How to be Nice to Your Battery

Car batteries can go years without giving you any trouble. But when they do start acting up, they can really be a pain in your backside and leave you stranded in inconvenient places. Here are a few simple tips to keep your battery clean and running mean for as long as possible.

Service Reminder: Fuel System Cleaning

Fuel systems become dirty over time. This dirt can start to clog fuel injectors and hurt your vehicle’s performance and MPG. But, don’t worry, a clean fuel system is just one step away.

Cool Trick to Test Your Oil

By the time you reach fall, the extra heat and increased traffic on the road during the summer has already taken a toll on your vehicle’s oil. These extra factors can make your engine oil lose its effectiveness faster than normal. Here’s a cool trick to visually test your oil to see if it still has more miles left in the tank or if it is need of a change.

Service Reminder: Tire Rotation

All those fun summer days spent driving to and from exciting locations can rack up the miles on your vehicle pretty fast. That’s why fall is a good time to check your tires to see if they are in need of rotating.

Service Reminder: Oil Change

Fall is always a great time to make sure your oil is clean and at proper levels. The long, hot days of summer has put extra stress on your engine. Bay Area Jiffy Lube is here to help take care of your oil and keep your engine happy.

Service Reminder: Coolant

Long, hot summer days put added stress on your vehicle, especially your vehicle’s cooling system. Now that summer is behind us, it is a great time to check your vehicle’s coolant and coolant level.

Service Reminder: Air Filter

The start of fall is a great time to check and replace your air filter. During the summer, a mixture of additional driving time and extra pollen and dust floating around in the air can really dirty up and clog your air filter.

Does Your A/C Hurt MPG?

Word is always spreading around that using your car’s air conditioner hurts your fuel economy. You may be asking, “well does it?” Continue reading to find out!

The Meaning of Octane

You see it every time you fuel up at the gas station—octane. What does it mean? Am I using the right one? Continue reading to find out what octane actually means and if you are using the right octane grade.

Prepare for the Unexpected

Even the most cautious of people find themselves in unexpected situations on the road, whether from a pothole, car accident, or car problems. Take a few easy steps and prepare an emergency kit ahead of time to make sure you are prepared to take care of you and your family when the unexpected strikes.

Tire Blowout Prevention

Summer is slowly winding down, but there is always time for some fun in the Bay Area. However, tire problems can seriously dampen any plans of fun adventures. Here are a few tire tips to help keep you safe and on the road through the end of summer and beyond.

Synthetic Oil v. Conventional Oil

When you change your motor oil, whether at Jiffy Lube or in your garage, you have a choice between synthetic oil and conventional oil. Do you know the difference? What blend is better for your vehicle? Does it really matter? Continue reading to find out!

Summer Checklist for Your Vehicle

Nothing ruins a beautiful summer day more than car problems. Here’s a checklist to make sure your vehicle continues to conquer the long, hot days of summer.

How Oil Changes Can Increase MPG

Dirty oil does a poor job of lubricating and cleaning your engine. This inefficiency makes your engine work a little harder, which also hurts your miles per gallon. By changing your oil, you are making sure your engine is running at optimal efficiency.

3 Driving Tips for Better Gas Mileage

Gas in the bay area is expensive and there’s no way around it. The best way to fight gas prices is to maximize your gas mileage. Here are three ways to dramatically increase your gas mileage for free by just changing a few driving habits.

How Often Should You Change Your Oil?

Motor oil is the life blood of your vehicle. Oil’s main job is to lubricate and clean the moving parts of your engine. In other words, oil keeps your vehicle running. It is also vital to change your motor oil often. The general rule of thumb is that you should change your oil every 3 months or every 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. However, this is not always the case. Continue reading to find out why!

Summer Tips: Clean & Replace Wiper Blades

Even drivers in the Bay Area need to make sure their wipers are ready to work properly. Take a few easy steps in order to make sure you can clean your windshield on the road, whether due to dirt, bugs or a summer rain shower. 

The following are a few easy suggestions on how to keep your wipers working:

Summer Tips: Check and Replace Your Air Filter

Did you know a dirty air filter can severely decrease the performance of your vehicle and lower your gas mileage? Just like you and me, your vehicle needs to breathe. However, the air quality outside is not always the greatest. Your vehicle filters the airflow to your engine through the engine air filter. Over time, the filter gets dirty and clogged. When this happens, your engine struggles to breathe, which decreases performance and lowers your vehicles fuel efficiency by up to 14 percent. See your owner’s manual for how often your air filter should be checked and replaced.

Bay Area Jiffy Lube technicians will inspect your air filter as part of The Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change. A dirty/clogged air filter will be replaced upon request. Bay Area Jiffy Lube will help your vehicle breathe with ease.

"Photo Credit: aperture_lag"

Tips to Maximize the Life of Your Tires

Attention Bay Area Drivers: simple tire maintenance can both increase the life of your tires and optimize your gas mileage. Driving with over or under inflated tires can weaken your tires, cause uneven wear and negatively impact your gas mileage. Here are a few simple tasks you can do in order to optimize the life of your tires and keep you safe on the road.

5 Ways to Increase Your MPG and Save Money

We all want more bang out of our buck. The following is a list of 5 ways you can increase the miles per gallon of your vehicle, thereby saving you money at the pump.

Proper Maintenance for Severe Driving Conditions

Did you know that you are supposed to service your vehicle more frequently if you drive in “severe” conditions? Many drivers are surprised to find out that what they think are “normal” everyday conditions are actually “severe” conditions. Many drivers in the Bay Area experience “severe” driving conditions on a daily basis. Read more to find out if you are one of them.

Vital Fluids Keep Your Vehicle Running

Did you know that a few simple tasks can keep your car on the road and out of the shop? Vehicles need fluid just like you need water to keep running. When different fluids in your vehicle run low, it hampers the efficiency of your vehicle and can cause severe damage to the moving parts in your vehicle. 

Maintenance "Musts" that Keep Your Vehicle Running

The Bay Area Jiffy Lube blog is back in action. To kick things off, here's a little tip to all of our Bay Area friends: the best and simplest way to keep your vehicle healthy is to keep it clean and lubricated. If you want to keep your vehicle on the road and out of the shop, make sure to change your oil and filters on a regular basis.