AUTONET TV

A Bumpy Ride (Strut Assembly Replacement)

If you’ve noticed your vehicle’s ride has lately been bumpy or you’re hearing strange noises when you drive over bumps, you may need new struts.   The strut assembly is part of your vehicle’s suspension system that’s used to absorb the irregularities on the surfaces you drive on.

You have probably heard of shocks or shock absorbers.  A shock is a piston with gas or liquid inside.  When you hit a bump, that shock absorbs the blow. Struts are similar to shocks but they also have a coil spring for extra strength.  They’re often used in the front of the vehicle because of the engine’s extra weight. 

As you might imagine, your struts take a beating every day.  Eventually, they will wear out, and your wheels and tires won’t stay connected to the road as well as they used to. In addition to a bumpier ride, you may notice your tires starting to wear with failing struts because those tires aren’t in contact with the road surface as evenly as they used to be. 

When you bring your vehicle in to us, we’ll run some tests to determine what’s going on and what condition your suspension components are in.  Your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends struts to be replaced at certain intervals, and it’s important to change them out with the same type of equipment.  They should always be replaced in pairs on the same axle. 

After your struts are replaced, your suspension should be aligned so everything is headed down the road in the right direction. After that, driving should be smooth sailing.

Hill's Auto Repair, Inc.
22829 colton point rd
Bushwood, Maryland 20618
301-769-2400

Let?s Shift Gears (Transmission Fluid Replacement)

If you have a vehicle with an automatic transmission, you probably never think about gear shifting.  When motor vehicles were invented, all of them had to be shifted manually.  But that wonderful self-shifting transmission, referred to these days as simply an “automatic,” changed everything.

Automatic transmissions have a lot of moving parts, and they are bathed in a fluid that keeps them lubricated and cool. That fluid also is vital to the whole gear shifting process. 

As you might imagine, the longer that fluid does its job, the more chance it has to pick up some contaminants.  Sometimes a leak will spring up in an automatic transmission.  Dirty transmission fluid or not enough of it will both create problems. It may cause your Check Engine light to come on, or your transmission may run rough and make strange noises.

The best strategy is not to let it get to this point.  That means you should have your transmission fluid replaced at regular intervals. Your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends how often you should have your transmission fluid changed. You should also have the fluid checked at regular intervals to detect if any problems crop up before that recommended interval. They’ll check not only the level but also inspect its condition.

Keep in mind that most automatic transmission problems are caused by overheating. You can reduce your chances of transmission failure by making sure your transmission—and its fluid—is regularly inspected and the fluid is replaced when it needs to be.

Hill's Auto Repair, Inc.
22829 colton point rd
Bushwood, Maryland 20618
301-769-2400

Losing Your Cool (Why is My Air Conditioning System Not Working?)

When you turn on the air conditioning in your vehicle, you expect cool air to come out of the vents.  You depend on it, especially in hot weather, but it can also be important in humid weather when you need it to help defrost your windows and windshield.

The air conditioning system has a lot of parts to it.  It has fans and blowers to move the air through the vents into the cabin.  It has parts that take hot air and cool it off. An electrical problem can be as simple as a broken switch or a broken blower motor. The air may not be getting cool because a hose in the system is broken or the refrigerant has leaked out. 

Two major components are the compressor and the condenser.  The compressor pressurizes the refrigerant, one step in the air conditioning process.  The condenser takes that hot refrigerant and cools it down. It also reduces the pressure.

Because the climate control system in your vehicle is so complex, it’s best to leave the diagnosis to a trained, experienced technician.  You can help the technician zero in on the problem by noting what is happening and being able to show them where you notice the issues. Note what’s going on and write it down. 

When you bring your vehicle in to us to look at, a technician will inspect the system, conduct tests to make sure there’s enough refrigerant, and check to make sure there are no leaks anywhere.

Air conditioning is now included in most vehicles.  We all have grown used to being able to keep the cabin comfortable no matter what it’s like outside.  Let us make sure your system is working the way it was designed to.  That’s definitely the cool thing to do.

Hill's Auto Repair, Inc.
22829 colton point rd
Bushwood, Maryland 20618
301-769-2400

Feeling Powerless (Why Is My Battery Light On?)

When one of your vehicle’s warning lights comes on, the first thing that comes to mind is, “Oh, no, what’s wrong now?” When it’s the battery light, it means there’s something wrong with your vehicle’s battery or charging system.  And because both are important for your vehicle to work properly, it’s a good idea to get it checked out.  Here are some things that may cause a battery light to illuminate.

It could be that your battery has failed.  It could be on its last legs or completely dead.  When it isn’t showing it has the voltage it should, your vehicle lets you know.

If it’s not the battery itself, it could be the system that charges it.  The alternator is part of that system and could have a problem.  It could be putting out no power, too little power, or too much.  The alternator may not be working because the belt that drives it (using the engine’s mechanical power) could be broken or slipping.  Or the alternator pulley may be broken.

The alternator needs to have a solid connection to the battery, and sometimes the posts that connect to the battery cables get so corroded, they can’t conduct enough electricity. Or it could be that a battery cable isn’t conducting power properly. 

Because the alternator supplies power to other parts of your vehicle, if it gets overloaded, it will also cause your battery light to come on.  Other possibilities are an electrical short in the charging system or a failed voltage regulator.

Your vehicle may be hard to start or it may not start at all if you have any of these problems. It’s important to bring it in to us so we can diagnose and repair the problem before you wind up stranded… and feeling really powerless.  

Hill's Auto Repair, Inc.
22829 colton point rd
Bushwood, Maryland 20618
301-769-2400