FALCONER AUTO REPAIR

Maybe that little sticker on your windshield is giving you the reminder that it’s time for your vehicle to have an oil change.  You’ve thought, “Aw, I can skip this one and save myself a little money.”  When it comes to things you should never ignore on your vehicle, timely oil changes are number one on the list.   When the oil stays in your vehicle too long, it can accumulate dirty particles and begin to break down, defeating its lubricating properties.  Skipping or delaying an oil change can lead to far more expensive repairs down the line. Another is seeing a warning light and doing nothing about it.  Lights that advise you to check your engine or tell you things are running hotter than usual under the hood can be early warning signs to have a technician determine why.  Consider getting the answer earlier rather than later.  It could save you major headaches and money. Don’t skip having important fluids checked. That i ... read more

It’s likely happened to you once or twice.  You head to your vehicle, open the door, turn the key and… lo and behold, your battery is dead. Now you’re stranded, may have to get a jump or a tow, and you’ll definitely be late for wherever you were headed. While your vehicle may sometimes give you warning signs, other times it doesn’t.   As many as one out of every four vehicles will have to have its battery replaced in the next 12 months.  If you don’t want to be surprised the next time your battery fails, consider having it tested. There are different types of battery testing.  One measures voltage. Another checks for something called conductance.  By sending a certain type of electric current into the battery, it can measure how healthy your vehicle’s battery is.  There’s also a load test.  It checks how your battery is working while drawing power from it.  Newer test equipment found in professiona ... read more

Think about this the next time you’re driving.  Your front wheels can steer your vehicle and, at the same time, the wheels can move, even with all the irregularities in the road moving them up, down and in different directions. Pretty amazing engineering, wouldn’t you say? What allows that are parts called ball joints.  Most vehicles have them only in the front, but there are some vehicles that have them in the rear as well.  When you consider all the bumps and turns your wheels are subjected to, it’s not hard to imagine the wear and tear these ball joints endure. After any vehicle has put on many months of road time, these ball joints will start to wear out.  You may find your vehicle’s front wheels clunk when you are on the road, it may not hold the road as well when you go over a bump, or you may feel vibration in your steering wheel and your tires may start to wear unevenly. When you start to notice any of these symptoms, it’s a goo ... read more

If you’ve ever driven a bicycle with hand brakes, you’ll probably understand how the brake pads on your vehicle work.  Bicycle brakes use a system that squeezes the bike wheel’s rim with a pair of cushioned pads activated by your hand squeezing the hand brakes on your handlebars. The friction of those pads stops the wheel. That’s the same principle used for the wheels on your vehicle.  Step on the brake pedal and that causes pads to put pressure on discs in the wheels called rotors.  Those pads create friction and stop the wheels from turning. Brake pads in vehicles are made from several different materials.  The pads most commonly used are ceramic or a combination of metals. The friction that stops your vehicle generates heat and wears both the pads and, eventually, the rotors, too.  That means that, over time, both are going to need replacing to work properly.  One sign brake wear is getting noticeable may be  when you hear s ... read more