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  It’s no surprise that your vehicle will drive better if all the wheels are pointed in the same direction.  That’s called wheel alignment.  If your wheels are out of alignment you may notice that your vehicle pulls to one side or the other.  Something that you won’t notice right away, but you will if you keep driving when you’re out of alignment, is that your tires are wearing unevenly and quickly.  That’s because when the vehicle is pulling to one side, you must steer it back straight.  ...

Question My check engine light is on and my boyfriend thinks he can get the code read and know what part to replace to fix my car.  I say it’s not that simple.  Who’s right? Answer Good news – you are!  Just look at it logically: there are hundreds of things that can go wrong with your vehicle.  Some are simple and some are quite complicated.  Let’s take a step back.  Over 80% of engine functions are computer controlled.  The computer receives information from dozens of sensors.  When a se...

Steering should be something you don't have to think about too much. You want to go somewhere, you turn the wheel, and you head in that direction. Simple, right? What happens when your steering wheel becomes hard to turn?  Or what happens if it starts to feel disconnected from the wheels, a little loosey-goosey? Steering is one of the most important functions of any vehicle. If your steering wheel is not turning easily and precisely, there are several things that might be wrong.  First is the p...

Question: My new car has a “GDI” engine. What does that mean to me and other BEMIDJI vehicles with this new type of engine? Kenny's Clark And Goodyear Answer: GDI stands for Gasoline Direct Injection. It's a type of fuel injection system that is becoming very popular on modern engines. Let's talk about the two most common forms of fuel injection. Port Fuel Injection has been common in BEMIDJI vehicles for the last several decades. With this type, there is a small port just outside the cylind...

  You can make your vehicle tires last longer with regular tire rotation and wheel balancing. Let's start with tire rotation. In normal driving around BEMIDJI MN, your front tires wear more on the shoulders because they handle much of the cornering forces in turns. Front-wheel drive vehicles have even more force on the front tires. We rotate the tires so that all of the tires do some duty on the front end as well as getting a little break on the back end. That way, all four tires wear more ev...

  Let's debunk some of the myths about diesel powered vehicles. 1. Diesel Burns Dirty This was true years ago. Since 2006, however, U.S. diesel vehicles have been required by law to use ultra-low-sulfur diesel or USLD. Modern diesels are soot-free and have a smaller carbon footprint. 2. Diesels Are Sluggish Not any more. They are as fast off the line as similar gasoline-powered cars. If your idea of fun is to spend an afternoon test-driving new cars, go take a spin in a diesel BMW or Porsche....

  Question I’m Alex.  My Check Engine Light came on.  I’ve tried several things to make it go off, but nothing has worked.  What should I do? Answer Like Alex, most of us have experienced a check engine light coming on suddenly.   We’re frustrated because we don’t know why.  Of course, that’s perfectly understandable: There are hundreds of reasons for the check engine light to come on – and there’s only one light. Alex said she tried several things to get the light to go off – but it di...

As your engine runs, the intake valves need to open up to allow air into the engine. They remain closed while the air and fuel is compressed and ignited, powering the piston. Then the exhaust valves open to release the exhaust. This all has to be timed very precisely. It is the job of the timing belt or timing chain to make sure all of this is synced up properly. Timing belts are made of a very tough compound that can last for a long time. Timing chains are made of metal and last for a very l...