Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

It's story time - just humor me for a moment. I will start by saying this was prior to me working at the shop, at the time the boys were little and I was working from home. I should have known better, but I didn't. Jason and I took the boys to Seattle with his parents to watch a baseball game, on the way home we stopped for dinner as the boys were hungry. As we were getting ready to pull onto the on ramp suddenly we stopped moving. Nothing, nada, we weren't going anywhere. Jason with all his knowledge was able to get us off of the road and back down into a parking lot. Jason of course instantly knew what had happened. My transmission had gone out. From there he called the tow truck and we waited.  We finally got home around 3 am and when he looked at my vehicle the next day, he found the transmission had imploded on it's self and it had to be rebuilt. Now had I known the signs and symptoms I could have prevented all of the anguish and headache and m ... read more

Your check engine light is a picture of an engine. It is bright and yellow. When this light comes on it means that one of the many computer systems in your car has failed a test.  It can be a simple fix or sometimes something a bit more complicated. Either way it needs to be properly diagnosed to make sure you're safe on all your adventures. Give us a call and let us take care of you.  Happy Adventures,  Heather

This light typically comes on when our brake fluid is low. Your brake fluid could be low due to a leak in your braking system or because your brake pads are do to be serviced. The best way to know why your light is on is to make an appointment for a free brake inspection. We will check your brakes and your braking system and let you know why your light is on and what the next steps are. We always perform free brake inspections so you can call and make an appointment at any time.  Give us a call and let us take care of you.  Happy Adventures,  Heather

Batteries have a life span that is typically 5-7 years. This depends on the type of battery it also depends on the area of the country where you live. If you happen to live in an area that has extreme hot and cold cycles then your battery will not last as long as if you lived in an area that had milder temperatures that were not as extreme. Fortunately in the Willamette Valley in Oregon we don't have huge swings in temperature typically. We will have a few days that is gets warm and a few that are really cold, but mostly we have mild temperatures.  Give us a call and let us take care of you. 541-791-2886 Happy Adventures,  Heather

There are more than a few reasons that your car may be shaking, if it's shaking while driving down the road you could have a steering component that has become loose and is causing the issue. This needs to be checked and tested to make sure the correct component is being replaced.  Give us a call and let us take care of you. Happy Adventures, Heather

It's never a bad idea to set your parking brake, especially if you drive a car with a manual transmission. If you drive an automatic it's not necessary unless you are parking on a hill. Then you should always set the parking brake prior to putting your car in park. This takes some of the weight off the parking pawl on the transmission and prevents damage. That big clunk that you hear when you shift your car into reverse or drive after sitting on a hill, that's not a good sound and over time will wear out your parking pawl and eventually it could break.  Give us a call and let us take care of you.  Happy Adventures,  Heather

I am not someone who makes new year resolutions, maybe I should be but it's just not my personality. Typically if I decide I'm going to do something then I just do it and move on. Now when you're trying to make better habits it takes time and help. We're here to help you with your car maintenance when you need it. While we love to see our clients smiling faces sometimes you don't love to see us when you're having car problems. We're trying to fix that for you by getting your car on a maintenance schedule. If you know when your next oil change, tune up, and/or fluid service is due then you can plan ahead and it takes all the stress out of your day. Plus it helps to prevent breakdowns, it won't completely solve all your car problems, but with proper maintenance it will lessen the time your car needs to be in the shop.  Give us a call and let us take care of you.  Happy Adventures,  Heather

We're off today and we hope you're enjoying the first day of the year. We'll be back tomorrow morning and we hope that 2020 is an amazing year for you full of family, friends and many adventures.  Give us a call and let us take care of you.  Happy Adventures,  Heather

This could be from the motor that moves your heater doors may have stripped gear which is causing the clicking noise. When this happens the motor would need to be replaced. This typically happens suddenly and it is just to do age and internal wear.  Give us a call and let us take care of you 541-791-2886 Happy Adventures,  Heather

Your rack and pinion is your steering gear, it is called a rack and pinion because it uses a flat gear instead of a worm gear. Typically cars, mini vans and smaller SUV's have a rack and pinion, full size cars, pickups and SUV's will have a steering gear with a worm gear.  Give us a call and let us take care of you.  Happy Adventures,  Heather