The Frog Express Comes to Preston Ford

Our staff at the Preston Automotive Group knows that you are busy enjoying the dog days of summer with your loved ones. However, we want to remind our customers how crucial it is to keep your Ford maintained on a regular basis. Your Ford is one of the most important tools in your life and like all machines, it needs to be serviced so it can keep taking you on all of your adventures. You never want to encounter any issues while you are out cruising on the road, so be sure to make a service appointment at Preston Ford, Pittsville Ford, Rtown Ford, Boulevard Ford of Lewes, Boulevard Ford of Georgetown and Denton Ford before you leave on a summer road trip. Our expert service departments at our Ford dealerships are standing by to thoroughly inspect your Ford. You will find our experienced and factory-trained service technicians waiting to fix whatever problems you have, take your Ford for a test drive to see how it is performing and ensure that nothing else will come up before returning your Ford F-150 or Ford Fusion to you. It is our goal to give our clients the complete peace of mind that they need to hit the road because we want them to enjoy every minute that they drive. You already are dealing with plenty in your busy life, so leave your Ford in the dedicated hands of the service department at our Ford dealerships. If you are a do it yourself type and like to work on your vehicle then before you take your Ford to one of our Ford dealerships, there are different things you can do to keep your Ford running at peak performance. You should check that your fluid levels are good to go by looking over your dipstick and studying where the placement on the fill line is located. After lifting up the hood of your Ford Escape or Ford Explorer, be sure to see if your belts or hoses have deteriorated and how your engine is looking, along with how it is running. Due to the fact that your tires are one of the most used components of your Ford, do not forget to inspect their status. If you notice that the tread is worn down, it might be time to replace them. Look over your spark plugs carefully, because their condition is directly related to your fuel economy. You also want to make sure your battery is fully charged and ready to power your systems. Here at the Preston Automotive Group, we are here to keep your Ford operating at its maximum capacity. You deserve to fully enjoy the rest of your summer, so schedule your maintenance appointment at one of our Ford dealerships today!

As much as vehicles cost it is important to keep them in the best shape possible.  That is why Preston Automotive Group offers  high quality oil changes and service repairs.  Engine oil provides three key functions in the engine.  It first helps keep the engine components working smoothly together.  Inside the engine there are thousands of controlled detonations happening every minute, it can be extremely hot and oil helps draw heat away from the combustion chamber.  It also helps prevent carbon and varnishes from accumulating in the engine.  Oil also helps to keep the vehicles engine clean.  The oil within the engine is constantly cleaning as it lubricates picking up and holding dirt.  Oil is similar to a sponge.  A sponge has the ability to pick up and hold fluids, dirt, etc.  When a sponge becomes saturated it cannot hold fluid any longer.  These same things apply to motor oil.  When oil becomes saturated with contaminants and can’t hold any more than the excess falls out of suspension and can form deposits in the engine.  Regular oil changes will remove suspended contaminates before they can form.  This helps the engine run cleaner and much smoother. It is also important to know what oil to use.  There are many different types of oil and it should be fairly easy to determine which kind a vehicle takes.   The owner’s manual will usually contain this information. There are two different types of oil; synthetic and conventional oil. Oil changes are often recommended when a certain mileage or time limit is reached.  The most common interval is 3,000-5,000 miles or three months. The changing of oil is a simple process of draining the old dirt oil from a car and replacing it with a new supply.  When a customer comes to any of the Preston Automotive Groups Service Departments to request an oil change they will also receive a check on the all-around vehicle.  The first thing that is checked of course the oil level.  Then after the oil is changed they service technician’s top off the windshield washer solvent.  They also check the power steering fluid as well as the transmission fluid and the brake fluid.  The tire pressure is also checked and if the tires need air then they are filled.  Lastly, they service technicians visually inspect the whole vehicle and make sure everything is working properly.    Oil level, top of washer solvent, check power steering fluid, transmission fluid, brake fluid, tire pressure, visual inspection of whole car.  Mike Snyder, a Master Certified Mazda technician at Preston Mazda said “changing your oil is cheap insurance, it is around $30 whereas a new engine job would be around $9000”. The Service Centers with Preston Automotive Group are open Monday through Friday from 7:30-5:00 and on Saturdays are open from 8:00-5:00.  At Preston there are many professionally trained technicians who are very well knowledgeable on all models of vehicle.  The Master Certified Technicians have been working on vehicles for many years.

Cars get dirty but there is more than just the dirt and rain on your cars exterior; pollutants, acid rain, dead bugs and bird dropping all degrade your paint!  It isn’t just the exterior that gets dirty.  The interior will also go through wear and tear.  The cloth seats will need to be shampooed and leather seats deserve a proper leather cleaner and then followed by leather conditioner. The first step to detailing your vehicle is to wash and dry your car as thoroughly as possible.  You should park in the shade while washing and waxing your car in order to prevent the heat from drying off the car and in return creating water spots before you get a chance to dry it.  By washing your car this gets off the dirt that comes off easily so that later on the cleaning products can get rid of the harder, stuck on dirt. Next you should clean the door jambs!  This is often forgotten because you cannot see them without the door being opened.  However, door jambs tend to collect a lot of dirt.  Spray them with a good detail product and wipe them down with a microfiber detail towel. Now you are ready to clay the paint.  Clay is used to remove deep ground in dirt and stains without damaging the cars paint.  This is especially important on newer cars because they have a clear coat paint.  In order to clay the car spray the area with a detailer then slide the clay back and forth over the paint.  The clay pulls up dirt and shaves it off of the cars surface.  Don’t drop the clay, if the clay is dropped it can pick up dirt that can scratch the vehicle making it useless.  After you clay the car the surface should feel noticeably smoother. Now it’s time to polish your car.  Polishing your car smooths, clarifies, and cleans the surface of your car.  It will remove some small scratches, but it can also remove paint so make sure if you polish by hand that you are careful with the amount of pressure you put on the car. It’s time to wax your car!  Wax doesn’t just make your car look nice but it also provides a coat that protects the paint.  Wax can be applied by hand but an electric orbital polisher/waxer can save you a lot of time and might be a good investment if you have a large car or truck!  Apply the wax directly to the applicator not directly on to the car.  Work in one small area at a time, make sure you are careful not to get wax on the black plastic trim as it will stain.  When the wax looks hazy run your finger through it if it breaks apart then it is ready to come off.  Buff the wax off gently with a cotton or microfiber towel. Don’t forget to clean the inside of your vehicle as well.  Take out any floor mats and lay them aside.  Now vacuum all the floors, under the seats, the seats, etc, making sure you get into all the cracks and crevices.  Spray a dashboard cleaner on the dashboard and wipe them down getting all dust and pollen off the dashboard.  You can also get window cleaner and clean the inside of your windows eliminating streaks and smears. Now you are ready to drive around in your extremely clean vehicle!  Preston Automotive Group has a detail team here that can detail your car for you if you prefer to have someone else do it!  The team here will get every nook and cranny so that your car looks and feel brand new!