If you see different colored exhaust fumes it’s time to pay attention to your car. Even if your vehicle isn’t flashing any warning lights, the smoke coming from your exhaust is a signal that something might not be working properly.

*What does BLUE smoke from my exhaust mean?

If your car is blowing blue smoke, it’s a clear sign that the engine is burning oil. What happens is that the valve guide seals or piston rings are worn out, and oil is leaking past from where it should be lubricating the moving parts, to the combustion chamber where it’s being burned up with the fuel.

If you’re seeing this kind of smoke, check your oil regularly and watch for consumption issues. While an issue that normally should require immediate attention and expensive repairs, including some internal replacement parts, if you’re vehicle is old and the leak is minimal, it can be carefully managed by topping up the oil on a regular basis.

Along with environmental damage, burning oil can cause rough starts, as the process can ruin the car’s spark plugs.

There is another reason for blue smoke, and that’s if the car is turbocharged; the smoke being a sign that the blower is in need of rebuilding or replacement.

*What does GRAY smoke from my exhaust mean?

Gray smoke is hard to diagnose directly. Like blue smoke, it can mean that the car is burning oil or suffering from a bad turbocharger. Take the same precautions as with blue smoke, and check for excessive oil consumption.

Gray smoke can also be an issue with your automatic transmission fluid getting burned up in the engine. A faulty transmission vacuum modulator would be the culprit in this situation, leading to transmission fluid getting sucked into the engine and getting burned up.

Furthermore, gray smoke could mean a stuck PCV valve. The PCV system (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) cuts down on harmful emissions by recycling them back into the combustion chamber. However, when the PCV valve gets stuck, pressure can build and lead to oil leaks. Fortunately, PCV valves aren’t expensive, and can be a quick job for a mechanic or a do-it-yourselfer.

*What does WHITE smoke from my exhaust mean?

White smoke can be nothing to be concerned about if it’s thin, like vapor. This is probably the result of normal condensation buildup inside the exhaust system. This kind of smoke disappears quickly.

However, thicker smoke is a big problem, and can be caused the engine burning coolant. This can be the result of a serious issue like a blown head gasket, a damaged cylinder head, or a cracked engine block – all of which are costly repairs.

Don’t ignore it, however, as the problem could become far worse. Even a small leak in the coolant can lead to overheating and serious risk of damage to the engine. A coolant leak can also mix with oil and cause serious headaches for you and your car.

*What does BLACK smoke from my exhaust mean?

Black exhaust smoke means the engine is burning too much fuel. The first think you should check is your air-filter and other intake components like sensors, fuel injectors and the fuel-pressure regulator. Other reasons could be a clogged fuel return line. Black smoke is usually the easiest issue to diagnose and fix, but burning unnecessary fuel will definitely affect your fuel economy, so don’t think of avoiding this one to save money, it won’t work.

Any smoke coming from your car’s exhaust pipe is a sign that your car is in distress. Pay attention to what it needs to ensure more miles for your vehicle.

Buying a new car might sound good in theory, but these days, a new car purchase is out of reach for many Americans, according to a recent CNBC report. With the average cost of a new vehicle higher than ever at $30,500, spending a fraction of that money on making your current vehicle last longer makes good financial sense, says the Car Care Council.

“Hanging on to your current vehicle allows you to redirect money you would spend on a new car to pay off credit card debt, college loans and other bills, beef up savings or even take a road trip vacation,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “By simply budgeting the equivalent of just one new car payment, consumers could cover an entire year’s worth of basic maintenance.”

Even if serious engine trouble strikes, keeping your current vehicle is the sensible economic decision. For the cost of an average down payment on a new car or truck, a vehicle can be repowered with a remanufactured/rebuilt engine and gain years of reliable service without monthly car payments and higher insurance rates.

“In the early 1970s, you could buy a house for $30,000, and the average vehicle cost $3,900 but didn’t last anywhere near as long as cars do today. Now, the average age of passenger vehicles is 10.8 years, the oldest ever,” said White. “With proper routine maintenance, the typical vehicle should deliver at least 200,000 miles of safe, dependable, efficient and enjoyable performance.”

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers.

On March 8, 1950, the iconic Volkswagen Bus began production. Officially called the Volkswagen Type 2 — and the Microbus, Splitscreen, or Splittie by modern fans of the vehicle — it remained on the market in the US and in Europe until 1967.

The Type 2 was, as the name implies, the second car produced by Volkswagen, coming after production of the Volkswagen Type 1, which was the much more boring name for the Beetle. At first, the Bus was powered by the same engine as the Beetle — a 1100 Volkswagen, an air-cooled flat-four-cylinder “boxer” engine mounted in the rear. The engine was upgraded in 1953 to the bigger 1200.

Credit for the concept of the Type 2 is generally given to Dutch businessman Ben Pon. Pon had visited Germany intending to buy Type 1s. He instead had a realization that there could be a market for vans, which could easily be produced using the Type 1’s basic architecture. He sketched out a design for the Bus in 1947 and was able to get VW on board to start production by 1950.

After it had been on the market for some time, the Bus became especially popular in the United States during the counterculture movement of the 1960s, leading to another nickname for the T2: The “Hippie Van.” In present popular culture, in fact, the VW Bus is still often used to designate characters as of the Hippie Type (think Disney’s “Cars”).

Today, VW Buses are rare, especially in the United States, and are relished by collectors. Despite the lack of real world examples of the Type 2, it continues to live on in replications, concepts and in pop culture.

North Americans love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than the road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it’s great! But there’s nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt.

Now you can’t always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. The first step is to look at your trip plan from your vehicle’s perspective. What kind of roads will you be traveling – winding byways or super-highways? Mountains or plains? What weather conditions are you likely to encounter? How many miles will you travel? How much weight will you be hauling – passengers and luggage? Lugging a trailer or roof top carrier? Will it be dusty?

Armed with the answers to these questions, you can start a trip inspection to help you prepare your Houston vehicle for your big adventure. A lot of our Houston customers prefer to go through this exercise with an automotive service advisor at Mobile Tune Up and Repair to get their input and make sure they haven’t left anything out.

A great place to start is with the tires. Inspect them for tread wear and proper inflation. Is it time to rotate your tires? Replace them? Are they up to the job – you wouldn’t want to drive regular highway tires on a muddy off-road adventure.

Shocks and struts play a major role in both driving comfort and safety. If they need to be replaced, you’ll really be glad you did once you hit the road. Is it time for a wheel alignment? Fighting a car that’s pulling to one side all day can be tiring and dangerous.

And don’t forget your brakes. Any strange noises, grabbing, soft or hard peddle feel? If there is any doubt, get a brake inspection before you leave.

Moving under the hood, have your belts and hoses inspected. If something is excessively worn or near failure, the stress of a long road trip might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Your engine air filter will be important. For every gallon of gas you burn, your car will filter and use 12,000 gallons of air. If the filter needs to be changed, you’ll notice the fuel savings on your trip.

How close are you to your next oil change? Will you be able to complete your trip before it’s due? If not, just get it taken care of before you go so that you don’t need to interrupt your trip. In fact, a full service oil change is a great idea because they will top off all your fluids and check to see if any other maintenance items are due, such as transmission or cooling system service.

Do you notice any unusual odors in your vehicle? If so, it could as harmless as a dirty cabin air filter. But if it’s an exhaust leak it could be fatal on a long trip. Of course you’ll want to be comfortable, so get an air conditioning service if you aren’t getting the cold air you used to.

Are you wiper blades still working well? If not, that is quick and inexpensive to fix. Headlamps are often overlooked when planning for a trip. If you haven’t changed the bulb in six months or so, replacement bulbs will really light up the night on your trip.

All the items mentioned are part of any good vehicle maintenance plan. These are things that you want to take care of anyway, but they all come into focus as you plan for your trip.

They will always save you money in the long run and may prevent inconvenient delays on your trip. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss the world’s largest ball of string, would you?

A lot of our viewers have asked whether or not they should use their severe service maintenance schedule, which is listed in their car owners’ manual. It can be confusing. Let’s clear the air on this subject. Cricket Killingsworth is from QMI/Heartland, a manufacturer of automotive products and fluids. She’s been in the automotive business for 20 years and is a speaker, a trainer, and a writer. Cricket says there’s so much confusion on this topic because, “Most owners’ manuals actually have two maintenance schedules. Sometimes these are called ‘regular service’ and ‘severe service’. Sometimes they’re simply called Schedule 1 and Schedule 2. A severe service schedule recommends that things like an oil change, air filter replacement, and transmission service be done more often: either in fewer miles or in less time.

Manufacturers create these specific schedules for each vehicle they make. So there isn’t one generic schedule that applies to all cars. In addition to your owners’ manual, Houston automotive repair centers subscribe to information services that provide the maintenance schedules for every vehicle – so they can help you know when to take care of needed services. Below is a typical definition for severe service.

Most trips are less than four miles
Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing
You drive in very hot weather
The engine is at low speed most of the time (not on the highway)
Stop and go driving
You operate your vehicle in dusty or muddy conditions
You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier
It’s common sense: Just a few minutes at freeway speeds allows the moisture in the oil to evaporate. Very short trips, or trips of less than ten miles when it’s very cold, don’t allow the engine to heat up enough to get rid of the water. And water in the oil leads to damaging sludge. Also, towing and heavy loads raise operating temperatures and cause fluids to breakdown more quickly. Dusty and muddy driving means that more dirt will get past the air filter to contaminate the fuel system and engine oil.

The bottom line is that you need to decide for yourself if the regular or severe service schedule is right for you, based on your driving. Look at your owners’ manual, or talk with your Mobile Tune Up and Repair service advisor who can help you know which schedule to follow. Mobile Tune Up and Repair is located at 17807 Kieth Harrow Blvd , Houston TX.,

Here is what a fleet manager said recently: “Since city miles are generally tougher on vehicles than highway miles, we use the manufacturer’s severe service schedule as the basis for our preventative maintenance program. We massage those schedules over time, increasing or decreasing the service intervals so that they make the most sense. There is a little bit of art to go along with the science.

Make an honest evaluation of your driving habits. Unless you do mostly TX highway driving in moderate weather, you’ll likely have a fairly good amount of severe service mixed in. Some people just want to play it safe and follow the severe service recommendations, rather than analyzing how they drive each month.