How Often Should You Replace Your Ford's Engine Air Filter?

If you feel more vibrations from the road and your steering has become less sure, your car may have misaligned wheels. Misalignment damages the tires and worsens your handling. You can prevent it with routine wheel alignment services at your Ford dealership. How Often to Schedule Alignments It's generally recommended to book an alignment check each time you have your tires rotated, which should be twice a year for most drivers. The three angles of your wheels (camber, caster, and toe) will first be measured precisely. A full realignment is only necessary if the wheels are found to be crooked. How Alignments Are Carried Out Firstly, your car's suspension will be examined, as suspension components hold the wheels in place. Any worn-out parts will be replaced. Then, a device is clamped onto the wheel to measure alignment. This machine is connected to a computer, which shows the measurements for each wheel angle with precision. The technician can use these readouts to make careful adjustments to each wheel until all four are perfectly parallel as the manufacturer intended. The steering system may also be checked and centered. Once this process is completed, you're likely to notice an improvement in the smoothness and accuracy of your handling. How to Identify Misaligned Wheels Misalignment leads to all kinds of problems. Along with heightened vibrations and road noise, you'll also feel less confident in your steering as the crooked wheels put pressure on the steering column. Your steering wheel may become looser with more free play and might even become pushed off-center. Your car could start to pull to the side when you're on a straight road. The tires will also suffer. As misaligned tires are pressed awkwardly against the tarmac, they'll wear down unevenly, which you'll notice if you check them regularly. Misaligned tires might also start to squeal noisily when you corner. Check Your Alignment Today at Your Ford Dealership How long has it been since your last alignment? If the answer is more than six months, or you've noticed the above symptoms, schedule an alignment with our experienced Ford technicians. We can set your wheels and tires straight again in no time. Visit Chestatee Ford in Dahlonega, GA, for prompt, professional tire and wheel services. Whether you're in need of a vehicle, routine maintenance, or emergency repairs, you're in the right place.

Is it time for new headlights? Here's how to tell if you need to head over to the Ford dealer to brighten up your drive. You Think You Need Glasses If you are starting to think that maybe you need glasses, or maybe you're not cut out for driving at night, this could actually be because your headlights are starting to grow dim. It's not something that's immediately obvious. Instead, you usually just start feeling that you're having to squint a lot at night. Before you worry that the problem is you, have your headlights checked out at the dealership to make sure they're shining the way they should and providing you with enough light to drive. You Notice Flickering Sometimes, a light doesn't actually burn out, but it does start flickering. This usually means you have a loose connection in there somewhere, and it is liable to flicker out completely at the worst possible moment. Come see us, and we'll take care of this to make sure you can rely on your headlights whenever you need them. One Light Is Out It's frustrating when one light goes out, and it's very tempting to just ignore it until the second light goes out. For one thing, this is illegal. Not only do you not have enough light to see if you've only got one headlight, but one burnt out bulb makes you confusing to oncoming drivers. They are likely to think you're a motorcycle, and that means they're going to misjudge your width and where you are on the road. More than that, however, once one light goes out, it becomes very likely that the second will go out. That's because bulbs are installed in pairs. Just bring it by and we'll quickly give you a new set. Things Are Looking Hazy If you take a look at your lights during the day and notice that they look hazy and yellowed, the problem could be the lights to themselves or it could just be your headlight covers. When you drop it by, we can see if the covers can be cleaned. If that's possible, that might be all that needs to happen. If the covers have gotten too damaged by exposure to the elements, we can replace them or replace the bulbs as necessary. ​Schedule service with us at Chestatee Ford in Dahlonega, GA today for headlight service.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The radiator is an essential part of your engine as it removes heat. Excessive heat can damage sensitive engine components, and your engine generates large quantities of heat that must be removed. As time passes, the radiator can become worn or damaged, and the engine temperature will increase. As your Ford dealer, we want you to know some signs you need to visit us for a radiator service. Rising Engine Temperature Liquid coolant is pumped through the engine, absorbing heat as it moves. This heat is transported to the radiator, where the coolant enters rows of thin aluminum tubes. Airflow through the radiator grille passes over the tubes and removes the heat by heat exchange. The cooling system can speed up or slow down in response to the rise or fall in engine temperature. If your temperature gauge shows an increase in engine temperature for no apparent reason, you could have a radiator problem. The radiator could be blocked, the coolant may leak, or the fan may have failed. We advise calling our service department immediately. Our technicians will examine your cooling system and find and repair the problem. Leaking Coolant As we've seen, liquid coolant is vital for your cooling system. It's a mixture of antifreeze and water and can absorb heat. The cooling system is pressurized to enable the coolant to move quickly. As time passes, a hole or other leak site in the system will cause a coolant loss and a resulting drop in system pressure. As the system pressure drops, the coolant's movement will slow down. This increases engine temperature, as the excess heat isn't being removed fast enough. As the heat accumulates, sensitive components like gaskets and seals can fail, and your engine could suffer major damage. We'll find the leak and repair it, then refill the coolant. Jammed Thermostat The thermostat controls the release of coolant. Once the engine temperature hits a pre-set level, the thermostat opens, and releases coolant. Over time, the thermostat can fail, and it will jam. If the thermostat jams open, coolant will be continually released into the engine. This lowers the operating temperature, making your engine less efficient and increasing fuel consumption. A thermostat that jams closed won't release coolant, and this will cause your engine to overheat in minutes. We can quickly replace the thermostat to fix this issue. If you think you have a cooling problem, contact us ASAP at Chestatee Ford in Dahlonega, GA.