Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

The fact of the matter is your cars a/c system is a sealed unit.  The E.P.A. has mandated that automotive a/c should not leak freon/refrigerant into the air. If you are adding to your cars a/c system there is a leak that should be found and repaired. Some leaks are large and very easy to find, while others can be very small and very difficult to find. We have very expensive leak detectors that help us find those small leaks, even with these tools we sometimes can’t find it and we will fill the system with a dye and ask you to come back for a recheck in a week or two. The whole point of an a/c system is to keep you cool on your adventures and not that the breeze doesn't feel great, but with all this smoke in the air I would rather not. Happy Adventures Heather

School has already started for some kids and others still have a couple weeks to go.  In honor of that school starting, here is some friendly reminders. With children heading back to school, we wanted to share these safety reminders with you. 1. Watch your speed in school zones! Be aware that school zone speed limits may vary in hours and speeds. Be sure to follow the posted limits. 2. Slow down in residential areas. Watch for children crossing the street and congregating near bus stops. 3. Do not pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. Traffic in both directions on undivided highways must stop when students are entering or exiting a school bus (the red flashing lights and extended stop sign arms are your cue to stop). On a divided roadway, all traffic behind the school bus must stop. 4. Be alert! The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children walking to and from their bus are usually very comfortable wit ... read more

Steering and brakes are the two most important safety components of your vehicle, not that being able to drive and move isn't important, but if you can't steer or stop then that becomes a problem very quickly and we all want to be safe out there on the road. Modern vehicles come with disc brake pads for the front braking system. These consist of a brake pad, brake rotor and a caliper. It works by the caliper squeezing the pad onto the rotor and that is how you stop. Over time the pad material wears and has to be replaced. The brake rotor will also have to be replaced when they are worn. Brake calipers unless they begin to stick or seize are not a item that typically has to be replaced.  For rear there are two options one is the disc brake pads and the other is brake shoes. The disc brake pads are the same as the front with the same components. The brake shoes are part of a drum system and they usually wear at a slower rate.  The same components are used on cars, pi ... read more

HAir filters are important to the health of your vehicle's engine, the air that flows into the engine goes through the air filter first and when your air filter is dirty or clogged that means that your engine is being starved for air. It should be changed before it ever gets to that point to keep your vehicle running at it's best. We advise for the engine air filter to be changed based on condition. Some vehicles have a cabin air filter too, these filters are for the air that you breath in the car. We advise that your filter should be changed between 15,000 and 20,000 miles and some of that depends on the places that you go, if you smoke in your car then we advise it to be changed every 10,000 miles.  Happy Adventures Heather

The other day while I was in town with my youngest he saw a car and pointed it out and asked what was wrong with it. I told him it was smoking and that it looked like they had it under control as there were plenty of people around the car. He told me that it shouldn't do that it's not good for it, and I agreed immediately.   If your car is smoking you should have it looked at as soon as possible. If you're having issues give us a call and we will make sure you're safe to be out on the road.   We don't just do repairs we can take care of all your maintenance needs from oil changes, tune ups, brakes, belts, water pumps, air conditioning, alignments, suspension and more.   Happy Adventures, Heather

Your check engine light can come on for so many reasons - sometimes it's as simple as a loose gas cap and other times if not addressed can cause engine damage. The best way to know what is going on is to take it in and have it checked . It happens to all of us. The picture is of my check engine light that came on just a few weeks ago. It was for the knock sensor which is a common failure on my car. I had them replaced and now it's running beautiful again.   Give us a call and we'll make sure you keep going to where you're headed.   Happy Adventures Heather

I've received this question several times in the last week. "When I started my car today it was really loud" "After I left the grocery store my car got really loud" this unfortunately isn't something that I can say well this is why.... it's an I need you to bring it by for the guys to check it out type of thing instead.  Our biggest concern is your safety and keeping you on the road. Give us a call if you're having issues and we'll make sure you're safe to head out to your next destination.  Happy Adventures Heather

Back to school is just around the corner, I am already receiving registration information and at least my kids are excited to go back to school (it means fewer chores for them). I am wishing for a few more family days.   With all this going on I finally got my car in for an oil change and realized I was a little past due on some maintenance. I am back on the schedule to get that done so it will be one less thing to worry about this fall.    Give us a call and get your car up to date on it's maintenance and have one less thing to worry about.   Happy Adventures Heather

Where to start...well for one I have a love for a good diesel pickup (please don't tell my husband I don't really care about which brand), and I don't mean the ones that smoke you out at the stop light. Those are just annoying and give everyone else a bad name. I am talking about the honest hard working pickups that do there job day in and out with little complaint. Really the only thing they really want is regular maintenance to keep them running like they were new, and an occasional bath for when they get really dirty.  If you are thinking of getting one the biggest thing I would ask is can you keep up with the maintenance requirements. Diesels tend to get a little cranky when they have been neglected and then it takes some time to get them back to where they want to be again.  We service diesel pickups and cars along with all of there gas counterparts. We can take care of those hybrids and electric cars too. Give us a call and let us keep you to where you are ... read more

Shocks and/or struts should be replaced every 50-100K miles. I realize that is a large variance of mileage and that is due to the type and style of suspension that you have on your vehicle. Most manufactures do not list a replacement mileage, but shocks and struts are very important to your vehicles handling and stopping ability. When they are worn it can take longer to come to a stop especially in an emergency situation. Most people don't realize that there car is even handling differently since typically they wear slowly. Why am I saying shocks and/or struts - well not all vehicles have the same components. Cars can have a combination of struts in the front and shocks in the rear, all struts or all shocks, pickups will have all shocks or on occasion struts in the front and rear shocks, I haven't seen struts in the rear of a pickup but that doesn't mean that it can't happen.  They are just as important though as your belts, hoses, fluids and other components of ... read more