Corpus Christi Auto Repair

Spring Clean the Exterior of Your VehicleTaking care of the exterior of your investment makes a lot of sense, beyond taking pride in your ride. National Car Care Month is a good reminder of something you can do regularly to maintain your vehicle and keep it looking sharp – wash your car! While frequent washing is the best way to keep your vehicle looking new, you want to be careful to perform your wash correctly so you don’t damage your paint by accident.A weekly car wash is best to keep your paint in great condition. Tree sap, acidic rain, bird droppings, dead bugs, and other debris picked up on the roads around Corpus Christi will leach acids that are damaging to the finish of your vehicle. If left too long, some damage could require sanding and polishing, or even repainting.Try to wash your vehicle when it is not terribly hot or in direct sun to prevent water and soap spots. You are trying to get it clean, not create more work! Start with a basic exterior wash to ... read more

As seasons transition from one to the next, you might not think there would be any effect on your car. But you would be wrong, especially in terms of your tires! Every 10-degree temperature swing can affect the tire pressure by 1 PSI (pounds per square inch). Tire pressure is instrumental to keeping you comfortable and ultimately safe on the road.So, let’s explore tire pressure.Best Practices – Set up a monthly schedule for checking your tires and tire pressure. By checking these items monthly, you will be able to identify if any of your tires are under-performing. Compare last month’s reading to this month’s reading. If there are significant changes, bring your vehicle into Dub’s Garage for an inspection.Visual Check – First start with a visual inspection and make sure the tread on each tire is wearing evenly. Next, does every tire have a valve cap? Valve caps help in maintaining proper inflation. They can keep dust and other particles out of t ... read more

The roads in Corpus Christi are far from perfect. Potholes, cracks, bumps, slopes… imperfections cover the surfaces of roads. Your vehicle rarely travels on a perfectly smooth area.But when you’re riding inside your vehicle, you should feel as if you are floating comfortably above these imperfections. That’s the job of your vehicle’s shocks and struts.The suspension system in your vehicle performs two critical functions: dampening and structural support.The struts act like a shock absorber, taking the impact of the road and absorbing the force so you don’t feel it inside your car. Without these, every bump and dip would be transferred directly into the car and you’d have a very uncomfortable ride.Shocks and struts keep you safe on the road by protecting your vehicle from impacts up-and-down and side-to-side. Anti-sway bars also connect both sides of your vehicle, transferring movement so you have a level ride. They provide critical stability to your vehicle.The biggest warning sign for ... read more

While you are around Corpus Christi browsing for cards, candies, and flowers for that special person that completes your life, don’t forget that special vehicle that completes your daily commute.Loving your car today will strengthen your long term relationship, and prevent relegation to the scrap heap. How can you boost your human-vehicle relationship? Three simple steps.1) Keep it clean. Sounds simple, but regular cosmetic maintenance is very important. Keeping chemicals and salts from the roadways washed off of the paint, wheels, and undercarriage will help prevent damage. Leaving Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, and Magnesium Chloride sitting on your vehicle can lead to rust, corrosion, and flaws in the finish. Using a soft sponge during washes removes solid contaminants and chemicals that can destroy your paint finish. In more extreme circumstances, the corrosion can effect wiring and sensors. Maintaining the appearance also helps keep the value of your vehicl ... read more

This December, as you search high and low for the perfect gift for your friends and loved ones, don’t forget about your vehicle! The following are gifts that you can give to your car to keep it running efficiently and using less gas (keeping more money in your pocket!) this holiday season.O2 Sensor – Your O2 (oxygen) sensor regulates the mixture of fuel and air going into your motor. A dirty or malfunctioning sensor will allow an inefficient ratio of fuel and air into the system which can decrease your fuel efficiency by 3 MPG. Left unfixed, it can even ruin your catalytic converter (which can cost several hundred dollars to replace)!Fuel Injectors – The fuel injector’s job is to spray a fine mist of fuel into the engine, where it’s ignited by the spark plug. But when your fuel injector is clogged or dirty, fuel dribbles and drips, it doesn’t burn cleanly or efficiently, and your gasoline ends up wasted. Our technicians can run a pressurized solv ... read more

Are you planning on traveling this Thanksgiving? If so, you’re not alone! More than 43.6 million Americans travel 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving weekend, and 90% of those travelers (39.2 million) make the journey by car.But before you hit the roads, be prepared! Long road trips are demanding of your vehicle. Make sure it is up to the task by stopping by Dub’s Garage in Corpus Christi. We will perform an inspection to make sure your vehicle will keep your family safe on the journey.If you’’re traveling by car this Thanksgiving, you’’re in luck; our team has come up with these five travel tips to keep you safe!1. Prepare with Preventive Maintenance: Simple maintenance can prevent many of the problems that strand motorists on the side of the road before you leave your home. Preparation is key! Before you leave home have a thorough inspection to make sure you don’’t end up stranded.2. Plan ahead: Before you get on a highway, know your exit by nam ... read more

Taking care of your vehicle is key to protecting your investment and saving money. Though it may be tempting to put off the “routine” maintenance in order to save a few dollars now, this can have a negative impact on your vehicle and cost you more money long term.Through the years our auto repair shop has performed inspections on vehicles in Corpus Christi, we’ve seen a large number of vehicle issues. Here are some of the most common car care problems drivers experience:Dirty engine oil. Waiting too long between oil changes leads to premature engine wear. When the motor oil becomes too thick or dirty with contaminants, it can no longer perform it’s job as well. Your vehicle’s engine has to work harder and is at increased risk for damage.Leaking or dirty coolant. Low fluid levels in your vehicle usually indicate a leak. If coolant is collecting in the radiator or surge tank, it is not flowing through the engine where it belongs. Leaking or dirty coolant ... read more

Tires can be a significant investment for your family vehicle, and it makes sense to get the most out of your investment. But when your vehicle’s tires are legally bald, continuing to drive on them isn’t getting the most of your money… it’s putting your family in danger!Bald tires pose a number of problems for your vehicle. Too little grip and you can lose control of the car. Add in icy, snowy, or wet conditions, and you may have an extremely hard time steering, braking, or controlling your vehicle.Even in dry conditions, bald tires are dangerous. When your tread is too low, you are at extreme risk for a flat tire or blowout on the road. Not only is a flat tire an inconvenience, blow outs can endanger your life, the lives of everyone in the car, and other people on the road.The most common cause of a blow out is a worn out tire. You see the wear on the exterior of the tire, but just as dangerous is the wear on the inside. If you drive on an old, bald, or under-inflated tire, you put pr ... read more

On the hottest days off summer, cranking up the air conditioning in your vehicle can be the best way to get relief from the heat in your car. Fall is around the corner, but the heat is lingering in Corpus Christi.If you’ve noticed your gas mileage dipping lower during the summer months, that’s not a coincidence… running the air conditioning means you’ll use more gas in your car!The air conditioning in your vehicle is powered by the gas engine. That’s why you can’t run the air conditioning when your car is off.When you turn on the A/C, the engine has to divert some power in order to keep the car cool. The engine will use more fuel and gasoline in order to keep up performance.Want to stay cool and reduce your footprint? Try these tricks:Roll down the windows. When you’re driving at low speeds around town, getting some fresh air by rolling the windows down will use less gas than the air conditioning.Use the fan only. If you still need air flow in your veh ... read more

Even in the summer in Corpus Christi, temperatures can fluctuate drastically, taking your tire pressure along with it. Every 10 degrees up or down in the air could mean 1 to 5 pounds of pressure difference in your tires. This might not seem excessive, but considering car tires need, on average, 35 pounds of pressure in them, those few pounds could make a big difference in the way you drive.Here are a few things to look out for in your tires when the heat fluctuates this summer:Under-inflated tires will have full tread in the middle of them, but will be bald on the outer edges. This is because the lack of air pressure causes the tire to sink in the middle, keeping this area from having much contact with the road.Under-inflated tires create for a hazardous driving experience for any driver. Should you hit a puddle of water, the lack of traction in the tire will increase your risk of hydroplaning. And should the steel cords pop through the sides because of under-inflation, it will make yo ... read more