Meyers Auto Parts

How to Prep Your Import Car for the Summer Heat

Preventative car care can keep your import out of the garage and on the highway. This maintenance is especially important when the temperature heats up. Use these auto part and repair tips to keep your favorite car alive during the summer and for many more years.

Flush Every Fluid: Vehicle fluid maintenance should be a year-round responsibility. However, the heat of summer makes proper fluid levels even more important. Coolant and engine oil, for example, protect your auto parts from overheating in the summer swelter. Thankfully, these routine flushes can be completed in no time. Schedule a weekend fluid check before the temperature gets too high.
 

Inspect Engine Components: Summer heat makes every part of your engine run hotter and harder. That’s why a thorough inspection is so important. First, take your time inspecting the hoses. These rubber components wear faster during the summer, so leaks are a likely threat. Check every hose for hardened, cracked sections—replace or patch these components as necessary. Next, inspect your engine belts. Tears and rips are sure signs of a belt in need of replacement. This is especially important if your import auto uses a serpentine belt. One rip to this component can cause AC, power-steering, and alternator failure.
Check Your Tires: Busted tires will leave you just as stranded as an engine malfunction. Pay close attention to tires after summer rolls in. If you have summer tires, swap them in. These tread-heavy tires are great for dealing with heat and rainy summer roads. If you aren’t switching your tires, be sure to check your tread. A tire with low tread will cause handing and fuel efficiency problems all summer. Lastly, be sure to check your tire pressure, as underinflated wheels are more likely to blow out.

Your local Meyers Auto Parts store can supply you with all the import parts you need. Call (702) 420-7140 to find your nearest location or ask more about summer maintenance.

Your Import Car Engine's Many Gaskets

Gaskets are a basic yet indispensable part of your import car’s design. These metal and rubber connectors seal vital automotive components. Use these repair tips to learn if these important auto parts need replacement.

• Intake Manifold Gasket: Your intake manifold gasket connects the air intake manifold to the engine block. This seal ensures that all the air taken in by the intake manifold is delivered straight to the engine cylinders. The intake manifold gasket’s function is simple but extremely important. Leaking air can cause vehicle fuel economy to plummet and engine performance to falter. Plus, the poor combustion ratio of fuel and gas caused by gasket leaks can ruin your vehicle emissions score. In addition, these gaskets prevent the engine from heating air inside the intake manifold.
   

• Head Gasket: Between the engine block and cylinder heads lies another important gasket. In addition to preventing air leaks, the head gasket helps engines to maintain maximum compression. Both of these tasks are critical to overall engine performance. The symptoms of a leaking (or “blown”) head gasket are easy to spot. Excessive foaming or bubbling in the radiator is one common sign of a blown head gasket—these leaks can also cause your cooling system to fail. Be sure to address the issue quickly, as head gasket problems can quickly spread to other auto parts, like the oxygen sensor.
• Exhaust Gasket: The exhaust flange gasket will be found in the back of your import vehicle and connect the exhaust pipe to the exhaust manifold. These rubber gaskets are designed to withstand the corrosive elements of car exhaust, but will eventually need to be replaced. If your exhaust flange gasket is damaged, corrosive gases leak freely from your vehicle. Failed flange gaskets can also cause issues with your vehicle’s catalytic convertor. Replace the part immediately if you hear the recognizable flapping noise of a rotted flange gasket.

Meyers Auto Parts carries gaskets for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and other import vehicles. Call us at (702) 420-7140 for details on our import auto parts inventory.

Classic German Cars that Will Forever be Missed

German car companies are well known for peerless design and durable auto parts. They may be out of production, but these classic German cars are still running in our hearts. Get in touch with your inner car collector by browsing these classic German vehicles that will forever be missed.

• Porsche 356: Porsche designed the popular Volkswagen Beetle, but it wasn’t until 1948 that the company produced a vehicle under its own name. In terms of performance, the Porsche 256 was a fairly lackluster vehicle and its 1.1L engine produced only 40 horsepower. However, late-production Porsche 356s dominated the road with a 130 horsepower 2.0L engine. The car’s long, sloping body continues to inspire Porsche vehicles today.
• BMW 507: The 507 is one of BMW’s most coveted classic roadsters. In fact, a modern collector will have to pay well over $200,000 to get his or her hands on this impressive performance machine. In the late 50s, only a few Maserati and Ferrari vehicles could outpace this excellent piece of German engineering. Plus, the 507’s crisp exterior made it easy on the eyes.

• Mercedes-Benz Gullwing: The 1954 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing marked multiple innovations in car design. This two-seat sports car was world’s fastest production vehicle at the time, as well as one of the first vehicles to use a direct-fuel injection engine. The two-seater’s exotic gull-wing doors weren’t just for show. The unique door design made the Gullwing chassis far stiffer than rival cars with traditional doors. 
• Volkswagen GTI: With the popularity of the Beetle on the decline, Volkswagen desperately needed a hit. Thankfully, the 1976 VW GTI was the game changer that the German company was looking for. The original “hot hatch” was a huge success both in Europe and the United States. In fact, this energetic people-mover stayed in production well into the 80s.

Meyers Auto Parts can supply you with modern and classic repair parts. Call us at (702) 420-7140 for driving directions to your nearest shop.

How To Check Your Engine's Compression

Engines are complex machines with many components. As a result, troubleshooting an engine problem can be difficult. Thankfully, a few simple engine tests can help you narrow down the problem. This ScottyKilmer.com guide should point you in the right direction.

In this video, automotive expert Scotty Kilmer shows drivers how to test an engine’s compression. You should start by warming up the engine and removing the spark plugs. Next, connect compression tester gauge into the spark plug holes. A difference of over 15% between spark plug holes indicates a serious engine problem.

Import cars need the right parts to run smoothly. That’s why so many Las Vegas import drivers trust Meyers Auto Parts. Our wide selection of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen parts can help finish any repair. Call us at (702) 420-7140 for additional details.

All About Transmission Fluid

Your transmission is one of the most important auto parts in your car. That’s why clean and abundant transmission fluid is so critical. Use this transmission fluid guide to ensure that vehicle performance stays up to speed.

What does transmission fluid do?

The main function transmission fluid serves is to keep your transmission running properly. In fact, changes in transmission fluid pressure are what allow your vehicle’s gears to shift in the first place. Transmission fluid also serves as lubrication and coolant for the entire system. Without sufficient fluid, your transmission is likely to overheat or rapidly wear down.
 

What are the maintenance needs of transmission fluid?

Regular transmission fluid changes are one of the best maintenance routines you can perform on your vehicle. Unfortunately, there’s no rule of thumb for transmission fluid changes—how often you drive your vehicle ultimately determines the transmission fluid’s longevity. Check your transmission fluid dipstick on a regular basis for low levels, and act fast if it your transmission fluid is in need of a flush. Remember that your vehicle will need a specific type of transmission fluid. When it’s time to flush your transmission, be sure to ask auto parts experts about which type of fluid is right for your vehicle.

What are the signs of low transmission fluid?

Transmission fluid leaks are a huge threat to your entire vehicle. Transmission issues quickly follow a loss of fluid, so drivers should be familiar with the signs of a leak. A pink, transparent pool of liquid on the driveway is typically transmission fluid. If this pooling begins to appear on a regular basis, inspect your transmission fluid reservoir immediately. You should also be wary of strange shifting behavior or noises that occur while shifting. Both of these clues strongly point toward a transmission fluid leak.

You can find the perfect transmission fluid for your vehicle today at Meyers Auto Parts. For information on your BMW and Mercedes-Benz transmission fluids, call us at (702) 420-7140.