Automotive News & Information - CP Diesel & Auto

True safety starts with being able to see where you are driving. Your lights and wipers play a major role in safe driving and the chance of an accident increases if you can't see or be seen. No matter what time of year, it's important to make sure your vehicle's lights and wipers are working properly so your visibility is not compromised and you can be seen by others. From the driver's seat, you may not notice a light that isn't working, but when a big rain comes it becomes easier to see what you are missing! When wet weather hits your roads is not the time for you to discover limited visibility problems. Here at CP Diesel & Auto we take our St Cloud drivers' safety seriously and inspect their vehicles when they come in for service.

A throw out bearing, sometimes called a thrust bearing, is an essential component of your clutch system. If you drive a car, truck, or SUV that’s equipped with a manual transmission, it’s important to know if your throw out bearing needs to be replaced. Here’s some information on the throw out bearing, from CP Diesel & Auto in St Cloud.

Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by floodwaters at all or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood-damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.

If you drive a car with a manual transmission, you already know you have a clutch. But what exactly is it, and what does it do? At CP Diesel & Auto in St Cloud, we believe that knowing a little more about your car better prepares you to keep it maintained. Here’s what you should know about your clutch disc.

We’ve all been there: You start your car in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. You hear an unusual noise coming from your car, and it sounds bad. How do you know if it's something you should bring in to us here at CP Diesel & Auto to get looked at? Questioning the severity of the sound is a smart immediate response because the difference between a squeaky joint and near-catastrophic engine failure can be a big one.

If you're prepping to go on a road trip, you need to be sure that your vehicle is ready for the journey. An unmaintained vehicle could be the difference between a good trip and a trip that goes south really quickly. Here at CP Diesel & Auto, we want to remind you of some things to do so you and your vehicle are ready for the road.

1. Get a Pre-Trip Mechanical Inspection - Is it overkill to have a technician give your car a pre-trip once over? Not if it saves you from disaster on the road, and we'd rather be safe than sorry. Here at CP Diesel & Auto, our mechanics should be able to identify any significant components that are on their last legs. Even if your car comes back with a clean bill of health, there's a lot of value in having that peace of mind.

While keeping your car, truck, or SUV looking nice is important, there are other reasons to keep the exterior of your vehicle in good shape. From CP Diesel & Auto in St Cloud, FL, here are some tips for keeping your car looking good, and how that keeps it reliably on the road.