Today’s Northwest Auto And Tire post focuses on using coolant. If you pour in the wrong kind, it won’t protect the cooling system and may even void the warranty. Check your vehicle owner’s manual. Of course, your Northwest Auto And Tire service advisor will know the proper coolant for your vehicle.

Brake fluid is confusing for some Zion drivers. Back when we opened Northwest Auto And Tire, most vehicles used Dot 3 brake fluid. Now we have Dot 4 and Dot 5. Some Zion residents mistakenly think the higher numbers are an upgrade. You know, if 3 is good then 4 must be better. That’s not how it works. They are different formulations to meet the demands of differences in brake systems. Only one of them is designed for your vehicle.

Ditto for transmission fluid. For decades there were two basic types of tranny fluid used at Northwest Auto And Tire: friction modified or not. With the tremendous engineering advances in vehicle automatic transmissions, there have been several new types of fluids developed to protect and lubricate them.

Nowhere are the advances in automotive fluids more evident to Northwest Auto And Tire professionals than in motor oil. Many new weights and formulations have been created to meet the demands of today’s high-tech vehicle engine design. Modern engines have more parts and much tighter tolerances.

That’s where the new grades of engine oil come in. They have to be formulated to lubricate, protect and clean all of those vehicle engine parts, big and little. The oil has to be thin enough to get into little passages, yet resistant to vaporization.

At Northwest Auto And Tire in Zion, we believe that in some ways modern automotive fluids are just as impressive as the new engines. Because weights of oil and types of coolant and transmission fluid are so carefully matched to the vehicle, make sure you always use the proper fluid if you are topping off at home. – See more at: http://skips.autotipsvideo.com/2012/09/28/nwauto-guide-to-using-the-correct-fluids-in-your-vehicle#sthash.PhzZAjDF.dpuf