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When you’re driving 70 miles per hour on the highway and suddenly you come upon traffic, there’s only one thing between you and sudden death: your brakes. Everybody uses them. But, how do they work? Here is a quick basic overview of what goes on when you step on the brakes:

Most cars have 2 or 3 different types of brakes. A lot of cars have disc brakes on all four wheels, some have drum brakes on the back wheels. They work similarly, but with a few differences. Disc brakes, which you can see inside your wheels, are latched onto by clamps which create friction to slow down your vehicle. Drum brakes are little shoes inside the wheel hub that push outward to create friction to slow down. The force that causes this friction (which you need a lot of to stop a speeding 1 ton car) is applied by a hydraulic system.

Braking Process:

• Push pedal
• Pedal pushes lever, increasing force
• Lever pushes piston
• Piston pushes hydraulic fluid through narrow cylinder
• Fluid rushes through other wider cylinders, increasing force
• Brake pad is pushed toward brake disc
• Friction slows down car

That’s the gist of how your brakes work. If you find yourself in need of brake repairs or any other kind of auto service, give Rolling Auto Service a call at (941) 493-6511.

Your car’s charging system is made up of 3 main components: the battery, voltage regulator, and alternator. Your alternator and battery work in conjunction to power your car: everything from the lights to the instrument panel. The alternator gets its name from the alternating current, invented by Nikola Tesla. Alternating currents are more effective than direct currents (invented by Thomas Edison). Cars used to use generators (that used direct current), but as car technology progressed more power was necessary.

The alternator is usually in the front of the engine; it’s driven by a crankshaft that turns the piston’s up-and-down movement into circular movement. Basically, the effect of the alternator is to produce power from an alternating current through electromagnetism. Two main components produce this power: the rotor and stator. As the nomenclature suggests, the rotor rotates inside the static stator.
Alternators don’t last forever; they get dirty and worn over time. The most common problems that pop up with alternators come from bearing failure. The needle bearing is what allows the rotor to spin inside the stator.
There’s a lot of science and technology that goes into understanding fully how an alternator works. These are just the basics to give you a general idea.
 
Luckily, there are experts available to understand this technology for you. Here at Rolling Auto Service, we offer alternator replacement alongside a host of other auto-services. For more information, give us a call at (941) 493-6511.

Brakes are unarguably the most important part of a vehicle. You’ll live if your car won’t accelerate, but if it doesn’t stop you probably won’t. There are a few indicators that your brake pads might need changing. Here’s when you should take your car in:

Are your brake pads worn?

You can check the state of your brake pads yourself. In between the spokes of your wheel there is a shiny metal rotor and towards the edge there are metal calipers. Between these is where you’ll find the brake pads. In almost all instances, brake pads need to be AT LEAST a quarter-inch thick. Any thinner, and you need to take your car into the shop.

Do you hear a high-pitched squeal?

One part of your braking system is a device that emits a high-pitched squeal whenever your brake pads are too worn. Take your car to the shop whenever you hear this sound. If you’re the type to blare music whenever you drive, set aside a moment of silence every once in a while; sounds your car makes can alert you to problems that need to be fixed.

Does your wheel pull to one side?

This problem could have a host of different causes: brakes, worn tires, poor alignment, damaged suspension, etc. When it’s the brakes, usually a stuck caliper is pulling on your wheel. It’s a good idea to take your car in if your wheel pulls, no matter which cause it is.
 
Here at Rolling Auto Service, we offer brake pad replacement and a host of other auto-related services. For more information, give us a call at (941) 493-6511.

4 Benefits of a Vehicle Tune-Up

Here at Rolling Auto Service we provide a wide array of vehicle services. More often than not, we are called out to someone’s vehicle because they have experienced a major breakdown. That is why we recommend to our clients routine maintenance. Did you know you should have a tune-up performed on your car every 30,000 miles? Perhaps you are left wondering, what is the importance of a tune-up? We have compiled a list of four benefits of a vehicle tune-up.

1: Saving at the Pump

Having a tune-up performed will save you money at the pump. Did you know that even something as simple as a dirty air filter can decrease your mpg by up to 20%? Having a mechanic perform routine maintenance will save you money on your next trip to the gas station.

2: Keeping You Safe

When your car is not maintained, you are in danger of having a break down in the middle of traffic. While we do travel to you no matter where you have broken down, it is safer to have a tune-up performed at your house to prevent a breakdown from ever happening. We will check a wide variety of components during a tune-up and will ensure your car is operating safely and smoothly. We will be replacing parts like spark plugs and air filters which will keep you from being stranded on the side of the road.

3: Helping the Environment

When your car is not properly maintained you are more likely to emit dangerous fumes into the air. If you want to reduce your emissions, have a tune-up performed. This will not only keep you safer, but will protect the environment too.

4: Adding Resale Value

Although it may be years down the road, if you eventually want to resell your vehicle having a detailed record of maintenance performed will add to the resale value. Keep records of all the tune-ups you have completed on your car to present to a potential buyer. This will demonstrate to the buyer that you were conscientious in your care for your car.
If you are ready for a tune-up on your vehicle, give us a call. We will come to you to perform the tune-up which means your schedule doesn’t have to be interrupted. Soon you will be reaping the benefits of your vehicle tune-up.

The battery plays a very vital role in your car, it supplies the electric energy to start the motor, power the lights and start the ignition for the engine. Car batteries typically perform well and last two to three years. What are the car battery problems signs that indicate that you need to get a new car battery?

The Engine Cranks & There’s No Start

When you go to start your car and the engine cranks and doesn’t start, is a tell tale sign of a car battery problem. This sign is often mistaken for an alternator or starter problem. Typically when this happens your battery is just a few volts shy of starting your vehicle and running it effectively. If this happens, jump start your vehicle to get it running and let it run for at least half-an-hour. After doing this, turn the engine off and start it again a few time to make sure it will start again if you have to stop somewhere.

No Starting & No Cranking

This one is the most straight forward car battery problem. If your car doesn’t crank or start, you have a dead car battery. Your car might also have alternator problem to go along with the dead battery. Jump start your car and immediately replace your battery and have your alternator checked out.
 
 

Changing your vehicle’s motor oil is a simple and affordable maintenance task that is too often overlooked. Motor oil plays a very important part in keeping your car’s engine running  properly. A motor oil change is recommended for every 3,000 to 5,000 mile driven, depending on what type of motor oil you use. So how can you tell when your motor oil has gone bad and you need to change it?

Noisy Engine

A louder or noisy engine than what you normal hear is a sign that you should probably change your oil. Motor oil is used as lubricant for your engine to reduce the friction of the pistons and other moving parts in it.  Hearing strange or louder than normal noises coming from the engine means more friction is occurring and parts are staring to rub against each other. You should change your oil immediately if this happening to prevent any further damage to your engine and avoid costly repairs.

Dirty Oil

New motor oil starts out with light yellow or honey color to it. Over the course of a few weeks of use, new motor oil will start to darken in color. Residue builds up in the oil over time and can hurt your engine. Always get your motor oil changed when the product you use recommends it.
 

Windshield wiper blades are an extremely important part of your vehicle’s driving safety. Windshield wiper blades are the vital component that ensure you can see clearly through your windshield. They help create better visibility when there is rain, mud and other debris hitting your windshield.
Old wiper blades can get worn out quickly and become faulty. Wiper blades that are faulty can cause smearing , which will hurt your windshield’s visibility and impede your ability to see clearly and drive safely.This can make driving in bad weather and conditions very dangerous.
Windshield wiper blades need to be replaced every six months to a year. Replacing your wiper blades every half-year or year ensures that they won’t be worn out. This will protect your ability to see clearly from your windshield and to drive safely
If you need a windshield wiper blade replacement in Venice, Osprey, North Port, Nokomis or Englewood, FL, call Rolling Auto Service. We’re a mobile auto repair shop that can come to you for a wiper blade replacement or any other auto service you need.

What if the most abundant element on Earth could be used to fuel our vehicles? And not only would this fuel be plentiful, but it would emit steam instead of harmful emissions? Generating power from hydrogen is a concept that’s been around before the invention of cars. Currently, hydrogen-powered cars exist, but they are still in the concept phases.

Using hydrogen as fuel

To run on hydrogen, a car must have a fuel cell so that it can convert the hydrogen to electricity. A big advantage to create electricity from hydrogen is that it only produces two byproducts: water and heat. Although it is clean-burning, the practicality of using hydrogen as fuel is still questionable especially since new types of cars would have to be manufactured.
Since 90% of the Earth’s atoms are hydrogen, using it as fuel seems like a no brainer. But harvesting hydrogen isn’t that simple. Unless bonded with other atoms or elements to form a molecule, uncontained hydrogen will immediately float off into space because it is the lightest atom in the universe.
As of now, the most common method used to isolate hydrogen is called steam reformation. In this process, hydrogen atoms are separated from the carbon in natural gas. However, since we are trying to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, this method is not preferred.
Water is a more eco-friendly means of obtaining hydrogen. If an electric current is passed through water in a process known as electrolysis, H20 molecules can be broken down so that hydrogen atoms can be collected. This process can be performed on a large scale but the only drawback is that it is a slow process.
Right now, hydrogen cars have several setbacks so it may be decades before we see them on the roads, if even at all. Whether or not hydrogen will ever be adopted as an alternative fuel, we’ll just have to see. But it looks promising.

 

You’re about to head to work so you get in your car and start it only to see that lovely check engine light pop up. You think so yourself, “Oh great, what could possibly be wrong?”, and unfortunately, you won’t be able to find out until you bring your car to an auto mechanic to run a diagnostic scan.
However, common problems that signal your check engine light are usually related to your car’s emission system, which is comprised of several different components. If your check engine light comes on, one of the first things you should check is your fuel cap. A loose cap is enough to signal you check engine light so make sure that it is not cracked and that it is properly tightened.
If the problem isn’t related to the fuel cap, it could be related to one of the sensors. The two main sensors that commonly cause the check engine light to come on if faulty are the O2 sensors and the mass airflow sensors. The oxygen sensors are responsible for monitoring how much fuel is burned and how much oxygen goes unburned. The mass airflow sensor indicates how much fuel is needed based off the amount of air coming through the engine. If either of these sensors is faulty, they will need to be replaced.
If the sensors are fine, then it could quite possibly be your catalytic converter. The catalytic converter aids your car in emitting cleaner emissions by converting harmful gases such as carbon monoxide to harmless compounds. But for the sake of your wallet, lets hope that the issue isn’t with your catalytic converter as replacement service can be quite costly.
If you need your check engine light diagnosed in or near Venice, call Rolling Auto Service today!

Have you ever wondered why there is tread on your car tires? The purpose of the tread is to eliminate water from the underside of the tire in order to improve traction and decrease the change of hydroplaning. If your tread has become worn, it is important to have your tires replaced immediately for the sake of your safety.
If you suspect that your tires are worn, take a look at the tread pattern. There should be something called tread wear bars on your tires. These flat, rubber bars form a bridge between the tread grooves and are nearly invisible on new tires. Gradually over time as the tires wear down, these bars become more apparent. When the bars and the tread are at the same level, it’s time to replace your tires.
You can also quickly check the tread depth of your tires by using a simple technique called the “penny test.” Grab a penny and stick Abe Lincoln’s head into the center groove of the tire tread. Can you see still see the top of his head? If so, you’re tires are worn and it’s time to replace them. If his hair is covered by the tread, you still have sufficient tread.
Even if your treads don’t look like they are in bad shape, it is still important to check them for any inconsistencies such as uneven wear or irregularities. Excessive wear on the center tread indicates that your tires are inflated too much whereas excessive wear on the shoulders of the tires indicates that your tires are under inflated. Uneven wear on the treads or having one side of the tire more worn than the other could be an indication of misaligned wheels or an incorrect camber angle.