Is your low tire light on?

2010-03-15T16:54:00.001-04:00

Most of you who own a newer vehicle probably have experienced a low tire light at one time or another. In fact, that is our most common request on the service drive. I felt that it was enough of a common question that it was deserving of a few minutes of conversation in our blog.
The TPMS or tire pressure monitoring system is actually a government mandated system that began phase-in in October of 2005 with about 20% involvement and reached 100% in models produced after September 2007 and is simply a system to monitor or calculate tire pressures and alert the driver to a potential problem. Depending on when your vehicle was built, the system may be very basic or somewhat advanced. Earlier models calculate tire pressure variances based on individual wheel speed. In this system, each wheel has a speed sensor which is typically associated with the anti-lock brake system as well. The computer looks for a variance in one wheel’s speed as compared to the other three. The theory here is that if a tire loses pressure, it will shrink slightly in size and a smaller tire will need more speed to keep up with the other three larger tires. In the event that this happens, the low tire light is illuminated thus alerting the driver to the problem. One issue with this type of system is that the driver was not normally alerted as to which specific tire was low rather, just a warning to check the tires in general.
Fast forward to today’s vehicles and we see a slightly different technology. The sensors are actually mounted inside each tire just below the valve stem. This sensor determines the tire pressure to a very accurate measurement and sends a wireless signal to a receiver in the vehicle. The vehicle then displays the tire pressures per wheel on the DIC or driver information center. This newer technology allows the driver to actually see the pressure reading for each individual tire and if an out-of-line measurement occurs, the driver is alerted with a “low tire” light and/or a “service tire monitoring system” message on DIC.
Although this system is far more advanced than the prior system, it is not without its share of pitfalls: First, when your tires are rotated (as part of your regular preventative maintenance program) the system needs to be reprogrammed so that the receiver recognizes the new positions for each sensor. This is because there is a unique sensor ID that is broadcast to the receiver along with the tire pressure information. Which wheel each sensor is mounted to is programmed into the computer so when it sees the sensor ID from say, the left front wheel, it knows to display “LF:” and the pressure reading. This is why when an identical car pulls up to a traffic light next to yours, that person’s low tire does not display on your dash….the ID broadcast from his sensors is different than yours.
Next, this system is extremely sensitive to tire pressure fluctuation due to temperature. A variance of only 3 PSI will illuminate the light. Most of us who have experienced this situation have seen it happen on the morning of the first frost. This is because the compressed air (which is what your tires are filled with) shrinks when it gets cold and expands when it gets hot due to the H²0 molecules within the air. On that cold morning when your low tire light is on, if you begin driving to work you’ll often notice the light goes out then returns after your car sits all day while you work and gets cold again. This is because the friction created within the tire while driving heats up the air and it expands causing the pressure to go up and the light to go out.
This is one of the many reasons why Nitrogen is becoming a popular choice for filling tires rather than compressed air. In a tire filled with 98% pure Nitrogen, there is little, if any moisture and therefore the tire is not very susceptible to size fluctuation due to temperature change. Because of the stable tire pressures, many users of vehicles with Nitrogen filled tires have also noted an increase in fuel mileage. Here in our service drive at Outten GM, Nitrogen has become very popular and many are already enjoying its benefits including less “low tire” warning lights.Please do not hesitate to give us a call if you’ve been experiencing a recurring low tire light or if you simply want to take advantage of a Nitrogen tire fill.

Why Choose Dealership Service?

2009-09-17T09:58:00.004-04:00

With so many choices for service on your automobile, you may find your self asking: "Why should I go to the dealership when I can just go to ABC Fast Lube?" I thought for our first blog entry, I'd address this often asked question.

The reality is, you likely have far more choices than you realize. Nowadays, there are specialty stores that have branched out into the vehicle service market. For instance, what you may recognize as the local "tire only" retailer likely will perform routing maintenance. There seems to be some type of quick lube in every town and of course the mass merchandisers often have a vehicle maintenance center incorpoated into their facilities so that you can have your routine maintenance performed while you grocery shop.

In speaking with our customers, I find that all understand the importance of the dealership when it comes to warranty repairs or even for non-warranty, higher technical repairs, but many don't consider the dealership for maintenance items based on their perception of pricing. To all of us, our perception is our reality. But more and more I find that perception is just that...perception. Here's a few hard facts on dealership pricing:

There is actually very little difference between the non-dealership service providers and the dealerships when it comes to pricing of maintenance items. In shopping our dealership's 10 most often performed maintenance itmes, it turned out that the dealership was at or below the market average in all 10 occurances!

When it comes to repairs of a higher technical nature, the dealership is almost always the least expensive place to have the repair performed. "How could this be?" you may ask. Well, it's actually quite simple. Most dealerships are staffed with highly trained technicians. These technicians are using proprietary hardware and software that the aftermarket shops is simply not able to access. The result is the fixed-first visit percentage is often dramatically higher at the dealership than in the independent shops. In addition, the technicians are typically able to repair the vehicle in a much shorter time period resulting in a lower repair charge.

Hopefully this information is helpful to you when it comes to selecting a service provider. But as always, do not hesitate to give us a call anytime you have questions regarding your vehicle's maintenance needs or repair needs. We're always happy to answer your questions! You can also feel free to visit our website: http://www.outtencars.com/ for more information including a virtual tour of our service and parts departments, a copy of our maintenance menu...with prices...and a convenient appointment scheduling tool. Thanks again for checking our blog and I look forward to talking with you soon.

Regards,

Rick

Outten GM Service; Hamburg, PA

Is your low tire light on?

Why Choose Dealership Service?