Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

    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

This is something that we hear often, that the car is getting old or worn out since it's getting a few miles on it. W always tell people that 100,000 is just getting broke in. If you're ready for a new car because you have the budget or that you just really want a new one then that's great, but if it is reliability that you're worried about you shouldn't be. If you have done all of your scheduled maintenance and you take good care of your vehicle then it should last you for many more miles.    Happy Adventures Heather

This is it, the last unofficial weekend of the summer. We are closed on Monday to give everyone just a few more minutes with family, kids and friends. The dogs aka the girls will be back to work on Monday after taking the summer off to be with the kids. Oh and we will have cookies too.   I just want to thank each one of our customers for letting us take care of you. We hope you had a fabulous summer and that your fall is just as wonderful.   For those who are just finding us give us a call and let us take care of you too. We are a full service repair and maintenance shop. We take care of all makes and models. Gas, diesel, electric, hybrid - we take care of them all. We take care of your vehicle bumper to bumper top to bottom.   Happy Adventures, Heather

The count down is officially on at my house for back to school. We don't start until 7 days out and that was officially yesterday. Now I will miss my kids, but really I work all day and I don't get to see them so they might as well go to school and learn something. I say this like I have to drag my kids to go back to school, but they are ready too. We don't live in town and that means they don't get to see friends as often as they would like and they are ready to see someone other than a sibling for sure.  With the start of back to school is also the start of fall sports in my house, now they've been practicing for a few weeks now, but our first game is on tuesday. That just means more going and miles on the road. I love watching my son play so every mile is worth it. It just means I need to make sure my car is in good shape so I can get to all those games.  Are you a sports parent too? If so you know how much fun it is to watch your kid play something t ... read more

  We had this question the other day and I thought wow that is an awesome question. Most people just assume that it's just a good thing to have and really and that it is updated technology.   I found this picture on-line and I thought it was the perfect way to describe the difference between the two.   Without ABS in a hard braking situation you could slide and then possibly lose control of your vehicle. If you have ABS then your brakes will pulsate in a hard brake and allow you to remain in control of your vehicle.   Most vehicles are now equipped with ABS as a standard feature. For those looking for a classic or older model car this is something that you should ask about.     Happy Adventures Heather

Anytime your car is leaking you should have it checked, there are many things that could be happening and it's better to know what is going on before it gets worse. If you have a leak, give us a call and we will take a look at it and put your worries at ease.