Northeast Columbia Auto Repair

You gathered and cleaned out old gas receipts, thrown out food wrappers, and even vacuumed your car. You went the extra mile and gave your car an extra long and soapy wash. After all that work you think your car is finally ready for summer adventures to start. It’s not! Everything under the hood needs to be prepared for summer.  Cleaning your car is a good start but what about your tires and brakes? When is the last time you got an oil change? It’s best to take your car into your local mechanic before the summer season begins. They will check all your fluids, lights, brakes, and more to ensure that your car is ready for the road. You can do some checks at home, if you see, hear or smell something off then take it into your mechanic.  Your air conditioner will make or break your summer, you want it to be working so it can cool you off during those extremely hot days. Run your AC system for a bit to see if it is blowing cold air and noises. It might need to be cle ... read more

Getting yourself ready for a road trip is one thing, getting your vehicle prepared for a road trip is a whole other story. You pack your sunscreen, lotion, a first aid kit to help prevent things like a sunburn. Your vehicle has similar needs like a pre-trip check-up, oil change, and most importantly an emergency kit. No matter how many precautions and vehicle maintenance you have done before your trip, it's not a guarantee that car troubles won’t happen. That doesn’t mean a pre-trip checkup isn’t worthwhile. You should prepare yourself for any situation that might occur during a road trip.  You’ve packed luggage for yourself many times before, but it’s essential to pack some extras when traveling by car. Having a roadside emergency kit stocked full and ready to use if an unexpected break down happens makes things less stressful. Here are some things you should include in your emergency kit: At the bare minimum have a blanket, flashlight (make sur ... read more

If you have the skills, knowledge, and tools, then you can fix your car yourself. Most of the population lacks proper knowledge to fix their vehicle accurately. Some things you can quickly fix like changing a light bulb. Other issues can be very challenging and complex; you can’t just watch a YouTube video and do it yourself. A majority of problems require a skilled technician to fix the problem. If you are unsure how to fix something don’t try, it could make the problem worse.  There are some minor issues that you could fix yourself and save a few dollars. These issues are generic and don’t involve messing with your car’s engine, wiring, or motor. Some people find it easy to change out their air filters and windshield wipers. All it takes is a quick trip to the automotive store and 5 minutes to replace.  Another fix that you can do at home is a tire replacement. If you have a jack and some patience you can order new tires right to your house and do ... read more

Springtime is a great time for cleaning! As part of your car maintenance this spring, maybe the best place to start is with cleaning your car. It’ll make you feel better just looking at it. Not to mention how you will feel pulling up at the parking lot of your kids' school next to all the dirty cars around you. This is also a great way to get rid of the salt and other chemicals that were used on the winter roads. Leaving them there can lead to rust, and that is never a good thing.   Once that is done, you can focus on the car maintenance items that will help you save money in the long run and keep your car running on optimum levels. Here are six simple tasks to help your car transition from winter to spring: Check all the fluids. Check with your trusted partners at Brown Motorworks in Columbia to know what the best ones are to change out. Oil, for example, acts differently depending on the season. It might be time to change to a different weight. Before the spring rain ... read more

Ah, February! Time to shower the car lovers in your life with gifts from the heart. Whether you are on a tight budget or have money to burn, here are a few Valentine’s Day gift ideas for the car lovers in your life ... read more

Maybe you are diligent about creating your resolutions every year, but what about your car? After all, your car gets you safely to work, school, and shopping, as well taking you on vacations, too! Why not have a few automotive New Year’s resolutions?  Regular Services This could be the year that you stay updated on regular services. Why not start the year with that resolution in mind? Instead of waiting until there’s smoke coming out of your engine or you’re waiting for the towing service on the side of the road, think of how much better you’ll feel if you have regular services!  Preventive Maintenance Preventive maintenance is a lot like regular service. Having your fluids checked regularly is critical to how your vehicle runs. You may need to top off your oil between regular services, or you can bring your car in, and we can do it for you. Make sure all those hoses are tight, and the belts are replaced when they need to be. And don’t forget ... read more

There are so many high-energy snacks (and snacks in general) these days. When you walk into the grocery store, you’re bombarded with an entire aisle or more. So how do you choose? One thing you can do is look at the protein content. As the gas in your car, protein keeps your engine going.  Nuts for Snacking Do you have a favorite kind of nut? We love almonds. Now, you can get your nut fix by eating peanut butter, trail mix, a high-energy bar, or plain. Not only that, but almonds come in a variety of flavors and styles. There are raw, roasted, spicy, and plain almonds. We like ‘em a little spicy, so we always opt for those. But if you like sweetness, you might like cinnamon-roasted almonds.  Energy Bars Luckily, you can see how much protein, sugar, and fat an energy bar has in it just by looking at the packaging. Our favorites are Clif bars and Larabars! Both are made with few ingredients, and it’s easy to avoid soy, dair ... read more

If you’re a new parent, chances are you’re already overwhelmed with the number of things you need to learn to keep your child safe. Learning about child car seats probably isn’t at the top of your list. However, since so many children are injured in traffic accidents, knowing how to install and use a child car seat correctly is critical to every child’s safety.  Rear-Facing Car Seats for Infants and Toddlers Children up to two years old should be facing backward in their car seat. Children ride in these car seats until they are from 22 - 40 pounds or the height recommended on the car seat, which varies according to the manufacturer. There are three main types of rear-facing car seats: rear-facing only seats, convertible seats, and 3-in-one seats.  Forward-Facing Car Seats for Toddlers and Preschoolers Once a child has outgrown a rear-facing car seat, he or she may be introduced to a forwarding-facing car seat with ... read more

Before the first stop sign was invented, the streets were in disarray, chaotic, and dirty. At first, there were no lane markers or speed limits. Signage of any type was rare, the exception being occasional signs signaling those on horseback of the distance to the nearest town. We have come a very long way since then, with most people having navigation available on their phones. William Phillips Eno is credited for having developed the first stop sign.  The stop sign has an interesting history. The first stop sign was developed in the state of Michigan in 1915. This was probably because Detroit was the center of the automobile manufacturing industry. It was a small black and white sign, not the red with white lettering that we have today. Also, the shape was not standardized until 1922, when the American Association of State Highway Officials met and selected the octagonal shape that we’re familiar with today. They chose the octagonal shape so that drivers seeing the back of ... read more

You can probably get a lot of great advice about what to do after your car overheats, but how about preventing your car from overheating instead? Like any other type of maintenance, there are a few things you can do to keep your car from losing its cool.  Check All the Hoses Touch the hoses that you can see (make sure the engine is cool when you do this). If any of the hoses seem cracked, brittle or inflexible, you’ll want to replace those. Wiggle the tubes a bit, and make sure that they’re tight. You don’t want to see any leaks, either. Of course, we’re happy to replace any hoses for you.  Fluids Check your coolant level and make sure it’s topped off. You shouldn’t have to remove the cap to do this--just check that the fluid is to the full line on the side of the coolant reservoir. If you need to add coolant, add the proper coolant, which should be found in your owner’s manual. By the way, many o ... read more