Gig Harbor Auto Repair

If you've ever heard a squealing sound under your car hood, chances are it was your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that's driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems in your car. Let's go over them. First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Gig Harbor. More importantly, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that's used by your car's electrical systems and also charges your car battery. Without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles. The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering (some are electric) and power brakes (some use vacuum boost). And, on most cars, the serpentine belt powers the water pump ... read more

Today in our Mackert Automotive blog, we're going to talk about following recommended service intervals. Your car isn't the only aspect of your life in Gig Harbor with recommended intervals: Let's start with twice yearly dental check-ups and regular physical exams. How about laundry, watering the lawn and paying the bills? Now, what would happen if you didn't follow these intervals? Well, you'd get more cavities. You'd may not discover health conditions that could be more effectively treated with early detection. And you'd have to wear dirty clothes, be embarrassed by your brown lawn and have your utilities shut off. Clearly, there are some things in life that we have to take care of regularly. If we don't, there are negative consequences. Our quality of life in Gig Harbor takes a hit and it inevitably costs more money. So why is it so hard to remember to follow regular preventive maintenance on our cars ... read more

Brakes really aren't optional equipment. And taking care of them isn't optional either. A regular brake inspection is on every car's maintenance schedule. An inspection will check your brake system and let you know if there are any problems. Of course, if you're having trouble with your brakes, get your car into a Gig Harbor or Port Orchard service center right away. And watch out for these problems: Low or spongy brake pedal Hard brake pedal A brake warning light that stays on Constantly squealing or grinding brakes Vibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakes There are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that's attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle. Drum brakes are more common on back wheels. Pads, called shoes, push against the inside of the drum to slow the vehicle. There are several things that need to be serviced on the brake system. First, the brake pads and shoes wear out with us ... read more

People in Gig Harbor have been hearing a lot about higher oil change intervals these days. Maybe you're wondering: What are the key issues? Some new vehicle manufacturers in Gig Harbor are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more. This practice came under scrutiny when four of the largest new car manufacturers announced that owners like those in Gig Harbor were experiencing engine damage resulting from these higher oil change intervals. The manufacturers' standard oil drain service for particular vehicles was scheduled at around 7,500 miles. People following these recommendations were experiencing engine damage. It turns out that oil sludge was building up. This caused small oil passages to clog and engine parts to fail. What causes oil sludge? It's a factor of time and mileage. There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off that leads to sludge ... read more

Modern Gig Harbor vehicles have several computers on board that control all kinds of things like engine functions, transmission shifts, traction control, anti-lock brakes, stability control, emissions - and on some vehicles, even steering, braking and the throttle. Think about that for a minute - things that used to be controlled by simple mechanical connections now have electronic controls that rely on computers, software and sensors. It's no wonder that when something goes wrong with their car it can be pretty complicated for Gig Harbor drivers to track down the source of the problem. To help your Mackert Automotive service advisor figure out what's wrong, your car is equipped with on-board diagnostics. The Check Engine Light comes on to tell you there's a problem and the engine management computer stores a trouble code. Your friendly and courteous Macke ... read more

For those of you in Gig Harbor, Washington who pay attention to these things, you may have been hearing about the new direct injection engines and want to learn more about them. Some deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6. For example, in one family of engines the conventional V6 makes about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version of the same engine makes over 300 horsepower and gets essentially the same gas mileage. The turbocharged version makes over 350 horsepower. So what are the differences from a conventional engine? The core difference is in the fuel injection system. The system most vehicles use now is called a port injection system. The fuel injector squirts fuel into a port just outside the cylinder where it's then drawn into the engine with the air. With a direct injection system, the injector squirts the fuel directly into the cylinder. The gain in power and economy come becau ... read more

Have you ever gone to to listen to an orchestra? The musicians take the stage early and tune their instruments. Each individual instrument must be in tune, but the critical thing is for the entire orchestra to be in tune with each other. That's why they tune up together. Now this is no surprise; I'm going to relate the orchestra to your car. Your engine has many component systems that each need to be working properly. And the components need to be working in sync, all timed up together in order for the engine to work efficiently. We call this, (ta-da) a tune-up. When an orchestra's out of tune you get a bad concert. When your vehicle's out of tune you get bad performance and bad fuel economy. So check your owner's manual for recommended tune-up intervals. Or ask your service advisor at what he thinks. …Just be careful not to say you want to make beautiful music together - that kinda makes us uncomfortable

Everyone in , knows we are advised to go to our dentist twice a year. Oral-conscious residents have a teeth-cleaning and examination. Once a year, we get x-rays to look for problems that can't be seen with the naked eye. When our dentist is done, he/she tells us what was found - "Everything's fine, see you in six months." Or "You've got a small cavity starting, let's schedule an appointment to take care of it." By the time you leave, you have a plan for addressing any necessary issues. This system works so much better than waiting for a painful problem before going into the dentist. Small problems are fixed before they turn into big problems. And you avoid those huge bills. If folks understand the wisdom of using this system for handling dental care, why do many resist when facing the same system for our car maintenance? Following the car maker's recommended intervals can be confusing. First, there are recommendations for so many things: oil cha ... read more

When I was a kid in , my dad always made sure he took the cars in for Spring and Fall checkups. I was telling a friend that it's about time to get into for my checkup and he said that he read on the internet that modern cars don't need seasonal service. My friend is (technically) right about some things, but from a practical standpoint, a seasonal check up still makes sense. Back when my dad was teaching me about how to take care of the family , most cars used a different weight of oil in the winter and in the summer. But most of today's modern engines run the same oil year round. High-tech engines and high-tech motor oils are better able to handle the seasonal changes. Your owner's manual or service advisor at can tell you the right oil to use. Of course, you're concerned about the coolant or antifreeze. You don't want to overheat in the summer or freeze up in the winter. Your engine cooling system protects against b ... read more

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among motorists, manufacturers publish two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should you follow?Here are some questions to ask yourself: Are most of your trips less than four miles?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles in below-zero temps?Are most of your trips off-highway?Do you drive often in dusty areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around ?Do you drive in very hot or very cold weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest freeway on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute to or ? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 miles and the standard recommendation is 5,000 miles. You know that you need to change the oil somewhere between ... read more