Gilbert Auto Repair

Did you know that your car contains seven fluids and that, in order to keep your car running safely, you need to check all of them on a regular basis? We understand the importance of checking your fluid levels so we put together this two-part series to teach you all about the different fluids and how you can check them. Part one will look at gasoline, motor oil, and brake fluid. You’ll likely learn how to check the gasoline levels of your vehicle and put more gas in within the first week of owning the car. If you don’t then you won’t be getting very far in your second week! When you get a new car you should take a look through the owner’s manual. This manual will tell you everything you need to know including how much fuel you should keep in your car and how to check fluid levels. If you can’t find your owner’s manual then you can likely find a digital copy to download on the manufacturer’s website. You should be able to find it with a quick s ... read more

Technology these days are smarter than ever. It started with phones, then it was TVs, and now even refrigerators are “smart”. Cars are also becoming smarter. Computers these days are becoming a major feature in automobiles. Of course computers have been a part of cars for decades now, dating back to the CPU powered engine management systems (E.M.S) that became the standard in 1991. They were even in cars before then too. The CPUs in cars have always been focused on engine performance tasks and are used to regulate the air-fuel mixture, the ignition timing, idle speed and transmission shift points. Like every other kind of computer in the world these computers need to be upgraded from time to time. When a car is brand new the CPU is programmed to handle a brand new engine. Unfortunately your car engine doesn’t perform the same way it did after 100k miles. This is when you should consider having a reflash performed. A reflash is basically when the software of your car ... read more

The largest vehicle recall that’s ever happened took place in 1980 when the Ford Motor Company recalled 21 million cars for a fault that would cause cars to automatically switch to reverse from park. Many of these cars were not actually repaired and instead all that happened was a sticker was put on the dashboard. If you own a Ford that was made between 1966 and 1980 then your car might still have this sticker. Not every recall is as large or dangerous as this particular recall but recalls are still something you should take note of. Cars these days are ever-evolving and, as a result- are ever more complicated. As more options and features are introduced so are the chances that something will malfunction. Many recalls that happen are to address faults in similar vehicles. It’s also possible for the Federal Government to issue a recall themselves over a safety or environmental concern. If you are the original owner of a vehicle then you’ll receive a notification abou ... read more

While it might be hard to imagine songs being written about being driven down the highway by Google self-driving cars are slowly becoming a reality. It’s expected that everyone will be driving (or not) a self-driving car within the next few decades. The Google self-driving car has already been road tested and has clocked up millions of miles. Tesla also have their own Autopilot feature in some of their cars that are on the road. Today more self-driving prototypes are being created and put together. Of course one of the main benefits of a self-driving car is that people will be able to sit back and relax as they drive but there’s more to it than just that. The safety benefits along are great. A self-driving car does not get distracted and it can’t break the rules of the road. Self-driving cars always stay within the speed limit, carefully plan their routes, and are able to communicate with other cars around them in a safe and productive manner so it won’t be a pr ... read more

There are three things that are certain in life; death, taxes, and that our car will get worn down. No matter how much you drive your car or where you drive it time will eventually take its toll on your car and the components keeping it running. These problems with your car can also strike at any time. It can be dust in the air, a pothole in the road, or braking too much as you drive down the highway. All of it adds up to a damaged and worn down car. That’s why we make multi-point vehicle inspections one of the services we offer. A multi-point inspection is essentially a little tender loving care for your car. There’s not much better than bringing in one of our trained and experienced service technicians take a look at your car and let you know about any problems before they can become costly repairs. They have the experience to let you know about any issue; perhaps there is a clog in your air filter that means it needs to be replaced even though you’ve not had it t ... read more

If your tires and under-inflated it can cause flat tires, blowouts, skids, and lengthen the stopping distance of your car. Unfortunately it can be hard to tell when tires are under-inflated because you might not be able to tell until they are seriously under-inflated and the pressure gets below 20lbs. Modern cars and trucks these days are often equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). This technology has been used for years by race car drivers but only recently made its way into the wider commercial world. Race crews use this technology to nip tire pressure problems in the bud by monitoring tire pressure as a car goes around a track. Of course these TPMS aren’t free. Studies done by the US government estimate how much you can expect a TMPS system to cost; taking in to account the cost of the system itself, keeping the system maintained, replacing broken parts, and other cost increases. These costs are offset because you’ll save money on fuel and tire wear ... read more

While a used car will be brand new to you it was used by someone else before and there are many different reasons that people sell their cars. Some people sell their car because they want to get a new one, while others sell because they really want to get rid of their old one. For some people it’s a bit of both. The important thing is that you need to know what you’re getting. If a used car has a low mileage then it’s often a lease return, a corporate car, or a former rental car. If the car is so new that it still has its warranty and between 25-35k miles then this is a good sign. Even so, you still need to know how well the car was maintained. If you’re going to be sticking with a car for the long haul then you need to keep up with the maintenance so that you aren’t left paying for expensive repairs down the line. But if someone knew that they would only have the car for a few years they won’t be so interested in maintaining it. Most people can te ... read more

Indulge me for a second while I tell you about an experience I recently had with one of my favorite restaurants. It’s a Thai place that’s a little off the beaten path; one of those rare hidden gems every city has but barely anyone knows about. I’ve been going there for years so you could imagine how devastated I was to hear that they were changing ownership. I was glad to hear that their head chef would be staying on though because the restaurant had received plenty of rave reviews for making sauces and breads from scratch. It was obvious right away that things were different with the new owners. While the chef and the rest of his team were following the same recipes they were using lower quality ingredients; they were using frozen meat and premade bread. It just wasn’t the same. They lost me as a customer and I wasn’t the only customer they lost. It was the same chef, using the same recipe, but he was using low quality ingredients. If you can understand ... read more

The quality of the air around us always affects us. People these days are more aware of air pollution and how it affects them, but have you ever taken the time to consider the air inside your car? Many cars made since 2000 come with cabin air filters. These filters keep the air in the passenger compartment clean and regulated. They are able to clean dust, pollen and even pollutants out of the air in your car. This is particularly helpful for people who have seasonal allergies. You don’t want to be sneezing when you’re trying to drive! If you’re not sure whether or not your car comes with a cabin air filter then just take a look at the owner’s manual. If there is one then the manual will also contain information about how to replace it when it gets dirty. If you live in an area with a lot of dust, pollen and pollution then we recommend getting your cabin air filter changed on a more frequent basis. If you aren’t sure then just bring it in to us and ask on ... read more

How many times have you had a near-miss, whether as a driver or a pedestrian; that involved some idiot using their phone while driving? Technology has conditioned us to automatically respond instantly whenever our phones make a noise. We also live in a more mobile social environment filled with modern conveniences that make us more likely to try and do more than one thing at once. It’s not that uncommon to see people try and eat food or do their makeup while driving. Studies have shown that around 77% of young adults say they are confident enough to be able to text while driving and 55% of them claimed that it was easy to do. The truth is that only around 2% of people are actually able to multi-task to this degree. Do you think you could fly an F22 at Mach 2 like a fighter pilot? That’s true multitasking. The statistics about distracted driving tell us the truth, and here it is; Most crashes happen within the first three seconds of a driver being distracted Around 23% o ... read more