Albert Lea Auto Repair

It’s time to climb up here on this soap box and hold up a big red and white target.  Time to dip my toes in the muddy water of LED lights.  Just to clarify, this article is a matter of opinion, with some facts thrown in for good measure.  Let’s get started. Are LED lights legal? Yes, no, and sometimes both.  Usually if there is some doubt, we can refer to federal and/or state laws for clarification.  FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) section 571 explains motor vehicle requirements and is currently about 1200 pages.  SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), and DOT (Department of Transportation) all have some input and regulatory oversight to those standards.  What’s clear is that any modification to a vehicle that changes the way it was released from the manufacturer would be considered a violation of federal law.  Unless those modifications meet the safety stan ... read more

All four stroke Otto cycle engines use some kind of timing belt (Black toothed belt in the picture), chain, or gears to keep all of the moving parts inside the engine in alignment and moving in the correct order.  Each cylinder in an engine has four distinct events that complete one power cycle; intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.  The piston goes up and down two times per one power cycle.  Valve openings and closings must be timed to the piston position and are controlled by camshaft rotation (Large gears on the top are attached to the camshafts).  While the piston osolations are controlled by crankshaft rotation (Small gear on the bottom is on the front of the crankshaft).  The crankshaft makes two complete revolutions for each single revolution of the camshaft.  These components must work in concert with each other for the engine to run smoothly and efficiently.  If this alignment gets out of sync it can cause numerous problems.  ... read more

The four-wheel drives and when to use them.  Maybe you have always owned four-wheel drive trucks?  Maybe this is your first four-wheel drive vehicle?  Four-wheel drive gives the driver options.  Knowing how to best use those options is the key to success. Does four-wheel drive allow you to get through anything?  Not even remotely close!  Sometimes it just allows you to get more stuck and broken.  To understand how to best use your four-wheel drive options we need to go over a few basic principles.   First, the drive axle differential.  All vehicles use a differential on the drive axle to allow for smooth turns.  When a vehicle goes around a corner the outside tire needs to cover more ground than the inside tire.  Power from the engine/transmission comes into the center differential and is distributed to the drive tires via the drive axles. The differential allows for the difference in wheel speeds while provid ... read more

We get this question a lot here at Sanderson Auto Repair.  It is commonly thought that a good “all season” tire is all that is needed in most passenger vehicle applications all the time.  That is not quite the case.  Tire manufacturers design tires for specific vehicle platforms along with weather conditions.  “All season” tires are primarily designed for mostly dry weather.  With some minor exposure to changing weather conditions.  “ All season” tires are best swapped out for “winter tires” when the weather gets cold and the snow comes in. For example, the Firestone WinterForce, is a great “winter tire”.  They are specifically designed for extreme cold and winter conditions.  They improve vehicle stability, control, and braking in adverse, winter conditions.  They are designed with a very soft tread compound and are limited to use at temperatures below 60°.    A ... read more