What Powers Your Porsche?

Your Porsche is powered by its electrical system. Four main parts make up this system, and they must work together efficiently. These include Batteries, Alternator, Starter Motor, and   Wiring. These parts need to be regularly checked by Porsche repair Laguna Niguel experts to ensure your daily driving experience is at its best.

Battery. The battery is a storage device. Currently, the Porsche vehicles use a 12-volt battery. It is used to start the engine and help operate the electrical accessories installed on your Porsche. An average battery last 3-5 years in average climates, but may only last 2-3 years for those living in high heat or extreme cold areas.  It is recommended to check it with every oil change and replace it every three or four years.

Alternator. The alternator is the one that produces electricity used to maintain the battery storage charge. It helps run all the electrical accessories, including the ignition and the engine control systems. Your alternator generates the electrical power and recharges the battery once the engine is started.

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How to Jump Start your Mercedes Benz

If your Mercedes Benz doesn't start or turn on, you know that you have a dead battery. You can revive or bring it back to life by jump-starting it. Why do you need to know, you may ask? Improper method of jump starting the battery of your car can result to expensive Mercedes Benz service Laguna Niguel especially on its electrical or control unit which you can do without.
Here are the Steps to Jump Start the Battery

The first thing to do is to locate the jump start connection points. Some models don't have it, so locate and connect it directly to the battery instead. There are four possible battery locations in a Benz: in the trunk, the engine bay, under the front passenger seat, or under the rear passenger seat.

Three Ways to Jump Start the Battery
Using jumper cables and another car. This is the quickest way to start your vehicle. However, you might run the risk of damaging your battery, shorten its life, cause electrical component malfunctions, or trigger the control units to show under voltage fault codes. If you need to get back quickly on the road, though, just make sure you use jumper cables that have low gauge rating or are made of thick wires.
Things to Remember when using this method: when connecting the jumper cables to the other car (helper car), make sure not to allow the clamps to touch together.
Never lean over the battery while you connect the clamps especially if your Mercedes model doesn't have the jump start connection points. Also, see to it that the red clamp doesn't touch the black clamp or your car's frame.
Once your car has already started, disconnect first the negative part of your jumper cables.

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How To Change Transmission Fluid and Filter In A Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz transmissions are said to be sealed for life. However, new vehicles are recommended to have their automatic transmission fluid including filters changed every 60,000 to 80,000 miles. Although there are claims that changing the oil will cause problems like the transmission acting up due to old versus new oil viscosity or that the dirt particles of the new fluid will clog the filter, the new oil has additives which can cause unnecessary friction, and so on. However, to extend the life of your vehicles' transmission, the fluid need to be changed at any of the authorized Mercedes Benz repair Laguna Niguel shops near you.

What Type of Transmission Oil Should Be Used?

The recommended transmission fluid is MBZ ATF 236.14 which costs $20 per liter. For other options, it is best to inquire from your trusted dealership to make sure that the fluid you'll use meets the specification of your Mercedes Benz.

Steps In Changing the Transmission Fluid and Filter

1. Jack up the front of the car after setting the emergency brakes. It isn't necessary to jack up all wheels, just secure the front on jack stands.

2. Remove the engine undercover which is held in place by an 8mm bolt.

3. Exercise caution in removing the 5mm bolt/ drain plug under the transmission with the use of an Allen wrench as the fluid may still be hot. Make sure you have a drain pan ready that can hold 11 quarts or so of oil. It will also help if you have lots of paper towels ready.

4. Drain the oil from the torque converter and the transmission oil pan for about five minutes or until there aren't any more oils dripping from the pan. Some models, especially those 1999 models below, have a window that will allow access to the bottom of the torque converter. The early 2000 model up to the current ones don't have access holes anymore.

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How to Spruce Up your Mercedes-Benz This Spring

You give your home a spring cleaning to remove the debris of the winter, why not treat your Mercedes-Benz to the same kind of attention?  Most drivers advise that keeping a car, much more a German luxury item, requires more than just making the needed repairs. One has to perform routine maintenance to avoid expensive Mercedes Benz repair Laguna Niguel costs if ever it bugs down.

Follow these simple steps, and your Mercedes-Benz will look as good as new while running safely on the road.

Wash and Wax. Winter salt, snow, and road grime that gets moistened on your car can take a toll on the inside and outside layer of your Mercedes Benz. So when the weather warms up, and the roads are clear again, it is the best way to wash and wax to clear off any residue and bring out the shine back to the paint color.

Clear off the debris. Don't get surprised on the amount of garbage that you will collect inside your Mercedes Benz during winter, not to mention the dirt and salt stains from shoes or boots on winter roads.  Springtime is an excellent opportunity to give the inside of your vehicle that so-called " thorough cleaning" to cleanse the grime and clutter brought about by the winter months.

Brush and vacuum. You can also remove the mats carpets and seats and brush or get to work with a vacuum cleaner. These cleaning tools are perfect for those awkward places such as between the seats and center console, and the door pockets.

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How to Spring Clean Your Car

The dawning of spring can inspire us to refresh and renew many things. Our garage, floors, and closets needed that annual spring cleaning! Our Honda cars need it too! This change of season provides an opportunity and a responsibility to tidy up and perform the much-needed maintenance and Honda repair Laguna Niguel our vehicle needs.

Find out some great tips for sprucing up your favorite vehicle from the inside out.

Wash off all the saltI!  Because salt eats everything, this is one important thing your Honda car needs each spring! If you reside in a place where you got lots of snow last winter, your car will more likely accumulate salt. Use a pressure washer, brush, and soapy water. This may require an elbow grease, but it will all be worth it.

Clean the Carpet and Upholstery. Spring is always the perfect time to conquer that unseen filth especially if your car's interior has dark upholstery. Take advantage of the warm weather to air your car out for a few days. You can use a specialized leather or upholstery cleaner,  or spray your vehicle seat’s cloth part with a mixture of distilled water and soap. You can even use a scrub brush to go over it.

Blast the floor mats. During spring, it is important to remove the mats. Use a pressure washer in dealing with this ickiness that accumulated on them during the colder months.

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Reasons Why Your Mercedes Benz Won’t Start

If your Mercedes Benz doesn't start, you can perform a few troubleshooting to avoid Mercedez Benz repair Laguna Niguel costs. However, before you attempt to fix the issue yourself, a few conditions need to be met first such as:

1. Your car should have fuel
2. your Mercedes Benz should spark
3. it should have electrical power to crank the engine
4. it's Drive Authorization System should start

You would know that your Mercedes won't start if:

1. the engine dies after it starts
2. you hear a clicking noise, but it won't start
3. your car turns over, but it won't start
4. the engine clicks, but it won't start
5. you put the key in the ignition, but it won't start

Reasons why your Mercedes Benz won't start:

Battery. The most obvious reason is that the battery might already be too old. Most vehicle owners would replace the battery only after ten years of use, but the replacement should be considered as early as 6 to 7 years.

If you have a relatively new battery, though, but the engine won't start, trickle charge your battery by using a 12-volt trickle charger.

Fuse and relays. The fuse on your starter circuit, Ignition, EIS, or Fuel Pump should be checked next if the battery is not the issue. Remember that is a particular vehicle system malfunctions, it's the fuse which takes all the brunt and is burned out. Make sure that you replace it with the same ampere fuse like the original one after testing the fuse using a digital multimeter.

Brake Light Switch. If your Mercedes Benz Drive Authorization System won't allow you to start your vehicle, it's more likely that your brake light switch is not working.

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Why a Mercedes A or Mercedes B Service is Needed

The type of Mercedes service Laguna Niguel your car gets depend primarily on its age as well as its mileage. Mercedes A and Mercedes B service are both routine maintenance which your vehicle require at certain intervals. The Mercedes service B Laguna Niguel is more comprehensive compared to the Mercedes service A Laguna Niguel, i.e., more checks, inspections, maintenance is performed. The exact components of the service, however, depends on the model of your Mercedes-Benz as well as specific issues or concerns with each model's operation.

Both Are Similar in:

Tire inflation Checks as well as corrections

brake and brake component inspection

internal fluid level checks

oil changes

oil filter changes or replacements

Mercedes B service additionally has other services which are absent in a Mercedes A service:

replacement of cabin dust filters

brake fluid exchanges

parking break checking

thorough engine inspection

inspection of belts and hoses

inspection of exterior and interior lamps

inspection of the vehicle's underbelly

Both Mercedes A and Mercedes B services are conducted based on the Flex Schedule system. It is an internal system built into the Mercedes which monitors the overall performance of your car along with its mileage. It also tells you when it needs to be serviced. Typically, before any of the services is done, the first maintenance occurs when the car has been driven between 5,000 and 6,000 miles. Your Mercedes service Laguna Niguel technician will just inspect and rotate the tires for you. After both services, the driver is notified by the Flex Schedule system of the vehicle's need for  Mercedes service A Laguna Niguel when it displays a single wrench icon on the dashboard. This is usually indicative that the car has reached 10,000 miles.

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