Stadium Automotive

One of the questions that is always going through my mind is, Too much and you’re wasting money; not enough, and your vehicle’s dependability and longevity flies out the window. The owner’s manual of every car has great information on what services to do and when. But are the manufacturer’s recommendations enough to ensure a long life for the vehicle? The biggest question is how often most fluids and air filters should be changed. My automotive “bible,” Consumer Reports, and I part company on this question as it relates to oil changes. They recommend for the most part following the manufacturer’s recommended service intervals, which often are too infrequent in my opinion. And some service centers recommend oil changes every three months – which I think is far too often. A very strong “depends.” It depends on a variety of factors including the vehicle you drive, your driving style, your risk tolerance and how long you plan to keep your car – and how long you want it to last even if you ... read more

One of the questions I’m asked a lot is whether you can use regular gasoline in a vehicle that was designed for premium. The short answer is no. The engineers who design engines and their control systems are very careful with the timing of what is called the power stroke.Years ago, when you could tune engines, one of the critical adjustments was ignition timing. Ignition timing, like most other “tuning” tweaks, are no longer adjustable in modern cars.To understand ignition timing, imagine pushing a kid on a swing. The timing of each push is important. If you push too late, you are just pushing air (which can be compared to late or “retarded” timing in an engine). But if you push the kid too early, you will slap his back or maybe push him out of the swing. The perfect timing is to push the child gently in the beginning or forward stroke and continue until the peak of the swinging motion.The same goes for a piston’s power stroke. If it’s too early, the engine “pings” – its version of sl ... read more