3rd Annual Creepy Cruise at Lancaster Auto Mall

It's that time of year again! The 3rd Annual Creepy Cruise will be at the Lancaster Auto Mall Oct. 27th, from 1pm-6pm! Spend the afternoon with live entertainment, food trucks, costume contest for the kids and adults, Halloween decorated vehicles and of course TRUCK OR TREATING!

Car Care: Wheel Alignment

One of the most important and yet neglected factors influencing the handling, and the fuel efficiency, of any car or truck is the wheel alignment. Your vehicle’s ability to go, stop and change direction is affected by the direction each of the wheels is pointing, and, whether you drive a compact car or full-size SUV or pickup, the directional control you get where the rubber meets the road is important for safety.

At any given moment only a small patch of rubber, often smaller than the palm of your hand, is supporting the weight of the vehicle and transmitting all of the forces from the engine, brakes and steering to the pavement. Proper wheel alignment helps ensure all of those forces are going where they belong and the tires aren’t being overworked.

While it may look to the naked eye like all of the tires are pointed straight ahead, they are all at slight but important angles. There are three different angles that affect wheel alignment: camber, caster and toe.

“Camber” is the degree to which a wheel departs from vertical (or perpendicular with the road), as viewed from the front. The top of each wheel is usually angled slightly inward. On an average car or truck, the angle is usually less than a few degrees, and you need special measuring equipment to determine the angle. The camber angle compensates for the way tire rubber stretches and deforms when cornering, and helps to make sure that the tire’s contact patch remains in full contact with the road, including while going around corners. 

“Toe” is the degree to which a wheel departs from being parallel to the other wheel on the same axle. If the front wheels (and the rears, if the vehicle has independent rear suspension) are angled slightly towards each other (as viewed from above) it’s called “toe-in.” “Toe-out” is when the wheels are pointing slightly away from each other. This is to counter the forces that push the wheels back into a more straight-ahead angle while driving.

Finally, “caster” is the frontward or rearward angle that the steering pivot point has from vertical, as considered from the side. The forces from the caster angle are what give the steering wheel a self-centering capability when you go down the road or relax your grip after going around a corner.

Each of these can be adjusted with links that are part of the suspension system. However, small variations in the angles can have a big effect on how the car drives and on tire wear. Sometimes hitting a big pothole or sliding into a curb can be enough to affect the toe or camber angle by a single degree or less, causing the vehicle to continuously pull in one direction or the other.

In addition to causing the vehicle to pull in one direction or the other, alignment problems also cause abnormally high, often uneven, tire wear. This can lead to a blow-out that could cause an accident, excess vibration that can be felt throughout the vehicle and reduced tire life.

Since checking and adjusting wheel alignment requires precision equipment, it should only be done by your dealer’s service department. You should never attempt to adjust the alignment by hand at home. While most service facilities offer both front-wheel-only alignment and four-wheel alignment, it is usually best to go for four-wheel alignment.

On rear-wheel drive cars and trucks with a solid rear axle, there usually aren’t any adjustments available for the rear wheels. However, even in this case, four-wheel alignment is important because the front wheels will be adjusted relative to the rear wheels so that everything is pointed in the right direction. Doing a front-only alignment can still leave the car pulling in one direction or the other.

One way to determine if your vehicle needs an alignment is to drive it down a straight, flat road with little or no crown (the fall-off toward the outer edge). The car should track straight ahead without you having to tug on the steering wheel. If the vehicle diverges from straight ahead without steering input, get it serviced soon.

You should also do a regular visual inspection of all four tires for uneven wear. The tread depth should be relatively consistent. You can quickly check the depth using a penny stuck into the grooves. If the top part of Lincoln’s head is covered by the rubber in each groove, you have enough tread left. However, if the depth is significantly different on the inner or outer edge of the tire, you could have an alignment problem that needs to be corrected.

Most alignment work can be done quickly and often doesn’t require any parts replacement unless the vehicle has hit something severe and bent a suspension link. A proper alignment and a regular tire rotation with each oil change will help your tires last longer and make your vehicle safer and more enjoyable to drive.

This article is presented by Antelope Valley Ford Lincoln Mazda in Lancaster, California.

Food Truck Frenzy!

Visit us at www.avford.com

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Google+

Check out some of the food trucks that will be here on Saturday, June 30th, 11am to 4pm!

Trailer Park Truck
Trailer Park Truck  is about great food and good times.

Fried food, burgers, waffles, mac n’ cheese

Maui Wowi
Maui Wowi Hawaiian is proud to serve the most delicious, healthy all-natural smoothies and coffees from the islands of Hawaii.

Kabob Express
Mexican/Mediterranean Fusion

The freshest homemade "Mexi-terranean" flavors everyday all throughout the Los Angeles area!

Del’s Frozen Lemonade

Del's Los Angeles is bringing Rhode Island's famous Del's soft frozen Italian fruit ice to southern California. Del's fruit ice is made from a secret recipe of filtered water, fruit and sugar. This proven recipe consistently produces a high quality, delicious product.

The Fry Girl
Fried desserts i.e. donuts, apple fries

Making delectable, fun and as ‘healthy as possible’ fried foods at events is what The Fry Girl Inc. is known for throughout Hollywood and surrounding communities.

Gourmet Genie
The Gourmet Genie’s wholesome Mediterranean fare is halal, kosher and organic, and includes such staples as hummus and couscous but is probably most popular for the gourmet fusion tacos and pita wrap sandwiches.

The Bun Truck

The Bun Truck is a gourmet food truck in the Los Angeles-area serving Korean-Mediterranean Fusion.

New eNewsletter!

We hav e a new eNewsletter! Subscribe to receive entertaining and interesting articles and service specials!

See it here!

 

Presidents' Day Weekend Sellathon!!!

FOR 4 DAYS ONLY!

During this Presidents' Day weekend you'll get an EXTRA $1,000 trade-in assistance or get 0% for 60 months on popular Ford models.

SALE ENDS MONDAY!

24-Months of SiriusXM Free Subscription!

For a limited time only, We are offering an additional 18-months of SiriusXM Satellite Radio on top of the 6-months free subscription offered previously. Our customers can now enjoy 24-months of SiriusXM with over 130 channels including 100% commercial-free music and coast-to-coast coverage 24/7.

Lincoln Customers!!!

Are you a proud Lincoln owner? We have a special one-time offer for you then! Free oil and filter change, PLUS a free car wash! Call now! (661) 949-3586 ext: 215. www.avlincolns.com.

Show Room: 2012 Ford Focus

In the show room today is the 2012 Ford Focus. The 2012 Focus has an intense side that comes out when you push the start button. It comes with an all-new chassis and suspension that's tighter and better than ever, and a new cornering assist system that puts the torque where the traction is. We took some very sweet performance technology and put it at your finger tips.

For more information, call 661-949-3586 or visit www.avford.com.

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AV Ford Truck Specials

2011 Ford Ranger: Just how strong is the Ford Ranger pickup? With 207 horsepower and 238 lb.-ft. of torque from the optional 4.0-liter V6, you can tow up to 5,800 lbs. Choose Ranger 4x4 and you can engage both axles at the turn of a knob. Ranger gives you what you want from a full-size pickup in a compact truck that’s priced much less.

2012 Ford Focus: Forget fun to drive. Bumper cars are fun to drive. The 2012 Focus has an intense side that comes out when you push the start button. It comes with an all-new chassis and suspension that's tighter and better than ever, and a new cornering assist system that puts the torque where the traction is. We took some very sweet performance technology and put it at your finger tips.

2012 Ford Super Duty: Super Duty® is more than just a name. It represents a long-standing tradition of trucks that are Built Ford Tough. Ford engineers crafted the workhorses in the Super Duty around a single goal: to deliver the performance, fuel efficiency and dependability you need for all the hard jobs you tackle every workday. And that's what you get in a Super Duty Pickup powered by a class-leading* 6.2L gas V8 and the available 6.7L Power Stroke® Turbo Diesel.

2012 Ford F-150: Want to know what capability in a full-size pickup truck is all about? Read on. The Ford F-150 can haul more cargo and tow a heavier trailer than any of its competitors.* And F-150 has a fully boxed frame that's the strongest in its class.* Engineered and tested to withstand more punishment than your most difficult tasks can subject it to, the F-150 is Built Ford Tough® to come through with the dependability you expect in this full-size pickup. And this, at the end of the day, is what capability is all about.

For more information, call (888) 290-4191 or visit www.avford.com.

Wow Super Savings!

Happening at Antelope Valley Ford Lincoln and Antelope Valley Quick Lane! When you buy an oil and filter change, you get an oil and filter change free! Hurry in! This is only for a limited time!

Ford & Lincoln 15-Hour Mad Dash Monday!

Starting at 6:00am Monday morning, when you buy a new Ford, we'll give you $1,000 Mastercard! This sale is for one day only from 6am until 9pm!

 

Starting at 6:00am Monday morning, when you buy a new Lincoln, we'll give you either a $1,000 Mastercard, $1,000 Bonus Customer Cash, or $1,000 Trade-In Assistance! This sale is for one day only from 6am until 9pm!

Parachuting Santa at Lancaster Auto Mall!

Don't miss Santa "dropping" in at the Lancaster Auto Mall Dec 18th at 12:00pm sharp! Bring your cameras! 
Santa will be at Antelope Valley Ford at 2:30pm!
Bring a new toy donation for a free picture with Santa!