FALCONER AUTO REPAIR

Sometimes busy Falconer residents dream about going back to the “simpler” days of our grandparents. But if you could travel back in time and take a road trip around New York in a Model T, you might change your mind. The improved designs and quality of today's automobiles have significantly reduced the amount of time Falconer residents spend at the side of the road during breakdowns. With proper maintenance, today's vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before.Some of those improvements, however, have led to higher repair costs. For example, older cars often broke down from vapor lock. Gas vaporized while traveling from the gas tank to the fuel pump. No gas, no power. The car quits going. The solution was simple — you just sat by the road until the car would start up again. Today's Falconer drivers would hardly tolerate that kind of inconvenience, and it's likely that yesterday's Falconer drivers didn't care much for it, either. So on today's vehicles, th ... read more

All Falconer service advisors know that without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles. The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. And on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures. (On some vehicles, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt.) So you can see the serpentine belt does a lot of work. And it if breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That's why your vehicle manufacturer and your service advisor at I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn't fail.Your friendly and knowledgeable I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service service advisor can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could f ... read more

New York service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Falconer drivers may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service fuel system cleaning: Over time, the vehicle fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It's usually good to change them every year or so.I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service inspections: Falconer drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they're going on a trip or just want to make sure their vehicle's ready for a New York summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used vehicle and want to give it the once over. An inspection may revea ... read more

We live in such a disposable society. It's amazing all the stuff we throw away. New stuff comes out so fast, we just toss the old and move on. In the old days, New York folks were real sticklers about taking care of their things. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough - they had to do without. Most Falconer drivers couldn't afford new vehicles very often, so they had to make them last as long as they could.It's a good thing that vehicles are more reliable these days. They just don't break down as often. And the good news for us New York penny pinchers is that a modern vehicle can easily go 200,000 miles/320,000 km with proper care. The engineering and the manufacturing quality is tremendous. The missing ingredient is us Falconer vehicle owners making sure we follow the vehicle manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedules.Every time you go a little farther between recommended oil changes, you have created an opportunity for sludge to be formed and ... read more

Many Falconer drivers have found themselves in the following situation: They go to get their oil changed and their friendly service advisor at I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service recommends a new engine air filter. They say yes, but don't know what an air filter is or what it does.If this has happened to you, rest assured that you did the right thing by getting a new one. But you should never be too embarrassed to ask your I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service service advisor for more information. It's your vehicle and you have a right to understand what you're paying for.Let's review: "What does an air filter do?"Air is the focus of this discussion. What is the air like outside in Falconer right now? Can you see any smog? Is it full of pollen? How about dust? Anyone in New York with hay fever can tell you that there's plenty in the air that you can't see. Well, the engine air filter's job is to clean that air before it goes into your vehicle engine, to mix w ... read more

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your vehicle engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected vehicle driving down Falconer roads.Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the Falconer automotive community as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine. A few have recently introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines. They are now available at some New York dealerships. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure – many times the pressure of port injection systems. Although more complicated, direc ... read more

The drive train in your vehicle includes all the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. Those components differ depending on what type of vehicle you drive, namely, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The preventive maintenance your driveshaft needs will also differ by what type of vehicle you drive.Let's start with front-wheel drive. In this vehicle, the transmission and the differential are combined in one component, known as the transaxle. The transaxle is connected to two half-shafts (axles), which are then connected to the wheels with a constant velocity (or CV) joint, which is protected by an airtight rubber boot.I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service service for this type of driveline includes servicing the transaxle and inspecting the CV boot. If the boot is damaged, the CV joint will need to be inspected, and the boot will need to be replaced. If you hear a ... read more

Do you ever shop for shoes in one of our Jamestown area shoe stores?When buying a running shoe, is quality important?Does durability matter as long as the shoes look fabulous?Would you rather have one pair of long lasting shoes or two pair of lower quality shoes at the same price?Is the warranty important when buying tires?When you choose new tires in Falconer, what's the most important factor for you? Give us a call at I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service at 716-665-2501 for tire recommendations. You know, buying tires in Falconer is a big deal. It's a big ticket item so you know you'll be spending a lot. You're not only concerned about the price, but you want to know that it'll be a long time before you need to buy new tires again.And of course there's the safety aspect as well. The tires do a lot of work – they carry the weight of the vehicle and you and your passengers. They need to be up to the task. Yo ... read more

Your cooling system is very important. It circulates coolant through the radiator and your engine to protect your vehicle from overheating. There are five main components to the cooling system: the radiator the radiator cap the hoses the thermostat the water pump The water pump's like the heart of your cooling system, circulating the fluid throughout your vehicle. It's a small pump that's driven by the engine; usually by belt, but sometimes by a chain or gear.The water pump only operates when the engine's running. Water pump failure is pretty routine. We see it often at I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service. Some start failing at around 40,000 miles/64,000 km, but most fail by 100,000 miles/160,000 km. Consult your owner's manual or friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service to see what's recommended.Since a water pump either works or it doesn't, you need to change it when it fails. Water pumps fail in one of two wa ... read more

Falconer residents often ask the question: "Will using premium gas make my car run better?" The answer is simple. But first, let's talk about what exactly premium gasoline is.Different grades of gasoline have different octane ratings. Regular gasoline has the lowest octane rating and premium the highest. Most gas stations around Falconer, New York, also carry a mid-grade that falls in between the two. The octane range for the different grades of gas varies by region due to altitude differences.Engines require different octane ratings because of design differences. For example, turbocharged engines usually require premium gas.There's a sticker on your gas tank filler lid that tells you the minimum octane rating your vehicle manufacturer recommends. For help identifying the type of gasoline your engine needs, come by I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service in Falconer. I-86 Truck Repair & Auto Service1739 Lindquist DriveFalconer, New York 1473371