Auto Repair Tempe

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It's called the serpentine belt. The belt is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan and power brakes. It sounds like a lot of important stuff, doesn't it? If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or your water pump, your engine could overheat and steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks. Your owners manual recommends regular serpentine belt inspections. Just ask your Elite Auto Repair Service Advisor. You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt, to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn't crack as often as old belts did. In fact, worn belts often have no visible signs o ... read more

Suppose you live in an area where extreme heat is common - like here in the Phoenix, Tempe and Chandler, Arizona area. You only have to glance around to see the aftermath. Mailboxes are melting, heat-related illnesses are more common, and roadways are buckling. So just imagine what all that heat is doing to your car. In most owners manuals the manufacturer gives two sets of vehicle maintenance requirements, normal and "severe service" conditions. If you live here in the Phoenix area, congratulations! Severe service guidelines apply to your vehicle. The heat can be brutal but with a few extra precautions your car can live a long and healthy life. Battery problems are generally associated with the winter months. But believe it or not, extreme heat can be worse for a battery than the bitter cold. Vibration and heat are a battery's biggest adversaries and can lead to a complete breakdown. Granted, there's not much to be done about the heat, but you can double-ch ... read more

In the United States culture, a car in proper working condition is a must have. Depending on where you live, it may be near impossible to carry on basic activities without one. But, a new car is an extremely expensive purchase. In a tight economy the decision about which car to buy and when should be made with careful consideration. Listed here are four tips that can seriously decrease car costs. While using all of them will maximize savings, we know that may not be a reality in all situations. Choose the ones you think you can help you save, and stick to your guns! Buy Used This is a difficult one for a lot of people, but buying a car that's one or two years old can save a boatload of money. On average, a brand new car loses 11 percent of its value the moment it's driven off the lot. Over the next year, the car continues to depreciate quickly. After a year or two, the sharp decline in value levels off to a more gradual proc ... read more

We'll all heard a lot about many different "smart" devices, including a "smart car". The aim of these technologies in the automotive market is to increase efficiency and lower risk and injury. The picture that's presented to us a leisurely drive where we can be checking e-mail, surfing the Internet, text messaging, etc. all while the "smart car" gets us quickly and safely to our destinations for us, our own personal driver whenever we want it. Jaguar's new Smart Assistant is a sort of bridge between that future time and now. It can actually learn from your behavior and offer up a bevy of options and information at your fingertips, even before you get into the vehicle! The Smart Assistant identifies the driver of the car via a smart phone, or some other similar device. It analyzes your calendar, the current traffic conditions, and the weather to intelligently predict your imminent behavior. As I eluded to earlier, this all starts before you even get into the car. It can send ... read more

Expert Advice for Protecting Your Car's Paint From Premature Fading Caused by Extreme UV Exposure Scorching sun, dust and wind can get the best of your car's paint job, but it doesn't have to. Many people don't know how to keep the paint on their cars looking good; so we're here to give you tips for maintaining your car's exterior finish under the extreme elements found here in Arizona. When your vehicle is exposed to the harsh rays of the desert sun on a regular basis, harmful effects like premature fading become a serious threat to the appearance of your car's exterior finish. This article will tell you how to avoid the embarrassment of that weather beaten look that results from improper care of your car's paint finish. The first thing that you must do to keep you car's paint looking good is seek out covered parking whenever possible. This will limit your car's exposure to the sun and its damaging effects. Shelter your car from the sun by parking in shaded ... read more

We've all heard some weird stories about how to get better gas mileage and other things that'll improve or damage our car's fuel economy. While some of these may have a kernel of truth to them, many are actually completely false. Here are a few of these car myths that don't really have any truth to them at all. Following them won't increase or decrease your car's fuel efficiency. Myth #1: Cranking Up The Air Conditioning Lowers Your Fuel Economy Truth: While it's true that running your air conditioner does make your engine work harder, there's a lot of debate over what exactly that does to your fuel economy. In a number of tests done by Consumer Reports, there was very little difference between driving a car with the air conditioner on full and with it turned off. Yes, it did effect fuel economy a little bit, but the decrease was so slight that it's not going to save you much money at all. Plus, having the windows down c ... read more

With the advancement of hybrid vehicles, more and more consumers are replacing their vehicles with them. There are many things that distinguish a hybrid vehicle from its non-hybrid counterpart. One of them is maintenance. In order to understand the maintenance aspect of owning a hybrid vehicle, we need to determine how exactly a hybrid vehicle is different from its counterpart. How A Hybrid Vehicle Functions Hybrids operate by combining two fuel sources. The traditional gas powered engine is usually only used when the electric motor or battery is drained enough to permit the use of the gas powered engine. The computer in the hybrid vehicle does many things, including determining when to switch from electric power to gas power. The typical hybrid car is made from lighter materials, including carbon fiber in some cases, and functions off of a smaller, lightweight engine. Pros and Cons of Hybrid Vehicles at A Glance If you’re considering trading in your old car for a hybr ... read more

The discount oil change at the big national chain store, it's so alluring. Just look at all you get for $14.95, or #19.95! Or could you possibly be getting more (or less) than you bargained for? The old sayings still apply..."there's no free lunch" and "if it's too good to be true, it probably is". We don't intend to pick on a particular chain, today's story just happens to have occurred at a Jiffy Lube, and was caught on camera by a news team. Unscrupulous personnel can pop up in any one location and it's always good to be on the lookout. In this case, work was being charged for but not actually provided. Check out how this unfolds in the video below... And later, another expose by the same team finds even worse problems

When you think about it, four pieces of rubber are all that separate your car from the road. Yet, according to recent survey data, alarmingly few Americans have a clue when it comes to maintaining their tires or are equipped to deal with an emergency tire situation. Car Coach Lauren Fix offers some tips on how to properly care for your tires. According to a Michelin survey carried out for National Tire Safety Week: • Only 12% of Americas have had formal "tire education." The majority (71%) learned tire maintenance from family and friends, or a mechanic or car dealer. Surprisingly, 17% of people surveyed said they never learned how to maintain and care for their tires. • When quizzed on how to check tire pressure, more than one-third (36%) of respondents said they check their tire pressure by simply looking to see if their tires are flat, while 6% said they "kick them to see if they're soft." Proper inflation is essential for the performance and longevity of a tire. Under-inflated t ... read more

We picked this up as reported on the NBC News site... Two of Toyota's high-profile hybrid models, notably including the best-selling Prius, are being recalled due to brake problems, according to the Japanese maker. In all, about 87,000 vehicles are impacted, including Toyota Prius hatchbacks and Lexus HS 250h hybrids sold during the 2010 model-year. The maker does not say how many of each model are covered by the recall. The problem is the result of a brake pressure accumulator that may develop a fatigue crack due to vibration. That would lead to the loss of at least some brake pressure. Toyota said it has received no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem. The incident follows an earlier recall of some fourth-generation Toyota Prius models due to problems with electronic brake software programming. That issue impact ... read more