Tag Archives: #lawrencevilleAutoRepair

Maintenance on My Mind

Ask any Lawrenceville man or woman if they’ve taken their vehicle in for preventive maintenance lately, and the answer may well be “no.” Surveys indicate that over 80% of vehicles on the road today are in need of some kind of repair or maintenance. Now, ask that same person why he hasn’t taken his car in for care. The answer will probably be that he forgot or that he just didn’t think about it. Most Lawrenceville residents seem to have a hard time remembering about scheduled maintenance for their vehicles.

Funny, because most of us in Lawrenceville have no trouble remembering to wash our clothes, mow our lawns or brush our teeth. It isn’t that we can’t remember to take our vehicles for service; it’s a matter of making it a priority.

When it comes to our vehicles, Lawrenceville drivers like myself, need to be a little more maintenance-minded. The fact is, we can choose to do it, or we might find ourselves being compelled to do it.

For example, when we consistently forget to brush our teeth, a major consequence usually follows. The pain of that experience usually compels us to be more mindful of our teeth and take better care of them.

The same goes for our vehicles. If we ignore them long enough, a painful experience is sure to follow—painful for our pocketbooks, that is. People in Lawrenceville who have gone through that experience are usually more conscientious about proper car care.

So, if you’re not a fan of the school of hard knocks, at least when it comes to vehicle maintenance, remind yourself to look after your car. Pay attention to the little oil change tag on your windshield. When it’s time take your car in, do it. But don’t just change the oil. Get a full-service oil change at Global Auto Solutions. Your technician will then check all of your fluids. He can advise you if any of them need to be changed or if any of them are low.

Low fluid levels can indicate leaks or a worn hose or seal, so they can check those for you as well. Other signs of wear are also immediately evident when you get a full-service oil change, such as a cracked serpentine belt or corroded battery cable. Your Global Auto Solutions technician will also check the vehicle manufacturer’s service recommendations for your vehicle and advise you of any other routine service that is coming due.

It’s like a one-stop shop for auto advice that will keep you on top of your vehicle’s maintenance.

If there is more to be done than the budget allows, you can get a picture of what needs to be done.  Then, create a plan with your Global Auto Solutions service advisor and budget for it during the coming months. It’s a whole lot less painful than unexpected car repairs.

Vehicles are more reliable than they ever have been. They can take a lot of abuse and neglect. But they’re also expensive and complicated machines. Lawrenceville drivers can’t expect them to run forever without proper fluids and filters. Preventive maintenance at Global Auto Solutions in Lawrenceville will improve the reliability and life expectancy of your vehicle, as well as ensuring your safety on the road in GA.

Global Auto Solutions
2710 Lawrenceville Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770.931.0222

Exhaust Service – You have Questions , We have Solutions

Question:
My car failed its emissions test – what do I need to do?

Global A/to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Global Auto Solutions. Carbon monoxide in your exhaust is odorless, colorless and tasteless can be fatal to you and your passengers, so don’t delay if you suspect an exhaust leak.

 

WE GUARANTEE ALL EMISSION REPAIRS

There could be a number of reasons for a failed GA emissions test so some diagnostic work is in order. A common reason is that the catalytic converter has failed. The catalytic converter removes some of the harmful elements in exhaust.

When a catalytic converter fails it must be replaced, which isn’t cheap for Lawrenceville drivers. Many Lawrenceville folks stop there – but the converter failed for a reason. There may be any number of engine run conditions that led to the failure. It would certainly be smart to have your friendly and knowledgeable pros at Global Auto Solutions diagnose the cause so that you don’t end up with another catalytic converter replacement down the road.

Oh, and that Check Engine light that so many Lawrenceville drivers ignore: It might just be illuminated for a condition that could lead to catalytic converter damage. Have your technician at Global Auto Solutions get to the bottom of any Check Engine light situation.

Give us a call.

Global Auto Solutions
2710 Lawrenceville Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770.931.0222

Your Cabin Air Filter, It’s About Preventive Maintenance

There are a lot of new features, both optional and standard, on Lawrenceville drivers’ vehicles these days. One you may not have heard of is called a cabin air filter. Simply put, its job is to keep the air in the passenger compartment of your car nice and clean.

A cabin air filter is similar to the filter you use on your furnace at home in Lawrenceville. Cabin air filters can catch particles down to three microns. By comparison, a grain of sand is 200 microns. So cabin air filters are effective against dust, dirt, pollen, mold spores and most pollutants in our Lawrenceville area atmosphere. Good news if you suffer from any types of allergies, or if you live in an area in GA prone to air pollution.

Cabin air filters are generally located in the engine compartment or under the dashboard. They can be tricky to access and replace, so you’ll probably want to go to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Global Auto Solutions to get it done. Check your vehicle owner’s manual to find out if your vehicle is equipped with a cabin air filter and how often it should be changed. Recommendations vary, but generally a cabin air filter should be changed every 12,000 to 15,000 miles (19,000 to 24,000 kilometers).

Of course, if you are an allergy sufferer in Lawrenceville, you may want to replace it more often. Also, if you do a lot of driving in polluted or dusty areas in GA, you’ll also want to shorten the cabin air filter replacement period. Dirty air filters just don’t work well, and they can exude an unpleasant odor if ignored for too long.

Most Lawrenceville folks know that good car care includes keeping your vehicle clean, including the air inside the passenger compartment, so changing your cabin air filter should be part of your routine preventive maintenance. It’s good auto advice as well as good medical advice that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You really shouldn’t wait until the interior of your car starts to smell and your eyes start to water before you change your filter. And trying to cover it up with a dangling green pine tree is not the right answer, either!

Cabin air filters can be a welcome relief to Lawrenceville allergy sufferers, but they’re also a great idea for anyone in GA who just wants to breathe better.

Global Auto Solutions
2710 Lawrenceville Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770.931.0222

 

Coolant , Remember Now That Winter Is Here

Lawrenceville auto owners may know that most automotive failures in Lawrenceville, GA, are tire related, but do you know the second most common cause of vehicle failure? Nope, it’s not teenagers. It is the coolant system. But if you take good care of your vehicle coolant system, it will take good care of you.

A vehicle’s engine creates a lot of heat – so much heat, that if it is not properly cooled, the engine can lock up, resulting in massive damage and repair bills. But when everything is working right, your vehicle engine operates at the proper temperature and all is well. Without antifreeze in your cooling system, the water could freeze and cause vehicle engine damage. This could be very expensive, not to mention inconvenient.

The right mix of water and antifreeze protects the engine against damage from freezing and overheating. Antifreeze also protects the coolant system against corrosion that could cause the system to fail. The thing to remember is this: coolant system failure is very common, but it is also very easy to prevent. Your Lawrenceville service center knows the manufacturer’s recommendations and can tell you when the coolant needs to be changed. At Global Auto Solutions in Lawrenceville, we can perform a coolant system service.

Lawrenceville auto owners can add water or antifreeze to the bottle themselves but should be careful. First, you never want to open the radiator pressure cap. The steam could severely burn you. Second, try to get to Global Auto Solutions in Lawrenceville immediately if your coolant is low. If that is not possible, follow the directions in your owner’s manual. Third, remember that you need a proper mixture of water and antifreeze or you will damage your engine. If you make an emergency addition to your cooling system, follow-up with a service advisor at Global Auto Solutions where they can make necessary corrections. Fourth, not all cars use the same type of antifreeze.

Lawrenceville technicians will need to check their vehicles owner’s manual to make sure they use the right kind. Mixing antifreeze types or using the wrong kind of antifreeze may void the manufacturer’s warranty on your vehicle cooling system. If you’re not sure, ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Global Auto Solutions for guidance.

Global Auto Solutions
2710 Lawrenceville Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770.931.0222

What You Need to Know About Tire Rotations…

Why does tire rotation and wheel balancing matter? As a driver, you want to make your family’s vehicles and your own vehicle’s tires last longer with regular tire rotation and wheel balancing.

 

Let’s start with tire rotation. In normal driving around Lawrenceville, GA, your front tires wear more on the shoulders because they handle much of the cornering forces in turns. Front-wheel drive vehicles have even more force on the front tires.

At Global Auto Solutions in Lawrenceville, we rotate the tires so that all of the tires do some duty on the front end as well as getting a little break on the back end. That way, all four tires wear more evenly over their life and last longer for Lawrenceville car owners.

For most vehicles in Lawrenceville, GA, tires are rotated front to back. Some recommend a cross rotational pattern as seen to the diagram to the right, that includes the spare tire, and some high-performance vehicles have different size tires on the front and rear and may even have uni-directional tires which means that they can only be on the left or the right side of the vehicle. Our friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff at Global Auto Solutions can help you sort that out and will perform the right tire rotation for your vehicle.

Your car manufacturer will have a recommendation for how often you should rotate your tires.

What is wheel balancing? Ever notice your wheel wobbling? That’s when there are heavy spots on the tire.

Balancing adds weights to the wheel to balance it out. Now, we are talking about very small weight differences. Variations in the tire and wheel manufacture can cause a slight imbalance. The valve stem, and now the tire pressure monitoring sensors in the tire, also play into the equation.

Even small differences can cause annoying vibrations at speed for Lawrenceville drivers: the wheel is essentially bouncing a bit as it goes down the road. For example, at Lawrenceville speeds, an out of balance wheel can be slamming into the road 14 times a second. That’s annoying and can cause tires to wear out more quickly for Lawrenceville drivers.

If a front wheel’s out of balance you’ll feel the vibration through the steering wheel. When it’s a rear tire, you’ll feel the vibration through your seat. If you’re getting bad vibes from your vehicle, bring it in to Global Auto Solutions in Lawrenceville to see if it’s a balance issue or something else. Lawrenceville drivers should balance the wheels whenever they get a new tire or remount a tire like when it’s been removed for a flat repair.

Global Auto Solutions.2710 Lawrenceville Highway. Lawrenceville, GA 30044. 770.931.0222