Stay on Top of your Brake Maintenance to Stop on Time | Prescott Brothers of Princeton

Vehicle brakes are vital to your safety when driving. What signs indicate that they’re wearing out?

For those who suffer a daily commute through heavy traffic, your vehicle’s braking system can bring thousands of pounds of metal, plastic and empty Starbucks cups to a stop hundreds of times before you get to work. It goes without saying that these pieces wear out, but they do so slowly, meaning you may not notice they need attention until it’s too late.

Neglecting your braking system can lead to increased repair costs, or worse, no brakes at all. Fortunately, paying attention to some of the signs of brake wear can keep you on top of stopping maintenance, saving you some money and keeping your car from bouncing off of the guy in front of you.

The most obvious indicator that your vehicle’s brakes need attention is an incredibly high pitched squeal when you come to a stop. Brake pad manufacturers include a little piece of metal called an indicator on the pad itself. When the material wears down to the point where less than ¼ inch is left, the metal piece begins to touch the vehicle’s rotor, doing a pretty good impression of fingernails on a chalkboard. Depending on how hard you drive, that usually means you should replace your brake pads within the month.

Occasionally, the indicator rusts and falls off, leaving you with no irritating noise to warn of brake wear. Additionally, many aftermarket and low-cost pads don’t come with a wear indicator at all. For the more observant, there are other signs that your pads need attention. If it takes you longer to stop than it used to, or if your brake pedal travels farther than it did a few months ago, it might be a good idea to get your stoppers checked. Regular pad checks are a good idea and require little more than removing a wheel and knowing what to look for.

Rotors are a little trickier, as they can usually last through two or three sets of brake pads before needing to be replaced. If your steering wheel wiggles in your hands when you come to a stop, your rotors are probably “warped,” and it’s a good idea to swap them out.

Most shops will offer to “turn” your rotors for you instead of outright replacing them. This means shaving enough metal off of the rotors to make them smooth again. Newer vehicles are equipped with thinner, lighter rotors to save on costs and increase fuel economy. If you’ve got the option, go ahead and replace them.

There are several options for replacement brake parts for your vehicle. While you can never go wrong with what your manufacturer recommends, a variety of aftermarket parts can help you cater your brake system to your driving style. If you find yourself replacing rotors often, you might consider switching to a slotted version. While initially more expensive, the slots disperse heat better than stock, though 99 percent of the time they aren’t necessary for the average driver.

Your rotors aren’t the only piece of brake hardware that can be changed for better performance. One of the most common brake pad upgrades is a switch to ceramic pads. These pads stop just as well, if not better than the stock pieces, but produce much less dust and are generally quieter. While you can also install performance brake pads on your vehicle, these usually have a shorter life span and generate more wear on your rotors.

While neglecting your brakes until your car is grinding to a halt instead of gliding is always an option, it can cost you in unnecessary rotor replacement and possible towing bills. That’s not to mention the likelihood of losing most of your stopping ability right when you need it most. Keeping up with brake maintenance, paying attention to the signs of brake wear and choosing the right equipment for your vehicle will let you slow down like you should.

Top Ten Signs of Brake Wear:

1.   High pitched squealing
2.   Vibration in the steering wheel when stopping
3.   Grinding noises when stopping
4.   Increased braking distances
5.   Longer pedal travel
6.   Feeling the car “pull” to the left or right when stopping
7.   A weak emergency brake
8.   A bad smell after coming to a hard stop
9.   Pedal “fade”
10. Not stopping

When you start experiencing any of the above listed symptoms it is time to make an appointment at Prescott Brothers of Princeton or call us at (815) 875-1180.

Source: http://www.carcare.org/2011/10/car-brakes-how-do-you-know-when-to-change-them/

Summer is Road Trip Season

Start Planning your next Road Trip

Whether you’re embarking on a three-day trip into the next state, or a three-week cross-country journey, a five-star road trip requires a keen balance of spontaneity and advanced planning.

To help with your road trip, heed the following advice before switching into Kerouac-mode:

Make sure your vehicle is in sound working order – a cracked timing belt could be the difference between a great road trip and a hellish nightmare. Have your vehicle inspected before pulling out of the driveway. Or, do it yourself if mechanically inclined. Check the lights, directionals, wiper blades, and fluid levels and closely inspect the belts and hoses for wear and tear.

• Check that you have a fully intact car jack. A flat tire is not the time to discover you have a car jack but no lug wrench.
• Carefully examine the spare tire, ensuring that it’s fully inflated and the treads are in good condition.
• Organize an emergency kit stocked with: bottled water, first aid items (band aids, gauze pads, sterile pads), rain jacket, blanket, light sticks or flashlight, pocket knife, and one or two energy bars. Pack only essentials. The more compact, the easier it is to store.
• Check that your mobile phone is in sound working order. Also, be aware if your provider charges roaming fees. If roaming fees are a concern, consider using a phone card.
• Carry either a road atlas or a GPS device. If you know your route, check ahead for possible construction delays. Department of Transportation websites are great sources for road information, providing construction updates, weather forecasts and sometimes live webcams. Check out more on 511 Traffic Systems.
• Peace of mind is a good thing to have on the road. Subscribe with a car club that offers roadside assistance. If your vehicle breaks down 700 miles from home, its comforting to have access to a list of trusted mechanics and towing companies.
• Download road apps. GasBuddy, for example, directs you to the cheapest gas prices along your route.
• If you intend on camping, call ahead and inquire about reservations. This is especially important if you’re traveling during holiday weekends.
• Anticipate rush hour traffic when traveling through major cities. Either alter your route, or change your timing so as to drive through during late morning or early afternoon.
• Make sure you’re carrying all important driving documents: proof of car insurance, vehicle registration. and driver’s license.
• Be aware of state texting and cell phone laws.
• Make sure all traffic tickets are paid. The cleaner the driving record the better for you if stopped.

Resource: http://www.dmv.org/articles/road-trip-tips-plan-a-fun-and-safe-drive/

Ford Brings Repreve to the 2015 F-150 | Prescott Brothers Princton IL

Recycled Materials in 2015 F-150 Seats

What if we could redirect plastics from landfill and use them to create innovative materials, and then put them in the all-new Ford F-150, part of Ford F-Series, America’s best-selling truck?​ We could make a big difference.

Since 2012, Ford Motor Company has worked with Unifi to bring environmentally responsible, high-performance repreve fiber to many Ford vehicles. Now, this innovative fiber is available in the in the all-new F-150. By substituting with this recycled material, Ford will divert more than five million plastic bottles from landfills this year.

Ford is the only automaker to use repreve, made from 100 percent recycled materials including plastic bottles, in its vehicles. Ford is currently using repreve in five vehicles around the world, making it a truly global material, and it represents Ford's larger commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle as part of the company’s global sustainability strategy to lessen its environmental footprint.

“By using repreve in the all-new Ford F-150, we are reconfirming our commitment to using renewable and recyclable materials in our vehicles,” said Carol Kordich, lead designer, global sustainability materials strategy development. “We are always looking for ways to incorporate more innovative and sustainable materials into our vehicles.”

Prescott Brothers Ford Lincoln of Princeton, Inc., a Ford dealer in Princeton, Illinois offers new Ford Cars, Crossovers, SUVs, Trucks, Commercial Trucks online athttp://www.prescottfordlincoln.net. Search for all new 2013 and 2014 Ford, including Expedition, Flex, SuperDuty, Explorer, F-150, Econoline Wagon, E-Series Cargo Van, F-650-750, E-Series Cutaway, Fiesta, Focus, Taurus, Fusion, Edge, StrippedChassis, Transit VanWagon, Escape, Mustang, C-MAX, Transit Connect, Chassis Cab. Find your dream car from our Ford showroom of Cars, Crossovers, SUVs, Trucks, Commercial Trucks or search our new Ford inventory to see what is on our lot, get new car pricing and free Ford price quotes. View our used car inventory, including our pre-owned Ford vehicles.

The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is Still Menacing, Wonderfully Ridiculous | Prescott Brothers Princeton IL

It may be all Ecoboost and 10-speed automatic underneath, but the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor strikes that balance of aggressive and goofy characteristics that made the outgoing model such a hit.

Oh yeah, and the off-road credentials were pretty good, too.

Unsurprisingly, like the 2015 F-150, the new Raptor is a case of same-but-different on the outside. The FORD letters on the grille are still enormous, an endearing characteristic. They've also been added to the tailgate in lieu of a blue oval. The whole look is perhaps more modern and sophisticated, but in person the Raptor still comes off as a tough thing.

Ford didn't let us pop the hood to see the 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 that's supposed to be in there. Nor did they let us get too close to the interior, which at least doesn't stray too far from the new F-150's style. The paddle shifters inside were the first thing I noticed, though. And I'm still not convinced they look right in a truck, especially when they bear a similar appearance to the ones in the new Ford GT.

The thing about the Raptor has always been that it's a ridiculous vehicle. It's ridiculously large, ridiculously powerful for its size, ridiculously capable. But at the end of the day, the main attraction to this thing is its looks and sounds. They just make you smile.

This new one may be smarter under the skin, but it looks like it still has a sense of humor on the outside.

Can an actual Ford F-150 ride on 4 Power Wheels F-150s? | Prescott Brothers Ford Princeton IL

  By Chris Bruce
A lot of kids are rough on their toys, especially when it comes to those made to be used outside, like a four-wheeled kid-size Power Wheels. Whether it's cruising through the sand box, carrying piles of rocks in the driveway or crashing around trees in the backyard, these motorized vehicles often take punishment from the moment the giftwrap comes off.

The folks at Fisher-Price decided to give their latest F-150 Power Wheels a true torture test worse than any kid could have ever managed by setting a real 2015 Ford F-150 on top of four of them. Would the little toy trucks explode in a shower of plastic shards in a massive collapse, and if not, could they drive away afterwards?

The latest F-150 might be 700 pounds lighter thanks to the switch to aluminum, but it's still a fullsize pickup. According to this clip, the truck weighs in at 4,120 pounds, which puts an average of 1,030 pounds on each of the toys. Check out the video above to see how the stunt goes.

Ford adds 850 jobs to build 2015 F-150 | Prescott Brothers Ford Princeton IL

By Noah JosephRSS feedGoogle+

Pickup trucks tend not to advance at quite the same pace as the rest of the industry. That's what makes the new Ford F-150 so remarkable, jettisoning its old steel construction in favor of aluminum. It's a game changer that Ford is betting big on, and in anticipation of surging demand, the Blue Oval automaker is adding 850 new jobs to put the thing together.

Those 850 new employees will be centered at Ford's Rouge complex in Michigan – with 300 at Dearborn Stamping, 50 more at Dearborn Diversified and 500 at the Dearborn Truck facility, the latter of which has already kicked off what Ford describes as "the largest manufacturing transformation in decades." Old manufacturing equipment is being replaced with the latest technologies, and even the Ford Rouge Factory Tour is undergoing a complete overhaul.

The new jobs come as part of the commitments Ford made to the UAW in 2011 to create 12,000 hourly jobs in the United States by 2015 – a number which Ford has already exceeded at 14,000. Over 4,000 of those are centered in southeastern Michigan.

Ford Marks 20 Years of Fighting Breast Cancer with Warriors in Pink | Prescott Brothers of Princeton IL

This year marks 20 years of Ford Motor Company fighting against breast cancer. The company’s journey began when it became one of the first corporate sponsors of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Ford branded its initiative Warriors in Pink^® and developed a full line of clothing and gear that donates 100 percent of the net proceeds to four breast cancer charities. Thus far, Ford has dedicated more than $125 million to the cause.

Involvement for Ford extends far beyond just financial support for research. Warriors in Pink encourages women to have continuing and honest conversations that keep them proactive about breast health and early detection.

“Through Warriors in Pink, Ford continues to be a unifying force in driving awareness for breast cancer. This year is especially meaningful to us as we mark our 20th anniversary and honor the strength and courage of all the survivors who have shared their stories with us throughout their journey,” said Joe Hinrichs, President of The Americas, Ford Motor Company.

Other ways Ford has been able to shine a spotlight on survivors is through its Models of Courage program, which highlights individuals who openly share their experiences with breast cancer.

Since 2006, Warriors in Pink has offered a line of apparel and accessories, and 100 percent of the net proceeds from the sale of these items benefit Warriors in Pink’s four charities partners: The Pink Fund, Susan G. Komen, Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and Young Survival Coalition. Join the fight and support a breast cancer charity of your choice.

My Ford Owner Magazine | King of the Hill | Prescott Brothers Ford Princeton IL

By Sam Martin
Photography by Bridget Barrett

A LIFETIME FORD LOYALIST PUTS THE NEW 2015 SUPER DUTY TO THE ULTIMATE TEST: A DAY OF WORK ON HIS 1,500-ACRE FARM OUTSIDE OF CUNNINGHAM, KANSAS.

Farm work waits for no one. So when My Ford rolls up at a homestead in central Kansas with a 2015 King Ranch F-350, our test driver is hardly sitting around waiting for us. Bob Renner, 54, is prepping the hay baler on the back of his 2000 F-350, getting ready to feed 100 head of cattle and almost 90 baby calves.

Renner is a quintessential midwestern farmer. His manners are old school, his smile is broad—his stories are told with a sparkle in his eye. Like most people who have worked the land their whole life, he has seen his fair share of trials and tribulations. In 1984, while driving to a dance in his hometown of Cunningham, Renner was involved in a serious car accident. After being airlifted to a hospital in Wichita, he awoke from a coma seven days later without his left arm.

“The doctor told my father there were two ways people reacted to an injury like mine,” Renner says. “They either complain the rest of their life, or they yell at you to leave them alone. Well, we were leaving the hospital, and my dad opened the car door for me. I yelled at him, ‘Dad, I only lost one arm. I can do this myself!’ I was tough to be around for a few years there, but I was lucky enough to have a lot of people who loved me.”

Spend a day with Renner at his 1,500-acre farm and its neighboring townships of Cunningham, St. Leo and Zenda, and you’ll quickly see there are still plenty of people who love this man. You’ll also see that the loss of a limb has done nothing to slow this father of three. Renner, along with his wife, Donna, raises cattle and grows wheat and alfalfa on his land, a part of America that has been in his family for three generations.

His method of farm management relies on squeezing every last drop of production out of his fleet of five Ford pickup trucks. Listening to the genealogy of Renner’s trucks is like listening to his family history. “My dad always ran Ford trucks,” he explains. “So I always, always, drove Ford. I’ve sold some, I’ve wrecked a few, but they’re awfully tough pickups.”

“My red pickup [the 2000 F-350], that’s my overall work truck that I feed cattle and haul hay with all the time. I just about live in it. It has about 300,000 miles on it and is still going strong.”

The tough miles that Renner puts on his trucks make this the perfect setting for today’s test: putting one of the very first 2015 King Ranch F-350 trucks through its paces on a working farm. “When I woke up this morning, I was excited,” Renner says. “I’d never thought I’d have people from Detroit come to my place to let me drive a brand-new F-350. So I’m ready to put it to the test.”

WHAT A FARM NEEDS

 

A typical day for Renner begins with a trip to inspect and feed his herd of cattle and, at this time of year, baby calves. “I don’t brand my cattle, but on any given morning I may have to tag calves, check to see if anything’s wrong with them, and give them a feed.”

He keeps his bales of alfalfa on the second story of a tall white barn with red trim, built by his grandfather in 1919. Renner opens a small hatch 20 feet in the air and throws four green bales down into the tray of the waiting F-350. As he steers the truck down toward the nearby paddock filled with the waiting herd, he reflects on what he considers when purchasing a vehicle for his farm.

“When I buy a truck, I’m mainly thinking about weight. I do a lot of hauling: I haul a very heavy swather, cattle, a lot of hay—sometimes upwards of 16,000 pounds. You need good towing capability to do that.”

Luckily for Renner, the 2015 Super Duty has been designed to work. The second generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke^® Turbo Diesel offers best-in-class power. This is a truck built to tow, to increase productivity for its owner, and to do so as efficiently as any truck on the market.

A MILITARY CLASSIC

Building a dream museum in Louisiana

 

By Sara Pepitone


Heading to Texas in his F-250, Sean Carrigan Sr. is en route to pick up a vintage Ford military vehicle. When he brings it back to Louisiana, the vehicle will join 18 others. Carrigan says he purchased the F-250 in 2012 because it’s a tough truck “that drives like a [luxury car]”—perfect for this type of haul.

From 1942 to 1945, Ford Motor Company shut down civilian vehicle production and dedicated its resources to building military vehicles of all kinds. Ford produced four models for wartime use, plus a prototype used to win the contract, says Carrigan. “I’ve seen them, but they’re really rare.” His goal is to have one of each military vehicle model made since the start of World War II. A 1942 Ford GPW Script is among the jewels. The GPW was a licensed version of the famous Willys-Overland MB Jeep that Ford built to help supply the military with enough rugged light reconnaissance vehicles. It’s one of the first 50,000 of 277,000 Ford built, says Carrigan, who researches the vehicles’ history extensively with help from stories told by his dad, a WWII U.S. Navy veteran. Members of the local military club he runs help him find vehicles, as well as military uniforms and all kinds of equipment.

A collector since age 14—the income from his first job supplied the money to buy a WWII military vehicle he still owns—Carrigan is using his collection to found the Military Motors Museum of Slidell, La. “I spent all my life restoring these vehicles, and I want to keep them together.”

Carrigan studies Henry Ford too. “I love everything he did. He was meticulous,” says Carrigan, citing the way that every part of Ford’s military vehicles was marked with an “F,” from seat backs to bolts. “The F marks are the sign of a prize possession. When you restore the vehicles, you search for them hidden under the old paint.” Their purpose, Carrigan explains, was to separate them from other manufacturers’ parts that might come back under warranty. Today they’re what make the vehicles so collectible.

The group also includes a 1970 Ford M151A2. “This [military light utility vehicle] is a go-anywhere, go-anytime vehicle that is truly Ford tough,” he says. It has played a role in film productions, which is one way that Carrigan is raising money to build the museum. Selling bricks also raises funds. He’s planning a giant Quonset hut, modeled after the half-cylindrical metal structures used by the U.S. military in WWII.

Once he saves enough cash, Carrigan says, he’ll get serious about finding a Ford GPA “Seep,” the amphibious version of the prized collectible GPA Jeep.
Tags: Super Duty, Trucks

 

MUSTANG TURNS 50

By Patrick Dunn

Ford fans celebrate half a century of one of America’s most loved and iconic cars. 

 

PHOTO: SAM VARHAGEN

ELENA FORD Reenacts her grandfather Henry Ford II’s unveiling of the 1965 Mustang 50 years later in Flushing Meadows.



IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, auto fans, including the Mustang Club of America, came in droves to celebrate 50 Years of Mustang at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and Corona Park in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Ron Bramlett, the Speedway events’ executive director, contends that the Mustang’s versatility over the past five decades is why so many people turned out for this important milestone. “It fits everybody’s imagination one way or another,” he says.

The small army of over 10,000 ’stangs in attendance was just one attraction among many. “This was not your typical car show where everybody’s sitting in lawn chairs by their cars and keeping them spotless and clean,” Bramlett says. Many took advantage of “ride and drive” opportunities, which drew long lines. Others broke out suits and cocktail dresses. Shelby American hosted a gala at its Las Vegas headquarters, and both Speedway events had Saturday night banquets.

The high point during each event was the unveiling of the 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition, a 5.0-liter V-8 with Brembo front brakes and 19-inch alloy wheels, which will be limited to a run of 1,964 cars available in either Wimbledon White or Kona Blue. Other features include rear quarter louvered glass and a unique two-tone cashmere and black interior.

The festivities also drew Ford luminaries, including Bill Ford, Marks Fields and Gale Halderman, the man who first sketched the Mustang’s iconic design. “I got to shake the hand that held the pen that drew the Mustang, which was pretty incredible,” Bramlett says.
MUSTANG EVOLUTION Important moments in the history of this American icon >1964 Ford unveils the Mustang at the World’s Fair in New York.

>1974 The Mustang II wins Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year” award.

>1982 The California Highway Patrol purchases 400 Mustangs to help keep pace with high-speed pursuits.

>2008 The nine millionth Mustang is sold, cementing its legacy as an icon.

>2012 Ford designers achieve the seemingly impossible feat of giving even more muscle to the ‘Stang's exterior with the release of the Shelby® GT500®.

>2014 With a sleeker body, enhanced engine lineup and performance features, the 2015 Mustang is unveiled.
Tags: Mustang, Classic Cars













 

SMARTER CAR

Ford teams up with four universities to engineer a more intuitive vehicle.

By Seth Putnam
Ford has consistently established itself at the vanguard of automotive technology, often through its alliances with cutting-edge engineering departments at universities around the world. Now researchers at four universities are tackling the gray area between human and automated driving. “There’s the concept of having a virtual driver,” says Greg Stevens, Ford global manager of Driver Assistance and Active Safety Research. “In the future, we’ll effectively have a virtual driver sharing the driving tasks with us.”

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Engineers from Ford and the University of Michigan have developed a Fusion Hybrid automated research vehicle with LiDAR sensor “eyes” that take 2.8 million measurements per second. The sensors bounce lasers off physical surroundings and measure the returning light, effectively generating a three-dimensional map of the vehicle’s surroundings.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers are developing algorithms that allow the car to predict the trajectory of other vehicles and pedestrians in its path, thereby avoiding collisions. At Stanford University, researchers are working to give a virtual driver the ability to automatically maneuver to see around objects like large trucks on the road. Meanwhile, Aachen University is focused on keeping drivers engaged, exploring the best cues for informing the human driver what the virtual driver plans to do next.

Tags: Fusion Hybrid, RESEARCH