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The Importance of Wheel Alignment Checks During Spring As the seasons change and temperatures fluctuate, your vehicle's wheel alignment can be thrown off, affecting handling and tire wear. We've put together four reasons why your spring wheel alignment is crucial for your safety on the road.   Tire Wear: Improper wheel alignment can cause uneven tire wear, leading you to purchase...

Checking Your Brakes and Suspension for Spring Conditions As temperatures continue to rise and everything around us thaw from winter ice and snow, it's crucial to ensure your vehicle's brakes and suspension are in top condition for safe springtime driving. Here's how to check and maintain these critical components: Brake Inspection: Visual Inspection: Check the brake pads and...

Rain or Shine: Ensuring Your Wipers Are Ready for Spring Showers With spring showers hopefully on the horizon, it's essential to ensure your windshield wipers are in the best condition for clear visibility in any weather. Follow our checklist below to prepare your wipers for rain or shine. 1. Inspect the Blades: Check the condition of your wiper blades for signs of wear, such as cracks,...

3 Reasons Why April is the Perfect Time for Tire Changeovers As April rolls around, it's time to consider swapping out your winter tires for something more suitable for the changing weather. Here are our top three reasons why April is the ideal month for tire changeovers: 1. Transition from Winter to Spring: April marks the transition from the harsh winter conditions to milder spring...

How Filter Replacements Can Improve Your Vehicles Performance In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to overlook the small yet important elements that keep your vehicle running smoothly. One of these elements is your vehicle's filters, which plays an important role in maintaining engine health and overall performance. As March and April roll though, now is the perfect time...

Quick Lane's Top Tips for Navigating a Harsh Winter Return As we all have noticed, winter has made a sudden and harsh return, now is the time to ensure your vehicle is ready to face the challenges of constant temperature and weather changes. At Quick Lane, we understand that proper winterization is crucial for your vehicle's performance and your safety on the road. Let's dive into a comprehensive...

Importance of Coolant and Antifreeze Maintenance As February brings fluctuating temperatures and icy conditions, ensuring your vehicle is properly equipped to handle the constantly changing weather becomes essential. Among the many maintenance tasks to consider, one often overlooked yet crucial aspect is the health of your coolant and antifreeze system. Why Coolant and Antifreeze...

The Importance of Wheel Alignment Checks In the fast-paced world of automotive maintenance, there's a key factor that often goes unnoticed until problems appear -- wheel alignments. Your vehicle's wheels are more than just round objects that keep you moving; they play a crucial role in ensuring your safety, extending the lifespan of your tires, and enhancing fuel efficiency. Here, at Quick...

Cold-Weather Battery Maintenance and Tips Alberta recently experienced a polar vortex, pushing temperatures to a bone-chilling -40 degrees (without windchill) in a dramatic cold snap. This deep freeze not only tested the resilience of our vehicles but emphasized the critical role of regular battery maintenance. In this blog, we'll break down how extreme cold affects batteries and share a few...

Oil Change FAQs: Everything You've Wanted to Know Oil changes are one of the most basic yet important service to have done on your vehicle regularly. We have put together a few answers to the most frequently asked questions about Oil Changes. Whether you're a seasoned driver or a new car owner, understanding the basics of oil changes is key to keeping your engine running smoothly. 1....

Fluids To Check This Winter And Why They're Important  As our seemingly mild winter settles in, it's time to ensure that your vehicle is prepared to face the challenges colder months bring. One important aspect of winter car maintenance is checking and maintaining various fluids that play a vital role in keeping your vehicle running smoothly. Continue reading to find the five fluids...

Debunking Winter Vehicle Maintenance Myths Winter brings along its own set of challenges, especially for vehicles navigating through snow-covered roads and icy conditions. During the seasonal transition, misconceptions about winter car maintenance tend to circulate, potentially jeopardizing both safety and vehicle performance. Let's dive into debunking some common myths surrounding winter...

Cold Weather Car Care: How to Prep Your Vehicle for Winter As the temperatures drop and snowflakes start to fall, it's time to give your vehicle some extra attention. Winter driving can be challenging, but with the right preparations, you can navigate the roads safely and with confidence. In this blog post, we'll guide you through essential steps to get your vehicle ready for the cold winter...

Tire Buying Guide: Factors To Consider  When it comes to maintaining your vehicle's safety and performance, one critical element often overlooked is your tires. The right set of tires can make a world of difference in how your car handles its fuel efficiency, and even your safety on the road. However, with so many options available, choosing the right tires can be a daunting task. In...

How To Choose The Right Battery For Your Vehicle  When it comes to choosing a battery for your vehicle, it's not just a matter of picking the first one you see on the shelf. Not all batteries are created equal, and selecting the right one is essential for your vehicle's performance and longevity. In this blog, we'll walk you through the key factors to consider when choosing the right battery...

Signs Your Vehicle Battery Might Need Replacing  As your trusted Quick Lane, we understand the importance of keeping your vehicle in top-notch condition. One critical component that often gets overlooked until it's too late is the battery. A well-maintained battery is crucial for ensuring your vehicle starts reliably and runs smoothly. In this blog post, we'll share some key signs that...

Benefits of the Quick Lane Multipoint Inspection If you've been to Lacombe Quick Lane before, you already know we perform all sorts of services and repairs on your vehicle. We can install new tires and brakes. We can change your oil and service your suspension. If your vehicle's battery needs replacing, we can replace that for you too! And yes, these services are available for all makes...

Why You Should Avoid Potholes Potholes can be a common sight on roads, especially during the winter and summer months when freezing and thawing of water beneath the pavement causes cracks to form. While they may seem harmless and unavoidable at times, it is essential to understand the potential dangers they pose and why it is crucial to avoid them whenever possible.  Tire & Wheel...

Tips To Maintain Your Vehicle's Air Conditioning With the Summer months upon us, it is essential to ensure that your vehicle's air conditioner is working efficiently. A well-maintained A/C not only keeps you comfortable during hot weather but also prevents potential damages and costly repairs down the line. To help you maintain your vehicle's air conditioner, we've highlighted some essential...

How to get your vehicle road trip ready with Quick Lane  Summer is here, and what better way to celebrate than by taking a road trip! Before you hit the road, it's important to ensure that your vehicle is road trip ready with proper maintenance and supplies in case of emergencies. Tires Start with inspecting your tires to ensure that they're properly inflated, have a good tread depth,...

Breathe a breath of fresh air with cabin air filters Did you know the cabin air filter in your vehicle is an important part of the heating and cooling system? Not only that but maintaining your cabin air filter can affect more than just that.  Let's explore the benefits your cabin air filter brings to you and your vehicle. What is a Cabin filter? The cabin air filter lets you breathe...

What are wheel alignments and how often should you get yours checked? Wheel alignments are an essential aspect of maintaining your car's overall health and ensuring its optimal performance. Simply put, wheel alignment refers to the adjustment of the wheel angles to the manufacturer's specifications. If your wheels are not properly aligned, it can lead to several issues, including uneven...

6 Tips For Getting Your Vehicle Ready For Spring  Spring is here, and with it comes the opportunity to do some much-needed vehicle cleaning and detailing. After a long, harsh Winter, your vehicle accumulates build up of mud, slush, and salt. These combinations can affect your vehicle's exterior and cause rusting on the body. Get your vehicle ready for Spring with a little TLC using these...

The Basics on EV ChargingElectric vehicles are becoming more readily available. Companies like Ford are putting a lot of effort into creating more electric and hybrid models. However, many people still have a lot of questions regarding electric vehicles, also known as EVs. What is the difference between the chargers? Are chargers accessible? How do I find a charger? These are just a few questions...

Prepare your vehicle for the cold, even if you aren't here to experience itIn the midst of colder weather, we Canadians tend to have our eyes on warmer climates. We jet off to tropical and exotic locals south of the border and leave our vehiclessitting out in the cold.Before you jet off for that much needed vacation, we have a few tips to help make your return home that much smoother.Test Your BatteryReturning...

Winter Travel Tips Before you head out of town for the holidays, take care of the vehicle you hope will get you there. The holiday season is upon us. That means twinkling lights, wrapping paper, smiling faces, snow and of course travelling to see friends and family.Whether you are flying across the country -- or maybe you are lucky and are heading someplace warm -- or driving a few hours...

Keep Your Battery From Dying This WinterWinter has hit hard, and now that terrible noise is on the brain. You know the one. CLINK. CLICK. CLICK. SPUTTER. NOTHING.A dead battery can happen anywhere at any time, not just in the winter. But it does happen a lot more often in the winter than in the summer. And having a dead battery in the summer is a lot more ideal than in the cold of winter.We have a...

Studded vs Unstudded Winter TiresHere in Alberta we are no stranger to driving in the snow and ice. Did you know more than 65% of the country receives snowfall for more than 6 months of the year, according to Environment Canada? With winter conditions lasting that long, it's no wonder winter tires are so important.But then there are different options, like studded and unstudded tires. What exactly...

The Bigger Picture On Wiper BladesLet's talk about a key component, to your visibility on the road, one that is often over looked. No it's not your lights, or your windshield. It's your wiper blades.It may not be the most interesting topic, but when it comes to you seeing clearly on the road, it is a very important one.When To Replace?Your wiper blades wear down over time and need to be replaced regularly....

Time for a Tire AlignmentTire or wheel alignments are regular part of automotive maintenance and normally done one or twice a year. An alignment is necessary for the best possible driving experience. Regular alignments can help your tires perform properly and even help them last longer. It can also improve handling, keep your vehicle from pulling in one direction, or vibrating strangely on the road.But...

What to Know Before You TowIt is finally summer, and the rain seems to have abated, which means it is time to hitch up the trailer, or maybe the ATV, and hit the open road and reconnect with nature -- with some of the conveniences of home of course.But towing shouldn't be taken lightly, and requires a driver to develop a whole new set of skills. Even the process of hitching and unhitching a trailer...

Is Your Vehicle Road Trip Ready? Summer is finally here, and you are ready to get out on the open road and explore your own backyard. Or maybe even further, and you are exploring Canada with a cross-country road trip. You have your trip planned, complete with all the best road-side attractions, and you've made a packing list for a month on the road.But what about your car?Is your vehicle as ready...

FordPass: How-to GuideIn our last post we told you all about the new FordPass App, and all of its great features available to both Ford owners and not alike. Now we are going to give you a how-to guide on setting the app up on your phone and how to use some of its key features.Setting up and using the app is simple and fast.Setting Up The AppIn just a few quick steps you will have the FordPass App...

Do I Need A Tire Rotation?Tire rotations are a regular part of keeping up with your vehicle's safety and performance. Tires need to be rotated regularly so your tread lasts & wears evenly. However, many drivers tend to overlook the procedure, endangering themselves and their vehicle. What is a tire rotation?While a tire rotation seems easy enough seeing as our tires rotate everyday when we...

AWD, RWD, 4X4 and FWD: What's The Difference? When shopping for a new vehicle there are many important aspects to consider and many of which could be confusing, especially for a first-time-buyer. One such potentially confusing aspect of a vehicle, is understanding it's drivetrain.  Before we go into the different types, let's briefly go over what a drivetrain actually is. Drivetrain...

'Next' Three Warning Lights You Shouldn't Ignore A few weeks back we took a deep dive into three major warning lights on your dashboard that you shouldn't ignore. In that post, we looked at what it meant when your Braking System, Check Engine and Oil Pressure notifications lit up. You can read more about them by CLICKING HERE. Now we take a look at three more warning lights you...

The Big 3 Warning Lights: What They Are And What To Do Your vehicle's warning lights are key communication features designed to inform drivers of problems or concerns with major vehicle components. Many under the hood problems are not evident to the naked eye, these indicators are in place to protect you. The problem is, most of us don't really know what warning lights we have and...

Tips To Keep Your Battery Running This Winter CLICK CLICK CLICK... nothing. Darn it all! We have all experienced the sound of a dead battery in the middle of a cold Canadian winter. It's in that precise moment we regret not having checked on it before cold temps were upon us... darn, too late. Waiting until the battery is completely dead, before replacing, is likely going to find you...

Top 8 Tips for Preparing Your Vehicle for Winter The temperature is steadily dropping, and more mornings than not we wake up to a thin layer of frost covering the ground and our vehicles. This all points to one unfortunate fact: Old Man Winter is coming again. With winter slowly creeping closer and closer it is time to prepare our vehicles for those long cold months ahead. Yes, just like...

Do Winter Tires Really Make A Difference? In a nutshell? Yes, the right tire in the right season impacts your vehicle's performance and safety, but also your wallet. Many people tend to overlook the importance of having a winter set of tires and an all-season or summer set because they drive an AWD vehicle or a 4X4 truck. It's true those vehicles are better designed for handling wet or icy conditions,...

What Are The Different Types of Tire Damage?"I've got a bulge!""Most of us do when we get past fifty.""No, a bulge in my tire - in the sidewall - a bubble!"The Damage is Serious!A bulge, bubble, or break in the sidewall of a tire is an issue requiring immediate attention. Typically, the result of an impact - curb, sidewalk, pothole - that damages the tire's reinforcing plies. As air escapes through...

Emergency Roadside Kit Must-Haves For Your VehicleIt's late at night, and the road is dark and unfamiliar. The wind whips up leaves and debris and making matters worse, you're in a cell-service dead zone. Then, suddenly, the steering wheel twists in your hands, and you fight to keep your vehicle from heading into the ditch.Once stopped, you open the door and step outside. In the light from your headlights,...

How To Safely Boost A Car BatteryEven the best battery will eventually show its age and require replacement. And somewhere along the line, it will likely need to be boosted, and there's a proper way to do it!In 1860, Frenchman Gaston Plante invented the first practical rechargeable battery based on lead-acid chemistry. Today, lead-acid batteries come as original equipment in most internal combustion...

Understanding Tire WarrantyTires are one of the most important and frequently replaced components on your vehicle. With proper care, a set of tires should last for years, but occasionally, they wear out prematurely. All major tire manufacturers have comprehensive tire warranties to protect consumers from paying full price for a replacement tire resulting from an early demise. Some tire brands are better...

How to Improve Your Fuel EfficiencyCanada is a large country with nearly 40,000 kilometers of paved roads. Though many large urban centers have well-designed rapid transit systems, owning a vehicle (for most people) is still a necessity. Statistics Canada estimates that in Canada, we burn approximately 111 million liters of gasoline per day equalling over 40 billion liters of gasoline per year.If there's...

Inspecting Your TiresTires play a huge role in your driving experience and are crucial to your vehicle's safety and overall performance. Think about it: your tires are the only contact your vehicle has with the road surface. The better the tires, the better the control, acceleration, braking and ride.Tires that are badly worn: Have reduced control Poor ride and handling Put unnecessary wear on front-end...

What To Do When You Get A Flat Tire?Let's admit it, a flat tire - whether on the highway or just around town - is a major inconvenience. There you are, minding your own business, when suddenly something doesn't feel right. Tell-tale signs that you have a flat tire might include Difficulty steering - especially when turning, changing lanes or travelling around curves in the road Poor acceleration, pulling...

Buying Tires from Big Box Stores vs Local Tire ShopsOK, it's time for new tires, and you're thinking about getting 'em from a big box store such as Costco, Canadian Tire or Walmart. They have the best prices, right? Maybe not...There is more to consider when deciding on where to buy tires, we agree that price is an important factor. This is an expensive purchase and an important one!Other factors to...

How Are Tires Made?The history on a product that most consider relatively simple, is surprisingly a long and complex story. The development of the tire, as we know it today, dates as far back as 1845! Wow, right?No one individual can be credited with inventing the tire.  In fact, several inventors over several decades contributed to creating the tire and here are just a few:1845 - Robert William...

The Difference Between a Spare tire and a DoughnutDepending on the vehicle you drive, you could either have a spare tire or a doughnut - aka compact spare. The difference between these two "emergency" tires is significant.Spare TiresSpares are full-size tires that match the existing tires on your vehicle. Ideally, the spare will be the same brand, series, dimension and tread pattern. If you've gone...

What happens to tires when your vehicle is parked too long?What happens to tires when a vehicle is parked for an extended period of time? You may think because your vehicle is parked - especially in a garage - that the tires will be fine. But here's something to consider: your tires support the entire weight of your vehicle, and if left in one position, they will eventually lose pressure, deflate and...

The Danger of Worn Out TiresDepending upon size and the overall diameter, the average tire will rotate nearly 1000 times in one kilometre. And with every rotation, tire treads gradually wear down, resulting in reduced handling, control, and performance. Over time, tires will become worn out - meaning little or no tread is left on the surface of the tire - a recipe for trouble.New tires typically have...

Understanding Your Tire SizeSo it's time to buy tires? You call a few shops and one of the first questions they ask is "What size?" A seemingly simple question yet you'll soon find out it's much more complex than small, medium or large. The first thing you need to find is the tire size for your vehicle. You can refer to your owner's manual or the tag on the door pillar for recommended tire size and...

What are Take-Off Tires?Take-off Tires come off New Vehicles on the Lot and are Considered Slightly Used TiresSo, you're looking for options when it comes to purchasing new tires. You'd like a good quality tire, but you need to keep your budget in mind. Have you considered buying a set of take-off tires? A set of ... what? Take-off tires are tires that have been taken off of a brand new vehicle. This...

New Tires versus Tire & Wheel SetsIf you're looking to buy new tires, first thing is where to buy them? Our Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centre stocks a range of brand name tires for every make and model of vehicle. Our Price Match Promise is your assurance of the best tire deal in Central Alberta and with FREE TIRE STORAGE, where to buy is an easy decision. To request a quote CLICK HERE. Here's another...

Why Tire Rotations?Quick question: do all tires wear evenly? Well, you might say that the answer depends upon the quality of the tire, the type and condition of the vehicle, and the driver. You'd be right, but there's more to it. Brand new, brand-name tires on a brand-new vehicle will still wear differently, thus the need for tire rotations. Here's the truth: over 60% of a vehicle's overall weight...

How to tell when your car's tires will expireThe short answer to the question of tire expiration dates is that yes they do expire, but there is more to learn. It seems today almost everything has an expiry date and that includes your tires. It's a fact! Every tire has a date of birth - when it was manufactured - and expiry date; generally, six years from the time it rolled out of the TBS or Tire Building...