High Point Auto Repair

Checking your tires regularly should be part of your routine. Not only should you check for general wear and pressure, but tire damagecan also indicate other problems with your car. Next time you check your tires, watch for these signs. Cupping Indicates Worn Suspension Feathering Can Be A Sign Of Poor Alignment Sometimes difficult to identify, feathering looks like a ramp of gradual wear running sideways across your tire tread blocks. This usually happens when your alignment or toe setting is off. Have you also noticed the steering wheel pulling to one side? Bring your car in today! Time For A Rotation If You See Heel-Toe Wear Similar to feathering except from front to back, heel-toe wear is fairly common. However, that doesn’t mean it is not a problem! Most often, this indicates that you are not rotating your tires often enough. If you’re following your scheduled rotations, you might have a suspension problem. Don’t forget to check your tires every month ... read more

A lot of mechanics out there will try to get you to pay for needless maintenance or repair services. It is understandable, therefore, why many car owners don’t always trust mechanics who say they need certain repairs. However, we have a few vital auto maintenance services that every car owner needs to get regularly according to their owner’s manual in order to give their car the long life it deserves! Oil Changes This seems like common sense to most, but you would be surprised at the number of people who procrastinate against getting their regular oil changes. Not only does this service make a huge difference in the way your car runs, but it also prevents engine damage and more! Not getting an oil change will slowly break down your engine’s parts and require extensive repairs. Tune-Ups A tune-up is a full vehicle service in which a mechanic checks and freshens several different fluids that help your vehicle run. From your w ... read more

Has your car been pulling to one side? Have you noticed unusual or uneven wear on your tires lately? Do you hear strange noises when you go over a bump or make a turn? You may have a problem with your suspension! Here are a few signs that you might need suspension repair: Uneven Wear On Tires You should check your tires regularly for signs of damage and air pressure, and especially for uneven wear. This can indicate a number of problems with your vehicle, and a certified mechanic can quickly assess the culprit based on your tire damage. For example, if your tires are wearing down on one side but not the other, you may need a wheel alignment. This could also indicate worn ball joints, damaged springs, or deteriorating suspension bushings. Bouncing, Rough Ride Wondering if there’s more potholes than usual on your street? Your rough ride might be due to worn out shocks or struts. Park ... read more

When your brakes have reached their limit of wear and tear, it’s not something to be overlooked or delayed. Thankfully, there are some key tells that vehicle ownersgetwhen their brakes are nearing the end. If these are ignored, they can grow into more substantial issues and require more costly repairs, so it’s definitely wise to heed the warnings that your vehicle gives you and act quickly. When in doubt, take your car in for a quick brake check to your trusted local mechanic, and they can give you a sense of how your brakes are holding up. In fact, it’s great practice to get a set of professional eyes on your brakes before heading out fora road trip, especially if you’re likely to encounter traffic and have to make frequent stops. No one enjoys a roadside break down when you’re away from home! Get Your Brakes Checked Out If… You Hear a Grinding or Squealing Sound – Typically the squealing sound will occur first, whe ... read more

Keeping your vehicle on a regular maintenance schedule will help you keep your car on the road and reduce the chances of ending up stranded on the side of the road calling for a tow truck. These are a few things we check during an inspection to make sure your car is running properly: Ignition Check Engine Fault Codes Check Battery Voltage Check We will typically change pieces including the spark plugs, rotor and distributor caps, and O2 sensors if they appear to be worn out. The air filter, fuel filter, and the filter for the PCV valve will all be replaced to improve your car’s performance. Older vehicles are more likely to need the O2 sensors replaced as well as belts and hoses. Adjustments may be necessary for the idle speed and ignition timing. There is a myth that new vehicles do not require a tune up for their first 100,000 miles and this is simply not true. It is especially important to make sure the filters and oil are changed around every ... read more

Pokemon GO is sweeping the nation. Nay, the whole globe. People everywhere are burying their heads in their cellphone — even more so than usual — and while it’s nice to see more people getting outdoors as they experiment with this “augmented reality,” it’s also causing some inevitable problems. Just as texting while driving is a huge hazard and has led to countless motor-vehicle accidents, so too is playing Pokemon GO while behind the wheel. The game itself is better played on foot, many would argue, and yet we’ve seen incidents across the world that seem to indicate that some players have taken the on-the-go experience far too literally. In Baltimore, MD, a busy gamer slammed into the back of a parked police car. To matters worse, the guy kept driving until the Police Officer chased him down to make sure he was OK. Needless to say, that guy didn’t catch them all, but he caught a whole lot of something else. Several drivers in ... read more

In a bizarre case of what some are calling “sleep-driving“, Sister Kimberly Miller of Philadelphia was arrested for crashing her car into an area auto shop last November. She is now on trial to determine whether she was driving drunk, or whether her prescription sleep aid, Ambien, caused her to drive while sleeping. Sister Kimberly has been known to sleepwalk before, so she might have been more susceptible to Ambien’s side effects than others who take the drug. Police say that Sister Kimberly seemed unaware that she had crashed her car, and that she was staggering and slurring her words when they arrested her. The nun says that she lost four hours of her life that night, and was very distressed when she came to and found herself in handcuffs. She also confessed to having two glasses of altar wine earlier in the evening, then taking the Ambien because she was having trouble falling asleep. Sister Kimberly is a well-love ... read more

Are you planning a summer road trip? If so, you’ll want to make sure that a car checkup is on your pre-trip to-do list. You’ll be depending on your vehicle to get you safely to your destination and back home again, so it’s important to make sure everything is in working order. Here are some things you’ll want to check before you hit the road. Check the Brake System Make sure your brake pads are good, and that you have plenty of brake fluid. Also look at the battery connection. It should be tight and have no sign of corrosion. Inspect the Tires Do a thorough visual inspection of your tires. Do they have plenty of tread? Are they fully inflated? If your tires are underinflated, your car will not get its best gas mileage, and you’ll end up paying more for your trip! It’s also important to check for hazards like bulging spots or foreign objects in the tread. Check the Hoses and Belts Hoses and belts connect pretty much every sy ... read more

All vehicles need occasional maintenance to keep running. No matter how luxurious or advanced your car may be, you will undoubtedly take your car in for oil changes and brake service. Another important component of regular maintenance is tire alignment. To help you make the most out of your tires, we walk through the mechanical and safety benefits of tire alignment here. As you travel, you will inevitably encounter potholes or rub against a curb or two during a turn. This can throw off your suspension can cause the affected tires to roll at an angle, rather than straight forward. These tires will wear out faster, as they are slightly dragged in the direction the rest of the car is going. Aligning your tires so all are facing the same angle allows the tires to wear at the same rate. If you realize your car pulls to one side as you try to drive straight, this is a telltale sign that you need your tires realigned. Periodic ti ... read more