The first cool mornings have arrived in the Northeast Heights, and Balloon Fiesta traffic starts Saturday. Summer heat did quiet damage to your oil, battery, and rubber parts, and fall is when that damage starts to show. This month our Spooky Service special takes $20 off a synthetic oil change, and our Spend More Save More coupon takes up to $75 off any repair, so October is the cheap month to catch up.

• Summer heat thins and oxidizes engine oil, and synthetic oil holds up better as temperatures swing
• A battery weakened over summer usually fails on the first cold morning, not the last hot one
• Spooky Service: $20 off a synthetic oil change, plus $25 to $75 off repairs when you spend $100 or more

Why Fall Is the Right Time for a Synthetic Oil Change

Albuquerque ran weeks of upper 90s this summer, and engine oil pays for that. Heat oxidizes oil, breaks down its additives, and thins it out under load. By late September the oil in many engines has done a season of hard work, and October brings the other extreme, with overnight lows headed toward the 40s and the first freeze historically arriving in late October or early November. Cold starts are where worn oil hurts most, because the oil has to reach the top of the engine in the first seconds after the key turns.

Full synthetic oil is refined to a more uniform molecular structure than conventional oil. It flows more freely when cold, resists thinning when hot, and holds its protective additives longer between changes. Most late model engines specify it, and older engines benefit from it in a climate like ours where the same car sees 100 degrees in July and 20 degrees in January. If you have been putting off the switch because of price, this is the month to make it.

Our synthetic oil change includes up to five quarts of full synthetic oil, a new filter, chassis lubrication, an inspection of belts and hoses, and a battery test. Through October, Spooky Service takes $20 off that service. Tax and shop supplies are extra, and vehicles that take more than five quarts are priced accordingly, so call for a quote on your specific engine.

What Summer Did to Your Battery

A car battery loses capacity to heat, not cold. High under-hood temperatures speed up the chemical reactions inside the case and evaporate electrolyte, and that damage is permanent. The battery keeps starting the car through September because a warm engine is easy to turn over. Then the first 38 degree morning arrives, the oil is thicker, the starter needs more current, and a battery that was at 60 percent of its rated capacity cannot deliver it.

That is why the battery test comes with every oil change in October. A load test measures what the battery can actually deliver under starting conditions, not just its resting voltage, and it tells you whether you have another winter in it. Testing takes a few minutes. Replacing a battery in the parking lot at a Balloon Fiesta Park and Ride at 5 in the morning takes considerably longer.

Belts, Hoses, and Tires After a Hot Summer

Rubber ages fastest in heat and ultraviolet light, and New Mexico supplies both. Serpentine belts glaze and crack, coolant hoses soften near the clamps, and tire sidewalls develop fine checking. None of these fails on a schedule. They fail under the added stress of a cold morning, a long climb, or a hard stop. The belt and hose inspection included with your oil change is where we catch them early, and early is the difference between a $40 hose and a tow truck.

Tire pressure also drops about one PSI for every ten degrees of temperature, so a tire set in August heat will read low on the first cold morning and your TPMS light will come on. That is normal. Reset pressures to the number on the driver's door jamb, not the number on the tire sidewall, and have the tread checked while you are here.

Spend More Save More on Any Repair

If the fall inspection turns up work beyond the oil change, our Spend More Save More coupon applies. Spend $100 and save $25. Spend $400 and save $50. Spend $800 and save $75. It applies to any repair job, from brakes to a transmission service. Coupons cannot be combined with other offers, so we will apply whichever saves you the most.

Fall driving in Albuquerque is easier on a car than summer, but only if the car was maintained through summer. Call 505-341-4747 or schedule online at drjsauto.com to book your Spooky Service synthetic oil change, and bring your fall list with you. We will take care of the rest.

Dr. J's Auto Clinic
11200 Candelaria Rd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
505-341-4747