maintaining your family car air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well.

Along with the refrigerant, a special oil circulates in the system. The oil lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and we all know that air conditioning repairs can be costly in Deepwater.

Air conditioning service at Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear.

The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation by your Ponte’s Auto Care service advisor. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the family car system is retested. Your Ponte’s Auto Care technician will also perform a temperature drop test.

If needed, the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.

How often this should be done at Ponte’s Auto Care varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your family car owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your helpful Ponte’s Auto Care service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.

Give us a call

Ponte’s Auto Care
2401 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Wilmington drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in DE.

First, if your family car check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Wilmington highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Wilmington service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Ponte’s Auto Care on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your family car engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Wilmington.

In order to make these adjustments, the family car computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The family car computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your family car looked at at Ponte’s Auto Care. Your helpful service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Ponte’s Auto Care technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Ponte’s Auto Care, we also offer battery service and safety inspection.

Give us a call

Ponte’s Auto Care
302.478.9786
2401 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some family cars, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Ponte’s Auto Care 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.

Wilmington drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their 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. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, 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 family car. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Ponte’s Auto Care – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

In addition to just wearing out, Ponte’s Auto Care customers need to know that 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 family car manufacturer and Ponte’s Auto Care recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Chester service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Chester. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your family car 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, come into Ponte’s Auto Care for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other family car suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Ponte’s Auto Care.

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 service advisor at Ponte’s Auto Care 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.

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Wilmington 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. At Ponte’s Auto Care we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you 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 a 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 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 on wet Wilmington roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Wilmington drivers to replace the tires on their family cars 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 tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from DE 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 tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably 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, tires are a big ticket item for Wilmington car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Deepwater. At Ponte’s Auto Care, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

• Most trips are less than four miles
• Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Deepwater
• You drive in very hot DE weather
• Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
• Stop and go driving
• Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
• You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your family car

Most Deepwater drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your family car?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Ponte’s Auto Care advisor can help you with your decision.

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the family car 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. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your family car. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Pedricktown car owners need to know that 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 and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Ponte’s Auto Care. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Pedricktown drivers don’t know about it.

Check your family car owner’s manual or ask your Ponte’s Auto Care advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

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

At Ponte’s Auto Care in Wilmington DE (19803) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 302.478.9786. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.