Gilbert Auto Repair

Owning a car can be a dream or a nightmare depending on how well you take care of your vehicle, says the non-profit Car Care Council. The following are six things that many motorists do that can harm their car and their wallet. Ignoring the check engine light. Ignoring an illuminated check engine light can result in serious engine trouble and costly repairs. At the very least, this warning light could alert you to an engine problem that is negatively impacting fuel economy. Failing to change fluids and filters. Many fluids are required for the operation and protection of vehicle systems and components. Checking fluid levels regularly, along with the filters, helps ensure that your vehicle runs dependably and extends vehicle life. Neglecting your tires. Your vehicle’s tires should be checked frequently for inflation and tread depth. Underinflated tires can wear out more quickly, needing to be replaced sooner, and can negatively impact safety, gas mileag ... 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 job of the EVAP system is 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. A qualified service technician at Spectrum Car Care pulls the trouble codes and begins a diagnostic procedure to isolate the fault. With the proper equipment, the technician can test the valves in order to trace a blockage. A low pressure smoke test can be performed to find any leaks. The necessary 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 they ... read more

We all know how important the cooling system is. Coolant/antifreeze circulates around the engine, absorbs heat and then dissipates it in the radiator. Cooling system failure can cause extensive engine damage. There are a couple of fine points that may be useful to you. One is about minor coolant leaks. It’s tempting to put off repairing small cooling system leaks; we just keep topping off the coolant. There are several problems with this. First, coolant is messy. It doesn’t just evaporate away. The puddle is harmful to the environment and is toxic to pets. Second, the cooling system needs to maintain a certain pressure to do its job. A leak compromises the pressure. Third, small leaks can unexpectedly become big leaks that leave you stranded. Fourth, you need to keep the correct balance of coolant/antifreeze and distilled water to maintain proper boil and freeze properties. Another point is corrosion protection. Antifreeze/coolant contains a package of anti-corrosion addi ... read more

Question: What can I do to improve my fuel economy? Spectrum Car Care Answer: There are actually a lot of things Gilbert drivers can do – some of them are pretty easy. One of the first things is make sure their tires are properly inflated. On the inside of the driver's door or door jamb is a plate that indicates the correct tire pressure. Careful – there might be a different pressure for the front and rear tires. Check them at least once a month. Carrying extra weight in the vehicle hurts . Leave unnecessary stuff home. Do we even need to mention driving fast around Gilbert and jackrabbit starts? Gently accelerate and plan your stops so that you can ease into them a bit. This really makes a big difference. Now there are a number of maintenance items that improve fuel economy for Gilbert drivers. Lubricants should be replaced on schedule – dirty oil, tr ... read more

One might say the most challenging part of being your friendly and knowledgeable Spectrum Car Care in Gilbert is diagnosing a problem before it can be fixed. Cars are made up of a bunch of complex systems. There usually could be a number of reasons for any given symptom. So it's challenging to track down the actual cause of the problem. And it can be frustrating for the vehicle owner because it can take time to get to the bottom of a problem. If it's not something obvious, it's easy for the Gilbert customer to focus on the fixing and not the diagnosing. Let us introduce you to something we'll call Customer Detective Work – that is, helping the Spectrum Car Care find clues to what's wrong. We start with the detective basics: What, Where and When. Play along with me. You come in and your car is making a funny sound. Where's the sound? Around the right front wheel. What kind of sound? Kind o ... read more

Hello, Gilbert - Today we're talking about suspension integrity. Your skeleton provides the structure to hold up your weight. Your joints cushion you as you walk and allow you to change direction. Your vehicle's suspension system is similar: It bears the weight of your vehicle, absorbs bumps in the road and controls the body as you steer. Like the bones in your body, vehicle suspension parts are connected by joints that allow all the components to move as they should. Over time and miles, the joints start to wear and your suspension gets loose and doesn't operate as precisely as before, reducing proper tire contact with the road. An accident ... read more

Question: What can I do to improve my fuel economy? Spectrum Car Care Answer: There are actually a lot of things Gilbert drivers can do – some of them are pretty easy. One of the first things is make sure their tires are properly inflated. On the inside of the driver's door or door jamb is a plate that indicates the correct tire pressure. Careful – there might be a different pressure for the front and rear tires. Check them at least once a month. Carrying extra weight in the vehicle hurts . Leave unnecessary stuff home. Do we even need to mention driving fast around Gilbert and jackrabbit starts? Gently accelerate and plan your stops so that you can ease into them a bit. This really makes a big difference. Now there are a number of maintenance items that improve fuel economy for Gilbert drivers. Lubricants should be replaced on schedule – dirty oil, tr ... read more

Question: I need new tires. How do I know which tires to get? Spectrum Car Care Answer: Let's look at selecting new tires in light of three factors: Function, Fit, and Value. Function: This gets at what your needs are for new tires: weather conditions, terrain, temperatures, etc. New family vehicles sold in AZ come with all-season tires. They can be used all year long and do pretty well in most Gilbert road conditions – but they aren't ideal at the extremes. Winter tires have a more aggressive tread for handling snow and ice and they have a rubber compound that helps them have better traction as temperatures drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit/7 degrees Centigrade. In AZ winter weather, that means definitely better stopping and road-holding characteristics for Gilbert than all-season tires. De ... read more

Most Gilbert area car owners don't service their air conditioning until after it fails. Maintaining your vehicle air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can't cool the air as well. Along with the refrigerant, a special oil circulates in the system. The oil lubricates air conditioning components and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and we all know that air conditioning repairs can be costly in Scottsdale. Air conditioning service at Spectrum Car Care in Gilbert starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor i ... read more