Auto Repair Tempe

Last week we talked about things to avoid doing when driving a vehicle with and automatic transmission. This week we're going to focus on the same question but pertaining to cars with manual transmissions. Do you have any of these five bad stick shift driving habits? Is it okay to rest your hand on the gearshift? Should you put the car in neutral when you come to a stop? How can you prevent rolling back on a hill? How do you drive a manual on a steep hill? How to hill start. Is it okay to floor it at low engine RPM? Is it okay to rest your foot on the clutch pedal? Check out the video below for the answers: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_cbZlhduYJY?list=PL7B5B6479699EB204&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Automatic overdrive systems are a form of transmission system offering significant performance enhancements and can also increase the efficiency of your car. When people hear the term 'overdrive' they may think it's all about speed, but that's not the focus of the feature. Overdrive can help a car to go faster, but it's really focused on allowing the engine to run at a lower RPM while maintaining the vehicle's current cruising speed. When To Use Overdrive Overdrive is an incredibly useful feature, and it's one you should use the vast majority of the time. The only time you'd likely need to turn overdrive off is if your vehicle is climbing a very steep hill or carrying/towing something incredibly heavy. In those situations, it's beneficial to be able to rev the engine a bit more. It's also useful to be able to go into lower gears if you're going down very steep hills. Many modern engines have 'smart' transmissions, w ... read more

Today we're going to look at five bad automatic transmission driving habits. Is it okay to coast down a hill in neutral? Should you put the car in neutral when you come to a stop? What is the safest way to launch an automatic car? Is it okay to switch from reverse to drive while the vehicle is moving? What happens when you put the vehicle in park? Check out the video below for the answers to these five questions! Here's a link to the Arizona law on coasting in neutral: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/28/00895.htm&Title=28&DocType=ARS

Today we're going to talk about transfer case service. Not a super sexy topic, but very important nonetheless. :) Now, you may not know much about transfer cases, but if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you've got one. It makes sure you have power available for both the front and rear axles and the right time and in the right proportion. For example, if you have a rear-wheel drive SUV, power goes to the rear wheels until you need four-wheel drive. That's where the transfer case steps in and transfers some of the power to the front wheels as well. You might use a shift lever to go into four-wheel drive or it could be a button on the dash or it might even go into four-wheel drive automatically, depending on your vehicle. The transfer case is serviced by periodically draining its fluid and replacing it with fresh fluid. We also check for leaks and damage. Transfer case fluid cools and lubricates the gears, chains, bearings, shafts and other parts. Over time, the additives i ... 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