Margate City Auto Repair

It is important to check the fluids under your hood regularly. Sometimes it can be confusing under there and it is important to get the fluids into the right place. Colin and Pooh Bear walk you through what to look for in this video to take all the guesswork out of figuring out what fluid goes where.  https://youtu.be/S_towp5Q0WM The fluids you should be checking at least once a month are:  Oil Windshield wiper fluid Power steering fluid Brake Fluid Coolant Transmission Fluid- This may or may not be in your car. Some cars have an electric transmission, which does not need fluid.  The reason for the monthly check is to catch a leak and to check the color and quality of the fluids. For warned is forearmed and catching things early can not only help your car but your wallet as well. 

The Season of Pot holes is upon us! Winter is hard on everyone and everything, yes that means on your roads and cars as well. That is why April is Car care Aware month. Its time to freshen up for the Spring. The biggest threat to your car right now is pot holes and neglect of maintenance. Pot holes meh, am I right? They come back every spring like flowers. They are caused by water seeping into the cracks of the pavement, then freezing and thawing, and then being driven on causes the pavement to weaken and eventually give.  If you lucky your city is on them like white on rice. Either way they are a danger to your car. Alignments, Tires, Hubs, your exhaust, your under carriage and depending on how deep it is anything within its evil grasp. It can cause leaks, dents and compromise the integrity of parts and sometimes clips can come off and parts can start to drag.   Is there any way to avoid them? Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee, that’s because your car can ... read more

The next week and a half is looking to be very wet and, as we are already seeing, flooding has begun. Since our flood water is salt it can be very damaging to vehicles. We’d like to remind everyone that driving thru salt water is a big no-no. Salt water is corrosive. It will eat away at your car. Anything over 4 inches will damage a sedan sized vehicle. Remember tow trucks will not rescue you until the water recedes, so as I like to say, Better safe than sorry. So, If you think the water will reach your under carriage I repeat, do not drive thru.  Electrical system and combustion systems do not like water and your car is basically these two systems. Also water plus electricity equals electrolysis (which causes the blue crude you sometimes see near battery terminals)  If you find yourself in any of these scenarios, here is my advice to you: If you are driving and find yourself facing a flood, turn around! Do not attempt to go thru the water. You never know what is unde ... read more

TPMS Tire Pressure Monitoring System What is it? TPMS is a monitoring system that lets the driver know if they have a flat tire or if the tires are low on air. There are 2 types of TPMS. Direct TPMS- more expensive, more accurate, doesn’t have to be reset after filling the tire or replacing tires. Battery tends to last a decade. Once the battery goes they need to be replaced, about every 10 years. Indirect TPMS- counts rotation of tire against the other tires. Under-inflated tires need to rotate more to keep up. Does not use a pressure sensor. Has to be reset after filling tires. Not as accurate. Making a comeback as technology improves. If ALL tires are under inflated by the same amount the TPMS alert won’t be triggered. TPMS came about in the 1980s in European luxury cars and became mandatory in the United States in 2009 for light passenger cars. The thought was that it would decrease the amount of accidents due to poor tire care and pressure. All cars 2007 or newer ... read more

Thermostat: What is it? Every car has a thermostat. The thermostat in you car regulates the engine coolant temperature to cool off your engine. Thermostats don’t have an average lifespan. So there is no real recommended time to replace them. That is why it is important to get your check engine light read as soon as you can when it pops up or know what to do if it suddenly goes bad. How does it work? As the car heats up to 200 degrees, the thermostat opens (heat causes things to expand) and opens to allow circulation of the coolant thru the coolant system (which is a series of pipes that are housed around/ thru the engine) when the engine cools down enough (cold causes things to contract) it closes. When the thermostat goes bad it gets stuck, or doesn’t open which causes your car to overheat, or if it gets stuck in the open position it causes the car to be too cool which causes bad emissions, and bad efficiency, and accelerates wear. What are signs I need to get mine fixed ... read more

Overheating What does it mean when your car is overheating? Ruh roh, your gauge is climbing to the dreaded red H. What is causing it and what can you do to fix it before it destroys your engine or causes some very expensive bill? Cars start to over heat as they reach 250 degrees. (Cars usually run at 195-220 degrees. Just to give you an idea.) Now keep in mind that the boiling point for your coolant is 250–260 degrees. Not much wiggle room, is there? Why is it important? Cooling your engine is very important. As it is with most machines, like your computer, keeping things cool as they do their job keeps every thing from breaking down due to heat and friction. Here are some things that happen to your car as the temperature climbs. Lowers your fuel combustion efficiency Causes corrosion Starts to heat and warp the metal in and around your engine. Causes the viscosity of the liquid in your engine to change to gunk (oil, Co ... read more

So, your precious babyies are off to college! You want to make sure they’re prepared and safe. You have their dorm room supplies, class schedules, and you have all the emergency numbers tattooed to their arm. (ok, so maybe not tattooed). Have you checked on their car? Teenagers are notorious for letting car problems slide until the last minute. So, is their car up to scratch? Let’s see. ENGINE- Does the car have any check engine lights on? FUNCTION-Does everything work properly? (AC, Radio, Seat belts, turn signals?) WIPER BLADES-Do the wiper blades wipe away the rain? LIGHTS-Headlights, Brake lights, cabin lights, running lights? All glowing brightly? EMERGENCY CAR KIT-Do they have jumper cables and an emergency kit? BASIC CAR CARE-Do they have the know how to change a car tire? Can they read tire pressure? Can they execute basic car care? FLUIDS ... read more