How to Extend the Life of Your Brakes

November 26th, 2020
Keeping your car’s brakes in good condition is one of the most crucial preventative maintenance items for keeping yourself, your passengers, and your car safe on the road. Your vehicle’s brake components are not going to last forever, but you can keep them properly maintained to preserve their usefulness and make sure they keep performing at their best. A faulty brake system can reduce your safety on the road and can cause other serious problems and expensive damages to your vehicle. Working brakes are essential to keeping safe on the road and could even be the difference between life and death. Brake Repair and Maintenance
 
Most brakes will lose their effectiveness after 25,000 miles, but factors like quality of the brake pad, braking habits, and the temperature can all have a significant impact on how l ...[more]
  Tags: Auto Maintenance
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Car Smells and What They Mean

September 12th, 2019
Does your car have an unpleasant, lingering aroma? Usually your first impression will be to check for food that may have been left under seats. If the culprit isn’t food that has gone bad, there are several other reasons that may be the cause of the unpleasant smell. The last thing you want is your passengers in your being uncomfortable by the smell or worse question your hygiene. You need to find the source of the odor because an air freshener will only mask what could be a serious issue. Automotive Smells
 

What’s That Smell?

Rotten Eggs - If the smell is similar to rotten eggs, this may be because your catalytic converter has gone bad. The root cause could be an engine or emissions system problem that made the converter overheat, thus causing the rotten egg smell.
  Tags: Auto Maintenance
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

How Do My Brakes Work?

April 11th, 2019
It’s a sunny day and you’re driving down the road with your windows down and music turned up. All of a sudden, the car in front of you stops abruptly, causing you to slam on your brakes. Thank goodness your brakes worked perfectly, and you avoided a collision. Until this incident occurred you probably haven’t given your brake system much thought. Sure, you know your brakes should be inspected and serviced every once in a while… but how do they actually make your car stop with just a tap of the foot? How Brakes Work
 
When you really stop and think, you realize brakes are a pretty amazing invention. They have the power to bring a large, multi-ton machine traveling at 70 miles per hour to a complete stop with just a push of the pedal. This ability is all thanks to science! 
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Something is Leaking: What Is It?

November 15th, 2018
Finding that fluid which is leaking from your car can be alarming. It is possible fluid leaking from your car could be normal, but other times leaking fluids are a symptom of a bigger problem with your vehicle. Before you panic, there are two questions you need to ask: 1) “Where is the fluid coming from?” and 2) “What does the fluid look like?”What is leaking from my car?
 
When determining where the fluid is coming from, first find out for certain whether the fluid is even coming for your vehicle and not the vehicle parked in the space before you. If you are unsure, just get down and take a good look under the car with a flashlight or your cell phone. 
 
Once you have determined that the leak is indeed coming from your vehicle, stick a piece of white paper ...[more]
  Tags: Auto Maintenance
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Test Drive Checklist

September 13th, 2018
In the hopes of finding the perfect used vehicle, you have researched, pulled history reports, and compared a dozen different vehicle makes and models. You have put a lot of time and effort into finding the right vehicle. Don’t let your excitement cost you down the road. A used car can save you money, but only if you buy the right one.
 
Test Drive Checklist
The right used vehicle will be one which appeals to you, has a clean history report, and doesn’t need expensive repairs. It can be difficult to tell if a vehicle is in good shape. The best thing to do, is test drive your potential new car and watch for the following signs.
 
Slow acceleration is one of the first things you might notice while test driving. This can be caused by several things. The mos ...[more]
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Back to School Checklist

August 16th, 2018
“School days, school days. Dear old golden rule days.” Parents, teachers, and students… we know you’re excited for the start of a brand new school year! Along with buying school supplies and new clothes, car maintenance should be high on your ”back to school” to-do list. Whether you are a student driver, a teacher, or a parent dropping your kids off at school every day, a reliable car is important. We’ve gathered a few important items to jot down on your back to school checklist. 
 
Check your vehicle’s engine oil. We’ll start off with an extremely basic item to mark off your list. Keeping your oil at the correct level is vital to your engine performance, and you’ll want to have it changed regularly. There is conflicting advice on how often you should change your engine oil. We suggest always referring to your vehicle’s owner’s manual for specific recommendations. Th ...[more]
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

What to do When Your Car Overheats

July 12th, 2018
It’s finally summer and this year it looks like it’s going to be a hot one. If you’re like me, I bet you have already planned your vacation or at least scheduled a weekend getaway. At this point, I have packed my bags and planned a few fun activities for the family. I’m a little worried about one thing… my rental car. You never know if routine maintenance has been performed. I’m driving over 1,000 miles and can only hope the engine doesn’t overheat.Engine Overheating Tips
 
I can’t control what kind of maintenance my rental car will have but we can all control what happens with our own vehicles. There are several things you can do to ensure your vehicle won’t overheat on a long road trip and since I’m nervous about my rental car, I want to know what to do if ...[more]
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101