Back to all

Tuffy Clinton Township Guide to Using the Correct Fluids in Your Vehicle

July 12, 2020

Today's Tuffy Clinton Township post focuses on using coolant. drive If you pour in the wrong kind, it won't protect the cooling system and may even void the warranty. Check your vehicle owner's manual. Of course, your Tuffy Clinton Township service advisor will know the proper coolant for your vehicle.

Brake fluid is confusing for some Clinton Township drivers. Back when we opened Tuffy Clinton Township, most vehicles used Dot 3 brake fluid. Now we have Dot 4 and Dot 5. Some Clinton Township residents mistakenly think the higher numbers are an upgrade. You know, if 3 is good then 4 must be better. That's not how it works. They are different formulations to meet the demands of differences in brake systems. Only one of them is designed for your vehicle.

Ditto for transmission fluid. For decades there were two basic types of tranny fluid used at Tuffy Clinton Township: friction modified or not. With the tremendous engineering advances in vehicle automatic transmissions, there have been several new types of fluids developed to protect and lubricate them.

Nowhere are the advances in automotive fluids more evident to Tuffy Clinton Township professionals than in motor oil. Many new weights and formulations have been created to meet the demands of today's high-tech vehicle engine design. Modern engines have more parts and much tighter tolerances.

That's where the new grades of engine oil come in. They have to be formulated to lubricate, protect and clean all of those vehicle engine parts, big and little. The oil has to be thin enough to get into little passages, yet resistant to vaporization.

At Tuffy Clinton Township in Clinton Township, we believe that in some ways modern automotive fluids are just as impressive as the new engines. Because weights of oil and types of coolant and transmission fluid are so carefully matched to the vehicle, make sure you always use the proper fluid if you are topping off at home.

Tuffy Clinton Township
19535 15 Mile Rd
Clinton Township, Michigan 48035
586-792-6660
http://www.tuffyclintontownship.com


More articles from Tuffy Clinton Township

Your Vehicle is Talking to YOU (Service Warning Signs)

September 14, 2025

Your vehicle may be like that famous battery bunny, the one that just keeps going and going. But while it may seem sometimes like you never need to take your vehicle in to be worked on, there are some things you should keep your eyes, ears and nose out for. They are warning you about something t... More

Keeping Your Cool (Coolant leak repair)

September 8, 2025

If theres one thing you should pay attention to with your vehicle, its the temperature gauge. Its the one that may say C---H (that means cold---hot). Or maybe yours has a picture of a thermometer on it and a blue and red zone. If you see the needle heading farther to the H or red area, that mea... More

Keeping Yourself in Suspension (Control Arm Assembly Replacement)

September 1, 2025

When you are pointing your vehicle straight down the street, it should go straight. Thats pretty straightforward, right? Sometimes, though, you may notice you have to keep adjusting the steering wheel to keep going straight. While that could be caused by many different issues, one possibility i... More