Norfolk Auto Repair

You push a few buttons or turn some knobs, and voila, you have warm air blowing on your feet or cool air chilling your face. How does all that happen? Well, it’s all thanks to the air blend box. This box lives behind your dash and serves up just the right temperature of air right where you want it.   Let’s break it down. First there is the blower fan that circulates the air through the heating/air conditioning system. The fan can blow at different speeds, depending on how much hot or cold air you need to be comfortable. The blend box can either draw in fresh air from outside or recirculate air from inside the cabin. People often choose to recirculate air when first starting the vehicle until it starts to either cool down or warm up.   The next thing the blend box does is direct airflow over the heater core to warm the air, or over the air conditioner evaporator core to chill it – or a blend of hot and cold to get it just right. From there the blend box ca ... read more

The oil and fuel in your vehicle give off vapors that are very harmful to the environment. Evaporative emissions control systems – EVAP for short – are mandated in all cars and trucks. The EVAP system is there to capture these vapors and direct them into the engine to be burned – kind of an on-board recycling program. The EVAP system is a complicated network of hoses, valves, filters and such. Issues with the EVAP system are in the top 5 reasons for a Check Engine light to be illuminated. Your friendly and knowledgeable Carmasters Automotive service advisor can pull the trouble codes and begin a diagnostic procedure to isolate the fault. With the proper equipment, your technician can test the valves in order to trace a blockage. A low pressure smoke test can be performed to find any leaks. The repairs are then made to get the EVAP system working again and to reset the Check Engine light. While EVAP problems don't generally lead to vehicle damage, the fact that ... read more

You expect your key to turn in your vehicle's ignition.  But sometimes it won't, and that's a problem, whether you're trying to start your vehicle or trying to leave it.    Several things can cause this.  One of the most common is that the steering column locking mechanism is stuck.  Locking steering columns are an anti-theft feature introduced in the 1970s.  If yours is sticking, try moving the steering wheel a little from side to side as you turn the key; sometimes it will release.    A key may also stick if the vehicle is in gear.  Most vehicles will only let you start in neutral or park.  If you have an automatic transmission vehicle, make sure it's in park. Move the shift lever through the gears and back into park to make sure. If the key still doesn't turn, you can try jiggling the shift lever as you turn the key.  Electrical and mechanical contacts sometimes don't line up properly, and a little ... read more

1. The Fast and The Furious (2001) This scene from one of the most popular movies had your heart racing and blood pumping while you felt like you were right there in the car. Dominic and Brian are drag racing towards a speeding train in ultimate fast and furious style. When missing the speeding train, Dom's car crashes into an oncoming truck, spinning him into the air and coming down with a crash. With the police on their way to the impact, Brian saves the day and helps Dom make a quick escape. 2. Italian Job (1969) Another impressive scene is the classic car chase from Italian Job. That six-minute-long chase scene is one of the greatest cinema moments viewed by many. The three Minis (Red, White, and Blue) race up some stairs and even buildings as they keep one step ahead of the police. 3. Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets (2002) This modern film has many magical moments. But that scene when Harry and Ron miss the Hogwarts Express was truly memorable. Especially when they jump i ... read more

Question My friend just had a very expensive transmission repair.  How can I avoid transmission trouble?   Answer Next to your engine, your transmission is the most expensive component in your vehicle – so you want to do all you can to avoid transmission repairs.   You may have noticed a trend of engines becoming more and more powerful in recent years.  At the same time, fuel economy has been improving in nearly every motor vehicle segment.  More power and better fuel economy have always been at odds.  Some of the improvement in fuel economy has been due to engine design, but most of the increases in fuel economy can be credited to advances in transmission technology. Every engine has a sweet spot in which it most efficiently makes power.  This is often referred to as the power band – the optimal engine speed (measured in revolutions per minute, or RPM).  The computers that control what gear your automatic transmission is in try ... read more

Question What is synthetic oil, and should I use it? Answer Regular oil, also called conventional oil, comes from dead dinosaurs.  Conventional oil molecules are long hydrocarbon chains of various lengths.  Imagine a bunch of pencils – some used and some brand new. Synthetic oil is often more highly refined petroleum-based oil.  The molecules are shorter and closer to the same length.  Think a bunch of those little golf pencils. Some synthetic oil is man-made.  The molecules are rounder and much more uniform.  Think marbles. So, you can see that as you progress from conventional oil to synthetic blends (a mixture of conventional and synthetic) to full synthetic oil, there will be less friction in your engine.  Less friction means less heat – so better lubrication and protection against wear.  Synthetic blends and full synthetics also cost more. Synthetic oil is more resistant to thermal breakdown so less sludge (which can clog ... read more

With front-wheel drive being so common in Norfolk these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Norfolk folks don't even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive vehicle differentials don't need to be serviced for a long time, so it's understandable that it's not something on most drivers' minds. So it's not uncommon for people in VA to not know they have a differential, let alone know that it needs service. To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lin ... read more

Let's talk about your suspension – you know, the system that connects your wheels to your vehicle, controls your handling and delivers a good ride as you cruise around Norfolk, VA. Your suspension is critical for proper steering, stopping and stability. Hey, it's a rough world out there in VA – every time you hit a pothole, a bump or an object in the road, your suspension system has to absorb the impact and maintain control. As you can imagine, your suspension has a lot of joints and pivot points that allow your wheels to move up and down over bumps and to turn as you steer. These parts include ball joints, tie rod ends, the pitman, idler arms and the control arm bushing. They simply wear out over time. When a joint or other part is worn the suspension parts don't fit together as tightly as they should. Handling and steering has a loose feel and you may hear strange noises. Your tires will wear unevenly because they're bouncing down the Norfolk, VA, road ... read more

We’ve all been in for an oil change and told that our engine air filter’s dirty.  Here’s what goes into the determination of when to change the filter:  First, your owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter.  Second, a visual inspection may determine that your filter it is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.  So, between your owner’s manual and your technician’s inspection there’s really no guesswork involved. Now, most air filters don’t cost a lot to replace.  It’s just that we hate getting caught with an unexpected expense.  On the plus side, changing a dirty air filter can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change.  Think about a dirty furnace filter.  When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through.  In your car, that means that your engine can’t get as much air as it needs to burn the fuel ... read more

Today's Carmasters Automotive post focuses on the importance of protecting your mass air flow sensor or MAF. Air and fuel are mixed together to be burned in your engine. The amount is controlled by how hard you press on the accelerator or by external factors like climbing hills or hauling loads. Based on how much air you need – and how much is available – your engine management computer tells your fuel injection system how much fuel to send to your engine. But what if the computer is getting the wrong information about how much air is coming into your engine? Well, it would send the wrong amount of fuel and your engine performance would suffer. The Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor measures the volume, temperature and density of the air flowing into your engine. With that information, the computer calculates how much oxygen is available to burn and adjusts the amount of fuel it sends. A dirty or damaged MAF sensor can give the wrong readings, hurt your fuel economy, damage th ... read more