Mishawaka Auto Repair

Do I need to get an alignment for my vehicle? If you are driving straight as an arrow then you probably don't need an alignment. First things first, if you veer to the right or left, you might need an alignment. But, before you run to your friendly mechanic, when was the last time YOU checked your tires pressure. Also inspect and check the "wear" on your tires. You can start by looking at your tires, but don't use that as your only method. You really need to use a tire-pressure gauge, it costs between $5-$30 dollars. Check sticker on your door or in the maintenance or car care section in the vehicle's owner's manual. That done, does your steering wheel vibrate when braking, which may be due to the wheels are out of balance or bent, depending on size of pothole you've hit. When braking are you veering to the right or left? #Brakes #Alignment #Balance #Driveablity #Mecanic #Maintenance #ShopNearMe 

“What is a Serpentine Belt?” “How does it work in my car?’ The serpentine belt looks like a long snake like winding belt, it keeps your alternator, power steeling pump, air conditioning and depending on your vehicle water pump running smoothly and effectively. The way rubber is made these days your belt should last between 50,000 to 100,000 miles. But from wear and tear and extreme weather it does need to be changed. If you fine it needs to be changed sooner it may be an underlying problem of possible Tensioner or Idler Arm problem. Signs of a failing Belt may be : Squealing or chirping noises:  The belt starts slipping, is when the chirp or squeal begins. When the noise starts usually the belt stretch, low belt tension, or the pulley and belt are not working together correctly. Give us a call at Ricks Auto Service here in Mishawaka. Cracks and wear: You can actually see the physical signs of failure, missing chunks ... read more

Oil Changes, every car needs to have one, from 3,000 to 10,000 miles-depending on your driving conditions. They need to be done 3-4 times a year, if you want to or not!! We help to make it painless, we offer a Oil Change Club, 4 oil changes for 79.99 or if you have a full-synthetic 139.99. Our trained mechanics take the time to completely check your car, keeping safety first, always. By finding the small problems today and taking care of it now you save $$$ sometimes even in the $1,000s.  For example, The most common issue in not changing your cars oil is that the engine runs less efficiently, and as time goes on, it can cause the engine components to warp and wear out....eventually when the oil is not changed, the engine will shut down and have to be replaced. #OilChange #Engine #Gifts #Maintenance

I go to start my car this morning and I'm getting nothing but cold air, or what happened to me...nothing at all. The whole blower went out, but there are some things that can be checked first. If the coolant level is decreased or there is a leak in the system. It's hard to come up with a price up front because we need to get the vehicle in and check if the antifreeze/water level in radiator is low do to leak in the cooling system. A bad thermostat that isn't allowing the engine to properly warm up. the blower fan not working properly the coolant has been contaminated with rust particles. The heater core went out

Can you guess the different filters in your car? Most would guess cabin, air, oil and possibly engine air filters. On reading the different articles, none of them agree how many or what all the fuel filters are: I think it is safe to say that the numbers of filters vary from car to car, checking your cars manual will let you know exactly how many there are. There are also Fuel and emission valve and filter, there is also a transmission filter...only if you have an older model..  each filter having a unique job in keeping your vehicle running smoothly. With an OIL FILTER, not changing it when needed, (or sooner if you do a lot of hard driving) could potentially damage the engine. As your engine runs, over time metal wears down causing tiny particles to be released, when that happens the particles block the flow and can end up in the lubricant. Timely changing of the oil filter will catch those particles, unfortunately the information for when and how often differs. Some say ever ... read more