There are 3 ways to tell if your tires need replacing.

• The penny test
• Wear indicators on the tires
• Tread gage

The Penny test is an old method of checking the wear of a tire. To perform this test, take a penny and stick Lincoln's head in between the treads. If any portion of Lincoln's head sticks out then it is time to replace that tire.

Wear indicators are located in the valley between the treads and are a little less than a ¼" high. If the wear indicators height are near the top of the treads it is recommended to replace the tire.

Tread gages will measure the amount of tread still left on the tire. Checking that measurement against the manufacturer's recommended specifications will let you know if you should replace the tire. You can find the manufacturer specs on the tire themselves, in the tire owner's manual or the manufacturer's web site.

Keep in mind that some times tires do not wear out evenly due to the suspension being out of line. In other words the middle of the treads can have a lot of thickness but one side can have very little thickness resulting in need to replace that tire as well as needing an alignment.

If you are replacing only one tire on your vehicle and the tread design is different. Depending on what wheel drive your vehicle is (for example front wheel drive (FWD), rear wheel drive (RWD) and all wheel drive (AWD)) then you may need to rotate your tires accordingly.

Ordering any parts for your vehicle can seem intimidating but it is really easy as long as you have some basic information about your vehicle.

The first thing you will want to do is to have your vehicle title on hand because it will give you the year, make and model of the vehicle.

If you can not find the title, write down the vehicle's 17 digit VIN number. The VIN number can be found on the driver's door or on the driver's side of the dash panel (the best way to view the VIN number on the dashboard is to view it looking from the outside looking down through the windshield. Also write down the model of the vehicle. This can be found on the rear body of the vehicle it could be SLS, ES, SE, EX.

Note the tire size. The tire size will be on the wall of the tire. Typically for a car, the size will look like this: P255-65 R15. The R # will tell you what size wheel you have. In the above example, the tire fits on a 15 inch wheel.

Another piece of information that will be needed to ensure you are getting the same design as your other wheels is to either bring in or email us a picture of what you have. If that's not possible, you will have to provide a description of the wheel. First tell us if the wheel is steel or aluminum.Aluminum wheels are typically silver and have a nice finished look. Steel wheels are either black or gray and will most likely need a hub cap. An easy way to tell the material of a wheel is to put a magnet to it. If the magnet sticks to the wheel it is a steel wheel. If it does not then it is aluminum.

Second, describe the design of the wheel. For instance, some wheels have a 5 spoke design or a 10 hole design.

If you are not sure about the design please feel free to call us. Anyone of our sales people would be happy to assist you to find the proper wheel for your vehicle.

Typically if a window will not go up or down it can be 1 of 3 things. It could be the window regulator (the motor that makes the window go up or down), window switches or a short in the wiring. Generally the most common parts that go out are the window regulators or the window switch but usually not both.

If the problem is with a window other than the driver's door, this is the procedure:

1. Check the window by using the switch at the window.. If the window doesn't go up or down, try to operate the window by using the corresponding master switch on the driver's side. If the window works using the master switch, then the passenger window switch is no good.
2. If the window still does not work after using the driver's master window switch, make sure that the other windows work using the driver's master window switch. If the other windows work then it is good possibility that the window regulator is no good.

If the problem is with the driver's door window this is what you will want to do:

1. Check the other windows using the master switches. If the other windows work it is a good possibility that the window regulator is no good.
2. If none of the windows work using the master switch then the switch is no good. Sometimes you can hear the switch make a slight clicking noise when pressing it. Good switches make clicking noises. Bad switches do not make any noise and typically feel different than the other switches.

Sometimes both the window regulator and the window switches are good and there is a short in the circuit. This scenario is very uncommon.

Checking for a short could be difficult and maybe better for a mechanic. But the way to check for a short is by using a test light on the motor to see if it is getting power. If the light does not go on then there is a short in the circuit.