Auto Repair Tempe

The sticker on your windshield (or your Owner's Manual) tells you when it’s time to change the oil in your vehicle. So, you’re sitting at a very long stop light and you notice the date on the sticker is more than two months past the date. As luck would have it, you notice you're about to pass by Elite Auto Repair! The mechanic takes your keys and car, but is back within a short amount of time and asks you if you want regular motor oil or synthetic? You might not have a clue to the differences between the two types of oil or what to tell your mechanic. What’s the deal with synthetic oil? Why is it better? Why does an older car perform better when using synthetic oil? Short of going to mechanic school or marrying into the Pennzoil family, there are some useful resources concerning synthetic motor oil. What Is Synthetic Motor Oil? Conventional (regular) motor oil is a lubricant made from crude oil and starts off being regular motor oil. It then gets refined, distilled ... read more

The world is bracing itself for the rise of self-driving cars. Manufacturers from Mercedes-Benz to Audi have begun developing models to prepare for the future demand. One of the top innovators is Tesla, the automotive and energy company run by Elon Musk. They too have dipped their toes in the water of automated driving and have been met with tons of praise.  Here, a Tesla model S 7.1 shows off its self-parking capabilities. This feature, called Summon, allows you to use your phone to park the car in your garage and shut off the power. You can also use it to start the car and back out of the garage. It’s a useful feature, even if the car does look a bit clunky while doing it

It's important to take good care of your car. If you don't, you may find yourself dealing with expensive repairs or, even worse, end up needing to buy a new vehicle. There are a number of small, basic things you can do to keep your car in excellent condition that don't require you to be a mechanic or know much about cars. Many of these things will not only help maintain your car but will also increase your gas mileage. As the price of gas increases, there's no better time to check over your car and make certain it's in good running shape so you can save a little money. Tires The tires on our car take a lot of stress, but unless they look low, most people rarely think to check them. In fact, very few people perform the recommended monthly inflation check to make certain their tires have the proper air pressure. Tires lose air through permeation, so even if you don't have a hole in the tire, it will still slowly lose pressure. Also n ... read more

Here at Elite Auto Repair we all love a great high performance car, and the Corvette is no exception. It was introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car, and still creates that same excitement all these years later. A Corvette has been selected as the Indianapolis 500 pace car 11 times, the latest time being in 2012 with a Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 pace model driven by Guy Fieri. On January 13, 2012, Chevrolet will be unveiling the all-new 2014 Corvette, and you can watch it LIVE right here on this page! Click on the video below to see the countdown to the live event. Corvette Trivia The 1953 Chevy Corvette retailed at $3,498, which was 75 percent more expensive than originally intended by designer Harley J. Earl. The 1963 Corvette, which introduced the rear split-window, retailed for $4,037 in coupe form, and $4,257 in convertible form. The 1978 C ... read more

The Internet proves to be convenient for a number of things; including searching for the best auto insurance. Providing you’ve prepared yourself and you’ve done your homework beforehand, the Internet is a great resource to use to gather and compare quotes. Pick A Method for Finding Car Insurance Quotes Before you begin, you need to find a reputable site or source to find insurance quotes. You can accomplish this by: Going directly to the auto insurance company’s website, or entering your info into an auto insurance directory, one which will submit your info to a variety of sites and email you the offers. Both options will accomplish the same thing, but the last option enables you to shop more efficiently while saving on both time and money. You also avoid the extra step of having to look up insurance companies for which to submit your info. Determine Your Budget Before you can begin the process of shopping for car insurance, you need to sit down ... read more

Here's another industry feature celebrating the opening of our Medium Duty Truck Service And Repair department. Over the years you've probably soon footage of some of the testing auto manufacturers use on their vehicles. Much of it is quite interesting, and some of it is downright brutal. Crash testing comes to mind for sure. Vehicles must be tested for all types of extreme conditions, including heat and cold. Today we look a little way into the future as we watch Ford do a type of testing call Deep Freeze Testing, where -20F is considered balmy. :) The vehicle being tested in the video is a 2017 Ford Super Duty truck. It's still being tested and developed but Ford invited TFLTruck to take a Sneak Peek at their newest truck undergoing this extreme cold weather testing. The test takes place at McKinley Climatic Laboratory at the Eglin Air Force Base, 46 miles East of Pensacola, Florida. A strange dichotomy to be sure to have such an extreme cold test in the Florida panhandle

Important Information on Finding an Auto Repair Shop or Auto Body Shop You Can Trust Most people have experienced some kind of auto repair horror story, making them wary of trusting any auto repair shop with the maintenance of their vehicles. The auto repair business often gets a bad rap because of a small minority of unscrupulous service providers; but it's easy for car owners to find trustworthy auto repair shops and auto body shops online, eliminating the stress and uncertainty that often goes hand in hand with locating these services. Online consumer sites like Narpro help Phoenix Metro car owners find reputable auto body shops and auto repair shops throughout the valley of the sun. The reviews and ratings found on Narpro can be trusted because auto repair shops and auto body shops can never pay to be listed on the site, the reviews are from actual customers and the reviews are always validated for authentic ... read more

Okay, it's 2013 and we still don't have the flying cars we were promised in the twentieth century. However, cars have improved by leaps and bounds in utility over the years and have become more than simple methods of transportation, especially here in the Chandler, Tempe, Phoenix area. With the amount of technology incorporated into the latest models, it's no wonder prices continually rise. Cars of today can do everything but drive you to your destination, and that feature isn't too far distant. Below are ten technologies that have made the experience all that more comfortable, safer, and simpler. Run-flat tires. No blowouts, no emergency stopping. When the tire gets flat, a red light on the dashboard alerts the driver and the inherent structure of the wheel allows 50 more miles at 50 mph, enough to make it home or to a gas station. Dual-stage "smart" airbags. Hitting an airbag is a painful endeavor, and can be lethal for children. "Smart ... read more

Unless you’re a car mechanic, it might be difficult to diagnose what’s wrong with your vehicle when you hear a noise or feel something that normally isn’t there. But, if you're having issues with steering including weird noises, problems braking, going from a smooth ride to a bumpy or shaky one, or if your car seems to be swaying or leaning when you turn, then you should be asking yourself: “Is it time for new shocks and struts?” And, the answer is probably, yes. New, strange noises, and changes in the way your vehicle handles can be warning signs your shocks and/or struts might need to be replaced. A visit with your mechanic here at Elite Auto Repair will be able to determine exactly what the problems are and what needs to be replaced or repaired. What’s The Difference Between Shocks And Struts? The weight of your vehicle rests on the struts, which keep your car off of the tires. They are the main component of the suspension system, which is comprised of shock ... read more

Let's talk about your suspension. You know, the system that connects your wheels to the vehicle, controls your handling and delivers a good ride. Your suspension is critical for proper steering, stopping and stability. It's a rough world out there, and every time you hit a pothole, a bump or an object in the road, your suspension system has to absorb that impact and maintain control. As you can imagine, your suspension has a lot of joints and pivot points, which allow your wheels to move up and down over bumps and to turn as you steer. Now, these joints simply wear out over time. When a joint is worn, the suspension parts don't fit together as tightly as they should. Handling and steering has a loose feel, and you may hear strange noises. Your tires will wear unevenly, because they're bouncing down the road a little off kilter. A loose joint has the affect of stressing other suspension components so they wear out faster than they should s well, and sometimes a suspension pa ... read more