Costco Connection - April 2009

Battery care tıps

Recyclers to the core

Car battery maintenance tips

THEFOLLOWING TIPSapply to allcar batte r-ies, including maintenance-free batteries. • Make sure to wear safety glasses when working near or with car batteries.

• To ensure good connectivity, clean the terminals periodically with a wire brush. •When removing a connector from a term i-nal, twist it from side to side and pull gently upward. Refrain from excessive tugging or prying.

•When reconnecting a connector to a termi -
nal, seat it down firmly on the post. A few
gentle whacks from a rubber mallet will
do it. Don’t overtighten and strip the nut.

• After securing the connector, coat the whole post with high-temperature grease. This will reduce corrosion and rust.

• If you keep having electrical problems (battery dies, car won’t start, power is intermittent or weak), it’s not necessarily the battery. It could be in the charging system. A mechanic can test the system to isolate the problem.

M aintenance-free batteries

A maintenance-free battery is really just a heavier-duty version of a conventional battery. Many of the components have thicker construction and feature different, more durable materials. For example, the plate grids often contain calcium, cadmium or strontium, to reduce gassing (which causes water loss) and self-discharge. This design, called a lead-calcium battery, ensures that fluid loss is kept to a minimum and that components have a much longer life. This eliminates the need to check the battery’s water level every couple of months. C

AN AUTOMOTIVE battery contains about 21 pounds of lead, 3 pounds of plastic and 1 gallon of sulfuric acid.

As part of the company’s ongoing efforts to encourage battery recycling, Costco charges a $9 core charge on the purchase of a new battery, a charge that is fully refunded when you bring your worn battery back.

“The disposal charge is implemented to encourage our members to return their old batteries so they can be recycled and the batteries do not end up in the environment,” says Costco buyer Carmen Westbrook.

When the battery you purchased at Costco needs to be replaced, simply bring it to Costco, along with the sales receipt, for disposal. In return, Costco will give you a refund for the $9 core charge and the applicable tax.—T. Foster Jones

Buyer’s pıck

Pat McClintock

Automotive Buyer

FRANCE FREEMAN

Make sure your RV is road-ready

ALASKASTOCK/RF

IT’S SPRINGTIME, and you’re itching to get into the RV and out on the road. Maybe you’re heading back north after wintering in warmer climes. Perhaps you’ve got spring and summer travel plans. Not so fast. If your RV has been idle or in storage, say the experts, there are a number of items to check, potential problems that are easily preventable if taken care of before you head out.

According to Coach-Net ( www.coach-net.com), a travel assistance service, RV travelers need to review maintenance procedures, service their RVs early and check system operation to avoid problems on their next trip. In researching more than 85,000 service calls, Coach-Net found the majority of operational RV issues are preventable. Here are the top five.

Engine

Engine concerns top the list at 31. 7 percent of the calls. “Most inoperable engines are not due to catastrophic engine failure,” says Patrick Cipres, an RVIA-RVDA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association–Recreational Vehicle Dealer Association) master certified technician. “Minor problems such as those caused by incompatible coolant, a filter needing to be changed or improper fuel are the root of most calls related to the chassis.” If left unattended, minor issues often lead to major ones.

DID YOU KNOW that the tires use up to 20 percent of the energy needed to operate your car? This effect is due to rolling resistance, the force that must be overcome to move the tires on a vehicle forward. The good news: Tires that offer lower rolling resistance levels can actually save fuel.

Michelin offers some of the most fuel-efficient tires available. Tires with the Michelin Green X^® label guarantee a level of energy efficiency that is among the highest in the market, reduced CO emissions and

2 the legendary Michelin advantages of long wear, safety and high performance.

To find Michelin tires that can help you use less fuel and reduce your impact on the environment, stop by a Costco Tire Center or visit www. tires.costco.com. C