NAPA AutoCare of NE Mississippi

We’ve all seen MS motorists do crazy things while driving to or from Tupelo. A guy shaving in the rear-view mirror, a woman applying makeup, people talking on their phones, texting or drinking from an enormous coffee mug. It’s a wonder we even dare drive on MS roads.

The truth is that all of us Tupelo drivers are distracted when we drive. Unfortunately, traffic, road construction and other dangerous external factors are beyond our control. The distractions inside our car, however, are things we can often control.

Here’s some things that’ll give you more control in your car, and help keep your attention on the roads around Tupelo, MS.

• Tupelo drivers who are 16 to 20 years old tend to be more distracted by the radio, CD or MP3 player.
• Tupelo drivers who are 20 to 29 are more distracted by passengers in the car, including small children.
• Those over age 65 tend to be more distracted by objects or events that are outside of the vehicle.

Other factors like fatigue, stress and lack of sleep make it harder to pay attention to driving – no matter what age we are. It is always better to pull over and take a quick nap than risk falling asleep at the wheel. Tupelo car owners are also distracted by thinking about relationships, family issues, money and bills. So what can Tupelo drivers do to manage these harmful distractions? Well, the first thing is to eliminate as many as we can.

When you get in your car, make sure you’re belted in; that the seats, steering wheel and mirrors are adjusted; and your radio or CD player is ready.

Secure any loose objects in the car that can fall on the floor and interfere with your driving.

If you have a drink, make sure it’s spill-proof and put in a cup holder. Tupelo drivers’ pets should also be contained.

MS car owners with kids in the car should make sure they’re clipped in their seat belts or safety seats. You may want to give them some distractions to help keep them quiet and sitting in their seats. Don’t get involved in their arguments while you’re driving. Pull over if you need to find a toy or break up a fight.

If you eat while driving, choose simple finger foods that aren’t messy.

Learning your car’s controls before you drive is another vital way to improve your safety. Learn how to work the radio by touch. Controls located on the steering wheel can help Tupelo auto owners keep their eyes on the road.  The same goes for heating and air conditioning controls.

If you have to use a cell phone, a hands-free system is best. But remember, the biggest cell phone distraction isn’t the phone itself – it’s the conversation. Keep conversations brief and light, or pull over if you can. Your critical reaction time is much slower when talking and driving, so allow more space between you and the car ahead of you. Know your local Tupelo laws – it may be illegal to be on the phone. Never text while driving! This has already caused many deaths and injuries in MS over the last few years.

And if you really think you have to shave, change your clothes or put on make-up while driving in Tupelo – you’re wrong. Just start getting ready earlier so you have enough time to finish those things before you drive around Tupelo.

Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers
Find yout local NAPA AutoCare of Tupelo
Tupelo, MS 38801
662.842.0036

It’s important to remember that driving is probably the most dangerous thing you’ll do all day – so don’t make it any worse. Use these tips to keep you and your loved ones safer behind the wheel in Tupelo.

All MS pilots have checklists for every aspect of flying. They always use their checklists even if they only have two steps on them. They do this simply because a checklist is a great way to not forget essential steps. It is also how they can assure a predictable outcome.

That is why Belden and Mooreville automotive service centers including Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers have procedural standards for each service they perform. Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers service professionals are trained step by step. And they perform the procedures step by step, the same way each time. By training to procedural standards, MS centers can assure a quality outcome. The job is done right every time and Tupelo drivers leave happy with how their pickup performs.

Each company trains its technicians to standards. The MS automotive industry as a whole is very committed to standards of excellence and encourages individual MS service center operators including Tupelo NAPA AutoCare (manager at Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers) to apply them to every vehicle they service.

An example is how Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers service professionals grade problems and communicate their recommendations. If your service specialist tells you that a repair or replacement is required it must meet the following criteria:

The part no longer performs its intended purpose
The part does not meet a design specification
The part is missing

The tech may suggest repair or replacement if:

The part is close to the end of its useful life – just above discard specifications or likely to fail soon
To address a customer need or request – like for better ride or increased performance
To comply with maintenance recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
Based on the service specialist’s informed experience

Here are some examples:

An exhaust pipe has rusted through and is leaking. Replacement is critical because the part has failed. If the pipe were rusted, corroded or weak, but not leaking, the service advisor may suggest it be replaced because it is near the end of its useful life and replacing it now may be more convenient for the Tupelo client.

Suppose a customer wants to improve his car’s handling, but his shocks haven’t failed. The tech may suggest replacement of the shocks to satisfy the customer’s wishes.

Under these guidelines the Tupelo car repair shop must refuse partial service of a required repair if the repair creates or continues an unsafe condition.

Let’s say a customer has a cracked brake rotor. This is a dangerous condition that must be repaired. If the customer does not want to replace the rotor, but instead just wants new brake pads installed, the shop must ethically refuse the partial repair. That can be an upsetting conversation, but understanding that Tupelo service centers operate under service standards and procedures is comforting. You want your service to be done right and to have confidence in your technician’s recommendations.

The MS automotive service industry and Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers want the best for you and for you to keep coming back. AutoNetTV is committed to providing automotive maintenance information to help you be confident in your service decisions.

We find that a lot of Tupelo service and repair at Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions, but don’t want to be embarrassed or to seem pushy. Cars are very complicated and there’s more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it’s because cars have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn’t need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road.

You know, your local hospital has a Patient’s Bill of Rights that they post throughout the hospital. We think our Tupelo automotive service customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a right to understand the financial end of the transaction.

It’s all about the communication. It’s a little harder when you’re trying to find the right service center in Tupelo. But once you’ve developed a relationship, the communication should come easier.

What are some of the barriers to communication? Well, let’s go back to the medical example. When your doctor’s explaining something to you, it’s something that she understands very well and is very familiar with. So she may use jargon you don’t understand or that you don’t have the education and training that’s foundational to understanding what she’s trying to explain.

So you fall behind and get frustrated.

It can be the same with your Tupelo automotive service advisors. Most of them are very busy trying to service and fix cars to get their customers back on the road. So, just ask when you feel you need more information.

Financial related issues seem to be most frustrating to customers. If you’re not sure, ask what the payment policies are. For example, there’s a big difference between giving your car a quick once over and doing a thorough inspection. Diagnosing a problem may take quite a while. Make sure you know what’s done as a courtesy and what has a fee. Remember, you still have to pay for the office visit even if the doctor says you only have a cold.

Communication is a two way street. If you have some real budget concerns, ask your Tupelo service advisor what he can do. He can give you priorities and options. He can tell you what needs to be taken care of right away for safety or financial reasons. Then you can work out a plan for when to get the rest done. He can also help you with options on the parts. The preference is to always use a high-quality part with a reputation for reliability. But if money is real tight, he might be able to find a rebuilt part or a used part. He should tell you the difference in the guarantee for the part so you can make a good decision.

Ask about warranties for parts and labor. Be sure to get all the paperwork you need to make a possible claim in the future. Your service center and its technicians stand behind their work and want you to understand precisely what that means.

Be sure to ask for and keep a detailed explanation of all the work that’s done on your vehicle. These records will help you keep track of service, warranties and document the good care your vehicle has received when the time comes to sell it.

Call Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers to make an appointment.
Find yout local NAPA AutoCare of Tupelo
Tupelo, MS 38801
662.842.0036

Make an appointment with Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers to have your on board diagnostics analyzed.
Find yout local NAPA AutoCare of Tupelo
Tupelo, MS 38801
662.842.0036

Today we’re going to talk about on-board diagnostics and the questions we hear from folks around Tupelo MS who need answers about diagnostic services. They want to know what diagnostics are, what’s involved and what the benefits are. They really want to understand the value of diagnostic scans by a trained technician in Tupelo MS.

These are valid concerns. If you don’t understand something it’s really hard to know its value. Let’s start with some history.

Since 1996, all cars and light trucks in Tupelo MS have been required to use a standardized diagnostic system to help repair technicians determine what’s wrong with your vehicle. The diagnostic system works with the vehicle’s Engine Control Module – the computer that controls many engine functions.

The computer monitors dozens of components and processes. Depending on what the sensors read, the computer will make adjustments to compensate for conditions and minor problems. When there is a condition that it can’t adjust for, the computer will turn on the check engine light.

It is also called the ‘service engine soon’ light on some vehicles. The warning light signals you to get into your Tupelo MS service center so that the trouble code can be read and the problem can be fixed. Your service center will have a scan tool and powerful software that will help the technician diagnose the problem.

If you’ve searched for check engine light on the internet, you may have seen that you can buy an inexpensive scanner or go to an auto parts store to have the trouble code read to tell you exactly what’s wrong.

That’s a common myth. The code itself doesn’t tell you what’s broken. It starts you looking in the right place. It tells you what engine parameter is out of range – but it won’t tell you what’s wrong or how to fix it.

Let’s say you think your daughter has a fever. You take her temperature and it reads one 102 degrees. You’ve confirmed a fever, but you don’t know what’s causing it. Is it a 24 hour flu, an infection, appendicitis or leukemia? A fever is a symptom of all of these medical problems, but it takes a skilled physician’s examination and additional diagnostic tests to find out what is actually causing the fever.

An example of a trouble code could be: P0133, which reads ‘Bank 1 sensor 1 circuit slow response’. This means that the front oxygen sensor has a slow response time to changes in the air-fuel mix. If that’s all you knew about cars, you would think your oxygen sensor was broken and would replace it. Now, it could be the oxygen sensor – but it could also be a bad or contaminated airflow sensor, exhaust leak, electrical problem, an intake manifold leak or any of a number of other things.

You can imagine a lot of oxygen sensors have been replaced because of that code. So the on-board diagnostics point the way to where the trouble lies, but it takes some skill and high-tech equipment to actually pinpoint the problem. The cheap scan tools that a consumer can buy do not have the ability to retrieve some of the operating history that’s stored in the engine control computer. That history’s very helpful in diagnosing the problem. Service centers like Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers invest a lot of money in high-end diagnostic tools to help solve the mystery and get you back on the road as soon as possible without replacing a lot of parts that don’t need replacing.

So, on-board diagnostics provide a powerful starting place for a highly-trained, well-equipped technician to get to the bottom of your problem. When your check engine light comes on, get it checked at Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers. If the light burns steady – don’t panic. Get in to Tupelo NAPA AutoCare Centers soon to have the engine scanned. A flashing check engine light means that there is a severe engine problem. Get in as soon as you can – waiting too long can lead to very expensive damage.

And try to not drive at high speed or tow or haul heavy loads with a flashing check engine light.