May 8, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Neubauer’s Auto Repair In Ellicott City

Filed under: Tires — neubaue786 @ 4:33 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Neubauer's Auto Repair In Ellicott City

A lot of people in the Baltimore area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City can ensure you get the right fit for your older vehicles. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your older vehicles, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Ellicott City people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Ellicott City people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The older vehicles computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your older vehicles vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Neubauer’s Auto Repair, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Ellicott City. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Ellicott City tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your customer service oriented Neubauer’s Auto Repair tire specialist see your older vehicles in person so mistakes are not made.

At Neubauer’s Auto Repair, we also offer air conditioning service and brake service.

Give us a call

Neubauer’s Auto Repair
410.465.4636
3515 South Chevrolet Drive
Ellicott City, Maryland 21042

At Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City Maryland (21042) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 410.465.4636. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 4, 2012

Deciphering The Menu Board At Elkridge Service Centers : Part 2

Filed under: Diagnostics — neubaue786 @ 9:25 pm

Deciphering The Menu Board At Elkridge Service Centers : Part 2

Elkridge auto service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Elkridge auto owners may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.

Neubauer’s Auto Repair fuel system cleaning: Over time, the older vehicles fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.

Neubauer’s Auto Repair headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It’s usually good to change them every year or so.

Inspections: Elkridge drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they’re leaving Elkridge and going on a trip or just want to make sure their older vehicles’s ready for summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used car in Elkridge and want to give it the once over. An inspection may reveal some things that are broken or are getting close to having a problem.

Neubauer’s Auto Repair oil change – there are several options: Some Elkridge centers offer just an oil change and new filter as an option. Most will also check and top off all of your other fluids and do a quick visual inspection with a full service oil change. In my way of thinking, the full service option is best because it makes sure you have adequate fluids in your older vehicles and may uncover an emerging problem. There may also be options for higher mileage fluids or an upgrade to synthetic oil.

Neubauer’s Auto Repair PCV valve service: PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve. It’s a little part that releases pressure from the engine. It can get gummed up and that can lead to engine damage. Just needs to be changed now and then.

Neubauer’s Auto Repair power steering service: Often overlooked. The Elkridge auto technician will evacuate the old fluid, clean out the system and replace it with clean fluid. Keeps the system running well for a long time.

Serpentine belt: That’s the belt that powers the older vehicles’s engine’s accessories like the alternator, air conditioner, power steering and brakes. You’ll want to replace the serpentine belt before it breaks, because that’ll shut you down.

Shocks and struts: This starts with an inspection of the suspension components in your older vehicles. Shocks last a long time and wear out slowly, so many Elkridge people don’t notice when it’s time to change them. If they’re worn or leaking, they need to be replaced.

Elkridge transmission service: This involves removing the transmission fluid and replacing it with clean fluid. It’s like an oil change for your transmission.

Tire rotation and wheel balancing: The older vehicles tires are rotated from front to back using the recommended rotation pattern. This helps tires wear more evenly. Wheels need to be balanced from time to time to keep them turning without any wobble or bounce. Helps the ride and saves tire wear for Elkridge car owners.

At Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City Maryland (21042) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 410.465.4636. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 26, 2012

Air Conditioning Maintenance At Neubauer’s Auto Repair In Ellicott City

Filed under: Air Conditioning — neubaue786 @ 7:47 pm

Air Conditioning Maintenance At Neubauer's Auto Repair In Ellicott City

Most Ellicott City area car owners don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. Maintaining your older vehicles air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well.

Along with the refrigerant, a special oil circulates in the system. The oil lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and we all know that air conditioning repairs can be costly in Baltimore.

Air conditioning service at Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear.

The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation by your Neubauer’s Auto Repair service advisor. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the older vehicles system is retested. Your Neubauer’s Auto Repair technician will also perform a temperature drop test.

If needed, the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.

How often this should be done at Neubauer’s Auto Repair varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your older vehicles owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your customer service oriented Neubauer’s Auto Repair service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.

Give us a call

Neubauer’s Auto Repair
3515 South Chevrolet Drive
Ellicott City, Maryland 21042

At Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City Maryland (21042) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 410.465.4636. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 20, 2012

Viva la Differential At Neubauer’s Auto Repair

Filed under: Differential Service — neubaue786 @ 4:31 pm

Viva la Differential At Neubauer's Auto Repair

With front-wheel drive being so common in Ellicott City these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Ellicott City folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive older vehicles differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for Maryland people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many older vehicles differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Neubauer’s Auto Repair technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Neubauer’s Auto Repair service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Ellicott City four wheel drive older vehicless need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Neubauer’s Auto Repair at different intervals.

Your Ellicott City service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your older vehicles owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Neubauer’s Auto Repair
410.465.4636
3515 South Chevrolet Drive
Ellicott City, Maryland 21042

At Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City Maryland (21042) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 410.465.4636. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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February 16, 2012

Schedule A Suspension Inspection At Neubauer’s Auto Repair

Filed under: Suspension — neubaue786 @ 6:44 pm

Today’s Marriottsville car care article focuses on your suspension system. After many years and tens of thousands of miles, your older vehicles suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Marriottsville highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads.

Schedule A Suspension Inspection At Neubauer's Auto RepairIn addition to just wearing out, Neubauer’s Auto Repair customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your older vehicles manufacturer and Neubauer’s Auto Repair recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Marriottsville service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Marriottsville. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your older vehicles dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Neubauer’s Auto Repair for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other older vehicles suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Neubauer’s Auto Repair.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Neubauer’s Auto Repair because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

At Neubauer’s Auto Repair in Ellicott City Maryland (21042) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 410.465.4636. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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