Norfolk Auto Repair

During the colder weather months, drivers find themselves using more windshield washer fluid. Street surfaces are generally sloppier and can kick up snow, salt, mud and grime that require washer fluid to help out your windshield wipers. You might be tempted just to pick up the cheapest blue fluid you can find, but sometimes that's not the wisest choice. You probably already know that pure water isn’t a great idea.  It can freeze in cold weather and potentially damage the lines in your vehicle that carry the fluid. Plus, spraying water on your windshield in freezing temperatures can result in a layer of blinding ice that will obstruct your view. Different windshield washer fluids are made for different climates.  Many will contain alcohol to prevent them from freezing.  The label will usually tell you the lowest temperature at which they'll work properly.  Some will also have a detergent in them to clean off the contaminants that dirty up your windsh ... read more

When your car battery starts acting up, it can be a sign of battery problems. Here are 5 signs your battery is dying: A Slow-Starting Engine If you've noticed that your car takes longer than usual to start up, it might be time for a new battery. The battery is the power source for the starter motor, so if it is not working, the engine will not start. Dim Lights or Headlights Are Slow To Turn On If your car dome light doesn't brighten at all, or if it looks dim when you turn the key, it could be a sign of a dying battery. Likewise, if your headlights are slow to pop on after starting the engine, this can be another indicator of trouble. Battery Is More Than Three Years Old batteries are the most common cause of car problems, so measure how old yours are. If you have a standard wet cell car battery, like you would find in most cars, trucks, and SUVs from the last few decades, there will be a sticker on top with a code printed. You can find out exactly how old your battery i ... read more

When the weather gets hot, some of the components of your vehicle are pushed to the limit.  Here are a few things to watch out for as the mercury climbs higher: Your vehicle's air conditioning (A/C) system.  You might notice it's blowing only hot air, even though when you last had it on in the fall, it was working fine.  All sorts of things can fail in an air conditioning system, from the blower motor to the condenser, a worn compressor, or simply a refrigerant leak.  A/C diagnosis and repair requires a trained technician.   Tires.  Heat is hard on tires.  Rubber breaks down in sunlight and hot weather.  Tire pressure climbs as the temperature climbs. A trained technician will check your pressure, tread depth, cupping and other uneven wear, and track down the cause. It may be time for some new ones.   Cooling system.  It only makes sense that summer breakdowns are often caused by the vehicle overheating.  Have us check ... read more

The function of a fuel filter is pretty self-explanatory.  It filters your fuel.  The fuel filter is in the fuel line somewhere in between the fuel tank and the engine.  Both gas and diesel vehicles use fuel filters. There’s not a lot of dirt in the fuel supply, but there is enough that you want to screen it out.  The problem gets worse the older your vehicle becomes.  That’s because dirt, rust and contaminates will settle out of the fuel and onto the bottom of the fuel tank.  After a car is five years or older, it can have a fair amount of sediment built up.  That just means that the fuel filter must work harder as your car ages.  It’ll get clogged sooner and need to be replaced more often. A symptom of a clogged fuel filter is that the engine sputters at highway speeds or under hard acceleration.  That’s because enough fuel is getting through around town, but when you need more fuel for speed, enough can’t ... read more

Sometimes you may notice a little steam or vapor coming out of your vehicle's vents when running the air conditioning or heater.  Is this something about which you need to worry?   The answer is it may or may not be troublesome. Sometimes it can be caused by water accumulating in the vent system after it condenses.  That water can wind up at the bottom of a vent, and when you turn on the blower motor, it can cause what looks like steam or vapor to come out of the vents.    It may go away on its own when the system dries out after you've run the fan for a while.  Of course, moisture sitting around for more than a short time in a hot vehicle is the perfect breeding ground for mold to develop, and you don’t want your vehicle to smell like musty mold.   Sometimes the moisture can build up because a drain is clogged.  A technician can clean that out and get things draining again.   If the vapor coming out of the vents has a swee ... read more

When all of a vehicle's wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Norfolk or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday VA driving can cause your vehicle wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear. Here are some alignment basics from Carmasters Automotive: The first angle is called toe: Do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire? The next angle is called camber: Do the wheels tip in or out at the top? And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle. The ideal alignment for your vehicle was designed by its engineers. Carmasters Automotive alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension to see if anything ... read more