Auto Repair Services

AC Service
We can service your vehicle Heating and Air conditioning system with the latest equipment and products to make sure it is up to your needs. With the limited supply of R12 freon we are currently switching vehicles with older R 12 systems over to the new R134a Freon. We do not use butane, propane or any other chemical in your system that is not recommended for use by your vehicle's manufacturer. We use dye in your system to find small leaks that will cause your air conditioning to loose it's coolness over time. We check your AC system with both vacuum and pressure to be sure there are no leaks in the system.
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Alignments
When we align a vehicle we do more than just "set the toe and let it go". We start with a test drive to note any vibrations, pulls or handling problems. We then bring your vehicle into the shop and put up on the hoist to check all of the steering and suspension components for wear. We adjust your tire pressure to manufacturer specifications, this is important for ride quality and tire life. We check your wheel bearing preload to be sure it is proper for your vehicle. Another important part of your vehicles alignment is your vehicles ride height. The older your vehicle gets the more likely the springs or coils are to sag. This throws your alignment out of manufacturers specifications, and makes your vehicle handle less well. We use Hunter 311 alignment equipment with all of the latest software updates available, with infrared alignment heads so w don't have to worry about bad cords and poor connections. We print out a prealignment condition of your vehicle along with the specs of what it should be. We then align your vehicle by changing the front wheel adjustable angles using the thrust line of the vehicle. We then reroad test your vehicle to be sure of the proper operation of your suspension components.
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Battery Service
We remove the battery cables from the battery and check the cables and ends for corrosion and deterioration. We check the battery terminals or posts for corrosion. We clean the battery and cable ends. We check the electrolyte level and add water if needed and if possible. We then seal the terminals with battery post sealer.
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Brake Service
We have 7 different basic brake services that we do. Front brakes with 4X4 service, Front brakes on a 4X4 basic, Front disc brakes, Front brakes with wheel bearing repack, Rear disc brakes, Rear drum brakes, and rear drum brakes with bearing repack.

For our basic brake jobs we do the following. We remove the wheels, the calipers and then the rotors. We inspect the caliper mountings, hardware and caliper operation. We then clean and lubricate the caliper slides to make sure that both your brake calipers will slide at the same rate. This is important because if one slides slower that the other your vehicle will pull to one side when you apply the brakes. We then inspect the hydraulic system looking for cracked brake hoses or leaking lines that could fail and cause you to loose brake operation. We then machine the rotors after checking them for thickness. When we check the rotors we look at 2 measurements, one is the machine to specification. This lets us know how much material we can safely remove from the rotor and still have it be safe. The other is the discard specification. If your rotor is thinner than the discard spec. it will need to be replaced. This is important because your brakes generate a lot of heat in order to stop your car. This heat comes from your brake pads squeezing your rotors. As your rotors heat up you need to apply more pressure to make your brakes work. If your rotors are too thin when they heat up they are more susceptible to warping. If your rotors are warped when your hit your brakes your steering wheel will shake and your brakes will not work as well as they were intended.

If your vehicle is equipped with drum style brakes we replace the pads and service the drum system. This system consists of a wheel cylinder, brake springs, slides, backing plate and pressure adjusters. The wheel cylinder does the same job as the caliper piston in that this is where the pressure to apply the brakes is transferred from the hydraulic lines to a mechanical piston. Part of what we do while servicing your brakes is to clean all the parts and apply a coating of grease to reduce friction and wear. We also recommend replacing the brake hardware (springs) when you do a brake job because if the pads have worn out that means that those springs have expanded and contracted thousands of times. After all this expansion and contraction, just like any metal, the springs weaken and may not fully disengage your brakes causing premature brake pad wear.
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Starting and Charging System Test
When we diagnose your starting and charging system we first look at your alternator belt and pulley to be sure that there is correct tension on the belt so that the alternator is turning at the correct speed, and to be sure that your belt does not squeak. We then check your battery cables, wiring and connections. There is a good amount of vibrations in all vehicles and we want to be sure nothing is coming loose. After checking the basics we move on to testing the battery itself. We first load test the battery for 15 seconds at 50% of the batteries amperage. This will tell us if your battery has any depth of charge or if it is a surface charge. If it is a surface charge your car may start fine all of the time, but if it does not start right away (like when it is cold out) your battery will die and you will need a jump. We then charge the battery for a full 3 minutes and test the max voltage that the battery shows. This is another test that shows the health of your battery. If the battery checks out good we go on to test the alternator and regulator. All alternators are rated for a specific amperage so we test your alternator to be sure it is putting out the correct amount. We then test the regulated voltage and regulator operation. We then check amperage draw and voltage drop across the starter. This tells us if there is additional resistance in the starter itself signaling that it is bad. We check all these figures against the manufacturers specifications to be sure they are within spec. We then turn off the key and check the system for very small draws such as a clock or an alarm system. If this draw is over a certain number you could be looking at a dead battery if your car sits for an extended period.
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Complete Used Car Inspection
This service is a complete bumper to bumper inspection of your vehicle. We check every major system in your vehicle including: Lighting, steering and suspension, exhaust, brakes, fluids, belts and hoses, heating and cooling system, charging system, ignition system, vehicle computer, engine, fuel system, emission equipment, filters, transmission and 4x4 or AWD case. We check all these systems and give you a complete written report of what we find, if anything. This is a great report for buying or selling a used car, sending your kid to college, or to have done before going on a long trip.
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Cooling System Pressure Test
Your cooling system keeps your engine running at the optimal temperature and heats up the interior of your vehicle as well. We remove the radiator cap and install a pressure tester. We apply 15-18 PSI and visibly check for leaks in the hoses, connections, expansion plugs, heater core, water pump, thermostat housing and intake gasket. If there is any visible seepage we will inform you. If there appears to be internal leakage we will let you know this also. Your antifreeze is a very important fluid and needs to be changed every other year to reduce build up and keep things flowing properly.
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Flush and Fill Radiator
This service is very important because your aluminum radiator picks up corrosion over time and plugs up and doesn't work or develops small holes and leaks all over your driveway. If you keep fresh fluid in it with the proper additive package you won't need to replace your radiator after 5 years. This service is better than a drain and fill because it flushes all of the old fluid out of the engine block and heater core and replaces it with all new fluid and additive package that protects your cooling system. We also test your thermostat to be sure that it opens at the correct temperature, this allows the engine to warm up correctly and your interior to warm up in the winter.
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Fuel Injection Cleaning
Over time your fuel injectors can become clogged with deposits from fuel and combustion. We uses Valvoline Synpower fuel cleaning equipment to combat this problem. It cleans the injection system, engine, fuel rail, intake valves and combustion chambers. This keeps your engine running at peak efficiency.
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Oil Changes
We use Valvoline oil products and Pronto filters. Nearly anyone can change your oil, but we also do a 44 point check and lube your chassis. Lubricating your chassis components is important because the joint in your car that move need lubrication. If 2 pieces of metal have a layer of grease between them and never touch, they can not wear out. Our 44 point check list covers everything from tires, belts and hoses, exhaust, shocks, transmission to lighting. Come on in and let us show you our excellent service and vehicle care.
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Tire Rotation
We rotate in a modified X pattern and remount them on your car using torque sticks to get the proper torque on your lug nuts. This stops your tires from falling off or from us breaking a lug bolt and having to repair it. You should rotate your tires every other oil change so that they wear evenly on each position of your vehicle. This helps stem the tide of bad tire wear like cupping or chopping. If your tires are checked every other month for proper tire pressure and visually when you get into your car daily you should not have tire pressure wear issues like shoulder wear or center tread wear.
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Flush Power Steering System
Most cars with power steering have a rack and pinion style set-up. This is a pressurized system that allows you to steer easier than the old manual type steering systems, especially at lower speeds. Over time this fluid can become dirty and the seals can start to leak. If you replace the fluid there is seal conditioners in the fluid than can slow the rate at which the seals deteriorate and prolong the life of the system.
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Flush Brake Fluid
On newer vehicles with anti-lock brake systems (ABS) keeping the brake fluid clean is very important. If any contamination comes in to the brake fluid system it could cause the sensors that engage the ABS to malfunction decreasing your stopping ability in an emergency situation. We recommend that you flush your brake system every 3-4 years so this does not happen to you.
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Tire Balance
This is probable one of the most easily identified problems with your vehicle. If your tires are out of balance you will feel a shake in the steering wheel, and it will get worse the faster that you go. It is also easily remedied, we just rebalance your tires, if the vibration is still there after we have rebalanced your tires it could be a bad tire or a suspension problem that we could identify and fix for you.
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Shock & Strut replacement
We carry Monroe shocks and struts to handle your cars handling problems. Your shocks or struts are what give your vehicle it's ride quality along with your tires but, more importantly they are what keep your tires on the road. Worn shocks or struts bounce more than new ones and allow your tire to almost hop down the road. A good quality shock keeps your tires planted to the road so you can steer or brake out of trouble better than worn shocks.
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Tire Repair
So you have a flat tire. We can fix that. There are three basic flat tires that we see. One is a puncture in the tread face which can be fixed by using the tire dealers and retreader associations recommended repair. We send our technicians to school for proper flat repair techniques. Two is a leak around the rim of the tire. This can be fixed by demounting the tire and is usually due to rust. We grind off the rust and apply tire cement to insure a good seal when we remount the tire. The third type of flat that we see is a sidewall puncture, this type of flat is not repairable because there is too much flex in this area of the tire and any repair attempted would just let loose. Included in all of our tire repairs is a new valve stem and rebalancing the tire.
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Transmission Flush
First we test drive your vehicle and check for proper shift points. We then bring your vehicle in and lift it on the hoist and check for leaks. We the remove the cooler lines and install the TFX transmission flush machine and test for back pressure. We then flush the transmission cooler, lines, torque converter, and transmission with new fluid. We run this machine until we get clean fluid back out and all the fluid in your vehicle is new. We then fill it to the proper level and take it out for a second test drive to make sure the transmission is operating properly. Keeping fresh fluid in your vehicle is mighty important. As time goes on the friction in your transmission causes small amounts of metal particles to mix with your transmission fluid. You do have a filter that catches the biggest particles but, you need to replace the fluid to get all the benefits of increased seal conditioning and removal of all small particles that can wear your transmission out.
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Transmission Filter Change
You can use this service in addition to our TFX transmission flush to remove all contaminants from your transmission and have a sweet machine. To change the transmission filter we lift the vehicle in the air and remove the transmission pan, then remove the old gasket material between the pan and engine block, and replace the transmission filter and install a new gasket. The filter is where all of the large pieces of metal in your transmission are trapped and need to be removed when the fluid will not flow through it anymore.
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Tune up service
For a tune up service we replace the spark plugs with new and scope check your ignition system. We also inspect the ignition systems components and the belts and hoses and check all the fluids and filters. Spark plugs wear out over time and need to be replaced. There are many more styles of spark plugs now than in the past. There are platinum, copper, split fire and many others. We will inspect your vehicle and replace your spark plugs with ones that are appropriate for your vehicle.
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