Sterling Auto Repair

There is more to shocks and struts than a smooth ride. It’s true… shocks and struts help to provide a smooth ride as you drive your car. What you may not realize is that they also greatly contribute to your ability to maintain control of your car while on the road. A quick test you can do yourself to determine if your shocks are worn or failing is to push down on each corner of your car. If it takes the car more than a couple of bounces to come back to a resting position, it’s a good sign that the shocks may very well be worn. Another telltale sign is seeing fluid leaking from a shock. Listed below are a few items to keep an eye on daily as your drive your car: You feel excessive bouncing, rolling and rocking while driving over rough roads or railroad tracks requiring you to hang on, or actively adjust your steering. Uneven tire wear can be a warning sign that your tires are not maintaining good contact with the road. Sliding in side winds to the point that you have ... read more

Here at Gill’s Automotive Service Center, we do our best to make sure that you are as informed as possible when it comes to regular vehicle maintenance. This is important, not only for day-to-day maintenance, but so you can better understand what we do when you trust us to keep your car in tip-top shape. In this post, we’ll cover typical maintenance and repair. You can think of these items as some of the most common maintenance procedures and repairs necessary to keep your car operating safely and optimally. Oil Filters and Fluids Periodic oil and filter changes keep your engine clean on the inside. Additives, which break down over time, are also subject to contamination. You want to change your engine oil and filter on a regular basis. Check your owner’s manual for their recommendation. There are other car fluids that will require periodic replacement as well. Automatic transmission failures are heat-related, and automatic transmission fluid breaks d ... read more

As vehicles age and accumulate miles, it’s common for the timing belt to wear out and become compromised. Timing belt replacement is a relatively simple service to perform. However, if a worn out timing belt snaps, it can seriously damage your engine. This can cost you thousands of dollars. The Role of the Timing Belt Your vehicle’s timing belt is a small rubber belt that connects the crankshaft to the camshaft which controls when the valves open and close. Timing belts are developed to be strong and durable, but they will eventually wear out. When the belt breaks, the valves won’t close in time, and the pistons hitting against them begin to cause immediate engine damage. Replacement of your vehicle’s timing belt is part of the regular auto maintenance recommended by the manufacturer. Timing belt replacement should be done approximately every 70,000-110,000 miles. You should check your owner’s manual for specific recommendations. Replaceme ... read more

A regular Tune Up is a great help when maintaining your car! Would you like your car to last longer? Do you want better fuel mileage? Then you are at the right place. Our A.S.E. certified technicians will help to keep your vehicle ON THE ROAD. Why are Tune Ups Important? A TUNE UP CAN HELP YOUR CAR: It can extend the life of your car. Helps with your fuel economy. Reduce the cost of car repairs. Improve engine performance. May help prevent break downs on the road. A tune up is as important as an oil change. Regular oil changes and tune ups will make a difference the life of your car. TUNE UP MAY INCLUDE: Replacing fuel filters. Replacing air filters. Inspecting or replacing PCV valve. Fuel induction service. Replacing oxygen sensor. Inspecting distributor cap. Replacing spark plugs. Replacing spark plug wires. A dirty fuel filter and a dirty air filter will, most likely, reduce your fuel economy about 20%. Maintaining tune ups and using quality fue ... read more

Here at Gill’s Automotive, we always try to stress the importance of regular vehicle maintenance. Just to name a few, we take ourselves to the doctor, our pet’s to the vet, run anti-virus software on our computers, and have our furnaces/ac units cleaned to keep them running smoothly. Cars, on the other hand, seem to get put on the back burner for some folks which is sort of silly considering we all use our cars EVERY SINGLE DAY. It can really hit you in the pocket as well. Here is an interesting article on how important regular maintenance really is. Whether your an existing Gill’s customer, or would like to become one of our customers, give us a call TODAY and have a free 27-point courtesy check done on your car. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.jsp