Lehman Volvo Cars

There are many factors that can impact the performance and handling of your Volvo. This month, I will discuss the importance of proper wheel and tire balance and the effect it has on your Volvo. Modern automobiles continue to have larger and larger wheels. As the diameter of the wheel increases, the size of the tire must change as well. Because of this, many tires have smaller sidewalls. These lower profile sidewalls make even the slightest of imperfections in the wheel or tire balance much more noticeable. Wheel balance is used to cancel the vibration of an out of balance wheel and tire assembly. At 60 mph an average size tire rotates about 850 times per minute. At that speed, even slight variations in balance, sidewall stiffness and/or an out of round wheel or tire will be very noticeable to the driver and passengers. Not only does this significantly reduce the ride quality of your vehicle, it can also cause damage and unsafe conditions such as: Damage to suspension and steerin...

With winter weather arriving early this year, I would like to take a moment to write about a few tips to improve the safety of your winter weather travel. There are many factors to consider before venturing out into the harsh winter environment. Getting your vehicle checked by a professional prior to doing so is a great start to successful winter travel. Below is a checklist to follow to ensure your vehicle is fully winterized: Examine the condition of all four tires (I recommend switching to snow tires for winter travel. Read why here ). Check and adjust tire pressure (For every 10 degrees the ambient temperature drops you lose about 1 PSI of tire pressure. Read more about tire pressure here ). Check the condition of wiper blades, and replace if needed. Check your vehicle’s antifreeze condition to ensure the coolant is mixed correctly to protect against cold temperatures. Check your vehicle’s windshield washer function and switch to a winterwindshield washer fluid. Using a no...

With winter weather right around the corner, I would like to discuss a topic extremely important to your safety—winter tires. With many automobiles equipped with All-Wheel Drive, all season tires and other safety systems, you may ask yourself “why should I be concerned with the use of a dedicated winter tire?” All-Wheel Drive will certainly help assist you on snow covered roads when accelerating, but when it comes to braking, steering and maintaining stability, the type of tire makes all the difference. Even the best all season tire is no competition for a dedicated snow tire. The rubber used to make all season tires can harden in cold weather, causing reduced grip. Snow tires are made of a special compound of rubber formulated to provide excellent traction on cold snow covered roads. This type of rubber remains much more pliable in cold weather allowing it to make firm contact with the roadway. Dedicated snow tires have special tread designs made specifically for snow and ice. ...

Jason McKinsey, Lehman Volvo Cars Service Manager, writes about Volvo trending topics, including this month’s segment on the importance of having a wheel alignment performed on your Volvo during this time of year. Looking for more information on a particular Volvo service topic? Submit your topic suggestion to Jason at jason@lehmanvolvocarsyork.com. Pothole Blues By Jason McKinsey, Service Manager No driver looks forward to the abundance of potholes during this time of year. Sometimes it seems when one pothole is repaired, two more pop up in its place! As you can imagine, potholes take a toll on your Volvo. Wheel alignment is one of the most common things affected by potholes and other road hazards. Wheel alignment is the adjustment of steering and suspension components that affect how the tires make contact with the surface of the road. There are several angles that can be adjusted to change the wheel alignment, including the most common: Caster, Camber and Toe. But, h...

Jason McKinsey, Lehman Volvo Cars Service Manager, writes about Volvo trending topics, including this month’s segment on the importance of using Volvo Genuine Wiper Blades on your Volvo. Looking for more information on a particular Volvo service topic? Submit your topic suggestion to Jason at  jason@lehmanvolvocarsyork.com . Jason's Journal: The Importance of Using Volvo Genuine Wiper Blades By: Jason McKinsey, Service Manager While many people usually do not think of wiper blades as a safety feature on a vehicle, I can assure you they are! An unclean or obscured windshield is a hazard to you, your Volvo, and other drivers. According to Volvo Cars, approximately 20% of all road accidents are related to lack of visibility. We depend on wipers to remove rain, snow and dirt in all degrees of weather and at various speeds.  Understanding the importance of wiper blades, Volvo Cars tests its wiper blades in several different ways before the wipers are app...

Jason McKinsey, Lehman Volvo Cars Service Manager, writes about Volvo trending topics, including this month’s segment on the importance of using the correct coolant in your Volvo. Looking for more information on a particular Volvo service topic?  Submit your topic suggestion to Jason at  jason@lehmanvolvocarsyork.com . Volvo Coolant: 101 By: Jason McKinsey With cooler weather on the horizon, many Volvo owners may be concerned with the condition of their vehicle’s coolant, also known as antifreeze. Owners worry about the ability of their vehicle’s coolant to withstand the low winter temperatures, as well as the proper type of coolant to use. Why does your engine need coolant?  Heat is a byproduct of the internal combustion engine. Approximately one third of the energy created by the fuel/air mixture of an internal combustion engine produces usable power.  The other two thirds of the energy is generated in heat form. Therefore, the engine must be...