Auto Repair Tempe

How Do I Know If My Mechanic is Honest?     Considering there are some 800,000 auto mechanics in the US, about one for every 316 cars, it makes sense that most drivers don’t know much about cars. Unfortunately, dishonest mechanics might exploit that inexperience, overcharging for auto repairs or suggesting unnecessary and expensive services, to name a few. How do you know if your mechanic is being honest? How Dishonest Mechanics Work Dishonest mechanics may exploit the unaware by hyping up a service, with confusing technobabble, or suggesting “shotgun” repairs. If you hear, “Your car is going to (explode, burn, die) if you don’t do this,” be wary and get a second opinion. Rarely is a repair such a dire emergency. Dishonest mechanics and hack mechanics might suggest shotgun repairs. There’s almost no chance that your no-start problem will need a starter, battery, and alternator to fix. Similarly, there’s almost zero chance t ... read more

Your axles are the last link in transferring power from the engine to your wheels. They're strong parts that last a long time, but they can run into trouble. Of course, axles just wear out over time and need to be replaced, and sometimes axle seals leak, causing the axle to wear out prematurely. Lubricant leaks out and water and dirt can get in and contaminate the gears. When this happens, you might hear strange noises coming from your axle. If you have a rear wheel drive vehicle, the sound would be at the back. If you have a front wheel drive vehicle, the sound would be up front. Of course, with an all wheel drive vehicle, the sound could come from either the front or the back. It might be a groaning sound or a clunking noise when you’re turning. Your service technician here in Temple at Elite Auto Repair can inspect for leaking seals. There's a rubber boot that protects the constant velocity, or CV joints, on so ... read more

When my check engine light comes on, I'm torn between utter panic and just wanting to ignore it and hope it goes away. How about you? How does it make you feel just thinking about it? It's understandable of course, because that same check engine light could be coming on for anything, from serious damage to your transmission all the way down to just a loose gas cap. "A loose gas cap?" you say. "There's a trouble code for that, seriously?" That's a really good question. There's a very common misconception that the trouble codes stored in your engine computer when your check engine light comes on will specifically identify a problem. It's really more like pointing to the symptoms of a problem. Take your temperature, for instance. Say it's 101 degrees. Your heat sensor, the thermometer, tells you your temperature is out of the norm ... read more

Wheel bearings - not the most exciting topic. :) However, they're another important part of your car that keeps your ride smooth and safe, and they need proper maintenance. Wheel bearings are what enable your wheels to spin freely. Since they bear the entire weight of the vehicle, they have to be tough. Wheel bearings can last well over 100,000 miles, but they do wear out and eventually need to be replaced. You might hear a groaning sound from your wheels. The sound might disappear at some speeds and reappear at others. Your service technician her at Elite Auto repair can quickly tell if your bearings are bad by raising the vehicle and wiggling the wheel. When you grasp the top and the bottom of the tire, it shouldn’t move along the vertical access. Many vehicles these days have wheel bearing assemblies that cannot be serviced. When those bearings go bad, we simply replace the entire assembly. For those ve ... read more

Brakes that work properly are essential to your safety. So of course, you want to carefully maintain your brakes. In vehicles equipped with drum brakes, the brake components are housed inside a drum that rotates with the wheel. When you step on the brake pedal, brake shoes push out against the inside of the drum, slowing the wheel. Now, brake shoes just wear away by rubbing on the drum when you brake. When it's time to replace brake shoes, it's a straightforward repair. If you hear squealing or grinding when braking, have your service advisor here at Elite Auto Repair in Tempe check them out. He'll have a service technician perform a thorough brake inspection to see what needs to be done. He'll check for signs of brake problems and go over other brake components to see that they're working properly. He can tell you if it's time to replace the shoes or if there are other brake i ... read more

You've probably noticed a bunch of warning lights on your dash when you start your engine. They flash on to test the circuits and then go off if everything's okay. One of the warning lights looks like a car battery. Its job is to tell you if your battery is not charging properly. Now, you know that your battery stores electricity, enough to start your engine and get you moving, but that's about it. You can only get a few miles on battery power alone. You need an alternator to generate enough electricity to run your engine and power your electrical accessories, like the stereo, power seats, heater fan, onboard computers and so on. On top of that, the alternator needs to recharge your battery. So when your alternator isn't working properly, there isn't enough electricity for all those things. One thing's for sure, when your alternator fails, you aren't going very far. Why would your alternator not work? Usually they've simply worn out. Alternators are driv ... read more