Gig Harbor Auto Repair

Most Gig Harbor car owners are all talking fuel economy right now. Better gas mileage. Fewer emissions. Washington folks want to save the environment and our pocketbooks. And we Gig Harbor auto owners all know - or should know - that preventive maintenance will help maintain maximum fuel efficiency. But is there something more we can do? After all, some of us Gig Harbor car owners can't cut back on our driving, and others would like to do more to economize. Weight is one major enemy of gas mileage. The more you lug around in your vehicle, the more fuel you have to burn to get from Gig Harbor to Gig Harbor to Gig Harbor. And that means buying more gas and producing more emissions. Of course, your vehicle's weight isn't negotiable. And you can't do much about the weight of your passengers. And this isn't an article about diet and exercise. But look around your car. Are you hauling a bunch of unnecessary weight ar ... read more

Every Gig Harbor vehicle owner has to purchase tires at some time or another, so it's a good idea to understand what the choices are. The best seasonal performance is achieved by purchasing tires to match the season you are driving in. Summer tires are designed for hot temperatures. The tread is engineered for good traction on dry or rainy Washington roads. But the rubber compound in summer tires gets stiff when temperatures drop below 45°F, and snow and mud can pack into the tread, reducing the traction of the tire. Winter tires are designed for good traction on snowy surfaces. The tread actually throws snow off of the tire as the wheel turns. The rubber compound in a winter tire is soft so that it will remain flexible at Gig Harbor temperatures below 45°F. At higher temperatures, however, the softer rubber wears down rapidly. All-season tires sacrifice some of the extreme performance of summer or winter tires, but they maintain adequate traction in either type of Gig Ha ... read more

The exhaust system on a vehicle is more complex than most Gig Harbor motorists realize. It contains everything from old-fashioned pipes and clamps to sophisticated computers and sensors. All Washington folks know a properly functioning exhaust system is good for the environment, but sometimes we forget that a damaged exhaust system can be deadly. That's why preventive maintenance on your exhaust system is so important. We can help you with that at Mackert Automotive in Gig Harbor. The exhaust manifold is the first component in your exhaust system. The manifold is attached to the engine. It collects the gases that are produced by the engine and directs them into the exhaust pipes. At this point, these gases are both hot and chemically dangerous. One of the gases produced in your engine is carbon monoxide. This gas is colorless and odorless. Breathing it can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and drowsiness. Continue breathing it, and you will die ... read more

There is a clear and vocal demand in Gig Harbor and nationally for a reduction in air pollution and our dependence on fossil fuels. This is what is driving the Washington market for alternative fuel vehicles. There are a number of these vehicles on Gig Harbor area roads today, and many more being developed. Yet each of these vehicles has its own advantages and disadvantages. Gig Harbor car owners should learn what these advantages and disadvantages are before running out and purchasing one of these alternative fuel vehicles at your nearest Gig Harbor dealership. Gig Harbor auto owners should carefully research the car care before buying an alternative vehicle, as it may or may not coincide with the standards for gasoline vehicles. You should look at costs and fuel efficiency as well: these vehicles may help save our environment here in Gig Harbor, but that might not represent a savings to your wallet. You'll need to decide what you can afford, and ... read more

Gig Harbor drivers know that engines burn fuel to operate. Fuel is pumped from your fuel tank to your engine where it is squirted-or injected-into your engine's cylinders. This is the function of the fuel injectors. There are two ways to inject fuel into an engine. Fuel needs air to burn, so in the first method, fuel is injected into a port and allowed to mix with air and before it is drawn into the cylinders. In the second method, fuel is injected directly into the cylinders and mixes with air after it enters the engine. Direct injection engines burn fuel more efficiently than conventional engines. Some models can deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6. For example, in one family of engines, the conventional version (a V6) delivers about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version delivers over 300 horsepower and gets about the same gas mileage. The turbocharged version delivers 350 horsepower. Why the big difference in power? Direct injection sys ... read more

Your car, truck, SUV requires plenty of clean fuel to run. If your fuel contains contaminants, your fuel injectors will eventually become clogged up. When this happens, your car, truck, SUV engine may not get the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure to run at peak performance. This hurts fuel efficiency and performance as you drive around Gig Harbor. It can also lead to the buildup of harmful deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber. That's why all vehicles, including car, truck, SUVs, come equipped with a fuel filter somewhere between the engine and the fuel tank. The job of the filter is to clean out little pieces of dirt and contamination. The filter captures the contaminants and keeps them out of the fuel stream. Of course, like all filters, it will eventually get clogged up and need to be replaced at Mackert Automotive in Gig Harbor . If your fuel filter is clogged, the car, truck, SUV engine ... read more

The transmission system in your vehicle allows you to change gears. Lower gears are power gears. They get your vehicle moving and get it up hills. Higher gears get the vehicle up to speed and get it rolling faster. If you have a standard transmission, then you have to do the work of shifting gears yourself. But with an automatic transmission, the vehicle shifts gears on its own. It automatically starts out in low gear and automatically shifts to high gears as it gets rolling. Again, it will automatically shift to a lower gear to climb hills or when you need a burst of speed. How does it know when to change gears? Today's automatic transmissions are computer-controlled. The computer gathers information about what the vehicle is doing, and changes the gears as needed. Automatic transmissions are becoming more sophisticated all the time. More gears, or "speeds" are being added. Almost all vehicles have four at least speeds. Five or six is common. Some auto manufactu ... read more

Most Gig Harbor auto owners worry about a breakdown or a tire blowout on a busy Washington highway but don't worry too much about failure of their air conditioning system. A breakdown at the side of the road can be a miserable and dangerous affair during Gig Harbor rush hour, but so can a long ride in a hot car, truck, SUV. A lot of Gig Harbor drivers judge their vehicles' air conditioning systems as "non-essential" and so may neglect them in favor of repairs and maintenance that keeps the car, truck, SUV running. But preventive maintenance of an air conditioning system is simple and inexpensive, while auto a/c repair can be very expensive in Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor motorists should have the refrigerant in their air conditioning system checked regularly to ensure it is adequate and clean. Air conditioning systems often fail because air and water have contaminated the refriger ... read more

If you've ever been in a car accident around Gig Harbor Washington, even a minor one, you know how upsetting it can be. It's hard to think straight and know what to do. Let's review what you should do in case of an accident in Gig Harbor, Washington: When an accident occurs, you should always stop. Leaving the scene of an accident is considered a crime in Washington - even if it's not your fault. And hit-and-run penalties are fairly severe, possibly resulting in steep fines, loss of your driver's license or even jail time in our local Gig Harbor lockup. Most states, including Washington require that you try to help someone who is injured by calling for help or performing first aid if you are able. Warn other Gig Harbor motorists by putting out flares, using your flashers or lifting your hood. Call 911 as soon as possible. Tell the operator if medical or fire help is needed. Always file a police report ... read more

No one in Gig Harbor, Washington likes to spend a chunk of change at Gig Harbor gas pumps. Rising Washington fuel prices, however, have spurred Gig Harbor car owners to focus on how to improve their fuel economy. North Americans literally drive billions of miles less each month during times of high fuel prices. But we still need to drive (we are car-loving Americans, after all!), so it makes sense to try and increase our fuel economy however we can. Let's look at a real life example of one of our AutoNetTV producers. He has one of those really big SUVs. Lots of kids and horses to haul around, you know. His family was planning a four day camping trip. Here's what he did to cut his fuel costs: First, he installed a new, high flow engine air filter. Then he had his Gig Harbor service center change his oil, flush his cooling system and service his front and rear differentials along with the transfer case. He also had a fuel system cleanin ... read more