Austin's Best Choice for Auto Repair

What You Need to Know and Why Are you using the proper oil in your vehicle? Motor oil comes in a range of types and weights, and every brand seems to have slightly different additives featured. If you're feeling lost comparing motor oils for your next oil change, find out all you need to know about oil viscosity and convenient oil changes. What Is Viscosity? Viscosity refers to the thickness of your motor oil. More importantly, it describes the thickness of oil at various temperatures. As your engine is running, your motor oil heats up and thins out. Cooler temperatures, particularly freezing temperatures, dramatically thicken the engine oil. That this means is that your oil weight and climate both play a part in the efficiency of your engine. Why Does It Matter? To properly lubricate your engine, your oil needs to remain within set parameters of viscosity. Too thin, and it won't properly coat moving components. Too thick, and it won't flow properly to avoid friction. This balance can ... read more

What It Is and Why You Don't Want It! Don't let sludge damage your engine. As unpleasant as it sounds, engine sludge is contamination and buildup that occurs over time with normal use. Enjoy frequent, reliable oil change services in your area to prevent this buildup from damaging your engine and reducing your horsepower and fuel efficiency. What Is Engine Sludge? This unpleasant sediment comes from congealed oil and additive breakdown. Over time, motor oil breakdown causes both hard and soft sludge to build up in your engine, which can reduce the efficiency of your oil and cause moving parts to stick. Older vehicles may have more buildup, particularly if you're using conventional oil from a budget brand. Most oil includes additives to help clean and lubricate your motor, but even these additives can break apart and create sludge. While synthetic oil reduces the amount of engine sludge, no oil brand, weight or type will prevent sludge buildup. The best protection strategy for your engin ... read more

Everything You Need to Know During wheel alignment service, technicians square the car's wheels and axles, putting them in the proper configuration for optimal performance. How do they do it? Machines make wheel alignment easier and more accurate for mechanics. In this post, the pros from Austin's Automotive Specialists in Austin, Texas, explain that technology and how it works so you can better understand what goes on during wheel alignment service. Measuring How can you accurately change the position of something without measuring? And how can you measure wheels? Technology helps technicians measure three or four different angles of wheel alignment: camber, caster, toe, and thrust. The first three of these refer to the way each wheel sits in the well, whether or not it is tilted, crooked, unbalanced, and so on. Thrust refers to the rear axle's angle to the front axle. Each vehicle has a specific measurement for each of these four angles to create the perfect geometry for optimal perf ... read more

Into the Garage Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the garage doors at the auto repair shop? Get a peek into what the technicians at Austin's Automotive Specialists in Austin, Texas, do every day! One of the most common tasks we do is engine diagnostics. In this post, we explain how we diagnose and fix check engine lights on all makes and models! Check Engine Light Triggers Before a car arrives in our shop, the check engine light comes on, alerting the driver that some kind of professional service is necessary. What causes that? There are so many reasons why a check engine light might come on. The computer system that tracks the health of major systems — the engine, exhaust, electrical, and so on — detects when something's wrong. Then it illuminates the check engine light. Behind the Light The only way to know what has triggered a check engine light is to use a scanner tool. You can purchase one at home or visit your local automotive professional to have them r ... read more

Why You Need Auto A/C Repair We're all familiar with the struggle. You get into your vehicle in the heat of summer, turn it on, and the A/C won't work. It doesn't get cold, or it doesn't blow strong enough to cool you down. When this happens, some people get into the shop right away for repairs. Others don't mind and decide to deal with it, but is that bad for your vehicle. Auto A/C problems might be more complicated than you think. Our pros at Austin's Automotive Specialists in Austin, Texas, can offer some insight, so you know what to do if your car's A/C breaks. Potential Damage When your A/C stops working, you might shrug it off and think, “what's wrong with being hot for a little while?” There's always the option of rolling down the windows to get the air moving while you're driving. While this solution might be suitable for some, it might not be the best for your vehicle. Some causes of A/C failure will lead to severe damage if they aren't handled quickly. Sometimes t ... read more