Gilbert Auto Repair

Question: I'm really confused about auto service intervals for various items on my car. Help! Spectrum Car Care Answer: The simple answer for Gilbert residents is to follow the vehicle's recommended service intervals listed in your owner's manual or in your service center's database. But the team at Spectrum Car Care in Gilbert sympathizes with Gilbert residents because of the confusing intervals for modern vehicles. The days of simple rules of thumb that applied to most vehicles are long gone. For example, let's look at an oil change: manufacturers' recommendations run anywhere from every 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) to 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers). This big range comes from engine design and recommended types of oil - so Gilbert residents really do need to read and follow the recommendations for their specific vehicle. Your owner's serv ... read more

You’ve probably seen auto parts delivery trucks in Gilbert making their rounds. Every part has a story behind it. Unfortunately, some of the stories are tales of repairs that could have been prevented. One stop may be to deliver an engine air filter and a mass air flow sensor for a customer’s pick-up. His service advisor has been recommending he replace that dirty air filter for the last couple of oil changes. The guy’s been saying no to save a couple of bucks. Now dirty air has been getting into his mass air flow sensor for so long that it’s ruined. Talk about stepping over dollars to pick up a dime. Perhaps the next stop is for a fuel system cleaning kit and a set of four fuel injectors. This nice lady has never had her fuel system cleaned. Over the years, gum and varnish have completely ruined her fuel injectors. Her tech will replace the injectors and clean the system, removing carbon deposits from her valves and combustion chamber. Her engine will be maki ... read more

Question: What's the harm in putting off replacing my engine air filter a little longer? Spectrum Car Care Answer: That's a fair question from Gilbert drivers 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 to Gilbert drivers is obvious. Now your engine uses a lot of air – like 12,000 times the volume of air as fuel – so the engine air filter has job to do. When the filter gets full and can't hold any more dirt, all that air ... read more

The Check Engine light strikes fear into the hearts of some people in Gilbert and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us. First, if your Check Engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your Check Engine light is flashing, you shouldn't drive at highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to your Gilbert service center. If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn't go off, schedule an appointment with your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Spectrum Car Care to get it checked out. Most of your vehicle engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the w ... read more

The US government has a website dedicated to helping us use less fuel here in the Gilbert and Chandler areas. It presents the cost savings in a way Gilbert drivers can relate to, no matter what kind of vehicle we drive. Here's an example: Having your engine properly tuned can save up to 4%. If you're paying $3.50 for a gallon of gas in Gilbert, you could save 14 cents a gallon. Dollars Per Gallon              $3.00  $3.50  $4.00 Tune Up 4%                          0.12    0.14    0.16 Replacing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve economy by up to 40 percent for AZ auto owners. That's a whooping $1.40 in savings per gallon ... read more

Let's talk about air conditioning service and repair issues . Most of us in Gilbert don't give our air conditioning a second thought as long as it's making cold air. But it's a complex and expensive system that we should think about before it starts blowing hot air. The refrigerant in the air conditioner contains a special oil that lubricates and cools the A/C parts. When enough refrigerant leaks out, your air conditioner still makes cold air, but the parts don't have enough oil to protect them and they wear out faster than they should. So it's important to service the air conditioner as recommended by your Gilbert service center. Replacing old refrigerant has another benefit: refrigerant tends to gather moisture and become corrosive. That causes leaks in the system which can be expensive to repair. Fresh refrigerant protects the air conditioning components and keeps the system operating at peak efficiency so it doesn't ha ... read more

Here's a quick roundup of 5 articles that caught our attention this month (click on the links to read more):   1) ... read more

Our New Promo Video! Here's our latest creation, we'll have  few more coming in the following weeks. Hope you enjoy it and share it with friends and relatives. Feedback is always appreciated. And don't forget that summer is around the corner make sure that you and your car are ready to face the Arizona heat by getting your car checked.         

Here's a quick roundup of 5 articles that caught our attention last month (click on the links to read more):   1) As New Car Prices Rise, Maintaining Current Vehicle Makes Financial Sense The average price of a new passenger vehicle is nearly $34,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, while IHS Markit reports that average vehicle age has risen to 11.5 years.   2)  ... read more

Our New Promo Video! Here's our latest creation, we'll have  few more coming in the following weeks. Hope you enjoy it and share it with friends and relatives. Feedback is always appreciated. And don't forget that summer is around the corner make sure that you and your car are ready to face the Arizona heat by getting your car checked.