Corpus Christi Auto Repair

Summer heat is coming to Corpus Christi. As temperatures rise, your vehicle may become uncomfortably hot as you drive around town. You rely on your air conditioning to stay cool and beat the heat… but what happens if your turn it on and it only blows muggy, warm air?There are a number of reasons your air conditioning might stop working. Three common reasons include:Fan. If your vehicle isn’t blowing cool air through the car, check to make sure there is air flowing. If nothing (or very little) comes through the vent, there may be a problem with the circulation of the air.Air filter. A strange, mildew smell coming from the air conditioning can be a warning sign. Check the cabin air filter to make sure it is not dirty or clogged. An old air filter can prevent the cold air from traveling through the system.Leaks. The most common issue with car air conditioning is a leak in the system. Low pressure indicates a leak and means the air conditi ... read more

The warm weather and sunny days of summer are coming to Corpus Christi, and with it comes a burning desire for a vacation! As your family starts dreaming of summer road trips to come, take advantage of these unique apps to help with your road trip planning:Roadtrippers. Not sure where to start? This app lets you browse interesting road trips from all over the country. View the built in trip guides or use this app to find places near by.TV Food Maps. How cool is this?! Interactive map of all of those amazing restaurants featured on TV shows and visited by people like Guy Fieri and Anthony Bourdain from food and travel networks. Over 5,000 locations highlighted, as broadcast from 40 different television shows. Map you way across the county, led by your appetite!Field Trip. ... read more

Whether you want to save the planet or save money in your wallet, an easy way to go green this spring is by using less gasoline!But where do you start? Here are four things you can do at home to use less gas in your vehicle.Gas Cap. When was the last time you replaced your gas cap? It’s not something most drivers pay attention to except when you pull up to the gas station to fill your tank. But the gas cap is one of the biggest culprits for wasting fuel. If the gas cap is old, worn, and cannot hold a seal, your gasoline will evaporate into the air!Air Filter. A dirty air filter can result in using more gasoline. The air filter collects dirt, debris, and gunk and prevents it from going into the engine. But when the air filter is dirty, it’s like breathing with a rag over your mouth. A clean air filter can improve your fuel efficiency by 2 miles to every gallon!Tires. Before you hit the road, check your tire pressure. Proper inflation ca ... read more

Tis the season for… spring cleaning! While you’re dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming your home, don’t forget about your car!Just like your home needs cared for to avoid cobwebs, cracking walls, and leaking roofs, your car also needs spring cleaning to stay in peak condition.Carpeting and Upholstery. Shake out floor mats, vacuum seats, and use carpet cleaner to remove any pesky stains from the fabrics in your car.Organize compartments. Take time to clear out the glove box, seat pockets, and other compartments in the car. Be thoughtful about what you put back and keep it organized.Empty the trunk. Remove any extra belongings (especially heavy ones) that you don’t need to carry every day. A lighter load means you’ll save money at the pump!Interior surfaces. Use a slightly damp rag to wipe down the dashboard, console, door handles, and other plastic components inside your car. Remove dust for easy breathing!Car wash ... read more

The motor oil in your vehicle has one of the hardest jobs – it’s on the clock all the time and needs to perform its job perfectly to keep your vehicle running.First, this means keeping every moving part in your vehicle’s engine well-oiled and lubricated. Without the added lubrication provided by engine oil, the many parts in your engine would be constantly rubbing against each other. This would create so much friction and heat that parts would start braking down almost immediately as you drive your vehicle.But that’s not the only job for engine oil… it also helps to keep your engine cool. Running a vehicle is heated business, and your engine rapidly heats every time you drive. Engine oil is heated up and cooled down as your vehicle runs and it helps to regulate the temperature in the engine.Engine oil is also the cleaning crew for your engine. As it flows through the system, it cleans our small particles of soot and debris. These elements are so small, often microscopic, that you may n ... read more

If you always use premium fuel, will your vehicle have better performance?We’ve heard this question a lot. On some level, the logic makes sense. Instinct tells us that “premium” relates to quality and better quality means better performance.But the rating of gasoline does not relate to the quality of the fuel.The numbers on the fuel pump are a gasoline’s octane rating. They indicate the amount of pressure the fuel can hold up to without causing problems in an engine.Most engines will compress fuel before burning it. The cylinders press the fuel until it is the right density, then a spark plug ignites to fuel to create the energy to run the vehicle.A gas octane rating of 85 can handle less pressure than 89 octane, which handles less than 91, etc.Some high performance vehicles have engines that compress the fuel further than a standard engine. In these high compression engines, it is very important that you use the correct fuel with the octane rating the engine calls for.But if your engi ... read more

When buying a used car it is important to remember that not every car is equal. Aside from the obvious, even the same make and model of a car can have drastic differences in technology, reliability and safety ratings between different years of production. Even some typically reliable makes and models have certain years that auto mechanics would advise against because they have a history of expensive break downs.So what can you do to protect yourself from accidentally buying a notoriously unreliable vehicle?Do your research! There are many sites dedicated to educating potential buyers on specific cars. Kbb.com and Edmunds.com are great places to start your used car buying search. The year, model, and features of a specific vehicle have the potential to drastically effect the value.Talk to reputable sources. You can jump online and find forums for most major c ... read more