Back to School/Road Trip Special!

It’s that time again, yet so very different since Covid-19! Going on a family road trip, or students back to school may still be up in the air based on ongoing restrictions in each state or county. Having a reliable vehicle is important in any case. We’re here to help! This month, Douglas Automotive Repair…

Read More

Wheel Bearings

Back in the day, repair shops used to “pack the bearings” on the family car. Do we still do this? At one time, all wheel bearings were “serviceable” and needed to be taken care of from time to time.  It’s a little trickier these days. First off, the wheel bearings in your vehicle make sure your…

Read More

Service Intervals

Confused about recommended service intervals? Douglas Automotive Repair can help! The simple answer is to follow the vehicle’s recommended service intervals listed in your owner’s manual (we also have these intervals in our database). We can sympathize with drivers because of the confusing intervals for modern vehicles. The days of simple rules of thumb that applied to…

Read More

Radiator Hoses

Your radiator hoses carry coolant between your engine and radiator.  It’s an important job.  If a hose fails, you could lose your engine coolant which might lead to overheating and very expensive engine damage, so you want to make sure you always have good hoses. Radiator hoses are very resilient, but they are subject to very harsh…

Read More

Guide to Proper Fluids

If you’ve walked through the automotive fluids section of an auto parts store, you’ll know how overwhelming the sheer number of products available can be.  How do you know what’s right for your vehicle? First let’s talk about why there are so many varieties.  Starting with motor oil, we see that manufacturers match the properties of a…

Read More

Power Brakes Service

Let’s talk about your brakes. Basically, the power brake system helps you provide braking power so that you don’t have to do all the work with your brake pedal. The brakes themselves are applied at the wheel using hydraulic pressure. When we step on the brake pedal, we create pressure in the power booster that’s multiplied…

Read More

Suspension

Let’s talk about your suspension – you know, the system that connects your wheels to your vehicle, controls your handling and delivers a good ride.  Your suspension is critical for proper steering, stopping and stability. Hey, it’s a rough world out there – every time you hit a pothole, a bump or an object in…

Read More

Engine Air Filter

You may be thinking…What’s the harm in putting off replacing my engine air filter a little longer? That’s a fair question because the harm takes a while to manifest. Let’s take a small step back and talk about what an engine air filter does. The air all around us contains dust, dirt, pollen, spores, etc. Some…

Read More

Severe Driving

Owner’s manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance. Owners can check on things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil after driving a certain distance or after so many months. Most drivers understand this very well. What they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules:…

Read More

Water Pump

The cooling system in an engine has five components: the radiator, the radiator cap, the hoses, the thermostat and the water pump. The water pump is literally the heart of the system. Just as your own heart keeps your blood circulating through your body, the water pump keeps coolant circulating through your engine. The water pump is…

Read More