Malvern PA Auto Repair

Let's talk about cabin air filters. There seems to be some confusion about them in the field that we should be able to clear up. Much of the confusion starts because cabin air filters are relatively new. Not all vehicles in the industry have them, so some people confuse their cabin air filter with the engine air filter. Every vehicle in industry has an engine air filter that cleans the air going into the engine, but not all have a cabin air filter that cleans the air going into the passenger compartment. It's easy to get mixed up. The cabin air filter cleans out dust, pollen, spores and other pollutants. To give a point of comparison, a grain of sand is about 200 microns across. A cabin air filter can stop particles that are just 3 microns in size. It really does make the passenger cabin a much more pleasant environment. When the cabin air filter gets dirty, you just need to replace it ... read more

When we drive on our MALVERN PA streets, we encounter blind spots. We can greatly reduce our blind spots by properly adjusting our mirrors to give the widest coverage possible. Make the adjustments to your vehicle before you start to drive. First, adjust your rear view mirror to give the best possible view directly to the rear of your vehicle or other vehicle type. You don't need it to get a better view of either side of the car, the kids in the back seat or your dazzling smile. The rear view mirror should look to the rear. Next, lean your head until it almost touches the driver's side window. Adjust your side mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your car. Now, lean your head to the middle of the car and adjust the outside mirror so that you can barely see the right side of the car. With your vehicle mirrors adjusted this way, you'll have  ... read more

Brakes that work properly are essential to your safety as you drive and stop on our  streets. You want to carefully maintain your brakes. In vehicles equipped with drum brakes, the brake components are housed inside a drum that rotates with the wheel. When you step on the brake pedal, brake shoes push out against the inside of the drum, slowing the wheel. Now brake shoes just wear away with use from rubbing on the drum as you brake. When it's time to replace brake shoes, it's a straight-forward repair. If you hear squealing or grinding when braking, have your service advisor check them out. He'll have a technician perform a thorough brake inspection to see what needs to be done. He'll check for signs of brake problems and go over other brake components to see that they're working properly. He can tell you if it's time to replace the brake s ... read more

Question My battery keeps going dead. I had it tested and it is fine - what could be the problem? Answer Well, your problem could be caused by several things.  Let's start with a likely suspect: your alternator.  The alternator is like a little electrical generator.  It is spun by the serpentine belt on your engine and makes electricity.  This electricity is used to power the electrical systems required to run your vehicle.  It also powers all your electronic accessories like your stereo, navigation, heated seats, and air fans, as well as charging all the electronics you have plugged in.  After the alternator has done all that, any electricity that's left over is used to charge your battery.  You can see where we're going: if the battery isn't getting enough electricity to stay charged the reason may have something to do with the alternator.  Now it could be that the alternator is bad – they do wear out over time.  ... read more

We all know how important the cooling system is. Coolant/antifreeze circulates around the engine, absorbs heat, and then dissipates it in the radiator.  Cooling system failure can cause extensive engine damage.  There are a couple of fine points that may be useful to you. One is about minor coolant leaks.  It’s tempting to put off repairing small cooling system leaks – we just keep topping off the coolant.  There are several problems with this.  First, coolant is messy.  It doesn’t just evaporate away.  The puddle is harmful to the environment and is toxic to pets.  Second, the cooling system needs to maintain a certain pressure to do its job.  A leak compromises the pressure.  Third, small leaks can unexpectedly become big leaks that leave you stranded.  Fourth, you need to keep the correct balance of coolant/antifreeze and distilled water to maintain proper boil and freeze properties. Another point is corrosio ... read more