Chesapeake Auto Repair

West Service Center, Inc. Helps You Decipher The Menu Board: Part 2 Your browser does not support video Chesapeake service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Chesapeake drivers may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed. West Service Center, Inc. fuel system cleaning: Over time, the van fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way. West Service Center, Inc. headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It’s usually good to change them every year or so. West Service Center, Inc. inspections: Chesapeake drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they’re going on a trip or just want to make sure their vehicle’s ready for Virginia summer or winter. Maybe ... read more

Wheel Balancing at West Service Center, Inc.   So you love your job, and your family life is great. Congratulations! You have achieved balance. But can you say the same for your wheels? Chesapeake auto owners can tell if their tires are out of balance by vibrations at higher speeds on Virginia interstates. If one of the front tires is out, you feel the vibration in the steering wheel. If it’s a back tire, you’ll feel the vibration in your seat. Tires and wheels are pretty heavy. When a tire is mounted on a wheel at West Service Center, Inc., it is usually not perfectly balanced. So the service advisor will spin the tire on a machine to determine where it’s too heavy. He will then place weights on the wheels in strategic locations to balance it out. When a tire is out of balance, it actually bounces down the road instead of rolling smoothly. Since the average size tire rotates at about 850 revolutions per minute at 60 MPH, it is actually slamming into the pavem ... read more

Timing Belt   Ever heard the sad tale of a staggeringly pricey repair bill from a broken timing belt? Bad news. Let’s Chesapeake motorists take a lesson from their woes and remember to think about our critical timing belt. First, let’s review what a timing belt does. The top part of the engine, over the cylinders is called the cylinder head. The head contains the valves. There’s at least one valve that lets the fresh air into the cylinder. This air, mixed with fuel, burns to create power. Then another valve or two open to allow the exhaust out of the engine. Each cylinder has 2 to 4 valves – that’s 12 to 24 valves for a V-6, up to 32 values on a V-8. The opening and closing of the valves is done by a camshaft. The timing belt uses the rotation of the engine to drive the camshaft which opens and close the valves. It’s called a timing belt because it has to be adjusted to rotate the camshaft to keep proper time with the engine so that everythin ... read more

Questions To Ask Your Chesapeake Service Advisor   We find that a lot of Chesapeake service and repair at West Service Center, Inc. are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions, but don’t want to be embarrassed or to seem pushy. Cars are very complicated and there’s more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it’s because cars have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn’t need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road. You know, your local hospital has a Patient’s Bill of Rights that they post throughout the hospital. We think our Chesapeake automotive service customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a ... read more

Steer Right In Chesapeake   Virtually all vehicles come with power steering so many Chesapeake drivers have never driven a car or truck without it. Power steering assists you when you turn your van steering wheel. Without it, it would be very hard to steer. Now this power assist comes in a couple of forms. In recent years, a lot of Chesapeake vehicles have an electric motor that reduces steering effort and helps improve fuel efficiency. The other kind of power steering is hydraulic. This is the kind most older Virginia vehicles, and a lot of newer ones, have. Power steering fluid is pressurized by a pump and is used to assist steering. Of course, Chesapeake car owners need the right amount of fluid in the system. If it’s too low your steering is affected and you could damage your van pump. Also, power steering fluid can become corrosive over time and damage the pump, hoses and connectors; leading to leaks and re ... read more