The car battery has been a pivotal part of the automobile for a long time. The battery was a big upgrade from the manual crank to start systems in the old days. The main source of your batteries power used to be to provide power to the starter when you turned the key to start the car. Now days that is not simply the case. The battery provides power to all of the electronics in your vehicle. The battery voltage is maintained while driving by the alternator which charges the battery while driving. The battery carries 12 volts and the alternator actually has to charge between 13.5 to 14.5 volts t ..read more

It is hard for me to put myself into the general consumers shoes sometimes when it comes to auto repair. I understand all the reasons why people do it themselves, but as technical as cars are today, we struggle as professionals so I know it is hard for the DIY person out there. The part about the DIY crowd that I love and can absolutely appreciate is the right of passage many adults pass down to their youths. My kids love to help me work on stuff. Even though some of the things I work on are far above their heads, I always find a way to include them in the build or repair. I always want them t ..read more

I admit to being a bargain shopper. There were a few lessons in life that taught me about quality. The first time I installed a stereo system in my truck, I thought I had hooked something up wrong when in fact I simple cheaped out on the speakers. Eventually I came to appreciate nice clothes that would last more than a year. Ironically brakes are in a similar boat. Most people would say, “A brake pad is a brake pad.” Your mechanic might even tell you that, and that statement could not be farther from the truth. You may be familiar with certain brands you have seen over the years and think, “I ..read more

What Happens First? Contact Insurance Company Set Up Rental Talk to Insurance Adjuster Create Preliminary Estimate Perform Pre-Body Inspection Scan all Modules on Vehicle Check Alignment Check for Mechanical Damage Tear Down/Bluepring The vehicle is torn down and additional repairs are recommended. Often times when tearing down a vehicle you will be able to spot damage that is not able to be seen when the vehicle is still assembled. Below are some pictures of damage found during the blueprint process. You can see the inner structure behind the grill on the left picture is damaged. In the r ..read more

Wheels-Add some new wheels. When modifying your ride the first thing many consumers look to do is upgrade their wheels. This could mean going to a larger rim and tire set up. With websites like Vision Wheel, Fuel Wheels, and Wheel Fire, you can easily choose your vehicle and see what it would look like with a new set up. In addition to his make sure you understand offsets to give you the width and stance you like that will set you apart from the field. Wrap or Paint-We get calls all the time asking about the price of an all over paint job. The cost to paint an entire car is generally outrageou ..read more

It is that time of the year when many motorists wonder if they need to let their vehicle “warm up” or idle before driving. In fact, today’s modern cars are ready to drive in cold temperatures without excessive idling, says the Car Care Council. The idea of idling before driving dates back to when cars were built with carburetors. With new fuel-injection technology, complex computer systems and thinner synthetic oils, drivers don’t need to warm up their cars before hitting the road. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “When a car idles for more than 30 seconds, it has severa ..read more

The landscape of the auto industry is changing dramatically. It seems to be a very up and down flow of change and innovation. With changes in laws and regulations, fuel consumption continues to be a battle all over the country. That being said, things like CVT transmissions and 8 to 10 speed transmissions are becoming more prominent. The automatic transmission has been around forever, but it is also more important than ever to change the transmission fluid regularly. We have had so many vehicles come into our shop with only 80k to 100k miles on them and the transmission is already shot. Chevro ..read more

One of the pillars of our business is honestly. I may not fix you car, but I will always be honest with you. If you are a good, moral businessman, you will have a CHANCE to succeed. If you are not a good moral businessman, you will have NO CHANCE to succeed (Except in this industry……). This week we had a gentleman come in with a car we had previously worked on. He had it at another shop and they told him it was leaking from a previous repair we had performed (Was in for a coolant leak at the intake manifold). After we raised the car up and inspected it, we noticed numerous oil leaks. It did ha ..read more

By now we have all seen a Tesla or Prius on the road. These are the most common Hybrid/EVs in the US. With the release of the Model 3 Tesla now owns over 50% of the US market for Electric vehicles. These cars are quite impressive from offering auto-pilot to updating overnight giving you up to date user experiences, these cars seem futuristic in an industry that is not as advanced as many would like. Electric vehicles have limited range and must be charged frequently. Hybrids on the other hand still have gas generators and can go until the next fill-up giving you and unlimited range provided yo ..read more

Your vehicles steering and suspension typically deteriorates slowly over time and can be unnoticeable until you hear that rattle or clunk.  The parts that typically fail include ball joints, tie rods, struts, shocks, springs, control arms and stabilizer links or sway bar links. Ball Joints/Tie Rods: Imagine yourself holding a baseball tightly, but over time your grip loosens and the baseball falls out. This is similar to how a ball joint and tie rod work. Its a ball in socket joint and they wear out causing looseness and sometimes catastrophic failure where the joint comes out of the socket ..read more