Shake It up in Sparta!: Why Wheel Balancing
March 31, 2019
Our vehicles are not massage chairs. While we may enjoy a good vibration in an overstuffed recliner, we generally want as smooth a ride as possible in our vehicles. One way to achieve this is to keep a vehicle's wheels in balance. When a tire is mounted onto a wheel, it is usually out of balance... More
Positive Crankcase Ventilation ? PCV Valve Service at Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta
March 24, 2019
Hello Sparta! Did you know that the first federally-mandated emissions control device was introduced in the 1960's? The Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve, or PCV valve, has been installed in Illinois vehicles since 1964 and represents the first legislation by the United States government to re... More
Right or Left? Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta Power Steering Service
March 17, 2019
Have you ever driven a vehicle without power steering? If you have, then you probably appreciate how much easier it is to drive today's modern vehicles. Before power steering, all of the force to turn a vehicle had to come from the driver's arms. That's why old cars had such large steering wheels... More
Need a New Battery? Call Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta Today
March 10, 2019
Hello Sparta drivers! Need a new battery? There is a good chance that you do 70% of batteries need to be replaced within four years. As your battery discharges and then recharges as you drive around Sparta, bits of the surface of the battery plates disintegrate. As this process continues over a... More
Automotive Detective Work in Sparta
March 3, 2019
There's a reason we use the word diagnose when we talk about fixing cars in Sparta. Figuring out what's wrong with your vehicle has a lot of similarities to figuring out what's wrong with someone who is ill. Vehicles are a mass of complex systems that can produce a variety of symptoms when somet... More