Tucson Auto Repair

A customer recently brought in his delivery van that was running rough and had a check engine light on. The customer also complained that they had been using more gas than normal. After our diagnosis, we found out that the spark plugs were completely worn out. The vehicle had 134,000 miles on it, and had never changed the spark plugs.   Other symptoms of bad spark plugs are hesitation, lack of power, hard starts, and rough idle. When you have incomplete combustion, these unburden gas enter your exhaust system and may damage the catalytic converter. What are you going to do?  Change your spark plugs every 100,000 miles. Also included in a tune up, we would recommend changing the fuel filter, pcv valve, performing a fuel injection service, and checking the engine filters.  This is normal preventive maintenance.  You can you this on a timed schedule and bypass the check engine light coming on for this issue

Vehicle Wheel Alignments   Almost all modern vehicles require a wheel alignment periodically.  In fact, it makes sense to do it every other oil change or every 6,000 miles. We have lots of potholes in Tucson.  Hitting just one of these can cause suspension damage and therefore increase wear on your tires.  Maintaining proper alignment angles not only ensures your vehicle drives straight down the road, it also ensures your tires are wearing evenly and are creating a good contact patch with the road surface. A vehicle even slightly out of alignment can wear a set of tires up to 50% faster than a vehicle that is properly aligned.  This can also decrease gas mileage.  At One Stop Automotive we recommend a thorough inspection of all your steering and suspension components at every oil change.  This is an often overlooked maintenance item that can lead to costly repairs down the road. Call us today to schedule you free inspection or al ... read more

Doing a vehicle coolant system exchange? It is never a good time to break down on the side of the road in the middle of winter with your family in the vehicle.  One of the big causes of breakdowns are caused by overheating issues. Vehicle cooling system perform two things.  Cooling and lubrication.  Cooling systems remove heat from the engine using the properties of heat transfer. Modern cars use liquid cooling systems. These use a fluid call antifreeze circulated within the engine, that is then pumped out of the engine into a radiator, where the heat is released. Over time the coolant in your vehicle breaks down.  The components of the cooling system included a water pump, the thermostat, the radiator, cooling fans, the heater core, the pressure cap, the overflow tank and the hoses.  To prolong the life of the coolant system and minimize vehicle breakdowns it is recommended to change the coolant every 30,000 miles and replace the hoses ever ... read more

Although we live in the Sonoran Desert, and it doesn’t get nearly as cold as some other places, we still need to ensure our vehicles are ready for the colder temperatures. There are some basic maintenance things you can do to help prevent having issues on those cold mornings.   With the rapidly fluctuating temperatures that come with an Arizona winter, tire pressures can be affected greatly. For every 10 degrees of temperature change your vehicle’s tire pressures can change up to 1 psi. Over or under inflated tires are the number one cause of premature tire wear and can cause changes in your vehicle's fuel economy. Make sure your tire pressures are checked regularly.   Ensuring your engine’s cooling system has the proper 50/50 mix of coolant and water are crucial in preventing premature failure of the rubber hoses and plastic connectors in your cooling system. Water freezes at 32 degrees, whereas coolant is rated below 0 degrees. A cooling system fil ... read more

Modern vehicles are equipped with many warning indicators, including lights and chimes, to let you know when there is an issue requiring your local repair shops attention. This if fantastic until you start to think about things that are not electronically monitored, such as your vehicles alignment. Maintaining proper alignment angles not only ensures your vehicle drives straight down the road, it also ensures your tires are wearing evenly and are creating a good contact patch with the road surface. A vehicle even slightly out of alignment can wear a set of tires up to 50% faster than a vehicle that is properly aligned. Most shops offer a free alignment check and will even inspect all of your steering and suspension components as part of the check. At One Stop Automotive we recommend a thorough inspection of all your steering and suspension components at every oil change and an alignment check at least once a year. This is an often overlooked maintenance item that can lead to costly rep ... read more