Albert Lea Auto Repair

Is Your Vehicle Ready for the Winter Season? Welcome to fall! Cooler weather, changing leaves, camping, and campfires. In my opinion, the best season of the year! The sad truth is winter is just around the corner. Are you ready? Is your vehicle ready? Let’s explore what you need to know about getting your vehicle ready for colder weather. There are four main areas of your vehicle that need to be evaluated and prepared for winter. Traction, Vehicle Operation, Vehicle Maintenance, and Emergency Preparedness. Each area has specific items that need to be checked before the weather turns frigid outside. Let’s check them out and see if you are ready for the big chill. Traction More than just tires, traction refers to total vehicle control. Accelerating, stopping, and steering are all very important in maintaining vehicle control. Remaining in control of the vehicle is key to preventing crashes and keeping your family safe. Tires - Check your tire tread depth and tire de ... read more

The Hidden Truth About Vehicle Extended Warranties and Service Contracts As vehicles have become more complex and expensive, many consumers have invested in extended warranties or service contracts as a way of managing out-of-pocket repair costs. It sounds like a simple and easy solution, but not all extended warranties or service contracts are the same. It really comes down to the details of the warranty itself. Many car companies offer warranties to customers when they purchase new or used vehicles. New vehicle warranties are backed by the vehicle manufacturers. For instance, a 2024 Jeep Wrangler comes with a basic warranty coverage for the complete vehicle of 3 years or 36,000 miles. The emission system is covered for 2 years or 24,000 miles; 3 years unlimited miles for body corrosion; and 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first, for the powertrain (engine and transmission). All these stated warranties are backed or covered by FCA US (Mopar). GM, Ford, Toyota, and other vehi ... read more

Why are car repairs so expensive? It’s because we all want to get rich and retire in the Caribbean at the age of 40. That may be the perception, but the reality is we’re still working, most of us are over 40, and helping people is better than hiding on a beach somewhere. There are many factors that contribute to the cost of automotive repair. Let’s open the shop door and explore what it takes to keep your vehicle properly maintained and see what goes into that expense. Vehicle Costs: As we are all aware, the cost of purchasing a vehicle has skyrocketed over the last 20 years. New vehicles can cost more than a starter house in today’s market. For example, a Chevrolet Suburban, which first débuted in 1935, originally cost $675 new. Now a well-appointed Chevrolet Suburban can cost almost $85,000. Vehicle manufacturers have made many changes and improvements over time. Today’s vehicles are more reliable, safer, comfortable, quiet, connected, an ... read more

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

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

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

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

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

Car care is an important part of auto safety in Albert Lea. But the most important thing we can do to improve safety on Minnesota roads is to drive safely. Defensive driving is safe driving. And defensive driving is all about attitude. You have to decide that you will be a safe driver in Minnesota, no matter what anyone else is doing. Albert Lea drivers can start with awareness. Always maintain awareness of your surroundings, the road conditions, other vehicles on the Albert Lea road or interstate and road hazards. Have you ever suddenly realized that you have arrived somewhere, but you don’t really remember driving there? That is unsafe driving. Never assume that other Albert Lea auto owners are paying attention. You be the one on alert. You be the one to take initiative to stay out of the way of other Minnesota drivers. And don’t let familiarity dull your alertness. Remind yourself to pay as close attention while driving on the roads near your Albert Lea home as you wo ... read more

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