Automotive Industry News & Information - Tony Kennedy's Crain's Automotive

Unless you use your vehicle to tow every day for work, odds are you haven’t paid much attention to your truck, SUV, or crossover’s towing capacity. Maybe you’re looking to buy a boat for some summer fun or just need to rent a trailer to get your belongings from one dwelling to the next. Whatever the reason for pulling something behind your vehicle, it’s important to get a firm grasp on what exactly your towing capacity means. Understanding how each of the components in your vehicle contributes to your overall tow rating can keep you from putting undue stress on your rig and keep you and your family safe.

Keeping track of maintenance done on your fleet vehicles and commercial trucks is one of the most important aspects of fleet management. At Tony Kennedy's Crain's Automotive in Clarksville, TN, we track maintenance and repairs for a number of reasons. Here’s why:

With fleet trucks and large diesels, one issue plagues them more than any other; neglected maintenance or repair. At Tony Kennedy's Crain's Automotive in Clarksville, TN, we can take care of your entire fleet, no matter how big or small, making sure it stays on the road for years to come.

Your vehicle's belts and hoses are essential to the cooling, air conditioning and charging systems, and the engine. Don’t take these routine replacement intervals for granted because they can break down and leave you stranded.

What is the purpose and importance of your belts and hoses? The timing belt keeps the crankshaft and camshaft mechanically synchronized to maintain engine timing. Whether serpentine, V-belt, or fan belt (the belts on the outside of the engine), they all transmit power from the front of the engine to accessories that need to be driven, such as the air conditioning, the charging system, and fans. Radiator and heater hoses carry coolant to and from the engine, radiator, and heater core.

At Tony Kennedy's Crain's Automotive in Clarksville, TN, transmissions are our specialty. That means knowing how they work, how they wear out, what wears them out, and how to fix it. In this article, we’ll explore the way stop and go traffic affects your transmission.

There is a reason we check your brake fluid when you come in for a service check. Maintenance pays big dividends and we want to avoid high repair costs for our Clarksville drivers. Did you know that brake service isn't just all about the brake pads, drums & rotors? That we have found low brake fluid to be the cause of a large percentage of brake issues here at Tony Kennedy's Crain's Automotive? Seriously, brake fluid is an important part of your braking system and with your service intervals being less frequent on the newer vehicles 5,000-10,000 more miles this has become an issue! Why?...

Person driving with hands on the steering wheel

We’ve all been here: You start up your vehicle in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. Before your hand reaches the volume dial on the stereo to crank up your favorite morning radio duo, you hear a noise coming from your car. A vehicle shouldn’t make that noise, yet yours is. And it sounds bad. But is it?

Your fleet or commercial truck works hard, every day. Most commercial vehicles are heavy, and constantly under load. As a result, your brakes will inevitably develop issues over time. At Tony Kennedy's Crain's Automotive in Clarksville, TN, we can fix that.