Inglewood Website - Vehicle Maintenance

Vehicle Maintenance

What’s That Spot?

You go out to get in your vehicle, and as you do you notice a fluid coming from it, or a spot of fluid that had not been there before. What is it? Where did it come from? Is it going to damage my car because it is leaking out? These questions probably do cross your mind, and quite reasonably should cross your mind. It is important that all of the proper fluids are in the vehicle, and at the proper levels. Below are some simple ways to know what it is that could be coming from your vehicle.

If the fluid is thin and green, yellow, or pink in color and has a sweet smell, it is probably a coolant leak.
If the fluid has a red hue to it, it is probably transmission oil.
If the fluid is brown in color, it is probably engine oil, or power steering fluid.
If the fluid is black, it is probably an axle leak.
If the fluid is clear and watery near the front of the vehicle, it probably is condensation (water) coming from the air conditioning system, and nothing to be concerned about.

If you find any leaks of this sort, take your vehicle to your mechanic for a more thorough inspection, and repair.

Learning to Read (Tires That Is)

Your tires may give you clear signs of wear problems in time to have them corrected before they cause permanent damage to the tires. You can prevent wear problems that shorten tire life by thousands of miles by learning to "read" the early warning signs and taking appropriate corrective action on diagnosing tire wear.

Wear On Both Edges: If your tire on both tread edges, it may be underinflated. Not having enough air in a tire is singly the worst thing you can do to a tire. Underinflation reduces tread life through increased tread wear on the outside edges (or shoulders) of the tire. It also generates excessive heat, which reduces tire durability and can lead to tire failure.

Finally, it reduces fuel economy through increased rolling resistance (soft tires makes your vehicle work harder). Check your tires regularly for proper inflation. Abnormal tire wear may also be caused by misalignment or mechanical problems, too much air in it, the center of the tread bears most of the load and wears out faster than the outside edges. If a tire wears unevenly, its useful life is reduced. Check the inflation ressures of your tires at least once a month and before embarking on a long trip. Always check tires when they are cold, that is, before they have been driven on for one mile, or wait until one hour after they have been driven.

Uneven wear: The problem may be poor alignment. A vehicle is said to be properly aligned when all suspension and steering components are sound and when the tire and wheel assemblies are running straight and true. Just as a person's shoes wear evenly across the heels and soles if that person's weight is evenly distributed over his feet as he or she walks, tires will wear evenly if the vehicle's suspension system allows them to meet the road evenly. Proper alignment is necessary for both even tread wear and precise steering. You need an alignment when you notice uneven front or rear tire wear or changes in your vehicle's handling or steering response (i.e. pulling to one side). Many vehicles today are equipped with rear suspensions that can be adjusted for alignment. If this is the case, your vehicle may need a "front-end" alignment or a "four-wheel" alignment, depending on the symptoms you are experiencing

Scalloped: Cups or dips in the tread: Cupping (also called dipping or scalloping) is mostly caused on front tires, although rear tires can cup as well. It may be a sign that wheels are out of balance or that suspension or steering system parts need service or replacement.

Saw tooth or feathered edges: The edges of the tread have a saw tooth or feathered appearance. This is caused by erratic scrubbing against the road. The solution is toe-in or toe-out alignment correction.

Keep Up the Pressure According to tire manufacutures running a vehicle at normal speeds for prolonged periods with inflation pressures just 20 percent under what is recommended can reduce tire mileage, in general, by 16 percent and fuel mileage by 2.5 percent. If you error on inflation pressures, experts will tell you it's better to be overinflated than Underinflated. Extreme over inflation can also lead to other problems though, such as irregular wear patterns and reduced puncture resistance.

Excessive casing heat resulting from under inflation is the culprit. When you run underinflated tires for long periods, the centrifugal load and speed forces build extra heat as the casing flexes, leading to tire fatigue and the ultimate breakdown in tire structure.

Checking (and correcting psi) in the middle of a hot day or after driving for several hours is a common way to shortchange your tires. During normal service, for example, inflation pressures can increase 10 to 15 psi due to increased casing.

Wear In Center: When a tire has heat. If you bleed out this overage, your tires will be 10 to 15 psi Underinflated after they cool. Ambient air temperatures also affect tire air inflation. For instance, your tires will gain two psi for each 10 degrees F° increase in ambient air temperature over 60 degrees. Bleeding out this overage midday with temperatures over 90 degrees could also be a mistake.

Another sure way to reduce tire mileage to removal is to increase your highway speeds without compensating by reducing truckload and increasing tire inflation pressures. The penalty for running 75 mph instead of 55 without compensating can be 20 percent in reduced tire mileage. The benchmark is reduce tire load by four percent and add five psi to your tires when increasing speed from 55 mph to 65, 12 percent tire load and five psi when increasing speed from 55 to 75 mph. At the higher speeds, tires flex more and make longer footprints, which can lead to cupping and fast shoulder wear.

13 Ways to Increase Your Vehicles Fuel Economy

20 Ways to Save Fuel

Tire Recapping

Old Police Car Conversions

Renovation of City Vehicles

The City’s fleet comprises early model vehicles/equipment that are in need of body and paint repairs. One approach to improving the image of the fleet is to perform minor body and paint repairs using in-house staff.

In April 2004 Administration approved hiring the automotive painter position.

Staff brought the paint booth up to compliance by changing all required filters, lighting and, in April 2004, the Division obtained permits to operate the City’s paint booth.

Since taking responsibility of the paint booth and hiring a painter, staff has completed bodywork and repainting of 49 vehicles resulting in a savings to the City of $122,500. The Division projects higher savings in the future by completing additional in-house repairs.

The City of Inglewood has hired two part-time apprentices; Jamal Smith and Lebron Wilson through One Stop Youth Program, which have been very instrumental in accomplishing the repainting of vehicles and equipment.

The Division also uses the paint booth to re-paint City vehicles and other unique pieces of equipment for other departments.

Below are photographs of vehicles that have been repaired and painted by in-house staff. This has improved the appearance of the City’s Fleet.

Parks and Recreation