Mishawaka Auto Repair

Just some TLC to add to your Total Car Care Please don’t ignore CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. This can end up in costly repairs. Just as you need to filtrate and care for yourself CHANGING FLUIDS AND FILTERS in your car is essential. They are required for the operation of your vehicles systems and components. Getting new shoes regularly is as important as CHECKING YOUR VEHICLES TIRES.FOLLOWING A SERVICE SCHEDULE. Routine inspections and timely repairs help you avoid more expensive repairs down the road. KEEPING A DIRTY CAR. A buildup of damaging chemicals and dirt are potential rust for your car later. ARE YOU A SEVERE DRIVER?  Driving smart and observing speed limit improves gas economy and helps with long term wear and tear

PUMPING GAS WITH CAR RUNNING – HOW DANGEROUS IS IT? So, a couple of weeks ago, when our weather was so so cold, when I went to pump gas into my car, I noticed out of the 6 cars pumping gas, 4 had their vehicles running. I started thinking about is it ok or not okay to keep my engine running, the articles I came across were a little scary….read on. 1.       DAMAGES TO CAR: It could damage something in the evap. system. Only a tiny drop of the gasoline is enough for the parts like engine, exhaust tailpipe, and catalytic converter to catch fire.  Ignition on a gas engine uses a spark, what if the boots, cables are old or cracked…the spark is there. 2.       HARMFUL VAPORS. Let’s say your hood is open the chances of gas vapors to flee are higher.  The vapors themselves have side ... read more

So I thought this would just interesting, I was impressed with the whole look in the engine. That could also be that the owner is very careful with his engine and keeps it very clean! Any way a SuperCharge is something you would add to have more power upwards to 46% more power!!! It basically (if I have this right) forces more air into the combustion chamber, which means more fuel can be added, and more fuel means a bigger explosion and greater horsepower. #horsepower #maintenance #fuel #safety #engine

Generally a really bad intake manifold gasket will make a car run rough at idle and/or cause a service engine light to illuminate. ... As far as driving the car, as long as you don't have a fluid leak or the car is not stalling or running rough, it should be fine to drive for a few months. As you can see from the picture our Mechanic is taking extra precautions that nothing drops into the manifold.  Here are the top 5 symptoms of gaskets for an intake manifold going bad: Is the COOLANT LEAKING?  The gaskets act like a seal for the coolant in the engine. When the seals go bad the coolant starts seeping thru you can smell it. If really bad you can see the steam and puddles under your car. Has the ENGINE started STALLING? If your engine stop ... read more

  REMEMBER: Driving on a flat tire can cause internal structural damage to the TIRE, may lead to wheel and vehicle damage and may result in poor vehicle handling and control. Steps to Follow The interesting thing about tire blowouts is that they require you to act counterintuitively. While your instincts may tell you to slam on your brakes and veer off the road if your tire blows out, this is actually the exact opposite of what you should do. Don’t Panic You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor by not shutting down and entering crisis mode when you have a tire blowout. So after your tire blows out, remain as calm as possible, and put the following procedure into place. Keep Control of Your Vehicle Again, though you may want to brake, you need to keep your foot on the gas pedal. Continue steering in the direction that you are heading, rather than veering immediately to get off the ro ... read more

PLEASE DON’T TRY TO BE IN  HURRY IN THIS WEATHER, that’s about the best travel advice I can give you. “What to do and not do when you are in a car accident?” If you are our driving today and tonight please be careful, there is a sheet of ice here and there on the road. So, even being careful you hit someone or someone hits you. “What Should you do?”   You should never drive away from the scene of the accident. Do drive it if you still can to the side of the road, if you can’t leave it for the tow truck. If you have flares use them (don’t do anything if you are hurt, wait for police or ambulance.). If you think someone needs medical help call 911. Call the Police, they can help with traffic, collect evidence, talk to witnesses, and file a report. If able take notes: draw map of accident scene, write down vehicle and property damage, get insurance information.—This maybe hard to do because if in an acci ... read more

BRRRRRRRRRRRRR it’s cold out there!! Your poor car has been sitting there overnight, in the cold your battery is far less effective, the oil is real thick. If your engine is cranking slowly, have your battery checked, especially if it is more than 3 years old. If you’ve been a long time customer here at Ricks Auto Service in Mishawaka, we have the history of your vehicles in our computer and can tell you that information. What happens if your battery is over 3 year old as it may have lost some of it’s original reserve capacity, if you aren’t sure we can test your battery. When you are getting the battery checked it’s not a bad idea to have your alternator and charging system looked at too. Make sure your battery terminals are clean and corroded and the cable look good too. Making sure your battery and charging system are both in optimum condition. Making sure you are using the right engine oil, using a low-viscosity oil such as SW ... read more

Free Wipers(set of 2) with any purchase ($25 value).Professional Grade Wipers (set of 2) for $5 with any purchase ($45 value)offer good till the end of February 2019 Sweet Deal till the end of February, Free wiper blades.  Points to keep from costly windshield wiper repair or replacement. Make sure when you park your car the wiper blades are turned off, seem silly but if you park over night and you live in an area where things freeze, you can end up breaking the wiper assembly. Newer models shut the power to the motor if you turn off the car when you are in a wiper blade cycle.  Older models may have a wiper arm mounted to the linkage with a nut that will loosen off under the same conditions. We see a lot of damage to wiper blade assemblies that cost hundreds of dollars. If you are in the habit of leaving the blades raised from the glass so they don’t freeze, if you have high winds over night they can end ... read more

"How often should I change my Wiper Blades?” , Change your Wiper Blades every 6 months, if you are in severe weather, extreme heat and exposer to the UV rays of the sun causes the Wiper Blades to become brittle and crack. In winter time, extreme cold means ice, if you don't scrape ice completely the ice takes out chunks of the rubber. If you can't move the Wiper Blade, don't turn on your wipers, as you can end up breaking components in the Wiper system. Want to try and get more life out of your Wiper Blades? These are things that need to be done all the time to make any difference. If using a de-icer, make sure there is a lot of ice on the windshield, otherwise the de-icer won't work. Parking in the shade or under cover, it is best if you have a garage park there. Having a dirty windshield takes its toll: d ... read more

So we don’t forget, Maintenance is the way to be Proactive for your vehicle. When you come in for an oil change, we do check over your car completely. Setting up a maintenance schedule, letting you know safety items, immediate needs for your vehicle, then maintenance items(hopefully keeping you to in this zone instead need it ASAP-because parts are worn or broken). If you have some larger items needing to be done, don’t forget to ask for our “Free” Loaner Plans. When you come in let us know any concerns, any strange noises(don’t ignore please), funny smells, car pulling to the left or right, the engine sounds sluggish. Let our Service Writers (Rodney & Greg) know what the situation is, if a particular problem that you feel needs to be investigated, you can go for a drive with one of our mechanics, always a great thing to do. We don’t allow customer parts, because we need to use our parts, knowing the companies we deal with: We also have an amazin ... read more