When it comes to ease and precision of steering, today’s vehicles are engineering marvels. One of the keys to just how good steering is lies in the refinement of power-assisted steering which we know simply as power steering. At the heart of the system is an electrically or belt-driven power steering pump. It can apply hundreds of pounds of hydraulic pressure to the steering gear so you can turn your heavy vehicle with little effort.

The more time and distance your vehicle travels, the more wear your power steering pump experiences. One sign your pump may be aging is that you hear a whining or groaning sound coming from your wheels when you turn. You also may feel a vibration through the steering wheel, or the wheel is harder to turn or responding more slowly than normal. Another sign of trouble with the power steering pump is power steering fluid (reddish-brown) leaks on the ground around your vehicle.

If you encounter these symptoms, have us check your vehicle sooner rather than waiting. If your steering fails, you may find the wheel may lock up or it may become extremely hard to steer. Both scenarios can be dangerous. A technician will check out your vehicle and recommend the necessary repairs.

They’ll also evaluate the belts, hoses and fluids that are part of your power steering system. A well-maintained power steering system can ensure that feeling of confidence and precision that makes driving safe, easy and a pleasure.

The post Steer Clear (Power Steering Pump Replacement) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

When you see some liquid sitting underneath your vehicle, your mind starts churning. Is that normal? Is that something serious, or did I just spill my drink? Here’s a quick list of what those fluids look, smell and feel like, as well as what they might be. No, we don’t recommend you taste them to verify.

• Clear and underneath your air conditioner or under the end of your tailpipe. It’s likely something as simple as condensed water. This probably doesn’t need immediate attention, but you should keep checking periodically.
• Oily, brown, golden or black. That could be the sign of engine oil leaking. Oil may also smell if it has been leaking on metal and burning. This is one you should have checked out fairly quickly.
• Green, blue, red, yellow, purple or orange and watery under the engine. Smells sweet. May be coolant (antifreeze) and a sign of a leaking radiator, hose or clamp. Also, could mean your water pump is shot or radiator is broken or cracked. The more that’s there, the more important it is for us to check it out soon.
• Yellow, slippery and smells a little foul. Could be brake fluid. This is one that you should bring to us quickly to have us inspect.
• Red or pinkish and collects under the engine or middle of your vehicle. Could be power steering fluid. Here’s another one that should be checked by a professional soon.
• Red or brown liquid from around your transmission or between your radiator and the transmission, smells sweet. You might smell burning from around your engine area, too. Might be transmission fluid. Another one where it’s important to have a pro look at it soon.

Your eyes and nose can be helpful to spotting things that need attention on your vehicle. When in doubt, head on over to see us so a technician can check it out. Taking care of it sooner rather than later could save you an expensive repair down the road.

The post You Are the Fluid Detective! (Leaking Fluids) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

What do mud, bird droppings and frost all have in common? When they’re covering your windshield, they can temporarily obscure your view of the road, leaving you driving blind. And when you can’t see the road clearly ahead of you, it can be really scary.

That’s one of the reasons it’s important to maintain your windshield cleaning system, which includes your wipers, blades and washers. They’re three vital components that work together to ensure you’re clearly seeing what’s going on with the road and drivers around you.

Your wipers are doing the physical work on the surface of your windshield’s glass. The rubber or silicone is what touches the surface of the glass, and after time and exposure to the elements, wiper blades can get brittle, lose their flexibility, rip and tear to the point where they simply can’t clear the glass.

What holds the wiper blades close to the glass is important, too. Conventional blades use a metal frame which holds flexible rubber inserts. Just the inserts can be changed which keeps replacement costs down.

Another type that’s gaining more popularity is called a beam blade. It doesn’t have a frame but instead has a stiff beam and blade combination. Beam blades can conform more snugly to the curved glass used in many recent vehicle designs. Plus they have a sweeping shape which harnesses the pressure of the air that passes over them to apply more pressure during wiping, especially effective at highway speeds. High-tech rubber wiper blades, what …?! Seriously, they are pretty cool.

If you crossed the conventional frame blade with a beam blade, you’d have the hybrid wiper. It’s constructed like a traditional wiper with a plastic frame that takes advantage of the aerodynamic shape of a beam blade.

Equally important to your windshield is the washer system since wiper blades simply don’t work on dry glass. The washers use a pump to shoot fluid on your glass to remove debris, dust and other contaminants.

All these systems need to always be at the ready since we never know what elements we’ll encounter on the road. Regular inspections and maintenance of your wipers and washers can ensure you’ll be able to see far down the road ahead of you for clearer vision and safer traveling.

The post Why Maintaining Your Windshield Wipers and Washers Matters (Windshield Wiper and Washer Inspection) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

When you notice one of your headlights has gone out, it’s important for the safe operation of your vehicle to get it changed and working again. Not only is replacing a headlight important for your ability to see in the dark, but it’s also vital that it be lighting your way and aimed correctly so oncoming drivers aren’t blinded.

Changing a headlight used to be something a driver might try to do themselves. But that was back when headlights were standard sizes and fairly easy to access on your vehicle. That has all changed with new technology and designs in today’s vehicles. Most lamps are now LEDs, and there are different sizes, intensities, and shapes in different vehicles. Accessing those bulbs has also grown extremely difficult in some cases, and we recommend you have one of our professional technicians do it for you.

It’s just as important that your brake lights and side marker lights work, too, as they contribute to the safe operation and visibility of your vehicle. A technician will check to see what is causing a light not to illuminate, which could be a bulb, but also could be a problem with the electrical system in that bulb’s circuit.

Having all your lights working is not only a matter of convenience, but a matter of safety too. So don’t be in the dark when you don’t have to be. Let our technicians light up your life a little by making sure all your bulbs are working right.

The post See the Light (Bulb Replacement) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

We’ve all noticed them at one time or another on the street: a car or truck that drives by and the deep roar from their exhaust system sounds like a drag racer on the line. But what happens when that rumble is coming from under YOUR vehicle? Well, it could be a sign your muffler needs attention.

You may notice other signs if your muffler needs to be replaced. Your fuel economy may have plummeted, the smell of exhaust is blowing into your cabin, or your engine isn’t running in its usually smooth manner. Or you may notice your vehicle’s temperature gauge is showing it’s running hotter than usual.

Mufflers sit under your vehicle, so they are exposed to all sorts of nasty things every day, and every season. It may be dirt or salt from the road that gets kicked up on it, or you may rough it up with the potholes and speed bumps on the road. Also, moisture from rain and snow combined with chemicals and brine can literally dissolve your muffler and other components of your exhaust system.

When you start to notice one or more of these signs, it’s time to head on over to have one of our technicians look at your exhaust system. Under normal conditions, mufflers may last anywhere from five to seven years. But when they start to go, to ensure your vehicle runs the way it should, you should have your muffler (and the rest of the components in the exhaust system) inspected and replaced if necessary.

Ideally, it makes sense to have your muffler and exhaust system inspected regularly when you have other routine maintenance done to your vehicle, such as oil changes and tire rotations. That way, you can know sooner rather than later that your muffler is on its last legs before your (noisy) vehicle begins to draw the wrong kind of attention from other drivers.

The post Rumble from Down Under (Muffler Replacement) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

You may have heard someone say they just got the air filter replaced in their vehicle. But did you know your vehicle has two different major air filters and they both perform quite different—but very important—duties?

Today’s vehicles have a cabin air filter, and an engine air filter. The engine air filter cleans the air that enters your engine so it can run better, and so contaminants don’t foul vital parts. While the cabin air filter keeps the air inside the vehicle’s cabin clean, the place where you and your passengers sit.

It is important that you have each of these types of filters changed at regular intervals, or earlier if either shows signs that they’re contaminated. Your vehicle’s owner’s manual often will recommend how long that interval should be.

First, let’s look at the engine air filter. Your vehicle’s manufacturer will offer guidelines on how often you should change the engine air filter as a matter of routine, by mileage or time interval.

If you see signs of engine air contamination, such as misfiring, an illuminated check engine light, smoke coming out of your tailpipe, or loss of power, you may need to have the engine air filter replaced sooner.

Next, the cabin air filter. Again, the vehicle manufacturer will suggest how often you should replace it. But if you notice excess dust in the cabin, on the dash, console or seats, a bad smell in the cabin, or lower air flow out the heating and cooling ducts, you should have us check to see if your cabin air filter needs replacing. In either case, we’ll make sure we replace your air filters – either engine or cabin – with ones that are right for your vehicle.

The post Cabin Air Filter and Engine Air Filter: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

When you are comfortably headed down the road, you may not realize how many of the imperfections in the driving surface are being smoothed out, so you hardly feel most of them. You can thank your shock absorbers for a lot of that comfort, and it’s important to make sure you keep your shocks in good shape.

Newer vehicles have shock absorbers in the back wheels with another shock absorbing assembly in the front which may also have a spring component as well, called struts.

Shock absorbers not only keep your vehicle traveling smoothly and comfortably, but they also contribute to its stability. Increased stability will help you be able to handle sharp turns and sudden stops more easily. Shocks also prolong the life of your tires because they’ll grip the road more tightly. And a nice side benefit of that is your tires should last longer.

After months hitting a lot of bumps on uneven road surfaces, eventually your shock absorbers will start to wear. You may notice your vehicle begin to sway more when you go around a corner, and it might be more difficult to steer. Your tires can start to wear unevenly, and the tread may show signs of cupping (flat spots).

Other signs your shocks could need replacing is when you hit a hard bump in the road and your vehicle continues bouncing more than you remember. Your shocks may have suffered extreme damage that can causes fluid inside to leak.

If you notice any of these signs, head on over so we can check things out. We also recommend you have your shocks regularly inspected so you can take care of problems before you start feeling some of those symptoms of wear. Your vehicle’s manufacturer usually will include recommendations in your owner’s manual on how frequently you should have shocks inspected.

The post Smooth Operator (Shock Absorbers) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

When it comes to brakes on your vehicle, we all know how important it is to keep them working well because they are vital safety equipment. After all, if you can’t slow down and stop, you can’t drive safely.

While many vehicles use what are called disc brakes, there’s another type of brakes that are used on the rear wheels of vehicles that have something called drum brakes. Drum brakes were the original type that were invented in the early twentieth century. The term drum comes from the part of the brakes that is a housing connected to your wheel. Inside there are parts called brake shoes that press against the drum when you step on the pedal, and the friction slows and stops your vehicle.

Signs your brake shoes might need replacing are your rear brakes make noise when you step on the pedal and they vibrate when you brake. Another sign of bad brake shoes is that your hand brake stops working. If you notice one or both problems in your vehicle, it’s time to bring it in so a technician can inspect your brake system. It can be unsafe to drive a vehicle with worn out brake shoes.

There are two brake shoes in each brake, and since they both work each time you stop, when they need replacing, they should be done in pairs. When we replace your brake shoes, we will also inspect other components and parts of your brake system, including your emergency brake cable. We will also lubricate another part called the backing plate.

Let us keep your brakes operating as they were designed to. When it comes to safe driving, stopping is as important as going.

The post If the Shoe Fits (Brake Shoe Replacement [Rear]) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

Every day that goes by, our bodies get a little more wear and tear on them. Our vehicles have the same issue. The older we get and the farther we travel, certain parts start showing some wear.

Think of your hips. There are parts of our vehicles that are similar to them; just like hips allow your legs to pivot in several directions, your vehicle has similar parts called ball joints, and they connect your vehicle’s wheels to the suspension, allowing them to move together. These ball joints get a good workout every time the vehicle is moving, especially on bumpy roads.

Usually, these joints are well lubricated with grease, so they’ll work smoothly and quietly. They’re surrounded by a rubber sleeve called a boot, but that can wear out with age or exposure to moisture or debris. When the rubber breaks, the grease can leak out, and damage accelerates.

When the ball joints start wearing out, you may start to hear clunking sounds that come from the corners of your vehicle. You might hear it more clearly when you are turning a corner or going over a bump. Over time, it might get worse. Other signs are sloppy steering, vibrations when you’re moving and uneven tire wear.
If a ball joint gets extremely worn, it’s possible you can lose control of your vehicle, a dangerous situation indeed.

If you notice any of these symptoms, bring it to us so a technician can diagnose the problem. If they determine you need a new ball joint, the technician will check the condition of all the suspension components. We usually recommend if one of a pair of ball joints goes bad, the other is likely quite worn as well and should be replaced, too. In no time, you’ll be back on the road with an updated agile suspension that feels young again.

The post (Ball Joint Replacement) appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.

When you push on your brake pedal, you should find your vehicle easy to stop. But at some point, you might notice stopping takes much more pressure on the pedal than it used to. When it gets to that point it becomes a safety issue, and you should bring your vehicle in so we can track down what’s not working correctly.

Brake pedals that are stiff mean there’s something wrong with one or more components of your entire brake system. For example, it could be moisture has contaminated your brake fluid, making it harder to push the pedal down.

Many vehicles use hydraulics to amplify your pedal pressure to a force strong enough to stop your vehicle. Certain problems can develop with your hydraulics, such as a faulty master cylinder, a kink in one of your brake lines, or a failed proportioning valve which regulates pressure to your rear brakes. Vacuum leaks can also make your brake pedal hard to push. Another cause could be a problem with your vehicle’s brake booster or its check valve.

Because your vehicle’s braking system is made up of many different components, one of our technicians will look at several different possible causes in yours. Your vehicle may not have enough brake fluid in it, so they’ll check the level. A visual inspection of your hoses, brake lines and vacuum line to the brake booster may turn up the root cause of your issues.

Because there are many different causes of a hard-to-push brake pedal, solutions may involve one or more different steps. Keep in mind this is one problem that needs to be fixed for you to drive safely. That’s why it’s important to have a professional track down the issue, or issues, and take care of the problem(s) so you can be back on the road, safely going and stopping.

The post Why is My Brake Pedal Hard to Push? appeared first on Advantage Auto Repair.