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Brakes 101

Brakes 101

As much as we all love our cars and enjoy hearing the engine, brakes are a less glamorous necessity that no one wants to think about. Truthfully, brakes are one of the most important parts of your car for safety. It is commonly believed that brakes stop your car. However, it is the friction and pressure of the brake pad material to the brake disc that slow down your vehicle; that is how your wheels stop spinning.  Modern cars all have disc brakes, so this is what we will talk about here, let’s set aside anti-lock features for another time. Disc brakes have five major components: Brake discs (or rotors) Calipers Brake pads Brake lines Master cylinder Rotors are attached to the wheel. This plate type of disc is what your brake pads rub up against to slow your car. Brake pads have a couple of layers. The pad itself is much like an incredibly tough, well-engineered eraser; the second part is a metal backplate that holds the "eraser" in place. The metal backplate ... read more

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Preventive Maintenance Matters!

Preventive Maintenance Matters!

When it comes to your BMW, we already know just how much you love your car. A BMW is special; not like other vehicles. It moves in ways that make running errands fun. You no longer want to send your spouse to the market for that unforgotten item off of the grocery list. You now seek out roads with twists and turns galore. A vacation no longer has to include a plane ride and in fact. This time of year gives you an opportunity to show your love to your special person, but it’s also a time to show your love for your BMW.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make your BMW feel loved. Start with a good vacuuming. Throw away all the built up trash such as receipts or empty snack bags. Wipe down the dash and steering wheel. Use a window cleaner on the inside windows. Install a trash bin or bag to help you keep down the clutter. Buy an organizational item or two to help keep things nice and tidy.  If you do want to spend a little bit of money to show your love, pr ... read more

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Winter Road Trips and How to Prepare for Them

Winter Road Trips and How to Prepare for Them

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean it’s not a good time for a road trip. In fact, as long as you are well-prepared, it can be the best time of year for a road trip! The snow makes everything seem new and beautiful. Even if you travel to the same place or places you did last summer, it’s an entirely different trip. The first order of business in making sure your car is in great condition. You should have it inspected before hitting the road:  Check your tires for tread depth, general wear and tear, and make certain the tires have the right amount of air. Either too much or too little can negatively affect how you stop. Make sure you have adequate snow tires or chains. Check all of your lights on the inside and outside. You definitely want to be seen and be able to see! Make sure all your fluids are clean and at proper levels. Don’t use water as a windshield-wiping fluid and make sure you have the best anti-freeze.  Check all the belts to e ... read more

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Tire Rotation and Why It’s Important

Tire Rotation and Why It’s Important

It happens far too often where tire rotation is overlooked or taken for granted. In order to really understand its importance, let’s talk about what a tire rotation is exactly and why it’s important. Tire rotation is swapping the position of your tires on your car. Your car manufacturer has recommendations for how often you should be rotating, but generally, it should be done every 5,000 miles. Another benefit of rotation is that you or your mechanic will be able to check your tires for damage, check the air pressure, rebalance them if necessary, and inspect the tread depth. Why else is it important? Routine rotation of your tires will help evenly distribute wear and tear, lengthening the life of your tires. This is especially true with front or rear-wheel drive vehicles since two of your wheels do very specific jobs and will likely wear much differently than the other two. Having even wear and tear on your tire and its treads provide more even control, especially in more h ... read more

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Best Kid Friendly Cars

Best Kid Friendly Cars

With Halloween just around the corner, while many of you are thinking about how to get your child’s costume ready in time, we are thinking about cars. Specifically about what cars are the most kid-friendly that will make easy for you to take your kiddo trick-or-treating around the neighborhood as well as to and from school, play dates, and the soccer field. SUVs and Minivans take the top places simply because they make it easier for you to load up on small humans (or the larger, teenage versions) and all of the stuff they need to take with them every day.  Take a look at our top recommendations: The 2019 Honda CRV: The most important factor is safety and the 2019 Honda CRV is all about that and it shows. From there, it’s also reliable, practical, and has outstanding resale value. There’s plenty of room for your entire family and all the things they hold dear. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are already included in most models and it starts at a very reasonable ... read more

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How to Improve the Smell of the Interior of Your Car

How to Improve the Smell of the Interior of Your Car

Do you have a smell in your car that won’t go away? With the hot weather still around, funky smells can become a problem. Nobody wants to be driving around in a car that has an odd smell, here are some of Mancinelli’s Auto Repair Center’s tips for a fresh smelling vehicle: Change your interior cabin air filter. Especially if it’s been awhile, it may not be doing its job. Not only can it help eliminate smells, but it can keep impurities out of the cabin that may be affecting your allergies.  Dryer sheets under the seats are one more way to pull the odor out. Change them periodically to get the most value out of that tactic.  Baking soda works in your car just like it does in your fridge. It absorbs many odors. Sprinkle in throughout your car, leave it for a few hours, then vacuum it up. You can also leave an open box in your car overnight to help pull out some of the more stubborn smells.  Clean your mats. You can start with baking soda to pull ... read more

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Strangest Cars in the World

Strangest Cars in the World

Extra-ordinary, the word itself tells how extra something is and these strange cars from all over the world are the definition of the word. The cars that you are about to see have made the list of the strangest cars in the world. They were never mass produced and were many years before you got your license.  Starting off with the car you see in the photo, the 1932 Ford Speedster! The Speedster has a roaring V-8 engine that you push to start which was far ahead of its time. This low riding long car was created between infamous designer Eugene Gregorie and the son of Henry Ford himself, Edsel Ford.  The second strange car came from a previous aircraft engineer that turned automobile, William Stout. Stout was the pioneer of luxury and leisure transportation features like in-flight meals. Stout created the 1936 Stout Scarab that was founded on the idea of a diner car with a Ford V-8 under the hood. The Stout Scarab was far too expensive for any consumer of the day, even the ric ... read more

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Best Songs for Driving

Best Songs for Driving

The best part of driving is turning up the radio, blasting your favorite song, and singing at the top of your lungs. Everyone’s taste in music is different, but these songs are sure to get your Rocky Mountain High.  Every true Coloradoan loves a good song about the beautiful state they live in and knows every word to John Denver's “Rocky Mountain High”. In 2007 it was voted in as Colorado's second official state song. Another John Denver classic is “Country Roads” that has recently made a comeback and is very popular again.  Colorado, we are a mountain state, so mountain music is at the heart of everyone. Jimmy Buffett’s “A Mile High in Denver” took a little ski town called Aspen in the ’70s and shook it up into what it is now. Joe Walsh created a guide called “Rocky Mountain Way” to show people how to live it up in Colorado.  If you’re driving in a car with your friends then these next fe ... read more

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What Determines Gas Prices

What Determines Gas Prices

Do you ever feel in the dark about what’s going on behind the scenes of fluctuating gas prices? We’re here to let you in on a few secrets, so you are in the know. Four core factors contribute to gas prices; the price of crude oil, taxes, marketing and distribution, and refining cost. What is your role in all of this? The Price of Crude Oil According to the EIA, about two-thirds or 70 percent of gas prices are determined by the cost of crude oil. Crude oil prices are largely determined by supply and demand, but other factors such as seasonality, inventory and the current financial market contribute. Supply focuses on the availability of crude oil, specifically the light/sweet crude which is harder to obtain and is in high demand. The price for this will naturally rise as it takes less time for refineries to process the light crude oil into gasoline. In general, if supply is limited, the price will increase.  Demand - this is where you come in! Changes in demand resul ... read more

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Are Flying Cars Likely To Happen?

Are Flying Cars Likely To Happen?

Absolutely. Flying vehicles are starting to pop up around the world. This is no longer a futuristic idea. It may not look like the photo above, but no one really knows what the future holds. What we DO know is that from do-it-yourselfers to big companies like Boeing to governments like Japan, there are new prototypes being developed every day. Some of the technology is reminiscent of the George Jetson era, and some of it is more drone-driven.  Companies like Amazon are striving for drone-delivered packages. Japan is wanting to clear the streets of congestion and smog. Boeing is wanting to lead the pack with automated multi-passenger cars and product delivery options. What will it look like when we start flying into town to drop our kiddos off to soccer practice and ballet? From where I’m sitting, a little scary and a lot of fun! This technology hasn’t evolved as many predicted back in the ’80s, but it is still on its way, and nothing can stop it. Even though we ... read more

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