Gig Harbor Auto Repair

< There are a lot of Gig Harbor people who are due for a differential service, but had never heard of a differential before. With front-wheel drive being so common in Washington these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Gig Harbor folks don't even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don't need to be serviced for years, so it's understandable that it's not something on the top of mind. So it's not uncommon for Gig Harbor people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service. To better understand what a differential does, think about a track at any Washington high school. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That's to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering th ... read more

Most people in the Gig Harbor area are aware that automotive manufacturers have recommended service intervals. Following recommended service intervals is very important. The engineers that design our vehicles have tested the various systems and components to meet durability and safety standards. Some of these standards are self-imposed and others, like those for emissions components, are government mandated for the areas around Gig Harbor, Gig Harbor and Gig Harbor in Washington. The maintenance schedules are designed to achieve the standards. Think of the benefits of following recommended intervals as falling into three general categories: Protection, Efficiency and Safety.Protection. Let's start with motor oil. First of all, the engineers recommend a particular weight and type of motor oil for your car, truck, SUV. All of their oil change recommendations assume using the proper motor oil ... read more

Let's talk about deciphering the auto service menu board. Gig Harbor, Washington service centers like Mackert Automotive have a board that lists the routine services they provide. But some people don't know what these services really are unless they ask. Let's go down a typical list, in alphabetical order, starting with air conditioning service. First remember that all of these services are recommended by vehicle manufacturers. They set how often or at how many miles the service should be done. Air conditioning service involves purging the old refrigerant and capturing it for proper disposal. Then fresh refrigerant is installed. The fresh refrigerant will lubricate the system and will also help it cool better. Alignment. Service centers like Mackert Automotive make sure all four wheels are lined up and track with each other. This reduces tire and suspension wear and improves safety and handling. Battery service ... read more

Hello Gig Harbor drivers, let's talk about batteries. Car batteries are just like any rechargeable battery. They will eventually wear out and die. If you are shopping for a new battery in Gig Harbor, here's some auto advice to help you. There are two measurements to consider when purchasing a new battery: cold cranking amps and reserve capacity. The power required to start a cold engine is measured in cold cranking amps. The number you need is determined by what kind of vehicle you drive and where you live. In general, higher-cylinder engines require more cold cranking amps than lower-cylinder engines. In other words, an eight-cylinder engine needs more cold cranking amps than a six-cylinder one. Also, diesel engines require more cold cranking amps than gasoline engines. The Gig Harbor weather also determines the number of cold cranking amps you need. The colder the car, truck, SUV en ... read more

Hi Gig Harbor drivers. Let's talk fuel injectors. A fuel injector is a valve that delivers fuel to a vehicle's engine. It has to deliver the precise amount of fuel, to precisely the right place, precisely when the engine needs it. The fuel also has to be mixed with air before it can burn in the engine. Fuel injectors are engineered to spray fuel in a specific pattern into the engine. (The pattern varies by engine type and design.) In order to achieve these spray patterns, the fuel must be pressurized. The pressure in a fuel injection system varies depending on its type. Many gasoline car, truck, SUV engines use port injection systems, which operate with a pressure of 60 pounds per square inch. Newer direct injection systems operate at 10 to 30 times that pressure. Some diesel passenger vehicles have fuel injectors that operate at 30,000 pounds or more per square inch. Vehicles have one fuel injector for each cylinder in the engine. Y ... read more

Today Mackert Automotive is talking about the proper fluids for your vehicle. It's become more complicated with changes in automotive design and manufacturing. It's not that people in Washington are confused as much as they don't realize how much things have changed in recent years. Let's take engine oil. Twenty or thirty years ago, there were just a handful of different weights of oil. The weight of an oil is a scientific measure of its properties, particularly its viscosity or thickness. It was common in those days to use a lighter weight oil in the winter when it's cold outside. That way the oil would be able to splash around inside the engine and protect the parts before it was fully warmed up. And a heavier weight oil would be used in the summer. The thicker oil wouldn't thin out too much in the summer heat and vaporize in the engine. Modern valve trains have become very complicated with more moving parts and small passages than ever befo ... read more

Today's tires and wheels offer a lot of options for every Gig Harbor driver's style, habits and driving conditions. Tires are designed for high-performance in winter or summer and even come in a long-wearing variety for all Washington seasons. Gig Harbor off-roaders should be excited about the options available to them as well. The tread on off-road tires is designed to handle the wear from bumps and rocks. The tires' high profile protects rims from damage. But what if you own an SUV but aren't interested in off-roading around Gig Harbor? You can change out those high-profile beasts for a lower, wider look if it suits your style. Mackert Automotive tire professionals can offer great auto advice on how to choose tires that match your needs and style. The same goes for wheels. When Gig Harbor auto owners shop for new wheels, they can be hard-pressed to make a selection from the thousands of styles available at Washington tire stores. If they ... read more

There are a lot of things in life that Gig Harbor residents have to do on a regular basis. We wash dishes every day, do our laundry and mow our lawns every week, and pay the bills every month. We should go to our Gig Harbor dentist twice a year and see our doctor for a check-up once a year. When we don't stay on schedule with these routines, it can lead to embarrassing, painful or expensive consequences. Scheduled maintenance is also part of good car care. Gig Harbor drivers should take their car, truck, SUVs in regularly for a good check-up. But many Gig Harbor folks struggle to remember, or actually even ignore, this auto advice. When it comes to our cars, we're more likely to listen to "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" than "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Yet it is the second adage that is the more applicable one. Regular brushing treatments prevent cavities. Filling a cavity prevents a more painful and more expensive root can ... read more

Anyone that drives a car in Gig Harbor knows that engines get hot when they run. But did you know that engines need to be cooled to keep running? Heat inside an engine can cause the metal parts to expand, which can seize up an engine and make it stop running. It can even ruin the entire engine! Good car care requires keeping your car, truck, SUV cooling system in good condition. A vehicle's cooling system circulates water and antifreeze (coolant) through the engine where it absorbs heat. It then flows to the radiator where the water and antifreeze are cooled by the air that flows over the radiator. Then it circulates back into the car, truck, SUV's engine to absorb more heat. Why shouldn't Gig Harbor drivers just use water? Because water boils at temperatures that are often reached inside of an engine. Steam won't cool your car, truck, SUV engine and is hard to contain within the cooling system. The antifreeze keeps the water from boi ... read more

One Gig Harbor automotive service issue that doesn't get much attention is driveline service. Drivelines don't get talked about very much around Gig Harbor, but they're very critical. First let's define what the driveline is: Taking a small step back, the power plant is comprised of the engine and transmission. The driveline starts there and includes all of the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. That's not really a lot of components, but they handle the full force of the engine. Without the driveline you're not moving. So Gig Harbor drivers need to take good care of it. The driveline components differ depending on whether your vehicle has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive or four wheel drive. For purposes of our discussion, we're going to have to oversimplify a bit. Let's start with front wheel drive. The point where the transmission stops and the driveline begins ... read more