“How do I know if my AC needs Recharged?” Welcome to Mercie J Auto Care, Where Compassion and Craftsmanship Come Together. I'm Rick Smith, ASE Certified Master Technician. The primary way to determine if an air conditioning system needs to be charged is with two pressure gauges.

“What is the Correct Tire Pressure for My Car?” Welcome to Mercie J Auto Care, Where Compassion and Craftsmanship Come Together. I'm Rick Smith, ASE Certified Master Technician. First of all, today I am only talking about tires that are identical or similar to what came on the vehicle new. If the considerable different in size or design, then that’s another topic.

"How to Prevent your Car from Overheating."

If you have any issues with your cars cooling system, don’t drive it.  Keep in mind that when I say cooling system I don’t mean the part that cools the air blowing on your face, I mean the system that keeps your engine from overheating which uses anti-freeze or radiator fluid (coolant is the term mechanics use). 

“How often should I Change my Oil?”

 Welcome to Mercie J Auto Care, Where Compassion and Craftsmanship Come Together. I'm Rick Smith, ASE Certified Master Technician.

Oil change intervals is a hot subject.  There are tons of opinions out there with tons of different answers. 

“What is the Difference between Synthetic Oil and Regular Oil?” Welcome to Mercie J Auto Care, Where Compassion and Craftsmanship Come Together. I'm Rick Smith, ASE Certified Master Technician. At this point, I recommend synthetic oil in pretty much everything. You may think your Ford Explorer or Toyota Corolla are not high performance vehicles, but they both are very complex.

“Does Premium Gas really make a Difference?

 Welcome to Mercie J Auto Care, Where Compassion and Craftsmanship Come Together. I'm Rick Smith, ASE Certified Master Technician.

The higher the octane rating of fuel, the slower it burns.  Fuel in the engine does not actually “explode”, it burns across the top of the piston.  If it is too violent, then we have a knocking or pinging noise which is the piston rattling around in the cylinder.