How to make your old car feel like new

Mile after mile, mess after mess, your N Charlotte Toyota used car has and will always be there. From the day you drove it off the lot, you’ve taken care of your vehicle through good times and bad and it’s always performed how you need it to. But maybe your interior has gotten a bit messy in recent months or you still have to use an aux cord to listen to your tunes. Regardless, the honeymoon phase with your car has come and gone and it’s about time you breathed some new life into your drive. Not sure where to start? Lucky for you, Toyota of N Charlotte is here with a guide to help your used car look and feel like the day you drove it off the lot.

Your used car deserves a makeover

Shine your headlights

Your Charlotte Toyota used car’s headlights have probably dimmed over time and need a little elbow grease to shine again. Thankfully, restoring your headlights is easy, affordable, and simple to do.

Freshen up your interior smell

Sometimes, age can be a good thing, but not for your A/C system and the smell in your Charlotte Toyota used car’s interior. To prevent any bad smells from mold and mildew build-up, have one of our expert auto service techs give your vehicle a once over inspection and replace any components that may be affected.

Clean, clean, clean

To truly clean the interior of your vehicle, you have to go beyond just vacuuming and wiping down surfaces. Our Charlotte Toyota auto service specialists recommend shampooing the carpets and seats, making sure to get in the nooks and crannies of your interior, and putting a little extra oomph into your surface scrubbing. Not only will cleaning leave you with a good feeling, but this will also give you a chance to check for any issues in your interior.

Get some fancy tech

If you still have to use an aux cord to jam out to your favorite tunes, it might be time for an upgrade. Installing a new infotainment system with Bluetooth capability is relatively inexpensive and easy to do yourself! If you want a better sound experience from your Charlotte Toyota used car, you may want to consider replacing the speakers.

Install some new tires

A new pair of wheels or tires is not only essential, it’s going to make your Charlotte Toyota used car look good! If your tires are up for replacement, make sure to shop around and decide on the proper tires for your ride to get the optimal performance you need.

Your Charlotte Toyota used car may be getting boring, but a little elbow grease and a fresh coat of paint can really work wonders and rekindle the relationship you share with your ride. If you have any questions on how to get started or need a helping hand, visit our expert auto service department at Toyota of N Charlotte today! We’re open seven days a week and you can call us at (704) 659 – 2025 to set up an appointment today!

Wheel balancing vs alignment: what does it all mean?

Your Charlotte Toyota vehicle uses important components like your exhaust system, engine, and electrical system to operate whenever you turn your key in the ignition. Some parts you probably don’t think of much, unless it goes flat, are your car tires. They’re the only part of your vehicle that makes contact with the road. They get you where you need to go and without them, you’d find yourself in a difficult spot. When your ride gets bumpy, car wheel issues are typically fixed with a either a balancing or an alignment. Many drivers think these terms are synonymous, but Toyota of N Charlotte is here to set the record straight!

Wheel alignment

Aligning your car wheels is no easy task and typically requires a specific piece of machinery to get the job done. Before we go into detail about what wheel alignment is, let’s brush up on some key terms:

Caster: The angle that your Charlotte Toyota steering pivot is facing. If your car wheel has a negative caster, your steering pivot is facing towards your headlights and a positive castor means it’s facing toward your windshield.

Toe: This term refers to the direction your Charlotte Toyota car wheels are pointing in relation to the road and to each other. Toe out means that your wheels are pointing away from each other and toe in means that your wheels are pointing toward each other.

Camber: Viewing from the front of the Charlotte Toyota vehicle, camber describes the top of the wheel pointing away or towards the center of the car. Positive camber occurs when your car wheels point outward and negative camber means they’re pointing inward.

The goal of a wheel alignment is to bring all wheels to a zero-degree angle or pointing straight. Typically, if your wheels are misaligned, you will likely feel a pull left or right, your steering wheel is crooked when driving straight, and your tires squeal more often.

Wheel balancing

Gradually, your car’s wheels and tires will wear down over time as you accumulate more mileage on your engine. Your tires can wear unevenly, chip, get punctured, or anything in between. To balance your tires a machine is used to measure the overall weight over a certain number of tire revolutions. Weights are then attached to the inside of the car wheel to counteract the weight. These weights are typically attached on the wheel itself with adhesives or hammered right onto the side of the outside of the wheel.

If your wheels are imbalanced, you will typically experience vibrations in the steering wheel or in the seats, uneven tire wear, and poor Charlotte Toyota vehicle handling.

Wheel balancing and aligning made easy at Toyota of N Charlotte

Auto maintenance issues like this are difficult to ignore and should be taken care of as soon as possible to avoid incurring further damage to your vehicle. Luckily, Toyota of N Charlotte is here! Our auto service experts can balance and align your wheels quickly and affordably, so you can get back on the road! Give us a call at (704) 659 – 2025 to set up an appointment today!

Everything you need to know about the catalytic converter

Your Charlotte Toyota vehicle is truly an engineering marvel with all of its moving parts and mechanisms all at work in perfect sync. A part of your car that may seem as simple as two tail pipes, your exhaust system, is actually far more complex. In fact, your car’s exhaust system works to remove pollution from your exhaust gas, making it less toxic before it’s released from your tail pipe(s). A critical component of this intricate engine part, the catalytic converter, is an important one to know so you can understand how it works and how to troubleshoot one. At Toyota of North Charlotte, we’re here to tell you all you need to know about the catalytic converter, so you can be one step closer to becoming an auto service expert.

How does a catalytic converter work?

Your exhaust system actively works to remove pollutants from engine gas created from combustion and it uses the catalytic converter to do it. This Charlotte Toyota engine part uses a process called catalyzing that uses a redox reaction. There’s a lot of science behind this one, but we’ll keep it short and sweet. Essentially, the catalytic converter catalyzes exhaust gas to produce a cleaner combustion byproduct. This engine part is also responsible for essential functions like:

• Keeping accelerations smooth.
• Preventing excessive gas from building up in the engine.
• Maximizing your vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

Making sure start-ups are smooth.

Typically, during the lifetime of your Charlotte Toyota car, your catalytic converter will not likely have to be replaced or be maintained, but that doesn’t mean you should turn a blind eye to this essential vehicle part.

Troubleshooting your Charlotte Toyota vehicle

It may be uncommon for this Charlotte Toyota engine part to become damaged, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen from time to time. A typical issue that can arise with catalytic converter is catalyst poisoning. This can happen when lead and sulfur leak into the converter and cause poor combustion. This can lead to clogging and eventually the converter will stop working. This Charlotte Toyota engine may be undergoing damage if you experience any of these symptoms:

• Your check engine light turns on.
• Your vehicle may experience failed or delayed start-ups.
• Your vehicle could fail emission tests.
• Acceleration could be delayed or nonexistent.
• Your fuel efficiency drops quickly.

Fixing and maintaining your vehicle’s catalytic converter is as easy as getting an oil change. In fact, it’s just that easy! Making sure your Charlotte Toyota vehicle is up-to-date on routine maintenance is key to keeping this vehicle part healthy. It’s also suggested to have your fluid levels periodically checked along with the fuel injectors.

If you think your converter might be in rough shape or you need to get your vehicle on a more routine auto service schedule, then come visit Toyota of North Charlotte today! Our expert auto service techs can get your ride back on the road in no time and at an affordable price. Give us a call at (704) 659 – 2025 today!