Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

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

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

School has already started for some kids and others still have a couple weeks to go.  In honor of that school starting, here is some friendly reminders. With children heading back to school, we wanted to share these safety reminders with you. 1. Watch your speed in school zones! Be aware that school zone speed limits may vary in hours and speeds. Be sure to follow the posted limits. 2. Slow down in residential areas. Watch for children crossing the street and congregating near bus stops. 3. Do not pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. Traffic in both directions on undivided highways must stop when students are entering or exiting a school bus (the red flashing lights and extended stop sign arms are your cue to stop). On a divided roadway, all traffic behind the school bus must stop. 4. Be alert! The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children walking to and from their bus are usually very comfortable wit ... read more

The automotive industry is working hard on being more "green" we know that we are dealing with elements that in many ways we cannot control, what we can do is lessen the amount of paper used in our businesses every day and one way to do that is to do digital inspections rather than the tried and true paper version. We have gone through a couple of different ones and I believe we have found one that will work well for us and lessen our impact.  How it works, typically when you come in we do an inspection and make sure you're safe to go on all of your adventures, this was done on a piece of paper that we stapled to your repair order and invoice. Now we are using a digital inspection so we have one less piece of paper and the benefit is we get to take pictures and we can send them to you via text or email so you can see what's going on with your vehicle too. Now we just attach a link to your account so it's always available.  The next time you are in we w ... read more

Your check engine light can come on for so many reasons - sometimes it's as simple as a loose gas cap and other times if not addressed can cause engine damage. The best way to know what is going on is to take it in and have it checked . It happens to all of us. The picture is of my check engine light that came on just a few weeks ago. It was for the knock sensor which is a common failure on my car. I had them replaced and now it's running beautiful again.   Give us a call and we'll make sure you keep going to where you're headed.   Happy Adventures Heather

Back to school is just around the corner, I am already receiving registration information and at least my kids are excited to go back to school (it means fewer chores for them). I am wishing for a few more family days.   With all this going on I finally got my car in for an oil change and realized I was a little past due on some maintenance. I am back on the schedule to get that done so it will be one less thing to worry about this fall.    Give us a call and get your car up to date on it's maintenance and have one less thing to worry about.   Happy Adventures Heather

Where to start...well for one I have a love for a good diesel pickup (please don't tell my husband I don't really care about which brand), and I don't mean the ones that smoke you out at the stop light. Those are just annoying and give everyone else a bad name. I am talking about the honest hard working pickups that do there job day in and out with little complaint. Really the only thing they really want is regular maintenance to keep them running like they were new, and an occasional bath for when they get really dirty.  If you are thinking of getting one the biggest thing I would ask is can you keep up with the maintenance requirements. Diesels tend to get a little cranky when they have been neglected and then it takes some time to get them back to where they want to be again.  We service diesel pickups and cars along with all of there gas counterparts. We can take care of those hybrids and electric cars too. Give us a call and let us keep you to where you are ... read more

Shocks and/or struts should be replaced every 50-100K miles. I realize that is a large variance of mileage and that is due to the type and style of suspension that you have on your vehicle. Most manufactures do not list a replacement mileage, but shocks and struts are very important to your vehicles handling and stopping ability. When they are worn it can take longer to come to a stop especially in an emergency situation. Most people don't realize that there car is even handling differently since typically they wear slowly. Why am I saying shocks and/or struts - well not all vehicles have the same components. Cars can have a combination of struts in the front and shocks in the rear, all struts or all shocks, pickups will have all shocks or on occasion struts in the front and rear shocks, I haven't seen struts in the rear of a pickup but that doesn't mean that it can't happen.  They are just as important though as your belts, hoses, fluids and other components of ... read more

Over the weekend we took the crew and my Mom on our annual summer trip. Every year we pick a new adventure and this year we decided we would go rock fishing off Newport for the day. We picked the wrong day. The forecast said it would be warm and we expected some waves. What we got was something totally different. Instead we had what Mom referred to as a deadliest catch day. We'll just say it was a little rough and cold.  I think Olivia and I have finally thawed out..   Our crew did amazing, even with a few of us who got sick, spirits were still high and we had fun. Don't they say a bad day fishing is better than...…We look forward to our day every year and we have already started to discuss what could be on the docket for next summer.   We know that you have plans for the rest of the summer and fall will be here before you know it. Are you ready for your trip? Make sure you are by scheduling a pre-trip inspection, oil change and get your maintenance do ... read more