Posts by Mountain View Automotive

A recent report stated that over 80% of the vehicles on the road have one or more service item or repair that’s needed but hasn’t been taken care of. Now that’s a lot of undone service. That translates into something over 160 million vehicles in the US alone. Some of the neglected items are minor.…

Question My friend had a broken timing belt and it was very expensive to repair his engine.  What can I do to avoid a broken timing belt? Answer Well, a broken timing belt can lead to one of the most expensive engine repairs you’ll ever face.  The good news is that replacing your timing belt…

Thornton drivers may wonder where the air in a vehicle’s passenger compartment comes from. Well, as your engine starts to warm up, it also warms the coolant/antifreeze that circulates around the engine and through the radiator. There is also a hose that carries coolant/antifreeze from the engine to the heater core and another that takes…

No doubt about it, winter driving in cold climates presents challenges that warmer weather doesn’t.  So here are a few things to pay attention to when it comes to your vehicle and winter. Coolant levels. We think of coolant as anti-freeze in winter, but what that liquid in the radiator does is cool down your…

High Colorado gas prices have hit most of our budgets here in Thornton. If increased fuel costs are consuming a bigger portion of your budget, you may be tempted to skimp in some other areas – like scheduled maintenance. According to Colorado news reports and industry studies, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten personal…

Help your fuel pump last longer. One pump killer is contamination in the fuel tank. Sometimes this comes from the fuel itself. Buying fuel at a reputable Thornton station will help make sure you are putting clean fuel into the tank. Older vehicles tend to have more sediment in the tank from years of rust…

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The serpentine belt is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan and power brakes. Sounds…

The axle assemblies in your vehicle transfer power out to the drive wheels.  On a rear-wheel drive vehicle, there is an axle shaft that goes from the differential in the center of the axle to each rear wheel.  On a front-wheel drive vehicle, the axle shafts go from the transmission to each front-wheel.  All-wheel drive…

Of all the parts of a vehicle we take for granted, the doors must be near the top of the list.  We open them to get in, lock them, and use the rear child locks to keep the kids safe.  But what in the world happens when you can’t open or close one or more…

Basically, the power brake system helps you provide braking power so that you don’t have to do all the work with your brake pedal. The brakes themselves are applied at the wheel using hydraulic pressure. When we step on the brake pedal, we create pressure in the power booster that’s multiplied by vacuum from the…