Month: August 2019

Best Team to Fix Your Mercedes’ Glow Plug & Timer Failure in Canoga Park

As most of us know, maintenance goes a long way towards building a long relationship with your luxury car. Mercedes are designed with a strict set of standards to give owners excellence in performance. However, even a Mercedes automobile naturally requires inspection on a regular basis to ensure that it is performing as anticipated. One of the key features all maintenance checks should cover in your Mercedes is glow plugs and the corresponding timer failure.

In this article, we will discuss the glow plug and the timer, explain why they can sometimes fail, and discuss how you can detect glow plug and timer failures early on to take action in protecting yourself and your car.

What is a glow plug and timer?

The glow plug is the heating device that helps start your diesel engine. It serves a similar role as spark plugs in gasoline engines, which may be a more familiar part to most car owners.

Unlike gasoline engines, diesel engines compress intake air to reach the top dead center (TDC). At that point, the engine injects the diesel, the mixture of fuel and air evaporates, and the engine starts. This system performs as long as the compression temperature is high enough. The glow plug is what ensures your car engine can meet the temperature needed.

In Mercedes cars, glow plugs come with a timer that determines how long the plugs will stay on. The timer makes sure the plugs stay on long enough to warm the engine cylinders properly, but not too long that the plugs are damaged.

Why does the glow plug fail?

Like all the other components in your Mercedes, the glow plug and timer both suffer general wear-and-tear issues over time. Your engine may put out too high a voltage that “burns” the glow plugs. Also, continual exposure to heat also damages the glow plugs. Think about your glow plugs like light bulbs: they are turned on everyday and will eventually suffer heat erosion. The longer the heat lasts, the more damage it causes.

Three Symptoms Your Glow Plug and Timer are Failing

Luckily, it’s easy to detect failing glow plugs and timer. Below are the 3 major symptoms that tell you to check the glow plug and timer:

Hard to start
A problematic glow plug can’t provide the heat to start the engine. A faulty timer, on the other hand, causes the plugs to operate at wrong intervals. This happens more often in cold weather, as low external temperatures put more stress on the engine. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts before the engine will start. Other times, it may not start at all.

Glow plug light comes on
If the system detects problems with the glow plugs or the timer, the light will come on as a warning. If the light stays on after you have started your car, it also means that something may be wrong with the glow plugs and/or the timer.

Check engine light is on
At this point, something is definitely not right. When the check engine light comes on, it is strongly recommended that you bring your car in for a service. The check engine light comes on when there are issues with the circuit or signals related to the glow plug or the timer. By now, you would have noticed your car behaving oddly. It may be that it’s been difficult to get the engine running or it may be other symptoms. Even so, the check engine light doesn’t always signal a faulty glow plug or timer. It can be related to a variety of problems and failures, which is why it is important to have your Mercedes checked out as soon as possible.

How Euro Plus Automotive puts your mind at ease

The Mercedes specialists at Euro Plus Automotive have been serving Mercedes Glow Plug Issue Check the area of Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles County in California for over 30 years. The trained experts here dedicate their careers to helping drivers caring for their high-end vehicles.

Euro Plus Automotive puts your mind at ease with years of experience in glow plugs and timer maintenance. These are some of the parts most crucial to your engine, and they should receive the top-grade services. Euro Plus Automotive at Canoga Park provides customers with unprecedented services, where ASE-certified mechanics offer outstanding services with latest materials and technologies.

What Does the Illumination of Your Car’s Oil Change Light Mean in Canoga Park?

If the oil change light in your car has come on, you may assume that it only means that your oil level is low. While it could be as simple as that, there are several reasons why the light may come on. We will explain what those reasons are and why they are happening, how to fix these issues, and where to go to have them addressed.

Why the Oil Change Light May Be On

There are 5 typical reasons why your oil change light has come on.

Your oil level is low and needs to be changed. The more you drive, the more your fuel, oil, and coolant levels burn up. This is normal, and you may just need to top off your oil tank or have it changed.
Your oil is leaking somewhere and causes your levels to be low prematurely. This indicates that there is a larger problem in the works. Pipes may have burst and need to be repaired as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
The sensor that reads the oil levels may be malfunctioning, and it is time to have it replaced. This is usually due to typical wear over time, and it is nothing to worry about as long as you replace it when you notice the malfunction.
Your oil pump may be malfunctioning or failing. This is due to wear, debris clogging the pump, or abnormal breaks in the system. This can be dangerous if you do not have it repaired soon after you notice problems. A lack of oil can seriously damage the engine and leave you without a set of wheels.
Your oil pressure may be low. Check and make sure that your levels are still fine.

Ways to Fix the Issues

You can be proactive about the issues you are facing in a few different ways:

Refer to your driver manual and get your oil changed at the recommendation of the manufacturer. If you can’t find it, a good rule of thumb is to have your oil changed at least every 6 months.
Keep the oil pump clear of debris and gunk as often as you can. This causes several issues that can lead to a total breakdown of your engine.
Go see a qualified professional to have preventative maintenance done and to have any repairs or replacements done when you need them. They will be able to properly diagnose the issues your car is facing.

How to Change Your Oil

If the problem is a simple fix, you can change your oil yourself. Follow these steps, and you should avoid any further issues.

Look underneath the engine of your car and locate the oil drain plug.
Put a container underneath the plug to avoid a mess.
Unscrew the plug and let the oil drain into the container.
Unscrew the oil filter and replace it with a new one.
Open up a new bottle of oil and use a finger to moisten the gasket of your new filter with some of the oil.
Wipe the drain plug clean.
Replace the drain plug and tighten it so that none of the new oil escapes.
Refill the oil.
Replace the oil filler cap and run your engine for about a minute.
Check the oil level again after letting the engine cool down and top off the oil levels.
Remove the drain pan from under the engine.

If this seems too complicated, it is best to take your vehicle to a professional.

Where to Go to Fix Oil Change Light and Issues

Euro Plus Automotive is here to expertly diagnose and repair Car Oil Change any problems you may be having with your oil light and any underlying causes of it. We primarily service brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen, Acura, Lexus, Honda, Nissan, Infiniti, and Toyota. If you have any of these makes of automobiles, we guarantee we can fix your car and get you back on the road quickly.

We are located in the Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles County areas of California. If you are nearby, give us a chance to prove our quality and expertise. You will have a trusted mechanic for all of your future automotive needs.