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Southwest Houston Car Repair Houston Car Car Auto Fix

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Three things will save you money and help to insure your family’s safety.

  1. Bring your car in for regular maintenance.
  2. When your car has various “symptoms,” don’t try to diagnose the problems yourself.
  3. Allow us to use our state of the art diagnoses equipment to find your car’s problems.  

 Alignment:

Alignment has to do with your car’s suspension.  Your car’s suspension can be affected when you do something as minor as going over a bump in the road. A tiny accident can throw the calibration off of the components of your suspension.  Even with everyday normal driving, your suspension will become worn and your springs will stretch out.  These will cause your car’s wheels to be at wrong angles. An alignment will cause your wheels to be straightened as the angle measurements are restored.  When your car has proper alignment your tires will experience less resistance, resulting in better gas mileage and longer tire life.  For more information about alignment, click here.

Boots,CV Joint Repair, Axle:

Boots protect your CV joints. A frequent cause of CV joint failure is a worn out boot.  You should bring your car in to replace a boot at the first evidence of damage or deterioration.  This will prevent damage to your  CV joint. Replacing a boot is less expensive than the price of a new CV joint. CV (constant velocity) joints  join the main drive axle to the shaft attached to the front wheels. The purpose of CV joints is to transfer power from one side of the shaft to the other, at a range of angles. If your joints are in poor shape, you may experience drive shaft failure. If grease leaks from the CV boots onto your brakes, you may have a braking issue. That is a safety issue not to be ignored. If you hear squeaking when you are driving slow, have vibration on the highway, hear a hitting sound when you turn or shift from park to drive, you may have a drive shaft problem that will lead to a complete breakdown. Axles connect to the wheels and they carry weight of your vehicle.

Timing Belts:

A timing belt is made out of rubber and has teeth that grip the cams and pulleys. Timing belts turn the camshaft of the engine which helps to move the valves that bring air and bring fuel into the cylinder heads. These valves also pull exhaust gases out. If a timing belt breaks, internal damage could happen and the engine could stop running. You should bring your car into us periodically according to the mileage that your manufacturer recommends. If it is not replaced in time, it will represent a serious safety hazard. Your car could stop suddenly causing a severe accident. 

Cooling System, Radiator, Thermostat,Water Pump, Accessory Belt:

A lot of the energy in gasoline converts into heat. The cooling system handles that heat. The car does not overheat because it transfers this heat to the air. With the help of the thermostat and the fan, the cooling system also keeps the engine at a constant temperature after it heats up.  The cooling system has its own plumbing system which includes the pump and thermostat. The radiator transfers the heat from the coolant fluid to the air blown through it by the fan. The radiator cap is a pressure release valve. It is essential that your coolant fluid is added periodically.  When your car overheats it could be because of many factors. The gasket on your pressure cap may be worn out, your radiator may be plugged, your accessory belt may be loose or be worn out, or your radiator hose may be collapsed. If the radiator fan stops working, your car may over heat. This may also happen because of something as simple as your water being too low. This is why it is so important for you to have your car diagnosed by our professional mechanics. 

Electrical and Electrical Systems, Alternators,Batteries,Starters:

The electrical system runs many areas of your car, including the fuel system, ignition, radio, headlights and wipers. The system is run by the engine. The charging system is the main part of your electrical system.  It consists of electrical circuits, voltage regulator and alternator. The alternator recharges the battery and the voltage regulator keeps the voltage within the range of the electrical system. The starting system consist of the ignition switch, the starter solenoid or relay which triggers the starter motor which turns the engine until your car starts. You should never attempt to do any electrical repairs on your car. We utilize many safety precautions when dealing with electrical systems. That is one area of your car that you truly need a professional to handle for you.  Not being able to start your car is at the least a huge inconvenience.  Ignoring your electrical system and not having it checked out could also cause an accident for you if your lights go out at night on a freeway or your wipers stop working on the freeway during a heavy rain.  

Engine, Tuneups, Fuel Injection, Oil Changes, Spark Plugs, Air Filters, Exhaust:

The engine cycle consists of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust. In the intake phase, fuel and air are drawn into one of the compression chambers. A piston rises in the chamber, compressing the mixture of fuel and air. When the compressed mixture is ignited by a spark from a spark plug, the combustion begins. This forces the piston down and spins the crankshaft powering the vehicle. Then an exhaust valve opens to allow out the un-burnt fuel. Using inexpensive gasoline with low octane may result in engine knocking. Blown head gaskets may be caused when an engine overheats or the gasket is worn out. A broken connecting rod or bad spark plug may cause an engine to have cylinders which are not functioning properly and may rob the engine of power. An engine with a cracked engine block is a serious problem. You should follow your manufacturer’s maintenance schedule to make sure that your engine lasts longer, is safe and is efficient. You should bring your car in for regular oil changes, coolant level checks, and allow us to periodically change your spark plugs and air filter.

Steering

The most common type of steering system is rack and pinion. Components of steering systems maybe pinion gears, steering shafts, steering linkage, steering rods, recirculating balls, hydraulic pumps, steering wheel drive belt and pistons. You may have a steering system problem if your car pulls to one side after hitting a pothole or other irregularity on the road or has too much free play in the steering wheel. If you notice that you need to frequently correct your direction by turning the steering wheel, and this problem gets worse as you increase speed, part of your steering linkage may need to be tightened or replaced (This would also need to be done if your steering wheel vibrates or your wheel shimmies.). If your steering wheel jerks, your power steering drive belt may be damaged or loose or your power steering fluid may be low, your power steering pump may need to be worn-out or damaged, or your steering linkage may be rubbing against something. If there are unusual sounds when you turn a corner, something may be hitting the steering column, or you may need to lubricate or replace your steering gear. If when you turn your steering wheel all the way you hear unusual sounds, your power steering belt may be damaged or too loose, your fluid has air in it or is too low, or your power steering pump is loose or damaged. The risks of how faulty steering could effect the safety of you and your family is obvious.

Suspension, Shocks, Struts

If your car is bouncing and swaying or it looks like it is not level when it is parked, you may have a suspension issue. Your car’s suspension, a part of your car’s chassis, maximizes friction between the tires and the road. It helps to make your steering more stable, enabling you to better control your car. When you encounter an irregularity in the road, your car may have a vertical acceleration. Without a good suspension system, this vertical energy goes to the frame and moves it in that direction. Your wheels at that moment may not be on the road. Then because of gravity, they hit the road. The suspension system absorbs some of the energy in the vertical acceleration of the wheels. This allows for a smoother ride and more accurate accelerating, braking, turning, road holding as the frame is less disturbed. Components of your suspension are springs, dampers, shocks, and anti-sway bars. Suspension springs and shock absorbers wear out gradually. Because they wear out gradually, you may not notice a change. Worn shocks increase the time and distance to move or stop your car to avoid an accident or other emergency situation.   

Transmissions, Clutch

Your transmission  controls the power going from the engine to the drive shaft.  An automatic transmission allows your car to operate in a range of speeds while providing a range of output speeds. It uses gears to make effective use of the engine’s torque and to keep the engine operating at an the correct speed. A manual transmission locks and unlocks different sets of gears to the output shaft to obtain the gear ratios. In an automatic transmission, the same set of gears produces different gear ratios. The planetary gear set is the device used. If you have towed or hauled anything recently, you may have burned up your transmission fluid. Because of the heat and friction happening with the components of your transmission system, the transmission system probably has more wear and tear than your other systems. Symptoms need to be properly diagnosed and problems need to be corrected quickly. If your car fails to respond or there is a delay when you shift gears, the engine light is on, you smell something burning or hear unusual noises, there could be a problem with your transmission. 

Smoke and Emission Tests

When your car is emitting smoke,it could mean that you have extra fuel in your cylinder, which will decrease your gas mileage. If your car is emitting extremely black smoke, it would be best not to turn on your engine until we diagnose the problem. If your smoke looks white or like stream, it could be the result of a defective head gasket or a problem with the anti-freeze level. Blue smoke usually indicates an engine problem. Regularly testing your smoke and emission is absolutely necessary for your and your family’s health and safety. When you bring your car into European Automotive Center, we make sure that the carbon dioxide levels do not go above the safe limit.  Gases leaking into the inside of your car can be deadly at high levels.