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Even though most vehicles are insured, drivers often are unprepared when an accident occurs. Most people don’t know where to take their vehicle to have it repaired after a collision.

After a car wreck, the damage can extend much deeper than what is visible on the outside of the vehicle.

High-impact collisions can affect the entire car, bending or breaking the body panels and affecting the integrity of the frame. Pieces inside the vehicle may be damaged and the wheels may be thrown out of alignment. Repairing a vehicle after a collision requires careful attention to detail. Along with the visible damage, hidden damage also needs to be repaired.

Repair Costs Can Vary

Different auto body repair shops charge different rates. Usually, shops that employ skilled workers are more expensive than shops with workers who don’t have quite as much training. Even though it might cost a little more, it is worth taking your car to a shop with trained technicians. Thanks to their training, they are more likely to spot hidden damage, helping to ensure that the vehicle is repaired back to its original condition.

Someone with less experience, however, may not see some of the underlying damage. Even though the price they quote you might be lower, your car won’t be repaired as thoroughly, which could lead to problems further down the road.

In a lot of cases, hidden damage doesn’t become apparent until the technician starts working on the vehicle.

How Metal Body Parts Are Affected By Collisions

Body panels can easily become bent or misshapen during a collision. Removing damage like this is not as easy as it might seem. Getting dents out of the vehicle requires special tools. The employees of the body shop need to be skilled at certain techniques in order to get smooth, even results.

The Role Of Body Filler

Years ago, you could identify whether or not a vehicle had undergone repairs by moving a magnet over the surface. The magnet would stick to parts that were metal and would pass over areas that have been treated with body filler. Today, that old trick doesn’t work anymore. Oftentimes, cars come from the factory with body filler. The manufacturers use filler to hide any flaws in the metal from when it was originally being shaped.

One good thing about metal is that it can be bent into different shapes. This makes it possible to remove a lot of different types of dents or damage.

Don’t Give Up On Your Vehicle

Even if your car has sustained major damage, a high-quality auto body repair shop should be able to restore it back to its original condition. The key is to choose a shop that uses skilled professionals to ensure that the repairs are done right. You may find it helpful to think of the cost of the repairs as an investment in your vehicle.Give us a call when you are in a pickle and need help with collision repair.

Before you hop in your car and head off for college, take some to ensure your voyage will be pleasant and without any unpleasant surprises.

Check under the Hood

The first thing you will want to do is get a look under the hood of your car. Check these things:

Fluid levels

In your owner’s manual you will find a detailed diagram indicating the locations of your power steering fluid, brake fluid, coolant, engine oil and transmission fluid. Make sure you only add as much fluid as indicated in the user’s manual instructions.

For fluid leaks

Take a look under the car to see if your fluids is leaking and to what extent. If you do find fluids dripping from under the car, the color of the oil should give you some indication of what you are dealing with. Cars that have more mileage on the will typically leak some fuel but this is not a serious problem. Just add some more each time the levels get low.

Your battery

Old and defective batteries must be replaced as soon as possible, use a voltmeter to check your batteries conditions. Then use a wire brush to clean away any corrosion at the terminals and make sure that all the wires are tight and in good condition.

Belts and hoses

Check all the belts and hoses you can find. Scan them for evidence of damage or disrepair and replace them as needed.

TIRES AND BRAKES

Inspect your tires to make sure their tread depth is suitable for any travels and not embedded with any road debris. Make sure your spare tire is filled with and ready for replacements and that your jack and service tools are in good order. Also check the air pressure of your tires and make sure they are filled to the proper levels.

Drive the car around and to check for abnormalities in the brakes and listen for any strange sounds. Stop on an incline and slowly engage and disengage your brake pedals, was the stop and release smooth, direct and silky or did you feel the car pull to one side, grind to a halt or screech under strain. Don’t take these issues lightly, get your car’s braking system inspected by a mechanic.

LIGHTS

Unless you have mirrors in your garage, you will need an extra set of eyes for this task. Get your partner to sit in the driver’s seat and switch on each of the lights one by one. Make sure you get a look at each function individually. Check the high-beams, low-beams, the directional and braking lights. Finally, put the car in reverse to make sure the taillights are also functioning. Replace any bulbs that are dim or burned out.

OTHER CAR CARE TIPS

Once you have addressed the really important issues above, there are a few more minor tasks that will contribute to a pleasant trip.

Windshield wipers

Don’t count on good weather; if your wipers are worn and used swap them out quickly with a new pair. Older blades will leave your windshield streaky, muddy and even scratched.

Emergency kit

All college kids need to ensure they have the right equipment on hand should an emergency arise. This should include roadside flares, bottled water and food, batteries and good flashlight, jumper cables, a basic set of tools (even if you don’t know how to make repairs perhaps someone else will) and kitty litter (this is for adding traction to the ground and getting out of a ditch).

Detail it inside and out

Furthermore, do all you can to make your car as clean and attractive as possible. A top-notch auto detailing will address all those areas that don’t get full attention in your average car wash. In addition to protection for the inside, this will also protect the car from harmful UV rays.

Find car services near your school

You will find many colleges and universities will offer free roadside assistance to their students, but, you will still need to locate a good auto-repair shop near your new location. Call them when you need assistance.

When it comes to your car one of the worst experiences you can have is engine overheating, so when your engine’s temperature rises above the normal it points to a potential problem in its cooling system.

Engine Heat and Cooling System Fundamentals

The first thing you want to know is to get an understanding of the vehicle’s default engine temperature, which you read from the gauge. If you have identified the normal temperature range for your engine then it will be easier to identify a spike in temperature levels. This assists in early detection of a fault.

Engine Coolant System

It is necessary to understand how engine cooling works so that you can grasp some of the factors that contribute to overheating of the car engine. Normally, a huge percentage of modern cars adopt a liquid cooling system to minimize heat when the engine is running and consequently heating up. In this system, the coolant which is a mix of anti-freeze and water is distributed throughout the engine to soak up the heat, then it is directed into the radiator to discharge the heat.

Leaking Cooling System

Leakage within the coolant system and its components can happen at any point. The leak can be in the water pump, radiator, the hoses, thermostat housing or head gasket. If a leak occurs in your engine’s cooling system air is drawn into the system. A regular fallacy told is that the cooling system’s leak leads to overheating of your car due to the loss of large amounts of coolant. Instead, the actual cause is the entry of air into the cooling mechanism, eventually, it creates an airlock – a bubble of air.

If an airlock results, the cooling mechanism is incapable of circulating the water and anti-freeze coolant, trapping any coolant in the engine. Consequently, the coolant rapidly gains heat and the engine can also overheat quickly.

Contaminated Coolant and Blocked Coolant Hoses

Coolant hoses can get clogged by dirt and sediment arising from the erosion and disintegration of coolant mechanism parts or coolant. When this occurs, it hinders the movement of coolant, which minimizes the overall effectiveness of your car cooling system. If there is an excessive build-up of dirt and dust it can cause the engine to overheat since the coolant is not flowing through the tubes.

Radiator Problems

The radiator functions by discharging engine heat into the air through the system’s coolant. It should be leakage-free, have no clogging and its fan must maintain a stable flow of air over it. Also, the thermostat has to work as expected. A dirty fan can hinder the proper performance of the thermostat.

A Defective Water Pump

The water pump propels the coolant through the whole cooling system. Anything that inhibits the working of the water pump will reduce the circulation of the coolant which will then cause engine overheating.

The quicker you address the defects by stopping by your local Leahy’s Auto, the lower the possibility of being stuck on a busy highway with an overheated car, worried about an expensive repair. Call us today!

With time, the tire treads wear out, which means they need replacing. There is no way to escape this. However, the moment you see your tire is wearing out strangely or uneven, then automatically know you have an issue. Such issues decrease the lifespan of a tire greatly. The good news is that they are solvable issues.

Uneven, unusual, or strange tire wear is generally a sign of other problems in your vehicle. The exact problem is indicated by the way they wear out, and the problem can be one of the following:

Center Wear

When the center part of your tire is wearing out faster compared to the edge, the problem is most likely tire over inflation. Furthermore, over-inflating car tires cause them to wear out twice as fast than how they are supposed to. Other problems of tire over inflation include a bumpier ride, high risk of losing control, especially in poor roads or weather.

Edge Wear

Edgewear is when both edges of a tire are wearing out faster compared to the center part of the tire. It is actually the opposite of the center wear. This problem is mainly caused by an underinflated tire. In a nutshell, it is quite the opposite of center wear, including the cause.

Either The Inner Or Outer Wear

When your tires begin to wear on one side (either the inner or outer part), the problem is wheel balancing. It is important to note the difference between edge wear and inner or outerwear. Do not confuse the two.

However, unlike edge wear and center wear, which are problems you can solve on your own (simply by putting the correct air pressure; as specified by manufacturers); inner or outerwear is a problem that needs a professional. That is because there are many situations or causes that can make a wheel alignment to go off a bit. Examples of other causes include suspension failure, worn-out bushes, and others. If the problem is left to linger, it could lead to serious problems such as suspension problems.

Diagonal Wear

Also known as cupping wear; it is a type of wear that creates a diagonal scalloping wear pattern. The main cause of this problem revolves around vehicle suspension. It may indicate a worn-out, bent, or any other manufacturing problem to the suspension.

The Life Span Of Tires

There are three factors that affect the life span of a tire, which are:

• The number of years you have had them
• The number of miles they have traveled
• Wheel based problems

Now that you have all this new information, check your tires with us a Leahy’s Auto. You want to call before your tires wear even further.

The mention of automobile damage has many car owners thinking of road accidents. The need for defensive driving and being always alert when on the roads does play a vital role in minimizing the risk of damages and accidents. However, it is not possible to prevent every accident. But even then, you can, for the most part, avoid many of the non-collision related damages to your vehicle.

• Be mindful of how you park

Many people pay little to no attention as the amount of room they have between their vehicle and the other vehicles when parking. Some people may be cautious when opening the car doors, but a strong gust of wind can be all it takes for an accidental bang or scratch caused by the door to occur. Therefore, be your brother’s keeper by being mindful of how you park your car. Also, consider the rogue shopping carts and try to park your vehicle a significant distance from the cart corrals.

• Always hide your valuables

If you have valuable in your car, make sure that they are kept out of sight so that they do not attract thieves. Keep in mind that this is in no way a means to prevent break-ins, but it can help reduce the probability of such a thing from happening. In most cases, thieves will strike when they see something they want. Make use of the storage compartments such as the glove box, console, and the trunk to keep your valuables.

• Cover up your vehicle

If you have a garage, then let it be where you mostly park your car. If you do not have a garage (even the portable type), then invest in a cover that you can drape over the vehicle to protect it from the elements. For instance, the sun can scorch the paint, causing it to crack or fade. Therefore, a cover will be a wise, protective measure. Getting your car off the street and into the garage to protect it from hail and other adverse weather. You also will keep it safe from people that may scratch or dent it when walking by or playing.

• Avoid flood zones

If there are possible floods reported, take care, and avoid any zones that are prone to flooding. The amount of damage that the water can cause can have serious, long-term effects. And not forgetting the rain, it is wise to roll up the windows and close the sunroof when parking your car to prevent the water from getting in and damaging the interior.

• Clean your vehicle regularly

The amount of dirt, salt, and different grime and gunk that collects on your car is a lot. Such things can damage the paint or be the reason for small scratches. You can avoid such damages by washing your vehicle as often as possible, more so after long trips.

If you want to have your vehicle prepared to prevent damage get to your nearest auto body repair shop. Get in touch today, give us a call, so you can better be prepared for preventing damage to your vehicle