Albert Lea Auto Repair

The Common Practice That Can Lead to the Early Death of Your Engine It’s so common that it has become normal for most drivers. So normal that many people might think that I’m “paranoid and delusional” or “just trying to sell them something”, but that is not what is going on here. As I state my case, think about what you have been told in the past. What your Dad, or your Grandfather, or Uncle told you growing up. What the car salesman may have told you when you purchased your last vehicle. Perhaps some of the vehicle manufacturer literature you have read. Even what your vehicle is programed to tell you. Some of this information may be based on old information, much is based on what the manufacturer would like you to believe based on testing in ideal operating conditions. Maybe it’s a buddy or neighbor who thinks he’s a “mechanic” because he can keep his lawn mower running or, heaven help us, you saw it on TikTok. So, what&rsq ... read more

Wipers and Windshield Coatings Vehicle windshields first started out as an optional luxury feature in early vehicles beginning in about 1904. The early versions were made of simple plate glass and could fold out of the way for cleaning and were removable. They became standard equipment in 1915 Oldsmobile vehicles. By the 1920s they started using laminated glass to make them more robust and protect vehicle occupants from glass shards. The first curved windshields showed up by 1934 to reduce drag and improve aerodynamics. Wiper blades share a similar history and have an interesting story of origin. The invention of wiper blades, as we know them, is credited to Mary Anderson during a trip to New York in the winter of 1902. She was riding on a streetcar (aka trolley) and observed the driver struggling with poor visibility. The driver had to frequently stop the vehicle, open the split pane window, and lean out to manually wipe away the melting snow, exposing himself and his passengers to th ... read more

Filtering Out the Ick and Grit Grit: Ick, you’re smelling particularly fowl today. Is that a new scent? Ick: (Smiling manically) Why yes, it’s called Fermented Rodent. Do you like it? Grit: Not really, it’s making my abrasiveness sharper than normal. I don’t know whether to thank you or grind you to dust. Ick: Perfect, just what I was going for. We don’t need you to go smooth or anything. Next week I plan to break out the Summer Swine Farm just for you. Grit: That will definitely sharpen my edges! Vehicle air filters, both engine and cabin are designed to keep the grit, both large and fine, out of the engine and passenger compartment. The fine grit particles are very abrasive over time and can reduce the life of the vehicle engine and cause wear on the vehicle interior surfaces. It is very important that the engine has a significate source of clean air to keep it operati ... read more

How many times do you let the gas pump handle click when you’re filling your gas tank? Do you like to round off the cost to the nearest dollar? Maybe you like to make sure your tank is as full as it can get, and keep clicking the handle until it doesn’t pump anymore? Or do you have some special system where you fill it until it clicks, wait 30 seconds, then click it again, and continue until you’ve reached precisely three clicks of the pump handle? I’ve found that it varies depending on who you ask, but what is the right way to fill your gas tank? Well, today is your lucky day because we’re going to answer that question and provide you with some interesting knowledge along the way. To fully unpack the conundrum of filling your gas tank, we need to understand how the gas pump handle clicks off in the first place. The fuel fill nozzle was first developed in 1938 by Richard C. Corson. It’s an elegant example of a completely mechanical design that uses t ... read more

Ole: (strutting into the local café wearing his best flannel) Yah, Sven, I have an appointment today at dis fancy auto shop in Albert Lea.  I called ahead, told ‘em I’m Ole Gunderson, a big-time farmer from Kiester.  Dey gotta roll out da red carpet for me, you betcha! Sven: (laughing) Oh, yah, Ole? You tink da auto shop is gonna treat you like some kinda Viking king? Dey’re fixin’ cars, not servin’ lutefisk! Ole: (puffing out his chest) Sven, I got da premium oil change package! I read it on da internet - $99.95 for the “Platinum Elite Service.” Dat means I get the works: free coffee, a shinned up truck, and maybe even a foot massage while dey change my oil! Sven: (still laughing) Foot massage? Ole, you been eatin’ too much pickled herring. Dey’ll probably just hand you a stale donut and tell you to sit in da watin’ room with last year&rsq ... read more

Life, our most precious and limited time commodity. We are here on this earth for a very short time. What are you going to do with that time? What memories are you going to make along the way? When you look back in reflection, what will you see? How you diligently completed your daily routine every day without interruption for fifty years, or will you look back and smile at some situations that added spice and excitement to your life? Doing what is safe and sensible all the time makes for boring stories. That’s really what you’re doing, writing your life story. Is it going to be a good one? Recently, I was invited to participate in the third annual RSS or as I like to call it, “The Fun Show”. The Fun Show was developed around the campfire, where so many great ideas are born, by a group of like-minded off roaders. The Fun Show is basically a weekend long, tiny vehicle overlanding trip into the Northern Minnesota woods. Overlanding is where you carry all of your ... read more

Youthful Endeavors Remember when you first got your driver’s license? That initial sense of independence and freedom. Acting like you have it all figured out while knowing that you’re running low on money, driving a questionable vehicle fueled with nothing but hopes and dreams. Hopefully you were heading to work, but we know that was not always the priority at that time. Youth is a time to develop yourself; to find your place in the world. To try new things and discover what works and what doesn’t. To learn from those discoveries and grow. Did you learn good lessons or hard lessons? Did you have positive influences in your life or did you grow up with great examples of what not to do? How did you handle those challenges? How have those life lessons influenced your life now? Growing up, my father was a carpenter who loved to go hunting and fishing at every opportunity. He was also a gifted artist and storyteller. I spent much of my youth at his side on many constructi ... read more

When Should I Change My Oil? This is a very important question that is worth your consideration. It is a question that will get many varying answers depending on who you ask. OEM manufacturers will commonly say anywhere from 7,500-10,000 miles under “normal use” depending on the engine and the vehicle make and model. Independent maintenance and repair facilities will usually recommend oil changes more frequently than the OEM recommendations. Maybe you have a friend or relative that never changes their oil and has “never had a problem”. What is the right thing to do? Let’s delve into some key points used in determining the proper oil change interval for your vehicle so you can make the best decision for your application. We should start with the basics of what an oil change is and why does it need to be done. An oil change consists of replacing the oil filter with a fresh filter, draining the old oil, and filling the engine with new oil of the correct visc ... read more

WD (Weight Distribution) hitches have been around for a long time and can be an asset when towing large or heavily loaded trailers. Designed for use with bumper pulled trailers (the name used for all trailers connected to a hitch behind the rear axle) or RV trailers. WD hitches come in many different configurations and can offer additional features like sway control or tongue weight gauges. Let’s touch on why you would want a WD hitch, the advantages and disadvantages of different designs, and how to pick the correct WD hitch for your application. First, we need to explain the purpose of the WD hitch to understand why it can be an advantage when towing. When you’re towing a trailer with a standard rear hitch, the tongue weight of the trailer presses down on the trailer ball, which acts like a tetter totter with the rear axle as the pivot. As the trailer presses down, weight is placed on the rear truck axle and removed from the front steering axle. This is not a problem with ... read more

Trail Ratings From a Trail Guide Point of View We trail guided at the amazing Crawl 4 the Cure event in Gilbert, Minnesota this year. It is a supurb event, put on by a great organization, led by wonderful people with huge hearts, raising money for Multiple Sclerosis and we get to do some off-roading at the same time. We look forward to attending this event every year. Several years ago, I was encouraged by my friend Gemini Kuether to try trail leading for this event and she would “trail gun” for me. Which is the person at the end of the group who makes sure we don’t lose anyone. I am very familiar with the Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle Park up there as we have been going there every year for more than 20 years. With that said, the trails do change from year to year. What was easy last year might be extra spicy this year. You just never really know until you’re on the trail. The beauty of the trails in Gilbert is that there are alternate lines or parallel trail ... read more