Chesapeake Auto Repair

Hitting The Brakes In Chesapeake Safety should always be an essential element of your car care. So even if you don’t care about how your car looks, you should practice preventive maintenance to protect yourself — and other Chesapeake car owners — on the road. And good safety starts with good brakes. Brakes need a regular inspection. There are essential parts that wear out or wear down, and it’s best to replace them before you have problems. Of course, if you are having trouble with your brakes, NOW is the time to fix them. If your brake warning light is on, that’s a good sign that you need your brakes checked. Chesapeake drivers can also tell something is wrong with their brakes by the feel of the pedal or unusual sounds while braking. If the brake pedal is low, feels spongy when you press it or is hard to push, that indicates a problem with your brakes. If you hear squealing, grinding or clunking noises when you ... read more

Considering an Alternative Fuel Vehicle In Chesapeake? There is a clear and vocal demand in Chesapeake and nationally for a reduction in air pollution and our dependence on fossil fuels. This is what is driving the Virginia market for alternative fuel vehicles. There are a number of these vehicles on Chesapeake area roads today, and many more being developed. Yet each of these vehicles has its own advantages and disadvantages. Chesapeake motorists should learn what these advantages and disadvantages are before running out and purchasing one of these alternative fuel vehicles at your nearest Chesapeake dealership. Chesapeake car owners should carefully research the car care before buying an alternative vehicle, as it may or may not coincide with the standards for gasoline vehicles. You should look at costs and fuel economy as well: these vehicles may help save our environment here in Chesapeake, but that might not represent a savings to ... read more

Differential Service in Chesapeake, Virginia – What You Need To Know   Scratching your head? Don’t worry, if you don’t know what a differential is – you will in a moment. That fact is that if you drive a car anywhere in Chesapeake, Virginia, you have a differential. Whether your vehicle is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, you have a differential. Some Chesapeake motorists might even have two or three. Not surprisingly, a differential’s job is to compensate for differences. Specifically the differences in wheel speed when turning. For instance, imagine taking a corner near your Chesapeake, Virginia home. Your inside wheel has a shorter distance to travel than the outside wheel as you turn the corner. That means that your outside wheel has to turn faster to keep pace with the inside wheel. The differential allows the wheels to turn at different speeds while still providing power to your vehicle. Without a differential, Chesap ... read more

All About Your TPMS In Chesapeake   Chesapeake motorists know that under-inflated tires wear out more quickly. Under-inflation is also a major cause of tire failure for Virginia auto owners. More flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances are all results of under-inflated tires. It’s hard for many Chesapeake auto owners to tell when a radial tire is under-inflated. If your automobile manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your tire is considered significantly under-inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds. Uncle Sam to the rescue! A recent federal law required auto makers to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System – or TPMS system – in all vehicles. The system is a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25 % below the auto manufacturer’s pressure recommendations. The law covers all passenger ... read more

Coolant/Antifreeze Service At West Service Center, Inc. Anyone that drives a car in Chesapeake 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 van 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 van’s engine to absorb more heat. Why shouldn’t Norfolk motorists just use water? Because water boils at temperatures that are often reached inside of an engine. Steam won’t cool your van engine and is hard to contain within the cooling syste ... read more