Gig Harbor Auto Repair

Today we want to talk to Gig Harbor drivers about timing belts. They're something that many Gig Harbor drivers don't know much about and yet your vehicle won't run if it's broken - and it could cause many thousands of dollars damage if it does break. A broken timing belt is usually a tale of woe. Even though timing belt replacement is scheduled in the owner's manual, it's not the kind of thing that most Gig Harbor motorists remember because it's not well understood. Let's review what a timing belt does. As most Gig Harbor motorists know, the engine's power is generated in the cylinders. A piston rides up and down in the cylinder. During the first down stroke, an intake valve at the top of the cylinder opens and air and fuel is drawn into the cylinder. Then the piston returns to the top, compressing the fuel and air mix. At the top, the spark plug fires, igniting the fuel pushing the piston down in the power stroke. As the piston once again returns u ... read more

All new passenger vehicles on our Gig Harbor Washington roads now have tire pressure monitoring systems - TPMS for short. They are designed to alert you if your tires are under inflated. Since they are fairly new, a lot of people have questions about TPMS. First off, the most important thing is that you still need to check your tire pressure every week - or at least every time you gas up. The TPMS system alert comes in when your tire is twenty percent below the factory recommendation. So if the recommended pressure is thirty five pounds per square inch, the TPMS warning won't come on until the pressure is at twenty eight pounds. That's significantly under-inflated. Enough to raise safety concerns. The worst is tire failure. A severely under inflated tire can overheat and fail. Also, handling degrades to the point that you may not be able to steer out of trouble. Also un ... read more

If you're like most of us Gig Harbor motorists, you want your car to handle well. That's the job of your suspension system. There are different types of suspension systems, but they all work on the same basic principles. First, there are the springs, which bear the weight of the car. The most common springs are coil or leaf - although we see air springs and torsion bars more often. The springs do most of the work. Visit our Gig Harbor location for an inspection of your suspension. Mackert Automotive 3416-B 57th ST CT NW Gig Harbor, Washington 98335 253-851-3307 But if all you had were springs, your car, truck, SUV would be bouncing around like a bobble head. That's where the shocks come in. They control the rebound of the springs and smooth out the up and down motions. They also keep the tires on the road, and you in control. Some car, truck, SUVs use struts. Struts are a combination of shocks and spring ... read more

Is your car sometimes hard to start on an early Gig Harbor morning? When you turn the key, does it hesitate or stutter? If so, the problem could be the result of a dirty fuel system. Your car's fuel system starts with the air filter and ends in the top of your engine. Over time, different parts of the system get dirty, which robs you of performance and hurts your fuel economy. Most of our car, truck, and SUV's in Gig Harbor have fuel injectors, rather than a carburetor. Fuel injection systems have fewer problems and require less adjustment. But they still need to be properly maintained. This is why your owner's manual has a schedule for cleaning your fuel injectors and other parts of your fuel system. Some people are interested in buying fuel system cleaners that you can pour into your gas tank. You can do that - and there are lots of great products available that can help maintain an already c ... read more

With the recent focus in Gig Harbor on improving gas mileage, we've been told how important it is to maintain our tire pressure. Gig Harbor car owners know that tires wear out, but we want to make them last as long as possible because they're not cheap to replace. In addition to saving gas, properly inflated tires last longer. Under-inflated tires will wear out more quickly. Some Gig Harbor auto owners wonder if they should add a few extra pounds of pressure when they fill up their tires. Bad idea. In fact, there are very good reasons not to over-inflate your tires. For one, the middle of the tread will wear unevenly because the full tread is not contacting the road properly. That also adversely affects your handling. Stop by Mackert Automotive to see about tire maintenance for your Gig Harbor, Washington vehicle. Every vehicle in the Gig Harbor area has a sticker on the driver's side door jamb that tells you the manufacturer's ... read more

Washington state roadside emergencies can range from a flat tire downtown to being stranded in a snowy ravine for three days. So you may want to consider a basic emergency kit to keep in the car at all times and a travel kit tailored to a specific trip. Your close-to-home kit for around Gig Harbor would have some basic items to work on your car: everything you need to change a tire, gloves, a couple quarts of oil, some antifreeze and water. A can of tire inflator is a great temporary fix for minor flats. You'll also want jumper cables or a booster box, flares, a flashlight and some basic hand tools. Now for your comfort and safety: a first aid kit, drinkable water, high calorie food (like energy bars), blankets, toilet paper, cell phone, towel, hat and boots. Keep some change for a pay phone, emergency cash and a credit card. People who live in areas with frequent severe weather or earthquakes may want to carry provisions for longer emergencies. Fo ... read more

Hello, Gig Harbor motorists. Let's talk fuel filters. Fuel filters clean the dirt, dust and debris out of your fuel. Both gasoline and diesel-powered engines have them. The fuel filter is located in the fuel line between the fuel tank and the engine. Gig Harbor motorists don't need to filter their fuel because it has lots of grit in it; they need to filter it because it has some grit it in. Any dirt is bad for your engine. The cleaner the fuel, the better an engine will run. Over time, the small amounts of rust, dirt and contaminants in your fuel settle out inside the fuel tank. After about five years, this can amount to a quite a bit of sediment. This means that as your car ages, your fuel filter has to work harder to screen your fuel: more sediment in your tank means more potential for grit in your fuel. The harder your fuel filter works, the more often it needs to be replaced. Check with your car owner's manua ... read more

Pop quiz: What is a cabin air filter? Clever you, it's C. A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment of your car. It filters out common Gig Harbor air particles like dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, exhaust gas, odors and even sparrows. These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns. Not all Gig Harbor motorists have cabin air filters. They are fairly new on the scene. Last check, about forty percent of new vehicles sold in Gig Harbor come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year. Cabin air filters make driving a lot more pleasant. Your car can be a haven during our Gig Harbor allergy season with very little dust and pollen getting into the cabin. Of course, like all filters, the cabin air filter eventually gets clogged. When this happens, your heating and air conditioning flow can become restricted. The filter ca ... read more

You may know that most automotive failures in Gig Harbor Washington are tire related, but do you know the second most common cause for vehicle failure? Nope, it's not teenagers. It is the coolant system. But, if you take good care of your coolant system, it will take good care of you. A car'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 engine operates at the proper temperature and all is well. Without antifreeze in your cooling system, the water could freeze and cause 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 ... read more

At Mackert Automotive we love doughnuts. So let's pretend you have three doughnuts right in front of you for today's discussion about upsizing wheels and tires. Hey, don't eat them now - your going to need them later. Many Gig Harbor motorists want to accessorize their car - you know, make it theirs. One of the easiest ways to get a custom look is to get some new wheels. There are thousands of wheel designs at Port Orchard area tire shops to get you the look you want. And for many Port Orchard car owners, that look includes bigger wheels. It used to be that cars came from the factory with 15 or 16 inch wheels. Now 16, 17 and even 18 inchers are standard. And the factories are offering optional wheel packages up to 20 inches or more. So let's talk about what to consider when you want to upsize your wheels. It's not exactly a DIY project, so you need to know a thing or two before you get started. The most important term to kno ... read more