GM & ACDelco Car Batteries
Parts don't last forever, but you can extend their life by simply maintaining and taking care of them. A little TLC never hurts, and if your car battery is over 5 years old, you should at least have it tested. If it's still going strong then there's no need to worry, and you can consider yourself one of the lucky ones because most car batteries have a lifespan of about 4 years.
There is no fixed schedule for replacing batteries. Everyone drives a little differently, so the wear on your battery will be very different from your neighbor down the street. Without clear signs of deterioration, the best diagnosis is a battery test. When you get the battery tested, you could be saving yourself the cost of a new battery; the issue could be as simple as a loose wire.
Before you purchase a brand-new battery, make sure yours has been inspected professionally by our GM Certified Technicians.
Battery Dos
- Drive your car regularly.
Driving helps maintain the required charge in the battery; parking a vehicle over a prolonged period will affect the battery's charge.
- Use the right battery!
Using a battery with the proper dimensions and amp-hours is crucial for extended battery life.
- Make sure the case is clean.
Engine compartments are open to dust and moisture. Cleaning the battery case after every service prevents battery damage.
- Service your vehicle regularly.
Poorly maintained engines can lead to reduced battery life or battery failure by overloading the battery.
Battery Don'ts
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Avoid Draining the Battery.
Don't allow your battery to discharge completely. Leaving the lights and other electronic devices on can lead to your battery draining.
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Do not lean on your battery.
Make sure you don't lean over a battery while it is being charged; there is a possibility of explosion.
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Watch battery charging rate.
Overcharging, as well as undercharging, can reduce battery life.
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Don't jump start a flat battery.
The battery can explode or damage the accessories in the vehicle.
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Don't place items, especially metal, on the battery.
Using improper tools to fix or dismantle the battery can cause serious, irreparable damage.
WIPER BLADES
As a part of your regular maintenance routine, you, or your Kipp Scott GMC Buick service expert should thoroughly inspect your vehicle's wiper blades. We check your windshield wipers and rear wiper blades as part of our Multi-Point Vehicle Inspection.
If your wiper blades are worn, you may notice that they:
- Leave streaks or miss sections of your windshield
- Leave a haze behind, blurring vision
- Skip across the windshield from a curve in the rubber
- Lift off the windshield due to deterioration in the wiper arm
- Squeak because of worn blade edges caused by excessive friction
- Cause windshield scoring where the wiper has deteriorated. In extreme cases, this can require a windshield replacement
If you haven't replaced your wiper blades in the past six months, visit us today and speak with one of our Certified Service experts. Should you need new wipers, they can guide you through your choices and get the right set of wiper blades installed on your vehicle to suit your needs.
Conventional Wiper Blades
ACDelco Advantage All-Season metal wiper blades are good replacement standard blades for value-conscious drivers. Coating on the rubber helps reduce streaking, friction, and noise and pre-installed universal adapters fit most wiper arms directly, making installation easy.
OEM GM Performance wiper blades offer high-strength steel construction with easy fit assembly. They possess corrosion-resistant epoxy coatings and the blade material is made from a natural rubber, to reduce streaking, friction, and noise.
Beam Wiper Blades
Beam wiper blades offer an innovative curved frameless design that helps conform to the shape of your windshield and to provide constant pressure for a uniform wipe. A natural and synthetic blended rubber compound on the wiper material enhances wiping performance and durability in all weather conditions and the aerodynamic design helps reduce wind lift.
Winter Wiper Blades
Winter Wiper Blades are available in either a Conventional style or Beam Blade Style.
The Winter Beam Wiper Blade is a specialty blade and includes rubber boots to help prevent snow and ice build-up and a riveted steel superstructure for strength and durability.
A/C & HEATING
From a quick tune up or complete flush to replacing essential components, let the experts at Kipp Scott GMC Buick tend your car's air conditioning and heating system. It's essential to get your car's A/C ready for the hot summer months and to ensure your heater is working properly during the bitter winter months, especially if you're familiar with our cold Alberta winters! Count on us to make sure your climate control system is doing what it's supposed to!
Air Conditioning and Heating Services include:
- Inspection of system components
- Leak testing using factory-authorized equipment
- Air Conditioning diagnosis and repair
- Heating system diagnosis and repair
- Expansion valve replacement
- Blower motor replacement
- Computerized diagnosis and repair
Kipp Scott GMC Buick should be your first choice in repair. We understand the seasons in Alberta and know how to make sure you stay cool or warm when you need it the most!
ENGINE & CABIN AIR FILTERS
What is a Cabin Air filter?
The cabin air filter cleans the air that comes into the interior through the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. It catches dust, pollen, and other airborne material that can make riding in a car unpleasant, particularly if you have allergies or other respiratory problems.
When should I Replace it?
Recommendations on when it should be replaced depend on how much you drive and where. You should check the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual. If you drive in heavy traffic in an urban area that has poor air quality, you may need to replace the filter annually or even more often. The same holds true in a rural area with lots of gravel roads and dust.
One sign that you need a new cabin air filter is reduced air flow through your HVAC system; when you crank up the fan to high and you get more noise than results. Another is persistent bad odors. Even without these warnings, you should have the filter checked at least once a year.
What is an Engine Air Filter?
An engine air filter prevents contaminants and debris from getting into your engine. As you know, a vehicle's engine is powered by a mixture of fuel and air. A clogged or overly dirty air filter can result in non-optimal gas mileage and weak performance. Over time, your car's engine air filter collects dirt and debris and eventually needs to be replaced.
When should I get Kipp Scott GMC Buick to replace my filter?
An air filter is one of those things that you change when it gets dirty... and this isn’t based on time or mileage. For example, a vehicle that drives lots of dusty gravel roads will go through a filter much quicker than one that is just used in the concrete jungle. As the engine sucks in air so it can run, that air goes through the filter while dust, dirt, and bugs get stopped from going into the motor. The dirtier the area that is driven, the quicker the filter plugs up. This means you could need a replacement anywhere between 5,000 - 80,000 kms... it’s totally environmentally driven. We check your air filter during every oil change, so if you need a new one, we'll tell you and offer to replace it while the oil is being changed so you don't have to do it later!