Auto Repair Tempe

Little things can make a huge difference, and this applies in particular when it comes to your car. Small problems with your car can add up over time and lead to significant problems for you. However, making small repairs and taking little maintenance steps can extend the life of your car and keep it on the road for many years. Let’s explore some of the things you can do to keep your vehicle running in excellent shape. 1. Ensure The Fluid Levels Are Always Full From brake fluid to engine coolant, windshield washer fluid, and power steering fluid, always ensure these fluids are topped up and at the manufacturer’s recommended levels. This will not only ensure your vehicle is in tip-top shape, but it will also ensure your car is safe to drive and keep it running for many years. Letting the fluids in your vehicle run down to extremely low levels before topping them up is a dangerous mistake, which should be avoided because you can add most car f ... read more

One skill every driver should have, regardless of age or gender, is to be able to change a flat tire on a car. One thing you must keep in your car is the original manual that comes with the car. Not only will this give a step-by-step guide on tire changing, it also contains other important information about your vehicle. Before discussing the actual process of tire changing it's important to go over some of the tools and gear, you'll need for the tire change. It's a good idea to keep all of these items together in a bag or toolbox in the back of your car in case of an emergency. For a proper tire change, you'll need a large screwdriver, a tire iron, wheel nut wrench, jack, wheel block, mallet and heavy duty gloves. Fortunately many cars come equipped with most of these items, so take stock of what your car already has and go from there. Here is a step-by-step guide on changing a tire: Step 1 - Figure out where everything i ... read more

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

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

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

Chances are your contact with your car's fuel is limited to filling it up at the gas station. But, once you put in that fuel it has quite a journey and a few important responsibilities. Your car's fuel management system must: Allow the engine to start and run in the coldest and hottest places; Allow the engine to run smoothly under all conditions; And keep exhaust emissions in check. The vehicle's fuel management system uses a multitude of sensors to gather information such as temperature, pressure, air flow, and other parameters. This information is processed by engine control module. The engine control module can then operate the fuel injectors and various other actuators that control the engine operation. Key components of the fuel management system include: - Fuel Pump - Fuel Filter - Fuel Pressure Regulator - Fuel Injectors - Airflow Sensor - Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor - Oxygen Sensors - Throttle Body - Engine Control Module The fuel ma ... read more

It seems like the days when you changed your spark plugs every couple of years have ended. Why is that? Well, they really did wear out that often. A couple of things are different now. First, spark plugs are made of better materials that last longer, and they're designed better. The second reason that spark plugs used to have to be changed was that they were fouled up with carbon deposits. The deposits built up when fuel wasn't burned completely. That doesn't happen as much now with modern engine controls. Engine control computers precisely time when fuel is injected into the engine and when spark plugs fire. Unless something is wrong, spark plugs just don't foul like they used to. Let's take a little tour of the steps in this process. Electricity from the battery goes into a coil that allows power to build up to anywhere from 12,000 to 45,000 volts, depending on the vehicle. The engine management computer tells the coil (some engines have more than one) when to release the po ... read more

No doubt there's been a few times you've looked under the hood of your car to discover all the road grime and collected grease. While it's easier to close the hood and pretend you never saw the mess to begin with, others may want to make the engine bay as clean as possible, whether it's for personal reasons or they want to make it more appealing to potential buyers. So what do you do? The engine bay is a complicated mess of engineering and electrical components that would have most consumers running away with their tails tucked between their legs. But cleaning the engine bay doesn't have to be complicated or even scary. In fact, you don't even need that much time or tools to begin this seemingly scary project. Let's get started! Supplies You'll Need: A degreaser. Doesn't have to be a specialized engine degreaser. In fact, you can stop by your local Walmart and pick up the ever popular "Purple Power" sold in commercial sized jugs. No, it won't cost you a fortune either. A ... read more