Mooresville Auto Repair

Here are 5 tips from Honest 1 Auto Care for used car buyers: 1. Ask for service records. Most owners who document regular maintenance service take care of their vehicle. 2. Inspect the vehicle thoroughly. Check for uneven tire wear, alignment, suspension issues, strange sounds and funky odors. 3. If everything checks out up to this point, take it to Honest 1 Auto Care in Mooresville for a thorough used car inspection. Your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Honest 1 Auto Care can give you a heads up on any pressing issues or emerging problems that will need to be addressed eventually. If the seller won't let you do this before you buy, move on. 4. Buy a CarFax report. This will show any major accidents and title status concerns including whether it is a salvaged vehicle. You don't want a car that was underwater for a week after Hurricane Sandy. 5. After you buy, stay on top of regular maintenance (and save the records). Honest 1 Auto C ... read more

Ten Things You Can Do or We Can Do For You! The best thing that you can do to extend the life of your car and potentially save yourself a bundle of money is to have your car serviced on a routine basis. All car manufacturers have a schedule of recommended services for each vehicle they sell. Follow this schedule. Be sure to follow your schedule for fluid flushes. Check the level and color of all fluids at every gas refill. If you don't know how to check your fluids or know what color your fluid should be then ask us to teach you. We will be happy to teach you for free. Nothing lasts forever. Your vehicle's oils and fluids do break down and require replacement in order to properly lubricate. These fluids not only provide lubrication, they need to conduct heat; they need to protect from rust and corrosion; they perform hydraulic functions. Change your oil and oil filter regularly to protect your engine and improve your gas mileage. Dirty oil or incorrect grade ... read more

Winter is right around the corner so it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll protect your car when the temperatures turn frigid. Your car’s cooling system is an essential component that prevents the engine and other parts from seizing up during extremely cold temperatures, and it provides nice warm heat to the cabin of your vehicle! There are a few things you can check to ensure your car’s cooling system is maintained, and you can always trust Honest-1 Auto Care, your honest mechanic shop to help you out as well. Check For Leaks & Condition of Radiator Fluid Radiator fluid leaks are common but need to be addressed as soon as possible. If you see a liquid under your vehicle that is bright green or yellow, or even other colors, then your car is likely leaking radiator fluid. It’s important to bring your car to our repa ... read more

SPRING CAR CARE TIPS Ever Heard of the Serpentine Belt? You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It's called the serpentine belt. The belt is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn't it? If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks. Check your owner's manual for when it's recommended to replace your serpentine belt – or just ask your Honest-1 service advisor. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it's in trouble. You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course ... read more

Let's talk about air conditioning service and repair issues. Most of us we don't give our air conditioning a second thought as long as it's making cold air. But it's a complex and expensive system that we should think about before it starts blowing hot air. The refrigerant in the air conditioner contains a special oil that lubricates and cools the A/C parts. The A/C system should be an airtight system; if there are leaks then it is a priority repair issue and should be serviced. Customers may opt to add fresh refrigerant as well; this protects the air conditioning components and keeps the system operating at peak efficiency so it doesn't have to work as hard to keep you cool. Even with regular service A/C parts can just wear out. Normal wear and tear eventually gets to all moving parts. Addressing early problems can save on more extensive repairs down the road. Check your owner's manual or ask your Honest-1 Service Advisor for recommendations. And if you ... read more

Question: My car has a bad odor when I run the heater or air conditioner. My friend said I might need a new cabin air filter – what's that? Honest 1 Auto Care Answer: A cabin air filter is a special filter that cleans the air that comes into the vehicle's passenger compartment – or cabin – of your vehicle. Most new vehicles sold today now have a cabin air filter. A cabin air filter catches dust, pollen, spores and other pollutants before they can get into your cabin. It's kind of like the filter on your furnace in your home, and it cleans the air you breathe inside your vehicle. As you can imagine, it eventually gets filled up and can even start to get smelly. So – just have it replaced. Now some cabin air filters are really easy to access and others are much tougher to get to. Your friendly and knowledgeable te ... read more

It's no surprise that your vehicle will drive better here in the MOORESVILLE area if all the wheels are pointed in the same direction. That's called wheel alignment. If your wheels are out of alignment you may notice that your vehicle pulls to one side or the other. Something that you won't notice right away, but one thing you will notice if you keep driving around when you're wheels are out of alignment is that your tires are wearing unevenly and fairly quickly. That's because when the vehicle is pulling to one side, you have to steer it back straight. The outside of the tire just wears out fast because you're constantly turning, which can be very exhausting on a long road trip – fighting to keep the vehicle going straight down the road. Some of the things that commonly throw a wheel out of alignment are slamming into a pothole or smacking a curb. And, it doesn ... read more

Question I’m confused about when I should get my spark plugs replaced.  What’s the deal? Answer Well it can be confusing because there are several types of spark plugs and some last longer than others.  Your owner’s manual will have a recommendation for when your spark plugs should be changed.  Here’s a little background.  Spark plugs are in the combustion chamber of your engine.  They send a little spark between two electrodes at the end of the spark plug which ignites the gasoline.  This little spark goes off thousands of times a minute.  Over the miles, the electrodes on standard grade spark plugs wear away increasing the gap between them.  When that happens, the spark isn’t as strong, and the fuel doesn’t burn as well. As I mentioned above, there are several types or grades of spark plugs.  The standard grade is copper core.  They are great for quick starts and may last 12,000 to 13,000 miles ... read more

Certainly that inevitable winter camping trip or weekend drive to the park will include every member of the family, including your beloved Schnauzer, Beagle, or Weimaraner! We have put together a few pointers (no pun intended) for making sure that your pup is safe and happy during the trips you take this holiday season. Here are our recommendations for riding in cars with dogs: No Shotgun for Fido–It is always recommended not to allow your pet to sit in the passenger seat of your vehicle. For your safety, his safety, and the safety of others on the road, make sure your dog has plenty of room to sit behind the driver. For about $20 you can get a pet restraint device that buckles your pet to the seatbelt, but still allows plenty of flexibility. Windows Up!–Your poodle is going to want to stick her head out the window, but it simply isn’t safe. If she needs fresh air, take her on a relaxing walk. Too many times dogs catch ear infection ... read more

Summer is here, and studies show that 60% of Americans plan road trips during the hot and sunny summer months. With fuel prices low and alternate methods of travel being less economical, people will be taking advantage of our country’s vast infrastructure of highways. Here are some items to have checked and keep an eye on before you head out on the open road. Your Vehicle’s Cooling System is comprised of numerous parts that work together to keep your engine at an optimal temperature. Your radiator is one of the most important parts to keep your engine cool and running. The radiator core is comprised of little tubes full of engine coolant that is cooled by having airflow over these tubes. This coolant then flows back to your engine, keeping it at a safe operating temperature. If your radiator core is leaking, plugged, or filled with old coolant, it cannot function properly and in turn, keep your engine from overheating. Be sure to have your radiator inspected to ensure prop ... read more