5 Things You Can Learn From an Engine Diagnostic

If you want to sustain the responsive, agile performance of your Mazda for as long as possible, the key to this is routine maintenance at your Jacksonville Mazda dealership, Mazda City of Orange Park. Read on to learn more. 6 Key Benefits of Routine Mazda Service for Enduring Performance Quicker Takeoff The ingenious SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY of a Mazda's engine and drivetrain delivers a terrific burst of speed with maximum efficiency. You'll keep this powerful acceleration with regular engine servicing, which should include oil changes, air filter replacements, tune-ups, and cooling system checks, along with maintenance for the transmission, differentials, and exhaust. Sharper Steering As a Mazda driver, you enjoy outstanding handling with nimble dynamics that come from Mazda's driver-centric focus in design. This premium steering and sense of control will only be maintained long-term with regular care of the tires, suspension, and steering system. This should include routine tire rotations, tire alignments, tire balancing, and tire replacements along with suspension tune-ups and power steering fluid checks. more Smoother Ride Looking after your car's suspension not only tightens up steering but also ensures a smoother, quieter ride. With regular inspections, we can make sure that each shock, strut, spring, bearing, bushing, sway bar, control arm, and tie rod is properly stabilizing your ride. If your Mazda ever starts to sway, dip, or bounce, have your suspension checked right away. Stronger Braking Your brakes will stay firm for the full lifespan of your car with routine brake servicing. Biannual inspections allow our technician to examine each brake pad, rotor, caliper, and fluid line. The brake fluid also needs to be flushed periodically. Watch out for symptoms of worn brake pads, which are the brake components that usually wear out most quickly. Better Gas Mileage All the aforementioned services allow your Mazda to remain remarkably fuel efficient. Regular fluid checks and flushes keep everything working efficiently with minimal friction. Prompt replacements of parts, including the many sensors, keep your car's SKYACTIV system producing optimal energy for each drop of fuel burned. Fewer Faults With a sensible maintenance schedule, your car's performance will rarely be interrupted by an unexpected fault. You'll have less wear and tear overall, which means components last longer, as does your entire car. In this way, regular maintenance makes a car's performance easier and less expensive to maintain in the long run. Book Routine Services Today at Our Mazda Dealership It's a good idea to set up a solid maintenance schedule with experienced Mazda specialists. Our technicians are experts with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and every component of your Mazda that keeps it running so smoothly and responsively. Visit Mazda City of Orange Park in Jacksonville, FL, to get your Mazda in amazing shape. Since 1989, we've been keeping our customers among the happiest drivers on the road.

It's always frustrating to find a dent in the bodywork of your car. Car dents can be caused by the doors of other cars, grocery carts, falling branches, objects tossed by the wind, or even your own misjudgment of how tight a parking space is. To ensure a professional repair job, dents should always be fixed at your nearest Mazda dealership. Here are some methods a technician may use to disappear dents in your car. What Should You Do If Your Mazda Gets Dented? Fixing Car Dents in Plastic Areas These days, car bumpers and many outer bodywork panels are made from plastics and other composite materials. The smallest of dents in plastic areas can sometimes be fixed with a heat gun to initially loosen the plastic and then an immediate icy blast of compressed air spray. This contrast in temperature may force the plastic to firm up into its remembered form, popping out the dent. With deeper or larger dents in plastic, you can first heat the plastic with a heat gun and then apply a special dent suction tool to tug out the dents. You can also try pushing the warm plastic out from the other side. Fixing a dent this way usually requires patience and several attempts. more Repairing Dents in Metal Areas Dents in metal areas of bodywork require stronger tools. One of the most reliable dent-correction tools is called a bridge puller, which applies pressure on either side of the dented area and allows you to slowly, surely pull out the dent. When using a bridge puller, the dented area should first be thoroughly cleaned. Then, hot glue is used to fix the puller's head to the metal at the center of the dent. Once the glue dries, you can slowly turn the puller's dial to tug out the dent. Afterward, a heat gun can melt the glue to remove the tool. For deeper dents in metal, or dents covering a broader area, you're likely to need to carefully repeat this bridge-puller method several times before your bodywork has returned to its proper contours. Handling Sharp or Corner Dents Some dents are very challenging to fix, such as sharp dents and dents in the corners of a car's bodywork. These kinds of dents require a great deal of skill to pull out. It's sometimes best to repair them by filling in the dent and then painting it over. How Long It Takes a Mazda Dealer To Fix a Dent Simple single dents can often be repaired in an hour or two by an experienced mechanic. But extensive denting over multiple areas of a car may take a week or two to resolve. It all depends on the degree of damage and the type of dent you're facing. Visit Mazda City of Orange Park today to have any dents in your car fixed by qualified professionals. We've been servicing and repairing the vehicles of local Mazda drivers for over three decades, since 1989.

A modern Mazda is packed with electrical components that vastly improve your driving experience. You might run into occasional electrical problems. Fortunately, these issues are almost always easy to diagnose and fix. Let's take a look at the five most common causes of electrical issues in a car, which you can promptly have repaired at your local Mazda dealer. Is Your Mazda Having Electrical Problems? Your Battery Is Dead The most common cause of electrical issues is a dead battery. This simply means that your battery has run out of power. You might have inadvertently drained it by leaving your headlamps on overnight or by listening to your radio for too long while the engine was off. If your battery's dead, you'll need to jump-start your car. Once the engine's running again, the alternator will kick in and supply all the electrical components with power, while recharging your battery. more Your Battery's Too Old A good battery will last three or four years, but all batteries eventually give up the ghost. If your battery simply isn't powering up anymore, or it no longer lasts as long, you'll need to replace it. You can pop the hood to examine your battery for signs of damage. If the casing is warped out of shape or cracked, it has to go. Also, any signs of corrosion around the metallic parts of the battery mean you can no longer depend on that battery. Your Alternator Is Malfunctioning When a battery refuses to charge up, it's possible that the alternator is at fault. The alternator uses the engine's mechanical power to charge the battery with electrical power. To see if the problem lies with your alternator, jump-start your car. If the alternator is working well it will keep the spark plugs in your engine going, along with all the other electrical components. But if the engine dies shortly after, then the alternator is no longer properly functioning. A Wire or Connection Is Loose Another common cause of electrical issues is a loose wire or connection somewhere in your vehicle. This is good news because it's easy to fix. But it's also a tricky problem to identify without a qualified mechanic. A Fuse Is Blown You have all kinds of fuses throughout your vehicle, designed to protect the components from electrical surges. If a fuse blows once, then you can simply have it changed. Your Mazda Dealer Can Find the Underlying Issue If this problem of blowing fuses repeats itself, you might have a more serious underlying problem with your electronics which is causing unexpected power surges. In this case, you'll need a mechanic to figure it out. Visit Mazda City of Orange Park today to have friendly, qualified technicians identify and fix your electrical issues. Since 1974, we've been helping the region's local drivers with exceptional vehicles, financing, and customer service.