Your car or truck is about to take a beating because the heat of spring and the brutality of summer are about to hit.
So if you’re hearing an nagging knock under the hood, or screeching as you start the car, or just some sound you’ve never heard before, you might want to think about getting the car checked.
Jesse Moreno owns Genuine Auto Services and Avi Kroytoro owns Courtesy Auto Repair and Service. They took questions from State of Nevada host Joe Schoenmann, as well as listeners across Southern Nevada.
Ahead of summer, how should you get your car or truck prepared?
Moreno said for his personal vehicles, he goes through what he likes to call a safety inspection — checking fluids, coolant, "pressurizing the system, making sure that I have no leaks or anything like that."
He drives a shop truck, he said, and it's "crucial" for a diesel truck to not be spilling coolant.
"In some cases, if necessary, based off of the ethylene glycol content of the actual coolant, we'll go through and do a coolant flush, swapping all of the … old stuff … for new coolant if necessary. That's something that I usually do every two to three years, though, it's not something that you have to do every summer."
How can you find a reliable mechanic?
Moreno said check reviews: Yelp, Google, and social media.
"Watch for those people that actually concentrate on what you're asking them to do for you. If they are willing to work for you. That's what's important."
How long does your battery usually last in Las Vegas?
About three years if you're lucky, Kroytoro said. "If you're not lucky, it's gonna be one year."
He said the driver will know best. If your battery isn't doing your job, you'll feel it.
"When he goes in the morning to start it up, it can start to feel that it's not cranking the same way it was before, so he knows that he has something going on and he should check it," Kroytoro said. "But in general, today we have jumpers that we can carry in a car they are not expensive. And that's the way to remedy an issue when it happens that we don't get stuck not to check your battery. The easy way to do it is if you turn it lights on their dignity should only turn the lights on, let it sit there for about five minutes on and then you go ahead and shut it off and start it again. If it starts, means the battery is good and has plenty of power."
Moreno added if you're changing your battery and get smell a heavy sulfuric acid smell, or rotten eggs, "exercise caution when replacing that battery," or take it to a professional.
Why are there so few women in the industry?
"I've actually had the pleasure of working alongside other women in the industry. And I honestly think it's a travesty that we don't have more women in the industry personally," Moreno said.
He continued, "I truly believe there are stars in the industry where they have just an affinity for being able to go ahead and be more focused and more just driven to want to go ahead and prove themselves. And to me, I think that's a beautiful thing."
To hear callers' car questions and the answers from Jesse and Avi, listen to the full hour.
Guests: Jesse Moreno, owner, Mechanic, Genuine Auto Services; Abraham (Avi) Kroytoro, owner, Mechanic, Courtesy Auto Repair and Service
