Albert Lea Auto Repair

Here at AutoNetTV, we have national viewers, like your neighbors in Albert Lea, who write to us with questions or feedback. One common question we're asked is: "What is a differential and what does it do?" You may have been told by your Sanderson Auto service advisor that your differential needs service, or seen it as an option up on the service menu. Differential service at Sanderson Auto covers a lot of things, so let's first talk about what a differential does. As you drive through a turn, your outside wheels and inside wheels turn at different speeds. Kind of like the cars going around a race track - the ones driving in the outside lanes have a greater distance to travel than the cars in the inside lanes. The differential is what allows the outside and inside drive wheels to rotate at slightly different speeds so that the tires don't hop or skip while taking ... read more

The automotive professionals at Sanderson Auto would like to give Albert Lea car owners an update on some of the things happening in automotive fluids. You know, cars are becoming more sophisticated everyday - and fluids such as, oil, coolant and transmission fluid are becoming more specialized at about the same pace. The Albert Lea do-it-yourselfer has to be pretty careful so that they do not actually harm their pickup with the wrong type of fluid. That is why so many MN car owners rely on the advice of their cheerful Sanderson Auto service specialist to not only get the correct family of fluids, but to suggest the formulation that is best for their car and their driving habits in the Albert Lea area. Let's start with engine oil. Clarks Grove car owners who have been paying attention, will have noticed a number of new oil weights on the MN scene in the last several years. Modern engines are built to much tighter tolerances a ... read more

Here is a questions for smart Albert Lea auto owners What is a cabin air filter? Is it: A filter for a house in the middle of the woods? A fresh, piney scent? A filter for the passenger compartment of your car? Clever you, it's 3. A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment. It filters out dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, sparrows, harmful exhaust gas and odors. These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns. Now not all vehicles in the Albert Lea area have cabin filters. They are fairly new on the scene in MN. About forty percent of new vehicles come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year. Cabin air filters can make for a very nice driving environment for Albert Lea auto owners. Your car can be a haven during ... read more

So you’ve bought a used car in the Albert Lea area. Do you know what you’re getting? It is hard to know what you’re getting because people in the Albert Lea area sell cars for different reasons. Think about why you’ve sold cars. Did you just want something new or were there problems that you wanted to run away from. Maybe it was a little of both. Used cars in MN with 25,000 to 35,000 miles on them are often lease returns, Albert Lea corporate program cars or rental fleet vehicles. Most Albert Lea buyers feel pretty confident about these because they’re newer and may still be under warranty. But how well have they been maintained? Albert Lea auto owners who are planning to own a car for a long time will keep up on auto maintenance so that they can avoid expensive repairs down the road. But, if you know you’re only going to have the car for two or three years, you may not be so committed to maintenance. It would be easy to thi ... read more

Albert Lea drivers love their cars. And one of the most enjoyable things about them is taking a road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it’s great! But there’s nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt. Now Albert Lea auto owners can’t always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. The first step is to look at your trip plan from your vehicle’s perspective. What kind of roads will you be traveling – winding MN byways or interstates? Purple mountain majesties or fruited plains? What weather conditions are you likely to encounter? How many miles will you travel each day? How much weight will you be hauling – passengers and luggage. Pulling a trailer, roof top carrier, or ATVs? Will it be dusty? Prepared with answers to these questions, you can schedule a ... read more

When they hear the word 'suspension,' Albert Lea motorists may think back to those energetic days of grade school. Well, your car’s suspension is actually a good thing because it keeps your car up off the road and helps provide a comfy ride around Albert Lea. Its job is to keep your wheels firmly planted over bumps and through curves. Your suspension system has many vital parts. If you look under your car, it’s basically everything that connects your wheels to the pickup’s frame. These are heavy duty parts that do a lot of work. They need to be inspected for damage and excessive wear at least once a year. A good time for this is when you get your annual alignment service at Sanderson Auto. Here are some warning signs of suspension problems: Basically, you just don’t feel in control when you’re driving. Some suspension parts just wear out with use. Shocks and ... read more

Whenever they hear the term "exhaust service," most Albert Lea motorists think about exhaust pipes and mufflers. Well, actually, exhaust service at Sanderson Auto is a lot more comprehensive these days. For example, catalytic converters were mandated in 1976 and on-board emission control computers in 1990. Governmental emissions requirements have forced auto manufacturers to come up with much more sophisticated ways to comply with environmental regulations. Exhaust service has really become exhaust and emissions service. High-tech computer controlled emissions devices are now a big part of exhaust service. Because it is so sophisticated, your auto manufacturer recommends you have your emission system checked out by a qualified Albert Lea exhaust technician regularly to make sure everything is working right - usually every 6 months or 10,000 miles/16,000 kilometers. If your Check Engine light comes on, especiall ... read more