Norfolk Auto Repair

Valentine's Day is a treasured holiday for most couples in the US. To celebrate with your partner, you may take them out to dinner or go out of town for a romantic adventure. If you're planning on hitting the road for V-day this year, you should first take your car to a trusted auto repair shop for a pre-trip inspection. No one wants to be lost and deal with a broken-down vehicle when you could be celebrating with your significant other. Unfortunately, inadequate vehicle maintenance can put your car at risk of a breakdown and put your loved one at risk of safety. At Carmasters Automotive, LLC, we treat you and your car as if they were ours. We offer pre-trip inspections to check all your vehicle's essential systems, and we can let you know if any services or repairs are needed before the big day. A pre-trip inspection will give you the peace of mind you need while you're away. Please plan ahead as you don't want to scramble to get in an appointment on top of the o ... read more

Simple Answers from Carmasters Automotive: Engine Air Filter Jan 30th, 2022 Question What’s the harm in putting off replacing my engine air filter a little longer? Answer That’s a fair question because the harm takes a while to manifest.  Let’s take a small step back and talk about what an engine air filter does. The air all around us contains dust, dirt, pollen, spores, etc.  Some areas and times of the year have more contaminants in the air.  The job of the air filter is to keep that stuff out of your engine.  The benefit of that is obvious. Now your engine uses a lot of air – like 12,000 gallons of air for every gallon of fuel – so the engine air filter has a big job to do.  When the filter gets full and can’t hold any more dirt, all that air still has to get to the engine, so dirt gets forced through the filter and heads on downstream. The air flows passed the mass air flow (MAF) sensor on its way to the engine.&nb ... read more

Simple Answers from Carmasters Automotive for Norfolk: Power Brakes Jan 17th, 2022 Question: What is power brake service and why do Norfolk drivers need to have it done?Carmasters Automotive Answer: Imagine: you pour a tablespoon of water in your hand and throw it as hard as you can. Now, suppose you suck up a tablespoon of water into a syringe, push the plunger and squirt it out. Which would go further? Of course it's the water squirting out of the syringe. That's because you pressurized the water. Your power brake system is kind of the same thing. When you step on the brake pedal, the master cylinder pressurizes brake fluid which actuates the brakes so you can stop. Norfolk drivers who don't have enough pressure can ... read more

Simple Answers from Carmasters Automotive for Norfolk: Battery Replacement Jan 13th, 2022 Question When do I need to replace my battery? Answer That’s a smart question.  All batteries wear out and need to be replaced – but some are being replaced before their time.  Look, if your battery is dying and you need a jump-start, it could very well be that you have a bad battery.  But have your service center test the battery first to see if it’s bad.  The problem could be parasitic drain or a bad alternator that’s not properly charging your battery. But you also need to have your alternator tested.  A surprisingly high percentage of “bad” alternators are actually just fine: the problem is a worn serpentine belt and/or belt tensioner.  If the belt is slipping, it’s not spinning the alternator properly so it can’t fully charge the battery. So, you see a dead battery can be the result of a chain of events: a wor ... read more

  Jan 5th, 2022 You may own a vehicle that you only drive occasionally.  Maybe it is a summer day cruiser, an off-roader, or vacation hauler.  Here are some things you need to know about a vehicle that doesn't get driven all that much. You know it has oil in it, and the problem with not driving a vehicle means the oil is just sitting there. Time is breaking it down.  The additives that neutralize acids that build up in the oil are still at work, being depleted over time.   Plus, parts of your vehicle that are supposed to be protected by oil simply aren’t when the vehicle is not being used.  That’s why oil change intervals include both time and distance recommendations. Combustion causes moisture to accumulate in the oil.  The water leads to significant corrosion, so it needs to be burned off periodically. You can do that by driving the vehicle at highway speeds for an hour or so. Your battery will discharge as it sits.  ... read more