Vancouver Auto Repair

Vehicles tend to overheat more often in hot weather. Even though it is rare with newer vehicles, a well-tuned automobile can still overheat.    When your vehicle goes through strenuous conditions, like stop-and-go traffic or steep hills on an extremely hot day, you might see some movement on your temperature gauge. A dead confirmation that your engine is overheating is if you notice the coolant temperature warning light comes on. Whenever you catch the signs of overheating, it is important you know how to handle the following steps: Step 1: Turn OFF your air conditioner and open your windows. While this may seem like something you aren’t supposed to, it decreases the engine’s workload. Step 2: If the vehicle continues to overheat, turn on the heater and blower. While this may seem counterintuitive, it helps draw the heat from the engine to the passenger compartment. Step 3: If possible, shift your car into Neutral or put your vehicle in park and rev the engin ... read more

Has your car been having trouble starting up lately? Does your battery have a full charge? What about the alternator, is it still working? The alternator prevents your car battery from dying, and your battery needs a good charge for your car to start. But these aren’t the only important parts that help start your vehicle initially. You also need your starter to be working correctly. This is little motor is what fires up the engine when you turn the key – or push the start button in today’s newer cars. So, even if your battery and alternator are in good working condition, you might still have problems getting your vehicle going if there is an issue with the starter. Signs Your Starter Needs to Be Replaced So other than having trouble with ignition, are there are other signs that your starter is going bad? Yes, there are. Your car may not have all of these issues. It will depend on your vehicle, but if your starter is bad, you should notice at least ... read more

What’s that smell? That’s usually not something you want to hear when you’re talking about your vehicle. Cars do have plenty of different smells and some are nothing to be alarmed about. However, there are other foul odors that you definitely need to pay attention to. Many of the bad smells from cars, come from the exhaust system. Your exhaust gets rid of a lot of pollutants, so it’s not surprising that it can smell bad at times, including the smell of sulfur. Sulfur is very unpleasant and if it’s coming from your vehicle, then you need to get it checked it out sooner rather than later. Catalytic Converter Problems – Vancouver Auto Repair When you notice the smell of sulfur, most likely there is an issue with your catalytic converter. If your converter gets clogged or starts to malfunction your emissions levels will be affected as well. Your vehicle will still run, but it will likely not have as much power because your exhaust sys ... read more

Have you ever been driving a long and suddenly noticed steam coming from under the hood? Many times, this is from your vehicle’s coolant system. When an engine overheats, it has tendency to steam, especially from the radiator. However, the coolant system is not the only thing that can get overheated. Your transmission is another possibility. If your transmission is having issues and starts to overheat, you don’t want to take that lightly. You should probably get to a shop right away. In fact, it might be even better to pull over and have your vehicle towed. If you continue to drive with an overheated transmission, you risk doing more damage and even completely blowing it out. Top Reasons Your Transmission is Overheating So, why do transmission overheat? There are several possible reasons. Some are simple fixes and others are more serious, but these are the most common causes of an overheating transmission. Transmission Fluid is Leaking ... read more

  When it comes to vacuums, you really want them to suck. But not in a bad way. Most people might not be aware that their vehicle’s engine includes a vacuum component. But the reality is this vacuum pressure is very important for the smooth operation of your car, truck, crossover, or SUV. When your car’s engine gets a leak in one of the vacuum hoses, it affects your engine’s performance. So, if you’ve noticed anything out of the ordinary lately, maybe your engine is leaking vacuum pressure. Not sure what to look for? Well, you’re not alone. With that in mind, here are some of the top signs that your engine is leaking vacuum pressure. Most Common Vacuum Pressure IssuesEngine Performance Is Suffering – obviously, if your vacuum pressure is off, your engine will not operate like it should, which means you will notice a difference in its performance. The leaking air fills the combustion chamber, preventing it f ... read more

Have you ever had a flat tire and been stuck on the side of the road? Maybe you’re lucky enough to never have experienced that. But what if you did get a flat tire? Would you know how to change it? Having a flat can be very frustrating, especially if it’s in the middle of nowhere and you don’t have any way to fix it. Unfortunately, if you own a car, flat tires happen. Even the most durable tires are still susceptible to going flat because of punctures. For example, if you run over a nail, your tire is probably going to deflate. At some point, almost every driver is going to have to deal with a flat tire – especially if their vehicle doesn’t include a spare tire. That’s why everyone should know how to fix a flat tire. So, this is what you need to be aware if your car ends up with a flat. How to Use a Tire Plug Kit For starters, you need to purchase a tire plug kit. Without it you can’t fix a flat tire yourself. Step ... read more