Automotive News & Information - Terry's Automotive & Qwik Lube

mechanic working on auto electrical system

Every year, vehicle electrical systems get a little more complicated. These days, many cars on the road contain up to a mile of wiring, running throughout every corner of the vehicle. With all those wires, there’s bound to be an issue at some point; Terry's Automotive & Qwik Lube in Gainesville, FL is here to help you recognize a potential electrical issue, and know what to do about it.

There is a reason we check your brake fluid when you come in for a service check. Maintenance pays big dividends and we want to avoid high repair costs for our Gainesville drivers. Did you know that brake service isn't just all about the brake pads, drums & rotors? That we have found low brake fluid to be the cause of a large percentage of brake issues here at Terry's Automotive & Qwik Lube? Seriously, brake fluid is an important part of your braking system and with your service intervals being less frequent on the newer vehicles 5,000-10,000 more miles this has become an issue! Why?...

It doesn't matter if you are driving a car or truck, jeep or SUV, a diesel 4x4 or a classic when those dash warning lights go off the first thing you do is think "how bad is it?" and "how much will it cost me?" followed quickly by "when was my last service visit?"!! Driving your vehicle longer safely is all about getting it serviced based on what your vehicle manual recommends and these warning lights are alerting you to a situation that requires your attention.

While not all warning lights are a sign that disaster is imminent, no warning indicator light should ever be ignored!

Don’t you hate it when potholes sneak up on you? There is a lot of money being spent on vehicle damage due to potholes. Do you know what parts of your car could receive the most damage.

Transmission Cut to show you the inside of it

Nothing works if your transmission doesn't work! Simply put you are going nowhere without it and it is the one thing that both car and truck drivers alike never think twice about until it really acts up or they have no power or simply don't move forward. Most of us have a newer car or truck with an automatic transmission in it vs. a standard transmission so do not notice that it is slipping gears until the problem is really serious so the question is how do you get the most out of your transmission? The obvious answer is to take care of your transmission with scheduled service per your owner's manual recommendation but we have put together a simple checklist for our Gainesville drivers to help them become "transmission aware" as it were.

Our fleet truck customers do not need to spend valuable time in the shop with transmission issues due that could have been avoided by servicing their fleet vehicles based on their owner's manual recommendations! Especially if it is simply changing a clogged filter, changing fluids or clutch issues! Our transmission technicians here at Terry's Automotive & Qwik Lube in Gainesville believe that service = saving high repair bills! Therefore, we believe in a proactive approach!

When your light comes on, it is ALWAYS important to look at the issue to see if it is a problem. Especially if it is a light we all understand. Tire pressure is one we all can relate to and an easy one to look at. However, most drivers just assume the air is low in them and ignore it which is not a good idea especially when you are driving a 4x4 diesel truck off-roading and could have picked up anything and/or everything like this truck tire did.

He looked, and immediately headed over to see our technicians here at Terry's Automotive & Qwik Lube.

When you are having trouble with your car or truck starting and you open the hood up to take a peek to see this....you'll see what an overly corroded battery looks like. This happens naturally over time on vehicle battery terminals. If you are like 99% of normal Gainesville drivers, you don't check your oil or your battery so you don't keep an eye on the amount of corrosion that's building up on your car or truck battery. Here at Terry's Automotive & Qwik Lube, we do and there are solvents that we can use here in the shop during a battery maintenance service that will help slow the corrosion process but nothing that can prevent it 100%. Way before it gets to this point, we will be suggesting you consider replacing the battery.