Albert Lea Auto Repair

My car left me stranded! What to do during road trip breakdowns. The family is all loaded up in your chariot of freedom, ready to embark into the great unknown! You have been looking forward to this moment all year. Time for your family vacation. The kids are excited and bubbling with nervous energy. You are mostly on schedule and hit the road. Everyone is happy! Fast forward to three hours down the road… You are traveling through the big city. There is traffic surrounding you on every side. Suddenly, your car makes an unusual banging noise! Then, the dash lights come on, and the engine starts to lose power. You make your way over to the side of the road. Cars are whizzing past you. The kids are scared, and you are getting “the look” from your significant other. Or, instead of the big city, you are traveling through the vast openness of our great country. The engine temperature suddenly shoots up and steam starts pouring out from under your hood. You pull over to th ... read more

Driveline Service: What's the "diff"erence? Driveline, A.K.A drivetrain, service is easy to overlook. Driveline components are located under your vehicle and are easy to ignore. Making proper inspection and maintenance vital to the reliability and longevity of your vehicle. Failure to maintain these systems can lead to unneeded expense and downtime. The good news is most of these systems will last the life of the vehicle with proper maintenance. You can find the specific maintenance intervals for your vehicle in the owner’s manual. Remember to look at the “Severe Use” maintenance schedule. For more information as to why, see our BLOG from March 2024 “What do I need to know about Interval Service of my vehicle?” Let’s discuss each component and the industry’s best maintenance practices for each. Automatic Transmission: Automatic transmissions can be very costly to repair or replace. Regular maintenance is vital to the long ... read more

There is no way to sugar coat it anymore.  Tires are expensive.  Sometimes it can be hard to justify purchasing 4 or more new tires at the same time.  It can be tempting to “save money” and only purchase tires 2 at a time.  Before you head down this road it is important to take into consideration some key reasons why this may not be the best choice for you and your car.  In the grand scheme of things, it is usually better to replace all of the tires on the vehicle at the same time.  The tires and their traction with the road, are the only thing between you and certain destruction.  Taking a moment to consider that will ensure you make the best and safest choice for you and your loved ones. Uniformity. Replacing all the tires ensures uniformity in brand, model, size, age, and tread pattern, which promotes balanced performance across all wheels.  In contrast, replacing only a pair of tires can result in mismatched trea ... read more

Car Buying Tips So, you are in the market for a new or “new to you” car. Here are some tips to help you make the best choice for you and your family. With a little preplanning and research, you can find just the right vehicle for your needs without spending too much money. Follow these steps to get the right vehicle for the right price every time. Budget- Before you start looking for a “new” vehicle, determine what budget you will have to work with. Set a realistic number that you can afford. Remember to include tax and titling costs and possible increased insurance costs. Do you have the funds to buy it outright or do you have a down payment or trade-in? A trade-in will decrease your tax requirement, but many dealers will give you less for a trade-in than you could sell it private party for. In some situations, it is safer and easier to just trade it in for your next vehicle and sometimes it is worth the effort to sell your old vehicle yourself. If you ... read more

What do I need to know about Interval Service of my vehicle? Interval Service is what vehicle manufacturers call their maintenance schedules for their vehicles. The maintenance schedules are different for every manufacturer and can vary from model to model. The maintenance schedule for your vehicle is in the owner’s manual. I know, who looks at an owner’s manual anyway? Well, if you would like to get the maximum life from your vehicle investment, it would be a good idea. Here are a few key points to know before digging out your seldom/never used owner’s manual. The first thing to determine is how is your vehicle used. Is it considered “normal use” or “severe use”? You might be tempted to say, “I drive my car nice” or “I only drive to the store or work”. I must be a “normal use” driver, right? Most vehicles operated in the United States would be considered “severe use”. Read on to find out why ... read more

Should I warm my vehicle up in cold weather? Warming up a vehicle before driving it in cold weather has been a topic of debate for a long time. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this. The determining factors have also changed a bit with modern vehicle designs. Let’s explore this topic and see what the correct answer is for your situation. The first question we should ask is, what is considered cold weather? For the sake of this discussion, we will call cold weather anything below 32°F or freezing. Very cold will be any temperature in the single digits or below. Properly maintained vehicles with multi-port or direct fuel injection systems start much better in cold and very cold conditions. As the temperature decreases, the fuel does not mix with the air as efficiently. Fuel injectors are better at getting fuel to atomize (mix) with the air than carbureted systems. Carbureted vehicles require a much longer warm-up period in cold weather due to this fact ... read more

So, you purchased your first vehicle or are new to maintaining a vehicle. What do you need to know about keeping your vehicle reliable and on the road? What are the vital steps to take to make sure you can count on your vehicle when you need it most? Waiting until you are broke down on the side of the road is by far the most expensive way to maintain your vehicle. Here are some great ways to prevent that situation! 1. Get to know your vehicle. Each vehicle has its own quirks and peculiarities. Almost like a personality. Get to know the personality of your vehicle. Learn how to operate the systems that your vehicle is equipped with. It may have many creature comforts, but do you know how to use them? Your owner’s manual will have more details about each system related to your specific vehicle. Headlights. Know how to manually turn them on and off if the automatic function quits. Door Locks. It may seem silly but with most vehicles using power ... read more