Auto Repair Tempe

It's likely the most dangerous thing you'll do during a given day is to drive in a vehicle. Scary, isn't it? This act has become so commonplace that most people don't even give it a second thought. Many people can remember times where they've driven stretches of familiar roads without remembering it afterwards. Luckily for consumers, most manufacturers are implementing state of the art safety features into their designs. Regardless, there are some things every driver should be doing to maximize his or her safety while behind the wheel or while riding as a passenger. 1) Keep Up On Maintenance Keeping up on oil changes, tire rotations, and periodic checks, along with getting your car to one of our ASE Certified mechanics quickly whenever the "check engine" light comes on is an excellent way to keep the car working like it should, and consequently keeping you safe. The manufacturer probably knows your vehicle better than anyone else, so caref ... read more

Cruise control is one of the most popular features of cars these days. It makes long journeys a little bit less tiring, and helps to stop drivers from getting mental fatigue (and speeding tickets!). Automotive cruise control is something found on a lot of American cars, but is less common in Europe, where roads are smaller and shorter, so there's less need for the feature. The most basic cruise control systems are quite limited, just setting the speed of the car until you override it. This type of feature is becoming less and less useful as the roads get busier, though, and more sophisticated adaptive cruise control features are rising to prominence. How Cruise Control Works Cruise control can be used to set the speed and the acceleration or deceleration of your car. Basic cruise control features will kick in when your car goes above a certain speed (so you don't have to worry about it mistakenly taking over in residential areas), and will st ... read more

People today are busier than ever, with more places to go and things to do. If you need a little more utility out of your next vehicle, here are the top five reasons to consider an SUV, or to perhaps take care of and keep the one you already have. Number Five: More Space If you're typically hauling a lot of stuff, the cargo space you'll get with an SUV will make it easy to transport groceries, sports equipment or supplies you need to maintain your home. And there will be plenty of room for your golf clubs when it's time to take a road trip. Got kids, in-laws, animals, or even lots of crazy friends to haul around? Third-row seating makes SUVs a great mode of transportation for a crowd, and there are a lot of stylish options on the market. Number Four: Improved Safety If you're concerned with safety (and who isn't?), you'll find that many of today's SUVs hold up extremely well when it comes to crash tests. Be sure to research crash test scores from the federal government and the Ins ... read more

Today I want to talk about your engine air filter. That's the filter that cleans the air, before it's burned in your engine. Pop Quiz! How often should you change your engine air filter? The simple answer is…when it's dirty. That's a function of how much air is passed through the filter. So the manufacturer will recommend a mileage interval for replacing the air filter, but you can imagine that how dirty the air is would affect how quickly the filter gets filled. If you drive where there's a lot of dust, pollution or pollen, your engine air filter will get dirty more quickly and need to be changed sooner. That's why we check the air filter with every full service oil change. We can visually tell if the filter needs to be changed. What happens when the air filter gets completely dirty? The filter can only hold so much dirt. So, dirt will pass through to the engine, once the filter is full. This dirt gums up the combustion chamber and hurts performance and may cause damage. It can a ... read more

The Positive Benefits Of Preventative Auto Maintenance We don't know anyone who looks forward to unexpected repair bills for their cars, but it's something that you may face time and time again, without consistent attention to the maintenance of your vehicle. We feel the pain of each and every customer that walks through our doors with broken cars in desperate need of repair. Their story could be different if they had taken a little time to care for their cars on a routine basis, instead of putting things off for some future date. If you feel like you're spending too much time and too much money on repairs, the answer to your woes is having preventative auto maintenance performed on your vehicle at the right intervals, or when you first get a warning that one of the systems in your car is in need of repair. These warnings may come from an odd sound that you notice coming from your vehicle or may come from a light on the dash that stays on longer than it used to. Paying attent ... read more

The spark plug...not very sexy, but a critical component of a finely tuned automobile engine. Their condition can effect not only the power your engine puts out, but also how smoothly it runs and what your fuel economy will be. Here's a little history from Wikipedia... Here's how these small, but critically important parts, are made

Remember how awesome getting your first car as a teenager was and how it was a total stress out for your parents? Now it's decades later and your turn to stress with your teen's driving. I'm sure you'd agree that the safety of your family on the road is a priority for you. In no case could that be more true than if you have a teen driver in the family. Among many other factors, they are simply inexperienced. The one thing you can do is to make sure they're driving the safest vehicle possible. To help keep him or her safe, here are five things your teen's car should have. Number Five: Where the Rubber Meets the Road Start from the ground up and think about the tires on your teen's car. All-weather tires help give young, inexperienced drivers like your teen the best chance for maintaining control, especially in poor weather. Teach your teen the benefits of proper inflation and the penny test for checking tread. Number Four: Bigger Cars May Be Safer At least that's what the experts ... read more

Have a look at the first new commercial for the 2016 GMC Sierra featuring the 2016 GMC Sierra Denali, the 2016 GMC Sierra SLT, and the 2016 GMC Sierra All Terrain with new LED "C-­shaped" headlights, new bumpers, new front fascia and grilles, new LED fog lamps, and new "C­-shaped" LED taillights. GMC's bestselling truck has great momentum coming off its best June since 2006 and 12 consecutive months of year­-over­-year sales gains. With exterior styling as its top reason for purchase, the new truck adds key design elements: LED "C-­shaped" signature daytime running lights and LED headlights, new front fascia and grilles for each trim level, new LED fog lamps, new bumpers, and new "C-­shaped" LED taillights. The new Sierra will be available in the fourth quarter of 2015. The Chevrolet Silverado, and its mechanically identical cousin, the GMC Sierra, are a series of full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks manufactured by ... read more

Today we're going to review an important part of every vehicle, the transmission. Transmissions are heavy duty pieces of equipment designed to last a long time. But like any other machine, they’ll eventually wear out and need repair. So, let's focus on what you can do to push that day off as far as possible. The first thing you can do is to make sure your transmission always has enough fluid. Transmission fluid cools and lubricates the transmission. When there's not enough fluid, the transmission will run hotter and wear out sooner. The transmission fluid also provides the pressure needed to transfer power from the engine to the transmission. Not enough fluid, and your transmission won't shift properly. Our service center here at Elite Auto Repair will check your transmission fluid level with a full-service oil change, and top it off if needed. If you see any transmission fluid on the driveway (it's a reddish color) have us inspect it for a leak. A gasket, hose or seal coul ... read more

Like many reputable auto repair shops, Elite Auto Repair features ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified auto repair technicians. Perhaps you've wondered just what that means exactly, and what the value of it is to you, the consumer. Since 1972, the ASE Blue Seal has been the most valued professional credential for the automotive repair and service industry. Getting ASE Certified shows that an auto repair facility isn't satisfied with being just average — they're choosing excellence for their repair shop. In this video, Tony Molla, Vice President of Communications, and Dave Cappert, Executive Director of Electronic Initiatives, explain the many reasons why an auto technician and/or a facility chooses to be certified