car repair

Top Tips for Choosing Auto Repair Shops

When you experience issues with your car, time may not be on your side. For most drivers, dealing with work schedules and responsibilities such as family means you need to have a car in the right working condition. Maybe you need brake repair, windshield replacement, or auto service. Before car trouble kicks in, you should take your time to compare different auto repair shops to find the right one for you.

Ask Around

Ideally, the best referrals will come from family and friends who have used auto repair shops in your area. In fact, getting a word-of-mouth referral from a family member or friend can also mean getting honest opinions about their experience with the said repair shops. This can save you a lot of money and even avoid scams.

Shop Around

You should not wait until your car breaks down to start looking for an auto repair shop. For instance, if the radiator is smoking, you may want to fix it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, when you are in a rush, your judgment is likely to be clouded. This can influence you to make hasty decisions based on needing to have the car back immediately.

Do Not Consider Price Alone

Although the price will affect your choice, since you need an affordable rate, do not go for the cheapest option. In fact, you need to carry out some research and make a comparison. It does not always mean that the cheapest service is the worst service. On the other hand, the most expensive may not always be providing high-quality services.

Check Online Reviews

Although your family and friends might have given you good advice about the repair shops they have hired in the recent past, they might not have given you all options. Also, you can have a specific auto repair problem that you want to be solved. It is advisable to look for online reviews from unbiased customers. Nowadays, there are many forums and blogs that share experiences about various auto shops.

Play 20 Questions

As a customer, you need to ask about the auto repair company’s experience, credentials, warranty policies, and customer service. Look for repair shops that give their customers extended warranties on different parts. Also, you should not forget about their certifications and years of experience they have in the field.

Get Estimates

Always ask for written estimates. That is because they assure that your shop is not going to tackle on unneeded services. Moreover, written estimates that are far from others mean a shop has charged you for unnecessary parts and repairs.

repaired car body

Benefits of Auto Body Repair Services

Most car owners do not worry much about dents on their vehicle’s body. Well, one of the main reasons why most people never seem to care much about body damage is because it does not seem to have a significant impact on the operations of their car. There are many reasons every car owner needs to pay attention to auto body repairs, irrespective. That said, here is a rundown of some major reasons why auto body repair services are essential for a car owner.

To Avoid Damage on Other Parts

Cosmetic damage on a car’s exterior often appears minor. But there are instances when minor body damages might lead other damage. For example, a deformed fender might subject other parts bellow it to undue pressure, thus damaging it. As such, it is advisable to have any damages on your vehicle’s exterior are repaired to avoid further damage.

Essential Features Might not Work

Dents on the body can interfere with the functioning of other parts. Some of the functions that are commonly affected by dents include car lighting or the inability to open your hoods. If you are often driving at night, the last thing you should wish for is malfunctioning lights, which might earn you a ticket.

To Meet State Requirements

If you are required to take your vehicle for inspection, you cannot afford to take it for inspection while some parts are damaged. Instead of failing the inspection or waiting too long to get repairs done to pass the check, which could both get you a ticket for expired registration, it is advisable to take your car for auto body repair.

Improves Resale Value

One of the first things that a potential buyer is interested in when buying a car is the exterior. And when your vehicle’s exterior is in top shape, this could act as an incentive for the new buyer to consider looking at other parts of the car. If the body has dents, this might be an instant turn off, or it could also mean that the car would fetch a lower price than what it could have when it was in top shape.

 These experts have what it takes to restore your car to the maker’s specification.

steering wheel

Importance of the Windshield

In today’s world, most people own a car. Either for personal use or they use it to make a living. You can use a different vehicle to travel from one place to another. Every part of a vehicle also has various functions for the car itself and the people who will ride inside. One key safety highlight of your vehicle that you’ve likely not considered – in fact, you presumably look directly through it! – it is your windshield. Obviously, windshields go about as their names propose, protecting you from the wind, components, and flying roadway debris. This is why it is also vital to repair and replace your windshield if necessary.

  1. Protection. The windshield protects the passengers inside the car, and it is a fact that everyone already knows. It shields us from the wind, and other flying debris, such as insects, specks of dust, and rocks. 
  2. The windshield plays a significant task in strengthening the structure of your car so that it is less likely to be crushed if an accident occurs. It also supports your vehicles’ roof. Vehicles used to have steeled pillars that supported the roof, but today that is no longer the case. A is the thing that provides necessary support to keep a vehicle’s roof from falling if the car rolls over. That is one of the most significant reasons you should ensure your windshield is in ideal condition. It might merely save you and your passenger’s life.
    structure
  3. One of the lesser-known significant facts about windshields is that auto glass offers support to the airbag on the passenger’s side of a vehicle when it is conveyed. If your auto glass is inappropriately installed, your airbag could compel the windshield to isolate it from the car during an accident. This may be the cause of a passenger’s side airbag not to deploy appropriately. An inappropriately installed, chipped, or cracked, a windshield can drastically build the possibility of severe damage during an accident.
  4. A windshield is intended to ensure people to remain inside the vehicle when there a car accident occurs. When the windshield isolates from the casing of a car, the people inside can be evicted through the windshield opening. When an individual is tossed out of the vehicle, there is a lot more prominent possibility of real mischief. Air or water spills are a potential pointer of an improperly installed windshield.
mechanic at work

Mechanical Car Problems that Are Expensive to Repair

Owning a car comes with its fair share of perks and challenges. Most people tend to be overly excited by the thrill of buying and owning a new vehicle – all they need to do is to enjoy the ride. As the car gets older, it becomes susceptible to all manner of issues, some of which can cost close to the actual valuation of the car. Here is a list of common car problems that can prove to be costly to repair.

Engine Replacements

While some engine problems might be prevalent, most of them are not serious enough to warrant an overhaul. Engine failure, for instance, can only be solved by replacing the entire engine with a new one. Car engines are quite pricey, and at times, they might cost close to the value of the car. You could also be surprised to see an engine that costs more than the current market value of the vehicle.

Transmission Overhaul

Things such as difficulties while switching gears, gear slippage, and delayed acceleration often characterize car transmission problems. Some of these problems can be corrected by topping up the transmission fluid. But when the magnitude of these problems is troubling, an overhaul of the entire transmission system can be a feasible solution. The cost of an overhaul, for instance, can be a serious deterrent to replacing your transmission system owing to substantial costs involved.

Leaking Cylinder Gaskets

One of the most demanding repair tasks in any car is repairing a blown-up cylinder head gasket. The effort involved in this process is actually, what makes it a bit pricey. If you have a damaged cylinder head, you should be prepared to part with more than $1000 for its repair.

AC Compressor Failures

The air conditioning compressor is the heart of your car’s air conditioning system. The compressor can be reasonably expensive to fix when it starts functioning abnormally. The costs involved in repairing or replacing a compressor are not as much as those incurred in fixing both transmission and engine problems. The decision to repair or replace your air compressor should be arrived at after conducting some technical analysis.

car piston system

It is a known fact that the cost of owning a car is not limited to the initial investment you make while buying a car. You need to brace yourself for the possibility of having to deal with costly repairs. In the case of expensive repairs, for instance, there are times when you might consider upgrading your old vehicle to a new one.