Posted on 9/8/2021
![Car Parenting 101](https://www.beldensautomotive.com/Files/Documents/carparentingblog.jpg)
Most of us don't view our vehicles as family, but it's still important to treat them as such if we want them to last. Caring for your car is a lot like caring for your children. Don't feed them junk food, keep them clean so the neighbors don't complain, and patch up their bumps and bruises when they get a little too rowdy. Once you learn how to parent your car or truck, you'll both be on your way to happier and healthier lives. If Only Children Included Operating Manuals... At least our vehicles come with books that explain everything we need to know. Inside your owner's manual, you will find everything from safety features and fluids specifications, to what each little button does and how to set the clock (seriously, why does setting a clock have to be so difficult?!). Your recommended maintenance schedules can also be found in the owner's manual, usually with some blank lined pages to use as a maintenance log. So while there is no manual t ... read more
Posted on 8/6/2021
![How to Retire a Tire, No Landfill Required](https://www.beldensautomotive.com/Files/Documents/recycletires-blog.jpg)
Did you know that over 300 million tires are disposed of every year in the United States? Car and truck tires are some of our most reusable and recyclable items being disposed of every day. No matter what model you drive, every vehicle has tires that will need to be disposed of properly every few years (depending on how much you drive). You could recycle used tires or find a way to upcycle them. Here's some suggestions on what you can do and the benefits of that. Why You Should Recycle Your Tires Tires in landfills introduce a variety of problems, they trap water for mosquitoes to breed in, dry tires attract rodents, and they waste a lot of space. They're also highly flammable (especially in the heat of South Texas summers) and are incredibly difficult to extinguish should they catch fire. There is an entire industry dedicated to the recycling of tires, and it's the responsible thing to do. Tires can be recycled in a variety of ways, some of which you may n ... read more
Posted on 8/6/2021
![Integrated Technology: Android Auto](https://www.beldensautomotive.com/Files/Documents/IT-androidauto-blog.jpg)
Smartphones are awesome! We carry the power of limitless communication in our pockets these days, but with great power comes great responsibility. Nearly 25% of automotive accidents involve someone using a phone while driving. There are times when, for the safety of ourselves and others, we simply can't use our mobile devices. Well, at least there were times like that up until relatively recently. As phones and vehicles become smarter, their ability to communicate with each other becomes greater and greater. Enter apps like Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto that introduce a seamless transition to on-the-go mobile device usage to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. In this blog, we'll be focusing on Android Auto. Developed by Google for Android smartphones, Android Auto is designed to mirror some features of your mobile device on the infotainment screen of Android Auto-enabled vehicles. These are typically features drivers need to be able to acces ... read more
Posted on 3/24/2021
![Is It Time To Service Your Alternator?](https://www.beldensautomotive.com/Files/Documents/alternator-800.jpg)
The battery is a vitally important part of your car. Not only is it responsible for powering your radio, headlights, and some safety mechanisms, but you also can't even start your car without it. Why, then, do you rarely have to replace it? Surely one battery can't run all of those things every day without charging. Well you're right, it can't. That's where your alternator comes in. You see, the battery is one of two vital parts of your car's electrical system. The other would be your alternator. We might even go as far as to say it's even more important than the battery itself. Alternators are a little harder to diagnose and replace than a battery. We've seen a lot of battery and alternator problems, and we're here to help you shock your electrical system back to life. So what exactly is an alternator? Usually little bigger than a softball, the alternator is primarily responsible for recharging the battery after the vehicle has bee ... read more
Posted on 2/17/2021
![Preparing For Extreme Weather](https://www.beldensautomotive.com/Files/Documents/prepforextremeweather-blog.jpg)
Unprecedented weather conditions give us the benefit of hindsight. How prepared were you? Did you plan for the unexpected? It's paradoxical, of course, why would you plan for the unexpected? Better question is why wouldn’t you? Let us help you with a good lesson with some easy exercises. Tires Your tires are your first line of defense against winding up in a ditch or trunk-deep in a poor stranger's car. Driving on ice is bad, driving on ice with balding tires is worse. Tires with good tread can help you grab any friction that's left on the road, even in icy conditions. In a pinch, snow and dirt can even provide a little traction, but only if your tires can grab it. Extreme weather, hot or cold, is equally unkind to your tires themselves, causing wild swings in air pressure and potentially making rubber brittle and prone to damage. Heat & A/C Your car is a second safe haven. Losing access to heat and A/C in your home may mean you ... read more