Vibration, contamination, and exposure to heat make belts and hoses wear out faster than any other components in your car. That's why regular inspections are so important. Here are the types of belts and hoses in your vehicle, along with their applications.

The brake system is actually composed of two kinds of systems: hydraulics and friction materials. Here's what happens within these systems between the time your foot hits the brake pedal and your car stops.

In order to meet Federal Exhaust Emission and Fuel Economy regulations, today's vehicles are equipped with highly sophisticated electronic engine control systems. These systems do not require periodic adjustments. The only services required on a scheduled basis are spark plug and filter replacement. Tune-ups, as we once knew them, are no longer necessary.

The following components are inspected. Their condition is recorded and compared to the manufacturer's specs. We then make recommendations based on the Motorist Assurance Program Uniform Inspection Guidelines.

Your car's engine is the power source for both the heating and air conditioning systems. The systems also share other components, as the diagram below shows. Here's what happens when you flip on the heat or the air conditioner.

Here's the great thing about Mountain View Tire gift certificates: Anyone who drives can put them to good use.

If there are people in your life who loves cars, they'll appreciate that your gift appeals to their automotive side.

And your friends and relatives who don't know a headlight from a tailpipe will love that they won't have to pay for service and maintenance for a while.

Either way, gift certificates from Mountain View Tire remind your loved ones that you care about their safety and want to make life a little bit more convenient and affordable for them.

You can purchase gift certificates for any amount at all Mountain View Tire locations throughout the year. They can be redeemed for any of the products and services we offer, including:

Used to be that, when it came to inflating your car’s tires, you were rather limited in terms of what you could inflate them with. "Regular old air" was your only choice. But since August of 2010, Mountain View Tire has been offering nitrogen tire inflation as a smart alternative.

Why should you inflate your tires with nitrogen? There are three good reasons. Take a look.

Chances are the engine is the most expensive component of your vehicle, so it makes good sense to take care of it. Fortunately, that’s very easy to do. Simply by having your oil and oil filter changed at any Los Angeles area Mountain View Tire location you can protect your engine’s inner parts and maximize its service life. (The oil and filter should be replaced as often as recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer. You’ll find that suggested interval in your owner’s manual.)

You can do so much good by doing something so simple: taking your used motor oil to any Mountain View Tire store for recycling.  

California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) estimates that, each year, up to 50 million gallons of used motor oil are discarded improperly - and illegally - in the state’s storm sewers, rivers, lakes, garbage cans, even directly onto the ground. This dumping adds dangerous chemicals to our soil and waterways, including lead, zinc, chromium, arsenic, chlorides, cadmium, and chlorinated compounds.

The primary function of your vehicle's suspension and steering systems is to allow the wheels to move independently of the car, while keeping it "suspended" and stable. Any play or uncontrolled motion in these systems can result in a deterioration of handling and accelerated tire wear. Vehicle alignment is closely tied to the condition of the suspension and steering systems.

Tire alignment is a term that refers to the position of each tire and/or wheel relative to your car and all your other tires. When properly aligned, your tires point in precisely the same direction, moving your vehicle over the road as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

What is tire balancing and why is it necessary? When an object spins as quickly as a tire does, even a slight difference in weight on some part of the object (a heavy spot) can affect its operation. In fact, it takes only a quarter of an ounce of extra weight on any part of a tire to throw it out of balance!

It's easy to forget about your tires, until one of them needs repair. Here are a few important things you should know about tire repair and extending the service life of your tires.

For many drivers, a new set of tires represents a sizeable investment. Fortunately, regularly scheduled maintenance can maximize your return on that investment. When it comes to your new set of Goodyear, Cooper, Kelly or Dunlop tires, the maintenance is very simple, very effective, and very affordable, if not free! It’s called tire rotation.

The transmission is your vehicle’s most complex system, which means it also can be the most difficult and costly to fix. As with most other types of car problems, the sooner you have your transmission symptoms diagnosed and repaired, the better the chances you can limit any damage and the cost of repairing it. That’s why it’s important to see us as soon as you suspect something is wrong with your transmission. Here are a few of the typical symptoms.