Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

  Car manufacturers are extending oil change intervals to 7,500 miles or more, there is even a commercial on TV that says you only need to change your oil on an annual basis. There are a few problems with waiting so long to change your oil. One is oil consumption - these same manufactures that tell you only to change your oil every 7,500 miles don't tell you that you engine can consume/burn up to 1 quart of oil per 500 miles. Yes you read that correctly 500 miles. For some people that is one or two tanks of fuel. That means if your car holds 5 quarts of oil, that you will be out of oil before you get to 2,500 miles, unless you are checking your oil every time you get fuel; this could cause catastrophic failure to your engine. It would not be covered under your factory warranty - they expect you to check your oil to make sure it's at the proper level and if you're not then it is considered neglect. We still recommend that if your car uses regular oil then to change it ... read more

  Why are diesel engines more efficient? You know I didn't know the answer to this one, with as long as I have been married to a master certified tech who all he does is talk about cars - okay so I'll give him 85% of the time he's talking about cars - you would think this one would have crossed our conversation. I talked with Jason and asked him why...his response was one that you would expect he started to go on and on. I said I need simple, people are asking, plus after all these years I still don't understand when he starts getting technical on things, or maybe just glassing over. Simply it is because diesel fuel has 30% more energy than gasoline, which makes it more efficient. If you would like more of the technicalities I can get those for you too.  Happy Adventures Heather

Continuing Education - did you know that Jason and our technicians go to training monthly. The spend at a minimum of 8 hours a month in a class room learning about the new technology that is coming. They are learning about everything from gas, diesel, hybrids and electric. We want to be prepared so we can take the best care possible of you and your vehicle.  Let us take care of you. Happy Adventures Heather

Why does my car need a water pump with the timing belt? We always encourage those who have a timing belt to do the water pump at the same time, this is because in order to do your water pump you have to take off the timing belt to get to it. Really it makes good sense. I know there are more technical reasons and I could go ask Jason and he could give you all the explanations. I just don't want to charge you twice for the same job when I could have just done it all at the same time and saved you quite a bit of money.  Happy Adventures Heather

Should my brakes squeak? The short answer is no. They will sometimes make noise when they get wet and while drying out - think going though the car wash, or through standing water. Other than that they shouldn't squeak and if they do you should have them checked out. We do free brake inspections to make sure you're safe on the road. Happy Adventures Heather

    Over the weekend I was lucky enough to take my oldest son on an overnight backpacking trip near Detroit. We hiked in 6 miles to Twin Lake, spent the night and hiked out Sunday morning. It was his first time for this type of thing. Before we got to the trailhead it was 6 miles of rough road that our max speed was 5mph. I am thankful for the fact that we had a well maintained pickup and I wasn't worried about walking back to find help.   On every invoice from us you should have a custom maintenance schedule for your vehicle. This way you know when your car/pickup/van is due for service again. We want you to have fewer surprises (the bad kind) and you can plan ahead. Our goal is to get you to where you want to be whether it's to work, school, shopping or your next adventure.   Happy Adventures Heather

This is something that we hear often, that the car is getting old or worn out since it's getting a few miles on it. W always tell people that 100,000 is just getting broke in. If you're ready for a new car because you have the budget or that you just really want a new one then that's great, but if it is reliability that you're worried about you shouldn't be. If you have done all of your scheduled maintenance and you take good care of your vehicle then it should last you for many more miles.    Happy Adventures Heather

This is it, the last unofficial weekend of the summer. We are closed on Monday to give everyone just a few more minutes with family, kids and friends. The dogs aka the girls will be back to work on Monday after taking the summer off to be with the kids. Oh and we will have cookies too.   I just want to thank each one of our customers for letting us take care of you. We hope you had a fabulous summer and that your fall is just as wonderful.   For those who are just finding us give us a call and let us take care of you too. We are a full service repair and maintenance shop. We take care of all makes and models. Gas, diesel, electric, hybrid - we take care of them all. We take care of your vehicle bumper to bumper top to bottom.   Happy Adventures, Heather

The count down is officially on at my house for back to school. We don't start until 7 days out and that was officially yesterday. Now I will miss my kids, but really I work all day and I don't get to see them so they might as well go to school and learn something. I say this like I have to drag my kids to go back to school, but they are ready too. We don't live in town and that means they don't get to see friends as often as they would like and they are ready to see someone other than a sibling for sure.  With the start of back to school is also the start of fall sports in my house, now they've been practicing for a few weeks now, but our first game is on tuesday. That just means more going and miles on the road. I love watching my son play so every mile is worth it. It just means I need to make sure my car is in good shape so I can get to all those games.  Are you a sports parent too? If so you know how much fun it is to watch your kid play something t ... read more

It is always a good idea to have the alignment checked after you invest in a new set of tires. If you've had to replace your tires recently you know that it can cost quite a bit. It's good insurance to have your alignment checked and adjusted to the the most out of your purchase. We can take care of all your alignment needs, just give us a call to set up an appointment.  Happy Adventures  Heather