Maintenance Services
Suggested maintenance intervals recommended by your car manufacturer are not a gimmick. Switch from a repair oriented mind-set to a preventative one and you’ll be able to keep major repairs to a minimum. Below are all the basic wear and tear items that will need to be replaced at regular intervals to keep your vehicle on the road. This list is not meant to be a diagnostic tool for your car’s problems. Here at Dana Meyer Auto Care we strongly believe that the more you know the better for everyone.
Auto Diagnostics
One of the most common issues you’ll face at inexperienced shops are unnecessary and expensive repairs due to a lack of understanding read-outs from diagnostic tools. When your car is on the fritz, you need auto diagnostic services you can count on. It takes skill, experience, and in-depth knowledge to get to the bottom of car problems; a guess just isn’t good enough.
The car care specialists at Dana Meyer Auto Care in Albany, CA have what it takes to accurately diagnose what’s ailing your car or truck. We care for your car as if it were our own. Our auto diagnostic specialists bring dedication and extensive knowledge to the table. We can accurately and efficiently determine what’s wrong with your car so that we can get you back out on the road as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Cam and Crank Seals
One more reason to check your oil dipstick at regular intervals is to make sure the oil level isn’t dropping below the full level. If it is, one of the possible reasons for this is a leaking cam or crankshaft seals. This is especially true for cars with higher mileage. Keep an eye out for any drips under your car that will be a dead giveaway as to what’s going on under the hood. As always, feel free to call us today to make an appointment to have any concerns addressed.
Factory Scheduled Maintenance
(Including 30/60/90,000 Mile Services)
Manufacturer specified preventative maintenance services are created to keep your vehicle running smoothly. Shifting from a repair mindset to a maintenance one will prevent larger problems later on down the line. These services come with a checklist of 87 different items that we address, inspect, repair, flush and replace. From ensuring that your brakes will operate in times of emergency to a routine changing of your fluids these services will prevent system failures. Our service advisers can go over your vehicle’s recommended services and help you prioritize them according to your budget.
Fan Belts
Older model vehicles had a fan belt whose sole purpose was to turn the fan that pulls air across the radiator. This belt has to maintain a certain speed to ensure the car stays at normal operating temperatures. However, most of today’s vehicles utilize a serpentine belt to control many other components as well. For either type the most common symptoms include squeaking/squealing coming from under the hood when the car is started; over time the noise will grow.
Fluid Changes
Everyone should know at this point how important oil changes are to a vehicle’s ability to run. With the parts in your engine running about 2,000 times per minute, the amount of friction requires pressurized lubrication. But what’s not common knowledge is that all of the other fluids in your car can become contaminated and hinder your vehicles’ ability to run properly. Just to name one of many, the radiator fluid should be flushed every 30k miles or 5 years, whichever is sooner. The reason for this is that the coolant is responsible for cooling the entire engine. An engine reaches approximately 200 degrees farenheit at operational temperatures! Coolant, if left unattended for too long, can become contaminated enough that it will start to conduct electricity throughout your car, in a process called electrolysis.
Serpentine Belts
Serpentine belts are attached to a series of pulleys that control the vehicle’s power steering, air conditioning, alternator and sometimes the water pump. Without it, the car will simply not run. So keep your ear open for any squeaking when the car is first started. Visually inspecting the belt for any cracks, is also an easy way to determine its condition. Depending on the quality of the belt, they can wear out every 40-50k miles. The oil service at Dana Meyer Auto Care includes an inspection and measurement of the belt’s condition based on factory specifications as part of our comprehensive oil service.
Tensioners
Many know that belts wear out and can become weak. Few are aware that the automatic tensioner should be replaced along with a belt. Its purpose is evident from within its name, but what is less known is that the tensioner not only maintains tension on the belt, but also allows a certain amount of give as well. Without proper maintenance it will cause the other belts to wear out rapidly.
Timing Belts
Your timing belt is integral to the safety and reliability of your vehicle. So if you’ve clocked enough distance to warrant a timing belt replacement, it’s in your best interest to have your vehicle serviced as soon as possible. This type of preventative repair work, if ignored, can lead to catastrophic engine failure in the case of interference engines. At Dana Meyer Auto Care, we offer dependable timing belt replacement services for a wide variety of makes and models.
Tires
We are pleased to offer customers complete tire service, including repairs, filling, alignment, suspension, sales and wheel balancing. It’s amazing what a difference proper wheel balancing can make for wear and mileage.
Water Pumps
Water pumps are responsible for exactly what the name implies. They pump coolant throughout the engine to keep it from overheating. Some signs that the water pump needs servicing is an overheating engine, coolant leak, or fluctuating temperature gauge. Leaking at the pump’s gasket is a common fault due to exposure to heat. If your service manual can assist in location the timing belt cover, the dripping typically will drip from the gasket that seals the pump in place. Temperature fluctuations from hot to cold, without staying in the middle, as indicated in the temperature gauge is another possible indicator due to an intermittently working pump. The pump itself may not always be to blame, sometimes the pulley that operates the pump can also become dysfunctional. If you can move the pulley back and forth this is a sign that the bearing is wearing out and may fail rendering the pump inoperable.