Vancouver Auto Repair

Make Sure You Have These Things in Your Vehicle for Winter The winter driving season is upon us. Although winter doesn’t officially begin for a few more weeks, here in the Pacific Northwest the winterlike driving season starts a little earlier. Traveling in the winter means wet and slick roads, dark skies, and sometimes snow and ice. Driving at this time of year can be miserable, but that’s life in the greater Vancouver area during the fall and winter. That means we need to be extra careful and cautious to avoid the many dangerous driving conditions we face. However, even the most careful drivers can get stuck in a bad situation for no fault of their own. Another driver might do something stupid, or unexpected weather conditions might catch you by surprise. Unfortunately, your car could also break down unexpectedly. The bottom line is you just never know what could happen, which is why it’s important to be prepared.   Don’t Lea ... read more

If you see a wheel or tire symbol with an exclamation mark on your vehicle, it means your TPMS light is on. The tire pressure monitoring system is a feature implemented in all vehicles today to help you stay safe on the road. When this warning is illuminated, it means that your tire pressure has dropped significantly. Tire pressure is so essential if you want your vehicle to be safe and perform as it should. When your tires are adequately filled with the correct amount of air, it ensures your car makes contact with the road properly. This ensures even tire wear, increasing the time between tire replacements. Furthermore, proper tire inflation enhances vehicle handling and boosts fuel efficiency. When this light comes on your dash, it means one or more of your tires have lost air pressure and needs to be refilled as soon as possible. If your TPMS light continues to stay illuminated, it means that you may be dealing with a bigger problem at hand. Your vehicle’s tires may lose ai ... read more

How to Take Care of Your Tires – Vancouver Auto Repair How much did you spend on your last set of tires? It was probably quite a bit and probably more than you wanted to spend. Yes, tires can be very expensive, and it seems like they just keep getting more costly all the time. However, your tires do so many things to keep you safe, so can you really place a value on having good tires? That being said, you obviously want your tires to last as long as possible, since you are making a serious investment every time you buy a new set. So, what are some things you can do to keep your tires in good shape and help make them last longer? Here are a few suggestions.   Tips to Maintaining Your Tires – Auto Repair in VancouverWatch the Tire Pressure – this is one of the most obvious and easiest things you can do to take care of your tires. Yet so many people overlook it. Driving with underinflated tires, not only wears ... read more

Vancouver Auto Service – What to Do to Help Maintain Your Vehicle’s Value How much money have you invested into your vehicle? No matter what type of vehicle you drive, you most likely spent a significant amount of money to purchase it. Cars continue to get more expensive all the time, which means most people need to do everything they can to take care of the vehicle they have. Although cars start decreasing in value as soon as you drive them off the lot, there are plenty of ways to help maintain your vehicle’s value. Here are several things you can do to keep your car, truck, crossover, or SUV at its highest value. Keep it Clean – this is so easy, yet so many car owners don’t take the time to keep their vehicles clean inside and out. By simply taking time to wash, wax, and vacuum your vehicle regularly, you can prevent it from getting old and losing some of its value. Keep the Mileage Low – not e ... read more

How to Keep Your Headlights Clean – Vancouver Auto Service Last week, we talked about foggy windows and the importance of avoiding driving in that situation. When you get in your vehicle and head out on the roads of Vancouver, or anywhere else life takes you, you want to be as safe as possible. Your safety on the road depends a great deal on your vehicle’s condition. When your car, truck, or SUV is in good working condition, you can drive with confidence. However, when something is off with your vehicle, there is always an element of added risk. That’s why driving with foggy windows is a bad idea. And just like driving with fogged up windows is dangerous, so is driving with foggy headlights. Obviously, your headlights are one of the most important safety features on your vehicle. If you do any driving at night, then you need good working headlights. And in the pacific northwest, you often need your headlights even during daytime hours, thanks to t ... read more

How to Prevent Your Car from Fogging Up – Vancouver Auto Repair One of the worst things about driving in the fall and winter in the pacific northwest is having foggy windows. It can be frustrating when you are in a hurry to get somewhere, but you have to wait for the windshield to clear up so you can see. Some drivers decide to go even if their visibility isn’t great. That is a dangerous scenario. Not only are you putting yourself at risk, but also everyone else you encounter on the road. So, what do you do if you can’t get your windows to clear up with your defroster? You could always keep a towel in the car, or just use your sleeve. Those methods might work, but they aren’t that effective or convenient. If your defroster or heater isn’t working up to the level it should be, the best way to fix the problem is to get it repaired. Having your heating system serviced is a much better option than using your shirt sleeve every day.   ... read more

How Often Should I Change My Brake Fluid – Vancouver Auto Repair Like so many other parts on your vehicle, your brake fluid can be easy to overlook or forget about. If your car slows down or stops whenever you need it to then brake fluid is the last thing you need to worry about. But like every other part, your brake fluid does wear down and loses its effectiveness over time. It’s a good idea to regularly inspect your brake fluid, if nothing else, to be sure it’s clean and filled to the proper level. But how often should you replace your brake fluid? There is no one set answer for everyone. All vehicles are different and everyone’s driving conditions and situations are unique. So, it will depend on your specific situation. But there are some things to look for to help you know when it’s time for a brake fluid flush ... read more

Have you noticed a few strange things happening with your vehicle and suspect the timing belt? There are a few factors to consider and a few others that can let you know when it is time to replace your timing belt. What Is a Timing Belt? The timing belt in your vehicle controls the piston movements and the opening and closing of the valves in time. The majority of car engines run on a four-stroke operation, which involves the piston ascending and lowering, throughout each of the four stages of the cycle: intake, compression, power, and exhaust. This cycle must coincide with the frequency of the exhaust and intake valves, which is determined by the camshaft. The rubber timing belt in your car has teeth on it. It connects the crankshaft and camshaft, and it must be replaced on occasion. How Do You Know When to Replace a Timing Belt? To determine whether you can effectively remove the timing belt cover, consult a repair manual that contains step-by-step repair instructions. Vehicle r ... read more

What Preventative Maintenance Should You Do Yearly? If you could replace your old body parts with new ones before they completely wear out, wouldn’t you do it? Just imagine being able to keep yourself feeling like new just by replacing a part whenever you needed to. We would all live longer lives, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, we can’t replace body parts, as easily as we can replace car parts. The problem is many car owners don’t like to do any service or repairs until something breaks down. On paper, this might make sense. After all, why fix something if it’s not broken? However, when it comes to cars, you can replace certain parts before they break down, which helps prevent other parts from breaking down. It’s called preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance helps protect your vehicle from greater damage and more expensive repairs because it he ... read more

  Have you ever been driving along and out of nowhere you hit a jarring bump in the road? Then, you look in your rearview mirror and see a giant pothole that somehow you didn’t see a few seconds earlier. Potholes are pretty nasty for drivers. Unfortunately, not all roads are nice and smooth, which means you have to be vigilant when you’re operating your vehicle. Potholes come in a lot of shapes and sizes, and the best thing to do is completely avoid them no matter what they look like. But, in some instances when roads are torn up really bad, you simply can’t avoid them. In that case, you should slow down and drive very cautiously to avoid any major bumps. Why are potholes such a big deal? While it might seem like a little bump here and there isn’t going to ruin your vehicle, the truth is potholes can hurt, especially if you drive over them a lot and at higher speeds. How Potholes Can Hurt Your Vehicle Hitting a pothole with your vehicl ... read more