Suwanee, Decatur & Marietta Auto Repair

Now that we are nearing the end of October, it means that the Thanksgiving holiday is merely weeks away. Besides the pumpkin pie and football, Thanksgiving is traditionally known for one of the heaviest travel weekends of the year, with the Sunday following Thanksgiving being the most congested day of them all. Don't worry, though - we've got tips on how to make your interstate travel a little less stressful! PLAN AHEAD FOR YOUR TRIP Doing a little pre-planning can go a long way in making trips manageable. The most important thing you can do is check the traffic and weather conditions beforehand. The worst days to travel are the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after. If you can leave a day earlier or avoid Sunday madness, please do. CHECK THE CAR The combination of holiday travel and nasty weather can make a long trip longer than necessary, so you have to make sure your car is ready to take on those challenges too. A pre-trip inspection will ensure your car wil ... read more

If your headlights are malfunctioning, you can expect your drives to be limited to only the daytime. Headlights are essential to the driver's visibility, and without them, driving can become more dangerous for everyone.    If you notice that your high beams are still operating, but the low beams aren't, several reasons can be the cause. While it's easy to point fingers and blame it on a bad bulb, if changing the bulb doesn't fix the problem, a deeper issue may be at hand. You should never overlook this kind of problem by driving "blind". Driving without headlights at night is not just hazardous, but it's against the law. You may find yourself with a fix-it ticket if you take the risk.    Below are three of the most popular issues that can leave the low beam headlights inactive:  The Relay is Damaged A car's relay is an electronically operated switch that powers your vehicle lights. If the relay has malfunctioned, it may r ... read more

  While you may not pay much attention to your car's timing belt, it plays a vital role in the mechanics of your vehicle. The timing belt is an engine component that rotates the engine's cam and crankshaft in sync, ensuring every cylinder fires at the appropriate time. You can find your car's timing belt under a timing cover near the front of the engine, and since it was likely manufactured from performance-quality rubber, it will need to be replaced every now and then. In this post, we will look at a few common symptoms that may indicate your timing belt needs repair.   Like any piece of equipment, a timing belt will deteriorate with time. It is best to check the owner's manual or ask a trusted professional to know if your engine has a timing belt or chain. A broken timing belt will cause your engine to fail completely and potentially cause damage to other parts of the engine. It is essential to replace the belt while it is showing warning signs to avoid i ... read more

Automobiles are complex vehicles with an average of over 30,000 parts, all of which have to be operative for the car to run. Vehicles in warmer climates have different demands than cars that run in cold weather. In Georgia, we have four distinct seasons, all of which have varying needs. Here are the most common repairs we see in our shop for each season:   Summer Since summers in the south are relatively hot and humid, one of the biggest complaints people have about their vehicles is the air conditioning. Either the AC won't work at all, or it will start to blow warmer air, which is highly uncomfortable when the temperatures rise. Adding Freon and other minor repairs can often bring your air conditioning back to where it needs to be.   Fall Headlights frequently go out in the fall, as they have made it through the summer months and now need to be changed in time for winter. As the days start to grow shorter, it gets dark out quicker. People begin to notice the imper ... read more

We are past the treacherous winter driving conditions, and now you can enjoy your ride on a sunny summer day. However, there's nothing as frustrating as trying to cool your cabin's interior only for the air conditioning system to blow out hot air. You can attribute that failure to several causes. They include: Refrigerant Leak The refrigerant is the fluid that circulates within the ac system, expanding and contracting as it rids the interior atmosphere of heat and moisture. With a leak, the levels of refrigerant drop, and that impacts its normal functioning. A leak can be caused by a worn-out hose or a damaged evaporator. Detecting a refrigerant is not something you can do with your eyes because the AC system runs deep in the car's systems. Additionally, the antifreeze evaporates immediately after it's exposed to the atmosphere. Thus, it won't be as apparent as an engine oil puddle under the car. You can identify the point of the leak by taking the car to an exp ... read more