Back to all

Tuffy Amherst Guide to Using the Correct Fluids in Your Vehicle

February 25, 2024

Today's Tuffy Amherst post focuses on using coolant. drive If you pour in the wrong kind, it won't protect the cooling system and may even void the warranty. Check your vehicle owner's manual. Of course, your Tuffy Amherst service advisor will know the proper coolant for your vehicle.

Brake fluid is confusing for some Amherst drivers. Back when we opened Tuffy Amherst, most vehicles used Dot 3 brake fluid. Now we have Dot 4 and Dot 5. Some Amherst residents mistakenly think the higher numbers are an upgrade. You know, if 3 is good then 4 must be better. That's not how it works. They are different formulations to meet the demands of differences in brake systems. Only one of them is designed for your vehicle.

Ditto for transmission fluid. For decades there were two basic types of tranny fluid used at Tuffy Amherst: friction modified or not. With the tremendous engineering advances in vehicle automatic transmissions, there have been several new types of fluids developed to protect and lubricate them.

Nowhere are the advances in automotive fluids more evident to Tuffy Amherst professionals than in motor oil. Many new weights and formulations have been created to meet the demands of today's high-tech vehicle engine design. Modern engines have more parts and much tighter tolerances.

That's where the new grades of engine oil come in. They have to be formulated to lubricate, protect and clean all of those vehicle engine parts, big and little. The oil has to be thin enough to get into little passages, yet resistant to vaporization.

At Tuffy Amherst in Amherst, we believe that in some ways modern automotive fluids are just as impressive as the new engines. Because weights of oil and types of coolant and transmission fluid are so carefully matched to the vehicle, make sure you always use the proper fluid if you are topping off at home.

Tuffy Amherst
101 N Leavitt Road
Amherst, Ohio 44001
440-988-9402
https://www.tuffyamherst.com


More articles from Tuffy Amherst - Auto Repair Center

Losing Your Cool (Why is My Air Conditioning System Not Working?)

February 16, 2025

When you turn on the air conditioning in your vehicle, you expect cool air to come out of the vents. You depend on it, especially in hot weather, but it can also be important in humid weather when you need it to help defrost your windows and windshield. The air conditioning system has a lot of p... More

Why Alignment Matters (Vehicle Alignment Maintenance)

February 9, 2025

It's one of those things that can happen on a multi-day road adventure or a quick trip to the grocery store. You hit a pothole, go too fast over a speed bump, nail a curb. When it happens, you think, "I wonder if that was hard enough to do any damage?" But things seem ok and you continue on yo... More

Easy on the Wheel (Power Steering)

February 2, 2025

Steering a vehicle these days doesn't take much effort, but if you got behind the wheel back before power steering was invented, you'd need to practically have the strength of Hercules to turn the wheel. The first power steering systems widely available changed everything. Chrysler introduced... More