Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

Why does my diesel smoke? When your diesel is smoking that is typically (not always) unburnt fuel. That means that smoke is raw diesel coming out the tail pipe. When you're looking for fuel economy is not the way to go. We can make your pickup run more efficiently and still have all the hauling capabilities that you purchased it for.  Happy Adventures Heather

  Why is my car overheating? When your car or pickup is overheating it is most likely due to low coolant or antifreeze. There of course are many other reasons for it to overheat, but that is typically the most common. It is important for your engine to have coolant in it and the correct type. If you're engine is overheating it's time to have it checked out.  Did you know we do alignments too. We do! We can take care of your vehicle top to bottom, bumper to bumper.  Happy Adventures Heather

When should I replace my shocks and struts? They should be replaced between 50,000-100,000 miles and this depends on your specific car, pickup, van, or suv. These are a maintenance item and they are also a safety item. When your shocks and struts are worn they can prevent you from stopping as quickly in a hard braking situation. They wear slowly so it's hard to know when they are worn out. When they are replaced you'll notice that your vehicle rides so much nicer. 

  Why is my car loud? That's an excellent question and unfortunately it's not an easy answer. The best advice I can give you is for you to make an appointment and we will check it out for you so you have one less worry.  Happy Adventures Heather

It's week three of school being back in. In our house we are settling into back into our schedule and things are going well (so far). I have a driver now so that is taking a huge load off in the mornings too. This is not to say everything is just peaches and cream - trust me I have plenty of the where is this and that and why aren't you dressed and you're going ot have to eat this on the way to school.  This is our last year of having three in three different schools, next year we're starting the down hill slope and we're at two schools. I thought I drove a lot before school started but now with all that drop-ff and pick-up stuff along with high school sports my car is getting a workout for sure. It's almost ready for another oil change and probably a little scheduled maintenance too.  Give us a call and let us take care of you. We will make you a maintenance schedule for your car so you know when and what is due.  Happy Adventures Heather

    Over the weekend I was lucky enough to take my oldest son on an overnight backpacking trip near Detroit. We hiked in 6 miles to Twin Lake, spent the night and hiked out Sunday morning. It was his first time for this type of thing. Before we got to the trailhead it was 6 miles of rough road that our max speed was 5mph. I am thankful for the fact that we had a well maintained pickup and I wasn't worried about walking back to find help.   On every invoice from us you should have a custom maintenance schedule for your vehicle. This way you know when your car/pickup/van is due for service again. We want you to have fewer surprises (the bad kind) and you can plan ahead. Our goal is to get you to where you want to be whether it's to work, school, shopping or your next adventure.   Happy Adventures Heather

We get this question a lot. The engine icon is the check engine light. It could be as simple as a faulty gas cap or it could be something serious. The best way to know is to make an appointment and we will check it for you to make sure you're safe on all your adventures.  Happy Adventures Heather

When does my car need a tune up? That just depends on the engine that you have in your vehicle. Some are due every 30,000 miles and others can wait until every 90K. Either way regularly scheduled maintenance is the best thing for the health of your vehicle and to keep you on your way. Give us a call and we will get you on the schedule. Happy Adventures Heather

  My car doesn't start? This is one of those things that I dread the most. I depend on my car to start every single time I want it to, and when it doesn't it can cause major problems. Let us take a look at it and get you back on the road to where you need to be. Happy Adventures Heather 

Diesel pickups typically have two batteries because they have much higher compression which makes them more difficult to turn over. When it is time to replace batteries both of the batteries should be replaced at the same time even if one is still testing good. When they are a matched pair they will have a longer life, when they are unmatched it causes strain on the charging system and one battery will always be working harder