Page 9 – Astoria Mechanic | Collision Repair | Auto Repair Long Island City Queens

Why You Should Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection to Avoid the Hidden Costs of Buying a Car That Was Sitting for Years

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:42:26 GMT

Buying a used car that’s been sitting unused for years can seem like a steal—especially when the price is significantly lower than market value. In Queens and across New York City, many buyers hunt for deals on older vehicles that have been in storage or parked outdoors for extended periods. While the low asking price looks attractive, cars that sit idle for 2–3 years or more often develop hidden mechanical, cosmetic, and safety issues that aren’t obvious during a quick test drive.

At Tolima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens, we regularly see customers who thought they found a bargain, only to discover expensive repairs waiting after purchase. A professional pre-purchase inspection in Long Island City or Queens can uncover these problems before you commit, helping you avoid thousands in unexpected costs and potential safety risks.

Why Cars That Have Been Sitting Develop Serious Hidden Problems

When a vehicle sits for years—especially outside in the elements—several systems degrade even if the mileage looks low. Fluids break down, rubber components dry out and crack, seals harden and leak, brakes seize, and paint suffers from prolonged UV exposure and moisture. Tires can develop flat spots or dry rot, batteries die, and internal components like shocks, hoses, and suspension parts lose functionality.

These issues compound quickly once the car is driven again. What starts as a “great deal” on a used car can turn into a money pit if you skip a thorough inspection.

Real-World Example: A 2008 Honda Civic Stick Shift That Sat for 3 Years

Recently, a customer brought in a 2008 Honda Civic with a manual transmission that they purchased at what seemed like an excellent price after it had been sitting unused for approximately three years. On the surface, it appeared to be a solid find for daily driving in Queens.

However, a detailed inspection at our shop revealed a long list of issues that would have been easy to miss without professional tools and experience:

The Driver's Side Blinker Harness was cut and bulb socket was missing.
The clear coat was peeling badly across the body because the car had sat outside, exposing the paint to years of sun, rain, and temperature swings.
Both front shocks were drenched in oil , indicating failed seals and the need for immediate replacement to restore handling and ride quality.
The coolant cap and tubing were missing , causing the radiator to leak coolant from a broken tube. This risked overheating and major engine damage if left unaddressed.
The car needed brakes all around , with the rear brake caliper seizing— a serious safety concern for stopping power, especially in stop-and-go traffic in Long Island City and Queens.
A full tune-up was required, along with attention to other deferred maintenance items common in long-stored vehicles.

These repairs added up quickly. What felt like a bargain became a significant investment just to make the car reliable and safe. Many of these problems stemmed directly from the car sitting idle: degraded seals, leaked fluids, seized components, and weather damage to the exterior.

The Hidden Costs of Skipping a Pre-Purchase Inspection

Cars that have been sitting for years are prone to “lot rot” or storage-related wear, including:

Degraded fluids (oil, coolant, brake fluid) that lose protective qualities
Cracked or brittle hoses, belts, and seals that can fail suddenly
Rusted or seized brakes and suspension parts
Paint and body damage from outdoor exposure
Potential rodent damage, electrical issues, or flat-spotted tires

Even a reliable model like the Honda Civic can rack up hundreds or thousands in repairs shortly after purchase if these issues go undetected. Without a pre-purchase inspection, you’re essentially buying blind—paying now or paying more later, plus risking breakdowns, reduced safety, and lower resale value.

A professional inspection gives you leverage: you can negotiate a lower price, ask the seller to fix issues, or walk away from a bad deal entirely. In the competitive used car market around Queens, this peace of mind is invaluable.

Protect Yourself with a Pre-Purchase Inspection in Queens

If you’re shopping for a used car in Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, or anywhere in Queens—especially one that’s been parked or stored for a long time—don’t rely on a visual check or the seller’s description alone. Get an expert pre-purchase car inspection from a trusted local mechanic who knows New York vehicles and local driving conditions.

Tolima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens, recommends getting a pre-purchase inspection before buying any used car, particularly those that have been sitting for years. Our thorough inspections cover mechanical systems, safety components, fluid conditions, suspension, brakes, leaks, and cosmetic issues to give you a clear picture of the vehicle’s true condition.

Reach out to us if you’re looking at a car and need a reliable pre-purchase inspection. We’ll help you make an informed decision, avoid hidden repair costs, and drive away with confidence in your purchase. Schedule your inspection today and turn a potential headache into a smart, money-saving choice.

Top 5 Common Causes of a Chirping Sound Under Your Car's Hood

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:20:26 GMT

If you're hearing a strange chirping sound coming from under your hood, you're not alone. Many drivers experience this issue, and it can be a sign that something needs attention. At Tolima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens, we see these kinds of problems often and help get vehicles back on the road smoothly. In this post, we'll break down the top 5 most common reasons for that annoying chirping noise.

1. Worn or Loose Serpentine Belt

The serpentine belt is like a long rubber strap that powers several parts of your engine, such as the alternator and air conditioning. Over time, it can get worn out, cracked, or loose. When that happens, it might slip against the pulleys, creating a chirping sound—kind of like a bird tweeting. This noise often gets louder when you accelerate or turn on the AC. A quick check can usually spot if the belt needs tightening or replacing to avoid bigger issues.

2. Faulty Belt Tensioner

Connected to the serpentine belt is the tensioner, which keeps the belt at just the right tightness. If the tensioner wears out or its spring gets weak, the belt can start to flap around a bit, leading to that chirping noise. You'll notice it more when the engine is cold or idling. Replacing the tensioner is straightforward and can quiet things down fast.

3. Bad Idler or Pulley Bearings

Pulleys are the wheels that guide the serpentine belt around the engine. Inside them are bearings that help them spin smoothly. When these bearings dry out or fail, they can make a high-pitched chirping as the pulley turns. This sound might come and go, especially during startup or when revving the engine. Lubricating or swapping out the pulley usually fixes it.

4. Issues with the Alternator

The alternator charges your car's battery and powers electrical systems. If its bearings go bad or it's starting to fail, you might hear chirping from under the hood. This noise can be steady or increase with engine speed. Ignoring it could lead to dim lights or a dead battery, so it's worth checking sooner rather than later.

5. Power Steering Pump Problems

Your power steering system makes turning the wheel easier, and the pump is key to that. If the pump's fluid is low or the pump itself is wearing out, it can produce a chirping or whining sound, especially when you steer. Topping off the fluid might help temporarily, but a deeper look is often needed to prevent steering issues.

While these are some of the most frequent culprits behind a chirping sound under the hood, every car is different, and the noise could stem from something else. It's always best to have the noise professionally diagnosed to pinpoint the exact cause and avoid costly repairs down the line. If you're in the area, you're always welcome to reach out to Tolima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens —we're here to help keep your car running quietly and reliably!

Why Your Chevy Truck Battery Drains When Parked

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:04:40 GMT

When Your Car Doesn't Start After You Leave It Parked For A FewDays

At Tolima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens, we frequently help Chevy truck owners frustrated by batteries that die after just a few days of sitting idle. If your Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, or similar GM model from 1999-2007 (or even some 2014s) experiences this, a common culprit is parasitic battery draw from the gauge cluster—also known as the instrument panel cluster (IPC). This issue causes ongoing power consumption even when the truck is off, leading to a dead battery. Below, we'll simply explain what causes it, the key symptoms, and why professional help is essential.

What Is Parasitic Battery Draw in Chevy Trucks?

Parasitic draw refers to small, constant electrical usage that drains your battery when the vehicle isn't running. In Chevy trucks, the gauge cluster should power down fully after shutdown, but faults keep it partially active, pulling excessive current (often 210-600 mA instead of the normal 15-30 mA). This can flatten a battery in 1-7 days, affecting models like the Silverado, Avalanche, Suburban, Yukon, and Escalade.

Common Causes of Gauge Cluster Parasitic Draw

These problems stem from design and wear issues in GM clusters:

Silver Migration on Circuit Boards: Corrosion-like growth (dendritic growth) on the board, often from lead-free solder in Mexican-built units, creates shorts that prevent shutdown. It's prevalent in 2003-2006 models and worsens with age or moisture.
Cold Solder Joints and Faulty Components: Degraded connections on resistors, capacitors, or pins lead to power leaks. Stepper motors for gauges or vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs) for odometer and gear indicators can fail to sleep.
Data Bus Communication Issues: In 1999-2002 models, the Class 2 data bus sends unintended signals, keeping the cluster awake due to wiring faults or security triggers.
Ignition and Wiring Problems: Power leaks from ignition wires to constant-hot ones, or loose harnesses behind the dash, maintain unwanted activity.
Other Internal Failures: Shorts in relays, persistent backlighting, or links to systems like wipers or radios contribute to the draw.

Key Symptoms of a Faulty Gauge Cluster

Watch for these signs that point to the cluster as the source:

Battery dies quickly (1-7 days) despite a good alternator or new battery.
Erratic gauges: Needles stick, move unexpectedly, or fuel levels change after shutdown.
Digital displays dim, flicker, or show odd patterns like squiggly lines on the odometer or PRNDL.
Dash lights linger after key removal, or the cluster activates randomly.
Strange behaviors such as horn activation during charging, sudden wiper movement, or issues tied to wire movement.
Scrolling text on the driver information center (DIC) or false security warnings.

Why Professional Repair Matters

Addressing gauge cluster issues often involves cleaning corrosion, resoldering components, adding relays to cut power, or full rebuilds/replacements. Rebuilds provide warranties, ensuring a lasting fix without mileage reprogramming hassles.

In our experience, gauge cluster parasitic draws tend to be the most common issue for why Chevy truck batteries go dead after leaving the vehicle parked for a few days. For proper diagnosis and repair, bring your truck to T olima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens —our team will resolve it efficiently. Contact us today !

The #1 Thing You Should Do If You Own a Hyundai with a 2.0T Engine (To Avoid Catastrophic Failure)

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 16:20:07 GMT

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At Tolima's Auto Center in Long Island City, Queens, we see a lot of Hyundai 2.0-liter turbo engines come through our bays—and unfortunately, far too many of them need complete engine replacements. If you drive a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T, Sonata 2.0T, Veloster Turbo, or any 2011–2014 model with the Theta II 2.0T turbo engine, this post is for you.

Watch our latest shop video below where we tear down a 2014 Genesis Coupe with a classic #4 cylinder meltdown, then keep reading for the one simple habit that can save you $2,000–$8,000 in repairs.

Why Hyundai 2.0T Engines Are Failing Prematurely

The 2.0-liter turbo (Theta II) found in:

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T (2010–2014)
Hyundai Sonata 2.0T (2011–2014)
Hyundai Veloster Turbo (2013–2017)
Kia Optima 2.0T / Forte Koup 2.0T (same engine family)

…is an absolute rocket when it’s healthy. But we’re seeing a pattern of oil-starvation damage that destroys turbos, scores cylinder walls, burns pistons, and toasts valves—often before 100,000 miles.

Real shop example: This 2014 Genesis Coupe 2.0T came in with a severe misfire on cylinder #4. We pulled the engine and found:

Melted piston #4 (literally looks like it went through a fire)
Deep scoring on cylinder walls
Turbo bearing failure from lack of lubrication
Burnt exhaust valves

(Scroll down for photos from the teardown.)

This isn’t an isolated case. In the last 24 months alone, Tolima's Auto Center has replaced or rebuilt about a dozen of these 2.0T engines in our shop in L.I.C. Queens—mostly 2011–2014 models.

The Root Cause: Oil Starvation in Hyundai Theta II 2.0T Engines

These engines run extremely tight tolerances and high boost pressure. When oil breaks down or isn’t changed frequently enough:

Oil passages clog with sludge
Turbo bearings fail with insufficient lubrication → turbo failure
Oil pressure drops → rod bearings and pistons starve of oil/lack lubrication
Cylinder #4 (farthest from the oil pump) takes the worst hit

Hyundai’s factory oil-change interval of 7,500 miles is simply too long for turbocharged direct-injection engines in New York stop-and-go traffic.

The #1 Thing You MUST Do: Shorten Your Oil Change Interval

Change your oil every 3,000–5,000 miles with full-synthetic 5W-30 or 5W-40 (we recommend Liqui Moly, Mobil 1, or Pennzoil Ultra Platinum).

Yes, that’s more often than Hyundai says.
Yes, it costs $80–$120 each time.
No, it’s not even 1/10th the price of a new engine.

One extra oil change per year can prevent:

$5,000+ engine replacement
$1,500 turbo replacement
$2,500+ machine-shop bore & hone

Photos from Our Latest 2014 Genesis Coupe Teardown

Warning Signs Your Hyundai 2.0T Is Heading for Trouble

Misfire or rough idle (especially cylinder #4
Blue smoke on cold start or hard acceleration
Turbo whine or rattling
Low oil pressure light (even briefly)
Metal shavings in oil filter (we check this FREE during every service)

Why Queens Drivers Trust Tolima's Auto Center for Hyundai Repair

20+ years specializing in Asian imports (Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Honda, Toyota)
ASE-certified master techs with Hyundai factory training
Full engine rebuild capability – we don’t just swap short-blocks
Free digital inspections with photos/video sent to your phone
12-month/12,000-mile warranty on all repairs
Convenient Long Island City location near the 7, N, W, E, M, R trains

Schedule Your Hyundai 2.0T Oil Service or Diagnostic Today

If you own a Hyundai 2.0T in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Long Island, bring it to Tolima's Auto Center if you are in need of maintenance, diagnostics, or repair.

https://tolimasauto.com

Book online: https://www.tolimas-auto.com/contact

Address: 35-34 42nd Street, Queens, NY 11101

Most Common Problems with the 4th-Generation Honda CR-V (2012–2016)

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:36:00 GMT

The 4th-generation Honda CR-V , was produced from 2012 to 2016, and is a reliable compact SUV popular with many of our customers. It is powered by a 2.4-liter engine and equipped with either a 5-speed automatic (2012–2014) or a CVT (2015–2016), it’s a common sight at our auto repair shop. However, even this popular model has its share of issues. If you own a 4th-gen CR-V or are considering buying one, here are the most frequent problems we see at Tolima’s Auto Center and how we can help you address them.

Common Engine Problems

The 2.4L engine in the 4th-gen Honda CR-V is solid, but it’s not without flaws.
Here’s what we encounter:

VTC Actuator Noise : A grinding or rattling sound on cold starts is a telltale sign of a faulty Variable Timing Control (VTC) actuator. This issue, common in 2013–2015 models, is especially noticeable during Queens New York winters. While it won’t strand you, the noise can be irritating.

Oil Leaks : Leaks from the valve cover gasket, oil pan, or VTC solenoid are frequent, especially with the heat cycles of NYC’s stop and go traffic.

Oil Consumption : Some CR-Vs burn oil if maintenance is skipped. To avoid these issues you should regularly change your oil. Don’t stretch past 6,500 mile oil changes.

Transmission Issues You Might Notice

Transmission troubles vary by model year in the 4th-gen CR-V:

Harsh Shifting (2012–2014) : The 5-speed automatic can shift roughly, especially in stop-and-go New York City traffic. Dirty fluid is often the culprit—flush it every 40,000 miles to help keep your transmission shifting smooth.

CVT Vibrations (2015–2016) : The CVT can cause a buzzing sensation at idle. Software updates or mount adjustments might help, but it’s a quirk some owners live with as CVT transmissions aren’t as reliable as traditional automatic transmissions.

Electrical Glitches Common in this Generation CR-V

Battery Drain : Park your CR-V for a few days, and it might not start. This is caused by a parasitic drain on the battery. We have found a stuck A/C relay to be the most common cause of this issue.

Door Lock Failures : Sticking locks, especially on the driver’s side, are another common issue. The solution is replacing the door lock actuator.

Suspension and Brake Concerns

City driving takes a toll on these components:

Warped Brake Rotors : Shaking when braking? Warped front rotors are common around 60,000 miles.

Wheel Bearing Noise : A humming sound on turns usually signals a bad wheel bearing. If the problem gets ignored the sound will get louder and louder. Wheel bearings tend to go more often due to potholes and city driving.

Other CR-V Quirks

Cabin Water Leaks : Rainy days can reveal leaks into the footwells from a poorly sealed windshield cowling. Resealing or unclogging drains will fix this problem. If you car smells moldy after a rainy day it is better to get the problem fixed as ignoring the issue can lead to sagging headliners and other issues which will require more repairs and cost more.

Why Choose Tolima’s Auto Center for Honda CR-V Repairs in Long Island City, Queens?

At Tolima’s Auto center, we’ve seen these 4th-gen Honda CR-V problems firsthand as they are popular with our customers. Whether it’s a noisy VTC actuator, transmission shudders, or warped rotors, our team has the expertise to diagnose and repair your Honda properly. We stock common parts and offer preventative maintenance—like fluid flushes—to save you money down the road.

Tips for CR-V Owners and Buyers

Check Maintenance History : Look for regular oil and transmission fluid changes.

Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection : Stop by our shop before buying a used CR-V—we’ll spot issues early.

Act Fast : Small problems like leaks or noises can snowball if ignored.

Conclusion: Keep Your 4th-Gen CR-V Running Strong

The 4th-generation Honda CR-V is a great SUV, but it’s not perfect. From engine rattles to electrical problems, these common issues pop up in New York City’s tough driving conditions. Need a repair or inspection? Contact Tolima’s Auto Center today for expert Honda service in Long Island City Queens.

Most Common Problems with the F15 BMW X5 (2013–2018)

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:25:00 GMT

The F15 BMW X5 , was produced from 2013 to 2018, and is the third generation of BMW’s flagship luxury SUV. These are pretty popular cars among our customer base. However, like any vehicle, it has its share of common problems that owners and prospective buyers should be aware of. In this blog post, we’ll explore the most common issues Tolima’s Auto Center sees with the F15 BMW X5 , with our customer vehicles to help you make an informed decision when you are looking to buy one or have yours maintained by your trusted mechanic .

Common Problems with the F15 BMW X5

While the F15 generation is generally more reliable than its predecessor (the E70), we have seen several recurring issues. Below are the most common problems we have seen across various F15 models.

Common Engine Issues

How to Prevent Engine Issues

In our opinion the BMW 10,000 mile recommended oil change intervals are too long and causes excessive engine wear. We recommend changing the oil every 3,000 to 6,000 miles depending on how hard you drive your BMW car. We see these common pattern failures with customers that follow the 10,000 oil change intervals.

Transmission Issues

The F15 X5’s 8-speed automatic transmission is generally smooth but can develop issues, especially in higher-mileage vehicles.

How to Prevent Transmission Problems

BMW will tell you that their transmissions have lifetime fluid, because frankly BMW wants you to reach 80,000 to 100,000 miles then have transmission issues and trade in your BMW for a new one.

If you want your transmission to last, we recommend you change the transmission fluid every 50,000 miles to help your transmission last as long as possible.

There are also software updates that slightly change the parameters on how your computer controls the transmission and a transmission update can help your transmission adapt as components wear inside your transmission.

Electrical System Issues

What You Can Do To Prevent Electrical System Issues

BMWs are very sensitive to low voltage so if you have parasitic battery drain it is best to diagnose and fix the issue as soon as possible to prevent other electrical systems from developing issues due to low voltage.

Engine Cooling System Failures

The cooling system is critical for preventing engine overheating, but it’s a common trouble spot in the F15 X5because BMW loves to overuse fitted plastic hoses instead of traditional rubber hoses that most other car makes use.

How You Can Prevent Cooling System Failures

Have the coolant tested for acidity to make sure it isn’t degrading the plastic coolant system components and sealing rings.

If the coolant is becoming acidic then a coolant flush can be performed to make sure all the plastic coolant components don’t fail prematurely.

If you see coolant leaks it is best to bring your BMW in for us to address the leaks as soon as possible. As coolant leak issues tend to cascade into bigger problems and if you overheat your engine and warp your heads or block it can lead to very costly repairs.

Other Miscellaneous Things to Look Out For

Air Bag Leaks: On models equipped with air bags, they are prone to leak with age and they are expensive to replace and troubleshoot.

Sun Roof Drain Leaks: Debris such as dust and leaves accumulate in the sun roof drains and creates clogs. Then rain water will drain slowly which can overflow and get stuck in the headliner damaging it or it can leak down and damage electrical components.

Broken Sun Roofs- Many customers come to our shop and tell us that they just bought their pre-owned BMW and that the sunroof is broken and they want an estimate to repair it. This is a big job with lots of labor hours as most of the interior has to be carefully disassembled and then put back together. Don’t buy a pre-owned BMW with a broken sun roof unless you get a BIG discount off the seller’s asking price because it isn’t going to be cheap to fix!

Tips for Buying or Maintaining a Used F15 BMW X5

If you’re considering a used F15 BMW X5 , follow these tips to avoid costly surprises:

Conclusion: Is the F15 BMW X5 Worth It?

The F15 BMW X5 remains a popular car for our customers. They drive nice, have good to amazing power, but they are still BMWs so they can be maintenance heavy vehicles as they age.

However, potential owners should be aware of its common problems , from engine and transmission issues to electrical and suspension challenges. Regular maintenance and early detection of these issues can keep costs in control.

If you’re looking to get an F15 2013-2018 BMW x5 make sure to get a PRE-PURCHASE inspection! NOT a Post-purchase inspection, as many customers come to us for us to inspect the BMW After they already bought it and we find lot’s of issues with it!

Also be prepared for the maintenance costs and prioritize a well-maintained vehicle, the F15 X5 can be a great SUV if it is well maintained and you have a mechanic with BMW dealer level scan tools and the experience to maintain and troubleshoot these vehicles. For those not willing to be strict with maintenance then a German luxury vehicle isn’t right for you. There are plenty of Asian and Domestic vehicles that are more economic to repair and maintain.

But regardless always get a Pre-purchase inspection before you buy and always feel free to reach to us @Tolima’s Auto Center .

Do You Need a Dash Cam? The Crucial Role in Preventing Insurance Fraud and More

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 08:59:00 GMT

At Tolima’s Auto Center, a common question we receive is whether we recommend dash cams and if we install them. The answer is a resounding yes, and here’s why you should consider one, particularly in light of recent insurance fraud schemes in New York City.

Why Install a Dash Cam?

How Dash Cams Work in Scams

Because in this case the victim had a dash cam it can easily be proven that the scammers caused the accident on purpose. This allows the victim to sue the scammers and defend themselves in court against group trying to play the victim.

You can see in the video above one of the scammers suddenly got nervous when he notices that the victim’s car had a dash camera and recorded the whole incident.

Benefits of Dash Cams Beyond Fraud Prevention

Dash cameras can also provide defense against unfair speeding or stop sign tickets that may be issued by the police.

Most quality dash cams use GPS to record speed, time, and location you can prove that you were speeding excessively or that you came to a full stop at the stop sign.

Types of Dash Cams

There are Single Channel, Dual Channel, and even Tri-Channel Dash Cams.

The most common and basic one is a single channel which only records from your windshield looking forward.

Dual channel dash cams simultaneously record front and back of the vehicle so you can also see what is happening behind your vehicle.

Finally, there are Tri-zone cameras that record front, back, and inside the vehicle. These are most commonly used in taxis and commercial vehicles in case it is necessary to show what happened inside the vehicle.

Installation at Tolima’s Auto Center

Dash cameras are designed to be simple to mount and install byt the average user, are powered externally by the cigarette lighter or some other power source that requires the camera to be plugged in and turned on.

When we install your dash camera professionally we hardwire the dash camera system into the car’s electrical system so the camera starts recording when you start the engine or if the camera has a parking mode it gets continuous power to record in case your car gets hit by someone when the car is parked.

We can also install systems to make sure that the dash camera doesn’t drain your battery completely while in standby or parking mode so you don’t run the risk of having your car not start due to a weak battery.

In an era where insurance fraud and traffic disputes can easily escalate, a dash cam is not just an accessory but a necessity for every driver. At Tolima’s Auto Center, we ensure that your vehicle is equipped to protect you on the road.

If you have any questions about installing a dash camera in your car, fell free to reach out to us at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Don’t become a victim; equip your car with a dash cam today!

Also, check out our YouTube channel to see the video version of this blog post!

Everything You Need To Know About Your NY State Inspection

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 23:17:00 GMT

Today, we will be answering the most common questions we get about the yearly NY State Inspection.

Every year, New Yorkers have to get their vehicles ready for their New York State inspection. The cost of the yearly inspection at the time of this blog post, is $37 to pass or fail. If you fail your inspection and your inspection sticker is expired, you get one 10-day extension to remedy the problem that caused your car to fail its inspection.

This puts a lot of people out $37 and then they are in a hurry to get whatever is wrong repaired and try again before the 10-day extension expires. In this blog post, we will explain the inspection process and give you a few tips in order for you to be able to go into your inspection more confident!

#1 Rule For New York State Inspections

The first rule is that if you have a check engine light, you will automatically fail the inspection!

There are two parts to an inspection. There’s a safety inspection and an emissions inspection and if the check engine light is on, you will automatically fail the emissions part of the inspection.

Safety Inspection Portion

As for the safety inspection, you can see what that entails here on the DMV’s website . The safety inspection is conducted at our shop and what we do is we check for seat belts to make sure that the seat belts are working properly. Then we check the brakes. We make sure that nothing in the hydraulic brake system is leaking. We make sure that the fluid in the brake master cylinder is up to level. We also make sure that all the brakes are within good working order, that you’re not losing brake hydraulic pressure when you push the brake pedal down with your foot.

Also, we make sure, as I said before, that there’s no leaks. We make sure that also the brake discs and or brake drums are all within spec, that the metal is not damaged on them, that there’s good gripping surface to friction surface to make the vehicle stop. Then we also make sure that the brake pads or the brake shoes and the calipers are all in good working order and there’s enough brake pad left where you’re not low on brakes.

Then for the next portion, we check the steering, front end suspension chassis, frame and wheel fasteners. We check the steering wheel. We check the suspension, make sure that there is no play in the bushings. We make sure that everything is safe so that when you actually turn the car, the wheels turn with the car. We also make sure that the shocks and the struts are working properly. We make sure that nothing is broken, that everything is within good working order.

In this case, for the chassis, we’re also checking for brakes or cracks because in New York, every time it snows, they throw a ton of salt on the road. That salt causes the frames and the unibody of the car to corrode and that can cause cracks and brakes, which will make the car fail inspection because again, we don’t want the car splitting like the car itself to actually split the body or holes in the suspension to basically make it unsafe.

Then we also check all the tires to make sure that the tires are having enough tread. As the tire drives down, the rubber on the tire wears down. The limit is that it has to be at least two thirty seconds of an inch when measured between two tread groups on the tire.

Next, we make sure that all the lights are in good working condition, that the headlamps, the tail lamps, the brake lights, the blinkers, the reverse lights, the license plate lights and that the hazard warning lights work. All this is important because with the newer cars, they’re all computer controlled and even though the light is okay, there could be an issue with the computer and that has to be fixed.

Finally, we also make sure that all the glass is in good condition, that there’s no cracks on the glass that are 11 inches long or longer. Also, we make sure that the windshield wipers are in good working order because if it rains and your windshield wipers don’t work, you’re not going to be able to see out of the car. We also make sure that the horn is working in case there’s an emergency you need to honk and also that the mirrors are all working properly and that the mirrors are actually functional because on certain cars, the mirrors can actually delaminate and they become opaque and hard to see out of.

Finally, we check for fuel leaks. We make sure that there’s no issues where there are any parts of the fuel system where it’s leaking.

Emissions Inspection Portion

The next part of the inspection is the emissions inspection and this goes back to what I said originally where if you have a check engine light, you will automatically fail this portion of the inspection.

The emissions inspection is done through the onboard diagnostics port under your dashboard, also known as the OBD2 port. This port is located underneath the dashboard on the driver’s side and it applies to any car made in the US made after 1996. Your car’s computer is going to get plugged in and connected to the New York State DMV’s computers and it’s going to check your car for specific faults. If it finds any check engine light, that’s it. You automatically fail.

The computer is looking for catalyst efficiency codes, evaporative emission codes, it’s checking your oxygen sensors. These sensors are all related to your car’s emission systems and your car runs automatic checks on itself to make sure that these are working properly and if there’s any issue with these, it will set off a check engine light. This is why you will not pass with a check engine light.

So what if your inspection is coming up and you have a check engine light?

You take it to the shop to get it fixed or you fix it yourself and then you reset the check engine light. Then, are you ready for inspection? Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Once you fix the emissions related problem and reset the check engine light, you need to perform a full drive cycle before your car is actually ready for inspection.

What Does a Full Drive Cycle Entail?

Once the check engine light is reset after whatever is wrong has been repaired, then a drive cycle is driving the car a certain way to give your car’s computer new data for it to run its own self scans for the emission systems.

Every car is different but generally to get your car ready for inspection and perform a proper drive cycle, there are some rules to follow. First, you cannot have too much gasoline in the tank or too little. Your gas tank should generally be below the 3/4 mark but above the 1/4 mark for your car to appropriately test the evaporative emission systems.

Then, you need to do varied driving in the city and on the highway generally without exceeding 60 miles per hour. And within 20 to 40 miles of this type of driving, your car should be ready for inspection.

There is no easy way of knowing whether your car is ready for inspection or not, unless you have a scanner that can check emission readiness data. And you can find these scanners all over Amazon or at your local auto parts store. And with one of these simple scanners, you can check to see your car’s emission data. You can see what tests it has completed, which tests are incomplete.

Once all the tests have been completed and passed, then your car is indeed ready for inspection. With one of these scanners, you simply connect it to the OBD2 port under your dashboard and check it with the scanner.

Since you have to pay for the inspection, whether you pass or fail it, owning a simple scanner like this can be considered a cheap investment. Also, it allows you to check your codes, what codes you might have when you have a check engine light. This tool is handy when checking the health of your car, resetting a check engine light, and just helps you know with confidence that you will be ready to pass your inspection.

So if you are in need of a New York State Inspection, vehicle diagnostics, maintenance, or auto body and collision work, always feel free to reach out to us @ Tolima’s Auto , your one-stop car repair shop in Long Island City, Queens, New York.

Also check out the video version of this blog post!

Auto Body and Collision Work Surprises

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 23:25:00 GMT

Many customers contact us for auto body and collision work estimates for their cars, and we always emphasize the auto body and collision estimates based on pictures are rough estimates because we can’t properly estimate the amount of labor and parts for the car to be 100% repaired.

We recently had a perfect example of this, when we had a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan come in that had gotten re-rendered. The customer had requested an estimate from some pictures they sent us via our website at tolimas-auto.com . We gave the customer a rough estimate based on the pictures of the damage.

When we asked how hard was the impact, the customer had stated that the impact was very light and that the damage seemed to only be cosmetic. We always emphasize that when we give online bodywork estimates based on pictures that they are only rough estimates because we cannot see the damages to the substructures that might have been deformed or broken by the accident.

And in this incident, this was exactly the case! Once we removed the bumper, we saw that there was actual damage to the inner structure of the car, beneath the bumper skin.

Here, you can see that the bumper support sheet metal is bent and that the hatch wasn’t actually closing properly . This damage was not clearly visible at all from the pictures!

This is why online estimates given through pictures are very tricky because we cannot fully inspect the car and see if there’s any kind of underlying damage in the substructures.

Also, people have different sensibilities to describing an accident’s impact or harshness. For one customer, an accident might feel like a slight bump, but for another customer, that same exact accident might feel like some major damage. So it’s difficult to gauge based on customers’ recollection of the impact of the accident.

Once we found the extra damage, we informed the customer and the customer authorized the work and we got to straightening out the sheet metal. So the rear hatch closes perfectly with a new bumper and trims making this Volkswagen Tiguan look good as new. If you have a European, Asian, or domestic car in need of bodywork, paint, or collision repair, feel free to reach out to us at Tolima’s Auto Center . We also work with insurances for your accident claims and we’ll help you through the process.

If you’d like to see the video version of this blog post you can see it here!

2017 BMW 330I Coolant Leak Diagnosis

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:18:00 GMT

We had a 2017 BMW 330i customer come in with a coolant leak. The car was regularly losing coolant so it was brought to our shop for diagnosis. We had to figure out why it was consistently losing coolant.

For this type of diagnostics, we like to use a coolant pressure testing kit. The tool allows us to pump in air into the engine’s coolant system. Once the engine’s coolant system is pressurized the coolant will be forced to leak out from the seals that have failed. Then we will be able to visually inspect the different components in the engine and see where the coolant is indeed leaking from. And that’ll help us narrow down the location.

Once we set up the tool and we pressurized the system, we were able to find the source of the leak. The leak was back here buried in the back of the engine.

Here you can see carefully if you look carefully, you can see the bubbling from the coolant seeping out slowly. So we found the source of the coolant leak. Now, mind you, BMW engines are very compact and the engine bays are super cramped. So it does take a bit of disassembly to get over in there.

Here we found the culprit. This part that is leaking is oil filter housing. Here you can see that one of the coolant passages in the oil filter housing has failed. You can see the plastic is cracked, allowing the coolant to seep through and causing you to lose coolant. Now, this is one of the common problems with BMWs. The oil filter housing is made out of plastic. And on top of cooling the engine oil, it also has passages for the coolant to go through. And with it being made out of plastic, the heat cycles from the engine getting hot, getting cold, eventually make the plastic brittle and cause it to crack, causing problems.

This is an inherent problem with all BMW designs and they continue to make their oil filter housing out of plastic. So, the solution to fixing this coolant leak will be to replace the oil filter housing. We will replace the housing with a brand new housing, brand new seals and of course everything will be torqued to spec. Once all that is replaced and installed properly, this engine will be good for a long while.

If you have a European, Asian or domestic vehicle in need of maintenance, diagnostics, auto repair or collision auto bodywork, feel free to contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center , your one stop car repair shop in Long Island City, Queens.

If you want to see more of the video we’ve produced, check out our YouTube Channel here !

Advanced Diagnostic Auto Repair in Long Island City, Queens

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 23:40:00 GMT

Many first time customers come to our shop because their cars were diagnosed and repaired at another shop, but the original problem with their vehicle remains! Due to our proximity to Manhattan in Long Island City, we also get a lot of European vehicles which require advanced diagnostic and auto repair. Which means the car needs a mechanic that can read wiring diagrams. Also knows how to effectively use scan tools and testing equipment to replicate and confirm the issue. Many mechanic shops that do not invest in their technicians are simply parts changers.

Difference Between Bad and Good Auto Repair Shops

Bad mechanic shops will see a car come in with a code and use a basic scan tool to see what code is about. Then is the code is related to the Cooling Fan. Then they will make visually confirm the Cooling fan isn’t coming on. Then proceed to make a quote for the customer telling them that the cooling fan is bad and needs to be replaced!

They do all this without testing or checking any wiring, motors, relay, fuses, or computer modules!

Then they proceed to replace the Cooling Fan, and tell the customer to come pick up their car. Unfortunately for the customer, they paid a bill and get their car back with the exact same problem their car initially had!

Advanced Diagnostic and Auto Repair

When a customer brings in their car with an issue, a good auto repair shop will confirm the issue then first see if the issue is mechanic or electrical. Then run tests to replicate or eliminate the issue. Then we can provide our customers with an accurate quote to fix the issue. Once the repair is completed then we test and confirm again that the issue has been successfully resolved!

Example of a Misdiagnosed Car From Another Shop, That we Successfully Diagnosed and Repaired!

If you have an Asian, Domestic, or European vehicle in need of diagnosis, repair, or maintenance feel free to Contact Us!

Also Check out our YouTube Channel for more videos !

Tesla Model 3 Common Issues and Repairs

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 22:59:00 GMT

We have noticed that Tesla has become more and more popular brand of vehicles in NYC and have more customers coming in with Tesla Model 3 owners come to our shop for maintenance and repairs. So we have decided to make a list of the most common issues and repairs we have seen in the Tesla Model 3 cars that our customer bring to our shop.

Suspension issues

We have has many customers come into our shop with suspension noises or because the handling feels strange.

We have found that on Tesla Model 3 cars the control arms, bushings, and mount wear prematurely because of the amazing instantaneous torque Tesla Model 3 motors provide.

Tesla Model 3 Premature Suspension Wear and Tear

Since electric motors don’t need to rev up like I nternal C ombustion E ngines to deliver power they can wear out suspension components faster than on traditional gasoline powered cars.

Add that New York City roads are usually full of broken pavement, pot holes, and other hazards we have many customers come in with suspension noises and loose handling.

Tesla Mode 3 Rattles and Creaks

Tesla being a new car company, they don’t have the best build quality in their internal components and parts.

Many owners bring the cars in because their car has developed interior noises rattles and creaks. Also many components like interior seats wear prematurely from the use of synthetic leather. These can be repaired by adding bushings or reupholstering the seats.

Tesla Model 3 Road and Suspension Noise

Also many customers who purchase Teslas come from other enthusiast car brands like Audi and BMW. These customers are more sensitive to road and interior noises.

The reality is that luxury and enthusiast car brands like BMW and Audi can use the sound of their engine revving up to help hide road, wind, and other miscellaneous noises. Drivers that are used to these cars simply don’t notice more subtle driving noises because gasoline powered cars can use exhaust and engine tuning to mask these noises.

Since Tesla motors are much quieter then it is much easier to notice these noises as you drive.

Worn Subframe and Motor Mounts

Since Tesla motors offer instantaneous power there is a lot of strain on the subframe rubber mounts that are sandwiched between the suspension and body of the Model 3. This is a big job at the dealer and an independent shop that has experience with Teslas can replace the subframe and motor mounts much more economically than the Tesla dealer.

Tesla Model 3 Drive Motor Issues

As Tesla Model 3 drive motors age they do require maintenance such as oil changes and internal bearing replacements. Customers have informed us that when they experience Tesla Drive motor noises/issues the Tesla dealers tell them that the drive motors aren’t serviceable and they recommend the entire drive motor unit be replaced!

This can cost between $6,300 to $10,000 for just the replacement motor alone! With proper diagnosis and repair Tesla drive motors can be repaired for much less.

Tesla Model 3 Door Handles and Window Regulator Repairs

Tesla installed futuristic pop out door handles on their Tesla Model 3. They are quite slick, but are also prone to failure. So do their window regulators! These are common repairs which we common do for much lower prices than the dealer!

Tesla Tire and Wheel Repair

We have also have many customers come in with damaged or bent rims and tires. When possible we can refurbish the factory Tesla Rim, but we also offer factory rim and tire replacements for most Tesla models.

These are the most common issues we have recently seen at our shop. If you have any questions, or would like our shop to diagnose an issue with your Tesla model 3 or other car, feel free to reach out to us @ Tolima’s Auto Center !

Mercedes Benz GLC 300 Overheating

Wed, 22 May 2024 00:44:00 GMT

We recently had a customer come in with a 2019 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 that was overheating. The customer told us that it was taken to a different shop where they diagnosed the Mercedes Benz GLC and concluded that the cooling fan was faulty. They proceeded to replace it but the car continued to overheat.

So the customer brought it to us for a second opinion. We started our diagnosis, by scanning the car and saw that there we communication and short circuit codes related to the engine cooling system. We the then suspected it was an electrical problem. We then proceeded to probe wires in the fuse box and found fuses 19 and 20 were not getting ground. We then pulled the shop manual with the wiring diagrams for the car and followed the wires related to the blown fuses. The wires lead to a connector under the driver’s seat.

We removed the trim and carpet in that area to inspect the wires and we found that there was a standing pool of water in the area. Somehow water was getting into the inside of the car and had pooled up in an area where the water caused connectors and short and burn wires. This is when we confirmed that the previous shop misdiagnosed the issue as the cooling fan was perfectly fine. Now to properly fix the problem we need to fix the water intrusion into the cabin and we have to replace the damaged wires and replace the blown fuses.

Once the repairs were done the 2019 Mercedes Benz GLC 300’s cooling system worked good as new! So if you have a European, Asian, or Domestic vehicles in need of diagnosis, repair, or maintenance feel free to reach out to us @ Tolima’s Auto Center !

How Often Should I Change My Oil?

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 01:25:00 GMT

Many customers text, call, or ask us in person, “How often should I change my oil?”. Particularly customers with European cars ask us if the 10,000 mile or 12 month oil change is often enough.

And the answer is, it depends!

There are multiple variables that determine how often you should change your oil. 10,000 mile oil changes are recommended by the car manufacturers when the engine is brand new to make the engine seem low maintenance. But as anyone who has owned a high mileage vehicle know that the engine is eventually going to start suffering from oil leaks.

If Your Engine Burns or Leaks OiI

In the case of higher mileage engines the oil should be changed more often as the longer the oil is used it loses its ability to protect and condition the rubber or silicone seals. Then they will start leaking. And depending on where the leak develops it should be a pricey repair.

Also many modern engine burn oil by design and the oil consumption gets worse as they age. We have had customers who waited a long time to change their oil come in with almost no oil in their engine!

Many preventable damage occurs when customers wait too long to change the oil in their older car and the engine simply burns or leaks out all of the oil until engine damage occurs.

How Often Should You Change Your Oil?

With so many variables in place, if your car has a oil change reminder light then you should follow it, but if your car is older and you don’t have a computer that tells you when to change the oil and your car has over 100,000 miles, then we recommend you change your oil every 6,000 miles. But also check your oil level at least once a month in case your engine is leaking oil or burning oil so you don’t run dry and prevent running your engine without oil!

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to us @ Tolima’s Auto Center !

Autobody and Collision Repair

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 22:54:00 GMT

Many of Tolima’s Auto Center customers aren’t aware that we do Autobody and Collision repair! We recently had a customer come in with a late model Jeep Wrangler come in for auto body work. The Jeep had bumper, fender, suspension, and steering damage.

We invite you to check out this video on the before and after on this customer’s Jeep Wrangler!

If you are in need of autobody or collision repair always feel free to Contact Us !

Engine Randomly Stalling

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 21:49:00 GMT

We had a customer come in with a 2003 Mercury Sable that had an engine randomly stalling. The customer would be waiting at a light and the engine would randomly shut off. We started by scanning the power train control module to see if there were any codes.

Misleading Engine Codes

We found a check engine code for the coolant temperature sensor. It had a fault for voltage too high. In these cases most people would assume that the sensor went bad and all we have to do is change the sensor and problem solved!

Proper Diagnosing > Guessing and Throwing Parts

Now that we had the coolant temperature sensor fault we have a lead to further investigate! We now need to test and confirm that the coolant temperature sensor is indeed bad. We check the voltage readings and it read fine.

So we proceeded to check the wiring as NYC has a rat infestation problem and we have seen many cars get check engine lights for chewed up wires.

The wires visually looked okay, but we decided to take a deep dive. While reading the signal off the coolant temperature sensor we jiggled and strained the wires that connected to the sensor. Then we found that the reading from the senor jumped all over the place, and caused the engine to stall!

Why Proper Diagnosing is Important!

After confirming that indeed the wiring had gone bad we were able to replace the wiring and connector. If our shop would not have taken the proper steps to diagnose the issue, the coolant temperature sensor would have been changed and the customer would still have the same engine stalling problem!

This is a perfect example as to why connecting a scanner and pulling codes is all mechanics do. A proper technician pulls codes to have a direction in which to start diagnosing. Once we have an idea of what the issue may be we then have to test the components and replicate the customer’s complaint. Once we can effectively replicate the problem and tested the components in question then we can proceed with the repair. This is also why there is a diagnostic fee for scanning and running tests on the vehicle. Proper diagnosing takes specialized tools and years of experience.

If you have an Asian, Domestic, or European vehicle in need of diagnosing, maintenance, or auto repair feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center !

Here you can see a video about how we diagnosed the issue with this 2002 Mercury Sable!

Dealer Said It Needed An Engine (Lincoln Continental)

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:04:00 GMT

We had a customer come in with a 2017 Lincoln Continental, which the dealer said it needed an engine. The customer decided to bring it to us for a second opinion and we started our own diagnosing. After running some tests we found that cylinder 4 was misfiring. Since the dealer said it needed an engine we removed the spark plug and it looked worn but in reasonable operating condition so we proceeded to put a camera through the spark plug hole and look at the cylinder for damage. The cylinder looked perfectly fine.

Air, Fuel, and Spark

Since we didn’t see any damage in the cylinder we continued our diagnosing as if the problem was a typical misfire. In which case the next step is to check for Air, Fuel, and Spark. If any of these is insufficient an engine will suffer a misfire. Through a power balance we found that removing or adding fuel to cylinder 4 didn’t affect the misfire on cylinder 4 so we suspected it to be a spark problem. We checked the ignition coil and confirmed that it was bad. We proceeded to replace it and the park plug with the Ford OEM Motorcraft brand components which are also used at the dealer and confirmed that it did solve the problem!

All It Needed Was An Ignition Coil, Dealer Said It Needed An Engine

The customer was so happy with the good news that he approved us replacing all 6 sparkplugs and ignition coils to eliminate the chance of having another ignition coil fail in the future. Once everything was replaced the engine was purring like a kitten and the customer was happy that he brought his car to us for a second opinion and a proper diagnosis. If you have a car in need of diagnosing, maintenance, or car repair feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center!

Dodge Challenger Engine Misfire

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:18:00 GMT

We recently had a customer come in with a 2016 Dodge Challenger with a flashing check engine light. We scanned the car and got the codes;

Why Engine Misfires Happen

Engine misfires happen when either AIR, FUEL, or SPARK as insufficient for the combustion process in each cylinder.

We can check for air by checking the Engine Air Filter and making sure it isn’t clogged or checking for any debris or blockage in the air intake system that delivers filtered air necessary for combustion into each cylinder.

Spark issues can be cause by bad spark plugs or ignition wires. So we can removed them and inspect them for damage.

Fuel issues can be cause by a bad fuel pump or bad injectors.

Diagnosing the Misfire

We saw that the misfire detected was predominantly on cylinder #5 and that the Cylinder #5 injector had a circuit fault.

Injectors can be tested by measuring the resistance reading they give on a multimeter. So you can disconnect the injector from the wiring harness and with a multimeter set to Ohms or the Ω symbol. Choose the lowest range available on the multimeter as the resistance reading should be around 15 to 20 depending on the car. We measured the resistance on each injector seeing that it is within range. in this particular Dodge challenger the reading should be around 18 Ohms.

When checking the cylinder #5 injector we saw that is gave a reading that was way off. It was reading about 2.3 Ohms. That confirmed that indeed the injector was faulty!

We were able to replace the faulty injector and the misfire was gone!

If you have a Domestic, Asian, or European vehicle in need of diagnostic or maintenance feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center !

Toyota P0446 Trouble Code

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 03:27:00 GMT

We had a customer with a 2014 Toyota Rav4 come in with a P0446 trouble code. The code description reads, “Evaporative Emission [EVAP] System Vent Control Circuit Malfunction”. So we proceeded to check the EVAP system.

Evaporative Control System Diagnostics

We checked the purge valve by energizing it and seeing if it actuates and it seemed fine. Then we checked the EVAP system for leaks. We then found that there was a leak on top of the gas tank.

In this case had to bring down the gas tank to see exactly where it was leaking from. Once we lowered the gas tank we lightly pressurized with 2 PSI of air and sprayed it down with soapy water.

We then observed that the bubbles were forming where the fuel pump bolts to the gas tank. We figured that the seal had failed. We proceeded to remove the fuel pump and to our big surprise the fuel pump canister’s plastic flange had actually cracked allowing the fuel vapors to escape causing the check engine light for the EVAP system. It was surprising as the Toyota Rav 4 only had 60,000 miles which is fairly low mileage compared to other cars we reapir at our shop.

The Fix

Then we proceeded to replace the fuel pump assembly with a new unit after cleaning the inside of the gas tank to ensure the new fuel pump has a nice long service life. We replaced the seals and locking ring too as the original was rusty. We then re-installed the gas tank and cleared the check engine light. Then we confirmed that there were no leaks and the check engine light was off for good!

If you have a vehicle with a check engine light you’d like us to diagnose or maintain, feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center .

Audi S Q5 No Start, No Communication Troubleshooting

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:27:00 GMT

We recently had a 2018 Audi S Q5 towed into our shop because it refused to start. We tried starting it ourselves and noticed that the dashboard refused to light up at all. We then checked to see if the car’s battery had any charge and it the battery checked out fine. We did notice the Audi’s electrical systems did show signs of life, but refused to or display anything on the dash board. In this case we proceeded to test the Q5’s fuses.

To our surprise all the fuses checked out fine! Then by process of elimination the next step is to check modules. German cars in particular tend to have complicated electrical systems. Each system has it’s own computer and they all talk to each other through an internal network of wires. We suspect one of these computers (modules) was faulty. After further investigation we found that the gateway module under the back seats was sitting in a puddle of fluid. We pulled the gateway module out and upon further inspection we found that the liquid had intruded into the computer and caused a short circuit that left burn marks on the board.

We proceeded to clean up the liquid and replace the gateway module with a new unit. That fixed the problem and the Audi S Q5 started right up!

In our experience we find that most electrical issues on late model vehicles are caused by liquid intrusion into the car’s electrical system. That is why proper diagnosis and knowledge is important to save thousands of dollars versus a mechanic shops that doesn’t diagnose and will just change random parts until they change something that fixes the problem.

If your car is having electrical issues and the batteries check out fine then check fuses and finally check for water intrusions into the vehicle. If you’d like us to diagnose your vehicle then feel free to Contact Us , to diagnose your vehicle.

Steering Wheel Clunk

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 19:56:00 GMT

A common issue customers come in with is a steering wheel clunk. It could be caused by various suspension and steering components, but most common cause of the steering wheel clunking tends to be the outer tie rod ends. The outer tie rod ends receive the most abuse when you turn your car and hit potholes.

Steering systems tend to receive a lot more ware and tear when you do city driving versus highway driving. A new tie rod end is supposed to be tight and have zero play between the ball socket and stud. In the video below you can see a completely worn outer tie rod where the protective boot deteriorated and allowed water, dirt, and other contaminants into the ball socket and stud in the tie rod causing it to get loose and develop play.

Worn Outer Tie Rod

In this case the car had a clunk and a suspension vibration cause by a bad wheel bearing and bad outer tie rod. There is an inner tie rod as well, but they were perfectly tight, clean, and had zero play. So we opted to not replace the inner tie rods, just he outers. Whenever you replace steering components you are required to need to get an alignment, because the new components will be a slightly different size affecting the car’s ability to drive straight down the road.

Once tie rods are diagnosed and replaced the clunking and vibrations will be gone. Then your vehicle will be ready to provide you tens of thousands more mores of reliable transportation.

If you are experiencing vibrations or hear clunks when you turn your steering wheel feel free to Contact Tolima’s Auto Center .

BMW Sunroof Repair

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 01:10:00 GMT

Many first time customers tell us they just bought a pre-owned BMW and would like an estimate on their BMW sunroof repair. Then they are shocked when they receive the estimate. Then they ask why is the repair so expensive. Then we show them this video that somewhat explains that a BMW sunroof repair is very labor intensive. On top of that we have to put one of our top mechanics on it because there are many plastic clips that can break during disassembly. Most of those plastic clips are molded into the interior piece so there is no replacing just the clip. The entire panel must also be replaced. If the interior is put back together with broken clips then the interior will rattle and nobody that bought a BMW wants to have an interior that squeaks and rattles. Finally, replacement parts for BMW sunroofs are out of production on older models and very expensive on newer models and all the parts are plastic. Very expensive pieces of plastic!

Why BMW Sunroofs Break Often

BMW is particular is infamous for having broken sunroofs. Particularly panoramic sunroofs. They break often because the components are plastic and the sunroofs themselves are heavy. Over the years the plastic parts deteriorate and become brittle. Then with use they develop stress cracks until finally they break. Once one piece breaks the sunroof mechanism goes out of sync between the left and right rails leaving the sunroof stuck half way open or closed. If you live in NYC and you street park then you are in a real bind if you can’t close your sunroof. As an emergency option we can get the sunroof closed for our customers, but to make it operational again is an expensive repair.

When Buying A Pre-Owned BMW

Many first time customers stop by because they just bought a pre-owned BMW and they are shopping around for a sunroof repair estimate. Unfortunately, dishonest car dealers sell their customers BMWs with broken sunroofs telling them that it is a cheap and simple repair. Then the unsuspecting customer brings it to our shop thinking it will be a cheap repair and get sticker shock when they receive the estimate.

If you are shopping for a pre-owned BMW make sure the sunroof works perfectly. If it is broken or inoperable then use that to negotiate the price down or request that the dealer fix it if they tell you that it is a cheap and easy repair. Don’t get stuck with an expensive repair after you pay fair market value for a BMW.

If you are buying a pre-owned car the best insurance you can buy is a pre-purchase inspection. A pre-purchase inspection involves a battery of tests to make sure there aren’t any hidden problems with the car and making sure you aren’t buying a lemon or if there is hidden engine or transmission problems on the car you are interested in buying. For more information on a Pre-Purchase inspection, feel free to Contact Us .

Steering Wheel Vibrations

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 21:03:00 GMT

We recently had a customer come in telling us that her car has “steering wheel vibrations” at highway speeds and it has gotten worse over time. We asked her if the problem was consistent and she said it was intermittent at first but then becoming more common. First thing we checked was the dashboard for warning lights. We saw that the ABS and Traction control lights were on. That helped us deduce that something might be wrong with a wheel bearing as the wheel speed sensor that is built into the wheel bearing hub assembly. If a wheel speed sensor is damaged then the ABS and Traction Control lights will illuminate.

Normally we would take the car for a test drive to confirm the customer’s complaints, but since failing wheel bearings can cause the wheels to literally fly off at highway speeds we decided to jack the car up and manually check each wheel bearing. With the wheels in the air we rock each wheel at 12 O’clock and 6 O’clock and they felt okay, but when we checked them at 9 O’clock and 3 O’clock we found A LOT of play on the wheel bearing. Almost felt like a loose tooth. This informed us that the car wasn’t safe to even test drive before changing the wheel bearing hub assembly.

Vibrations in your steering wheel can be caused by out of balance wheels, warped break rotors, or bad ball joints. But it is best to get it diagnosed ASAP especially if you feel it is getting worse the more you drive or you suddenly get ABS and Traction control lights on in your dashboard.

If you have any questions, about an issue your car is experiencing, always feel free to reach out and Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center.

Finding a Coolant Leak In Your Car

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 21:20:00 GMT

Many customers come to our shop when they have trouble finding a coolant leak in their car. They will either get the dreaded “Low Coolant” light, tow their car in when they are overheating, or they see a puddle of coolant under their car. The process of finding the coolant leak isn’t too complicated, but then depending on where the leak is found can be complicated! It depends on where the coolant leak is found.

In the best case scenarios the coolant leak could come from a worn coolant hose. On most cars (excluding German cars) they are easily accessible and can be changed without too much trouble. In the worse case scenarios it can be a head gasket leak where the coolant is leaking internally from inside the engine or a coolant crossover tube buried deep inside the engine.

Coolant Leak Detection Tool

The most common leak detection tools allow you to pump air into the coolant system. This will apply pressure to the system and the leak area start leaking from the added pressure. The tool also allows you to measure the pressure in your cooling system in PSI. If the pressure drops then we search where the coolant is leaking from. If the leaking area isn’t visible from outside the engine the we have to run other tests to see if the coolant is leaking internally.

Common Leak Areas

Thankfully most of the time the most common coolant leaks we find are from the external coolant hoses or leaks from the water pump itself. These repairs are usually straight forward and affordable on most Asian and Domestic cars. On older German cars these repairs can also be simple, but on modern German cars they can be very time consuming and have very expensive replacement parts. In the case of this 2003 Ford Explorer we found the water pump was leaking after pressure testing and proceeded to replace it. It wasn’t a complicated or costly repair.

If you have a coolant leak or are getting a low coolant light, Contact Us and schedule an appointment for a diagnosis!

Auto Body Repair in Queens

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 19:35:00 GMT

People find themselves in need of auto body repair and simply jump on Google and type “Auto Body Repair near me”. We have discovered that many of our auto repair customers seem to be unaware that we also offer auto body work, paint, and glass replacement. Here is one example of a recent customer that had their Jaguar repaired for bodywork next door at LIC Collision, our sister Autobody shop.

LIC Collision works with all insurance companies and fixes your car the correct way. Other body shops cut corners and reduce cost by using tons of Bondo/Body filler instead of re-shaping and repairing your car’s metal body. Using Bondo isn’t recommended because as the seasons change and temperature changes Bondo, expands and contracts at different rates than metal. This causes your paint to crack and ruins your car’s appearance.

Get your car fixed the right way! Bring it to us @ Tolima’s Auto Center !

What Should I Look For In A Good Mechanic?

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 02:23:00 GMT

When people have car troubles and they go online searching for a new mechanic they ask themselves, “What should I look for in a good mechanic?”. And in our opinion that should be a shop with a history of recurring customers and transparency . Many new shops have it tough as they haven’t built a history with a loyal client base. But any good shop will try their best to go above and beyond to earn the trust of their customers to get them to want to write reviews for them and come back to the shop as the experience was pleasant. Transparency, is when the mechanic shop staff takes the time to explain the problem and the repairs to you.

Fake Reviews and Other Tricks

When many people research a new local mechanic they quickly check to see what kind of reviews the shop gets. Unfortunately, there are many services that offer fake reviews. When looking at the reviews it is important to check the dates and make sure that all the positive reviews aren’t clustered on specific dates and months. If most of the shop’s reviews were posted within a few days of each other then you can guess that the reviews are not legitimate. Also look at the content of the reviews. When customers are very happy with the service they received they will usually write the reason why they really enjoyed the service the shop provided. Fake reviewers will post a one sentence ambiguous comment saying something like, “service was good.”.

A good shop will also be clean. The same way the cleanliness of the bathroom at a restaurant can give you an idea of how clean the kitchen is so can the cleanliness of a mechanic shop. Auto repair is dirty work and if the shop is not cared for it will quickly reflect that. That lack of care for the work environment can also reflect the level of care the staff has for their work they do and the business. The lack of cleanliness will affect the quality of the work the shop performs.

Explaining and Showing Their Work

A good mechanic shop, will have no problem taking the time to explain and show their work to you. Most people don’t know all the different components and parts that make a car work, but everybody can understand when they see something leaking, broken, rusty, or damaged. Everybody carries a high definition camera in their smart phone with a fast internet connection. A good mechanic shop will take the time to show you the damaged, leaking, broken, or rusty part with pictures or even better yet video.

A transparent shop will demonstrate how the part is broken and show you that evidence. We have seen other shops send pictures and videos of the whole car to their customers while stating in the video a part is broken or needs replacement without actually demonstrating the how or where the part is broken. Be careful of shops and dealers that refuse to include pictures or send you video that show you nothing.

In the video above you can see how our reputable shop’s service advisor records a video to send to our customer showing them how the bushing has play on the rear control arm in their vehicle. We demonstrate how the bushing has excessive play when force is applied to it. These bushings are supposed to have very little movement and the visible rust shows that the parts are old and worn.

These are the two most important things we have noticed when customers have come to us from less reputable shops asking us about our repair process. If you are local to Long Island City or Astoria, New York then feel free to give us a visit!

4 Reasons to Change Your Cabin Air Filter This Spring

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 14:37:00 GMT

Your cabin Air filter is your vehicle’s most important line of defense against pollutants and air born pathogens found all over the roads. If filters the air that enters your vehicle through your Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning System (HVAC). It is recommended that you change your air filter Once a Year or every 12,000 miles of driving, whichever comes first. When not changed on a timely manner, cabin air filters lose their ability to filter as efficiently and get clogged with debris and other decomposing organic matter.

#1 Fewer Allergens

As spring starts and the weather gets warmer and pollen as well as other allergens in the air. The allergens that enter your vehicle can be greatly reduced with a fresh cabin air filter. This greatly reduces the chances of your spring allergies acting up as we enter the driving season and you spend more hours in your car.

#2 Pollution Reduction

As you sit in traffic or cruise down the road your HVAC system is pulling in pollution in the air from the exhaust of the cars driving in front of you on the road. A new cabin air filter will be able to capture much more of the pollution and smog from the other cars on the road. A new cabin air filter will ensure that the pollution stays outside your cabin and you breathe in the clean air free of dirt, smog, and other road pollution.

#3 HVAC Air Flow

As cabin air filters get overdue for replacement, they get clogged and don’t let the fans in your HVAC system push air to your cabin. So when you turn on your car’s air conditioning or heater the fan inside your dashboard has to work harder and spin faster to move the same volume of air compared to when you have a new cabin air filter installed. A fresh filter will allow your fan to move more air while spinning at lower speeds, making your cabin more quiet and reducing wear and tear on your fan as it spins slower speeds.

#4 Odor Reduction

Many times we get customers come into our shop with an odor complaint. They state that there are unpleasant odors in their cabin when they turn on their heater or air conditioner. Many times these unpleasant odors are caused by leaves that settle on top of their old cabin filter and start decomposing. On some special occasions we come across inspects or rodents that build nests and expire on top of the old cabin air filters. Then the unpleasant odors are caused by the insects or rodents decomposing on top of the old cabin air filters. This is prevented by changing your cabin air filter yearly as when the cabin air filter is changed all debris is vacuumed and cleared.

If you are experiencing strange smells or have any car related questions, feel free to contact us @ Tolimas Auto Center!

3 Reasons Your Car Pulls While Braking

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 05:44:00 GMT

There are 3 common reasons we see cars come into our shop with the complaint being that the car pulls while braking. You might notice that your car has developed a pull either to the left or right when you apply the brake.

Reason #1 Worn Control Arm Bushings

The Control Arms are the middle man that connect the body of your car to the wheels and tires. They are under constant stress from acceleration and stopping. For refinement and comfort the attachment points are made out of rubber and the rubber wears out and tears or brakes down. When the rubber bushings are worn or torn the control arms develop excessive play/movement when you accelerate or brake. This causes your car to pull when you apply the brake are the excessive movement from the control arms will keep one tire from tracking straight and this will cause a pull when driving your car.

To solve this you need to replace the control arms. Most non luxury cars have one or two simple control arms which makes control arm replacement more affordable. Luxury and sports cars have multiple control arms which makes their replacement much more costly as there are a lot more components and labor involved to replace everything.

Reason #2 Stuck Brake Calipers

When you hit the brake pedal hydraulic oil is pushed into each brake caliper pushing out the piston which in turn pushes out the brake pads against the rotors causing the friction necessary to slow your car down and come to a stop. As your car ages rust or worn brake fluid sometimes the brake piston to get stuck. A stuck piston will cause your car to pull when braking because your car will only be braking with 3 or 2 wheels depending on which brake calipers are stuck. Since not all 4 wheels are working to stop the car the car will want to pull to one side.

It is possible to remove the brake assembly and force the piston in and out with a tool to try to free it. This method can work sometimes, but due to the age of the caliper and piston it might get stuck again. That is why as a shop we recommend replacing the brake caliper assembly for a newly rebuilt unit depending on the age of the car and condition of the brake fluid.

Reason #3 Car Out of Alignment

When your car’s alignment is within spec your car should track straight when you apply the brake. A car that is out of spec will have a tendency to pull because the wheels will be slightly pulling in different directions. A bad alignment can be caused by worn, bent, or loose suspension components. If you live in an area with broken or poorly maintained roads then your car is likely to go get out of alignment if you hit a large enough pot hole.

A fresh alignment can sometimes compensate for slightly bent suspension components. But if the suspension is worn or broken then the affected components must be replaced as the car will not be able to stay within alignment spec. A car with a good suspension and alignment will have a tendency to always want to drive straight as an arrow on a well maintained road.

These are the most common causes for your car to pull to one side while braking. For the most part this problem can be resolved at reasonable cost, but a good diagnosis is necessary to solve with issue effectively and keep the cost down. If you have any questions always feel free to reach out and Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center .

BMW Repairs

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 21:04:00 GMT

Everyone likes to save a dollar here and there on their BMW repairs and maintenance. Comparison shopping has never been easier with the internet. Some people will take their European automobile to a discount mechanic shop that only works of economy cars and fleet vehicles. Those types of shops make a habit of making economical repairs to maximize their profits and keep their low prices. They will glue broken plastic parts, use silicone instead of factory gaskets, and install the cheapest Chinese no brand name parts they can find. This leads to them offering cheaper quotes, but then gets expensive when their cheap repairs fail and your car has to be fixed again and again.

BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Mini, Land Rover, and Porsche don’t take well to improper repairs or cut corners. Original equipment parts guarantee the repairs will last. Attention to detail, experience, and following proper procedures with the right equipment is what allows us at Tolima’s Auto Center to make repairs that last.

Every so often we have a new car come in that has been the victim of shoddy repair work. Most it tends to be work where another shop cut corners and glued something in place or used the wrong fasteners to make the repair. As engine bays go through heat cycles the glue used to make the budget repairs weakens and the component will fail or leak again.

Then what? Will you take it back to the shop that did the shoddy repair in the first place?

Will the discount shop warranty their work or take a loss on the cost of doing the repair again and doing it properly this time?

We have seen shoddy repair work that is outright dangerous. We have had cars come in where a discount shop plugged a hole on a tire’s sidewall. The average person will not think anything of it, but plugging a tire’s sidewall is very dangerous as it compromises the structure of the tire. This can cause the tire to explode when driving at high speeds.

It is always a safe bet to bring your car to a shop experience with European cars as they have specialized computers, tools, and knowledge. Here at Tolima’s we have invested in being able to service European and some Exotic cars. We also invite you to compare our shop’s estimates versus that of the dealer. You will save thousands of dollars having your BMW, Mercedes, Mini, Land Rover, and Porsche repaired by us .

All 4 Windows Stopped Working

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 00:02:00 GMT

We had a customer come in with a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville come into our shop because her 4 windows stopped working. She told us that she had the windows rolled down and suddenly all 4 windows wouldn’t roll up anymore. Since all 4 windows stopped working at the same time we knew the problem was electrical. If it was a single window then we could safely assume that it might be a window regulator or motor, but since all 4 stopped working at the same time we knew we had an electrical problem to deal with.

Since it was an electrical problem we tested a door window switches and we could hear the relay inside each door click/actuate when we hot the switches for window up or down. So they were working fine.

Then we checked fuses to make sure that it wasn’t a simple blown fuse. We went one by one until we got to the 30 AMP fuse that gave power to the window motors was extremely hot. It was too hot to pull out by hand so we had to oull it out with pliers. This immediately told us that there was a short circuit in the vehicle causing the fuse to always recieve power making the 30 AMP fuse run hot!

So we now knew the problem was a broken wire or wire insulator somewhere in the car! But where would we find this wire as the wiring harnesses on cars have hundres of wires hidden all over the car. Since it was an older vehicle we checked out a mechanic’s database known as IdentaFix, which lists all common pattern failures.

We found that there was a common issue on this particular car model where some wires that correspond to the window switches get corroded or break under the driver’s seat, which cause all 4 windows to stop operating. So we started by removing the driver’s seat.

With the driver’s seat removed we were able to remove some plastic trims and finally remove the carpet. We found the wires that commonly corrode and cause the 4 windows to stop working. We found some corrosion on the wires.

We replaced the damaged section, soldered, and weatherproofed the new wires. And once that was done we immediately tested the windows and nothing! We didn’t have luck with that common repair!

Now we knew that we would have to try to find the broken wire elsewhere as Identafix didn’t list any other common solutions for all 4 windows not working. We would have to check the wiring for each door and disconnect each door individually until that 30 AMP window fuse would stop getting hot. We would logically start with the driver’s door as that is the most opened and closed door. Between the door and the body of the car there is a main door connector hidden in between. We started with the driver’s door and then checked the 30 AMP fuse again and it stopped overheating! So we now knew there was a broken wire or insulator in that door causing the short circuit.

Upon closer inspection we found the broken wire insulators and proceeded to repair them. We replaced the damaged sections of wires and the problem was resolved. Now all 4 windows worked perfectly as intended! After putting the interior back together we had another happy customer @ Tolima’s Auto Center .

Valve Cover Gasket Leak Repair

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:56:00 GMT

A common repair that comes due on every engine is a valve cover gasket leak repair. All internal combustion engine have high friction components that can actuate thousands of times per minute. These components are part of what is called the valve train. The valve train is splash lubricated with engine oil. The valve covers keep foreign contaminants from getting into the oil and keep the oil from splashing everywhere in the engine bay. In time usually 60 to 120 thousand miles the valve cover gaskets will start to leak and require replacement.

Symptoms of a Valve Cover Gasket Leak

When you start your car and turn on the air conditioner in the summer or the heat in the winter your cabin will start to smell like burning oil. That is because when valve covers leak they usually leak oil on to the exhaust which burns the oil making the smell. On Certain engine types like Over Head Cam Engines a valve cover gasket leak can leak oil into the spark plug wells. This will cause the engine to misfire. You can tell you have an engine misfire because you’ll have a flashing check engine light and the engine with vibrate excessively.

Valve Cover Repair Cost$

Valve Cover replacement can be inexpensive or costly depending on the engine. Four cylinder engines have one valve cover and with some exceptions are generally inexpensive in materials and labor taking anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to replace. V6 and V8 engines are a bit more involved as they have two valve covers and depending on the engine there can be a lot of components that require disassembly. This makes the cost for replacing valve covers on 6 and 8 cylinder engine moderate to pricey.

If engine oil leaked into the spark plug wells then there is the added cost of replacing spark plugs and wires.

Valve cover gasket replacement is a very common repair that every engine eventually needs. No matter the quality of the manufacturer eventually valve covers will leak. Larger and more powerful engines generally run hotter due to turbos, superchargers, and other methods that are used to get more power out of engines. All this extra power generates heat which will make the valve covers leak sooner and on these types of complex engines valve cover replacement requires more labor hours. This is something to consider when purchasing a high horsepower car.

If you smell burning oil when starting your car or have more general questions about cars or auto repair feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center.

5 Types of Damage from Hitting Potholes

Wed, 04 May 2022 04:27:00 GMT

Potholes are everywhere in New York City and there are 5 types of damage we see in our customer’s cars after they tell us they hit a pothole and now hear a strange noise or the car drives weird.

#1 Bent Rims

Big Rims are common in more late model cars. It is common to see 19-20 inch rims in many passenger cars in the last 10 years especially performance models. Unfortunately large rims mean that there is less rubber tire to cushion for the metal rim when your car hits a pothole. If the pothole is deep enough or manages to catch the edge of the lip on your rim you’ll have a bent rim.
Symptoms of a bent rim can be; vibrations at highway speeds or the tire losing air. Sometimes the bent rim and tire can hold air, but if you continue driving on a bent rim it is easier to permanently damage the tire or develop a crack in the metal where the rim was bent. We at Tolima’s Auto Center offer a bent rim refurbishing service for $180 per rim.

#2 Tire Bubbles

Inside your tires there is an inner weaved metal structure that allows your tires to support the weight of your car and occupants. When you hit a pothole this inner structure can be damaged forming a bubble on the outside of your tire. This can be very dangerous as the tire can easily blow out if the bubble pops. At highway speeds this can cause accidents. There is no way to repair this kind of damage to the tire and it must simply be replaced.

#3 Leaking Struts

The struts control the bounce of your vehicle’s suspension. If the impact from the pot hole is strong enough it can blow the seals in your strut and it will start to leak. At this point the strut will no longer be able to dampen the bounce and sway from your car driving on the roads. The symptoms for this will manifest in your car suspension getting bouncy and harder to control your car at highway speeds.

#4 Damaged Wheel Bearings

The wheel bearing are a high stress suspension component as it is designed to handle all the stress of accelerating and braking as well as the weight of your car. Hitting a pothole can damage a wheel bearing and cause a clicking or whirring sound at highway speeds. If this is ignored the wheel can literally fly off the car while the car is in motion. This is one of those repairs that you need to do sooner rather than later.

#5 Bent Suspension Arms

After hitting a pothole if the car no longer drives straight or you have to hold the steering wheel in an off center position to get the car to drive straight then chances are you have a bent control arm. Your car’s suspension is made of multiple links that tie your suspension to the body of your car. These links can bend if you hit a pothole hard enough. Once a control arm is bent your car’s alignment will no longer be in factory spec. Your car will now be harder to drive straight and you’ll experience accelerated tire wear as your alignment is now off.

Potholes can cause hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage to your car’s suspension. There are other types of damage that we have seen occur on customer’s cars, but these are the most common. Luxury cars have more complex suspension systems for better handling so expect to budget more money for repairs on luxury or sports cars. If you have any questions or comments feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center .

Check Engine Light False Alarms

Tue, 03 May 2022 16:35:00 GMT

A check engine light on your dashboard can actually come on when there is nothing mechanically wrong with your car and can simply be a false alarm. Most cars made after 2000 have an array of sensors that monitor certain systems and they simply send out a signal that everything is fine. These sensors aren’t used in any particular way to run your engine or transmission. They simply exist to let the computer know things are fine.

As the car ages these sensor simply burn out. Once the computer stops receiving a reading from the sensor a check engine light will be set. The car is still running perfectly fine, but you’ll get the dreaded check engine light. Some of these false alarms can be scary such as low oil pressure lights, anti-lock braking system lights, low coolant lights. These can be quite alarming as they can cause serious engine damage.

4 Most Common Reasons You Can Get A Check Engine Light False Alarm

The #1 Cheap aftermarket sensor replacements

Usually Original Manufacturer Equipment sensors have brand markings from the company along with a serial number. When diagnosing failed sensors we commonly find sensors that have no markings on them or have a strange design different from what the original sensor should look like. This is indicative of aftermarket generic sensors. The reason these sensors are used is because they are extremely cheap. Unfortunately they tend to last a few months to a year before they fail again.

Many discount mechanic shops that only offer 3 month warranties likes to use these types of generic sensors as they are so cheap, they allow them to keep a higher profit margin on their discount repairs. Since their warranties are so short they don’t have to worry about the sensors failing again after a few short months. These generic sensors are usually found on eBay or Alibaba in bulk. Since Tolima’s Auto Center offers a standard 2 year, 24,000 mile warranty we only use Original Equipment Manufacturer sensors and parts for the longest lasting repairs.

#2. The wrong sensor is used

Even as a professional shop once in a while we receive the wrong sensors/parts from our suppliers. We have found that this is also another reason sensors fail prematurely. A “Do It Yourself Mechanic”, will order a part online or at the auto parts store and simply replace it. This might cause a check engine light immediately or a few days or weeks down the line and they will get a check engine light. This comes down to experience. When you work on cars every day our mechanics and service writers can quickly identify a if a sensor we get from our suppliers is the correct sensor.

#3 Bad Quality OEM Parts

Some auto manufacturers are a bit notorious for using substandard quality parts. In these cases we will see cars that are only 6 years old, barely out of warranty have sensors that failed. In these instances we try to find an aftermarket name brand solution with an improved design. Certain car companies are so notorious for this that there are other companies that have business models around making improved longer lasting designs!

#4 Old or Tired Sensors

As sensors rack up year and tens of thousands of miles of use they get worn out. They become less accurate and don’t report changes in their readings as often or simply stop sending a signal. We see this is often in cars 10 years or older. There are many early 2000’s and late 1990’s cars still on the road today and while their electronic systems were much more simple and reliable they also have sensors that have are tired and give bad readings or simply fail. This causes check engine lights that simply require a new sensor.

Most sensors in your car simply report if a component is working or you aren’t low on a critical fluid such as coolant. There are also active sensors that your car depends to run on and consistently give reading every moment your engine is running. These are critical as they are required for your engine to run correctly. When these sensors fail you will usually get a flashing check engine light and the car might stall or chug like a train when you accelerate. These sensors need to be changed immediately otherwise failure can cascade and cause other components to fail. So not all check engine lights are false alarms and should be diagnosed immediately unless you know exactly what is wrong. If you have any questions always feel free to contact us !

4 Best Auto Repair Products

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 21:10:00 GMT

Many auto repair fixes in a bottle products have a reputation of being snake oil and simply being wastes of money. Over the years and countless cars we have repaired at Tolima’s Auto Center we have found 4 of the best auto repair products that actually work. Not all of them will simply repair your car, but they will allow your car to drive a bit longer and allow our customers time to save up for the actual repair. Buying time can be priceless when it comes time to have a costly repair performed on your car.

Lucas Transmission Slip Fix

This products is meant to prolong the life of a high mileage transmission with slipping clutches. Automatic transmissions have a limited service life. If you perform regular transmission fluid flushes, your automatic transmission ca last over 200,000 miles, but there will come a point where the internal clutch discs inside your transmission will wear enough that they will start to slip. When they slip, your transmission will not be able to transfer power from your engine to your wheel and you engine will rev up and your wheels will barely move. This is called transmission slip because your engine will rev but your wheels will barely move or not at all. This product is a transmission fluid that is very thick and has a consistency similar to honey. You pour it into your transmission careful not to overfill it and idle your car for a little while to let it mix in with the regular transmission fluid. This can be enough to allow the worn clutches to grab and buy you more time before you inevitably have to have the transmission replaced. This product doesn’t work all the time, but when it does it can buy you time to continue driving your car while you save up to replace the transmission or replace the car.

Fuel Injector Cleaner

As gas prices are astronomical in this year 2022, we try to find any way we can to save on gas here is a tip. On 10 years or older port fuel injected cars the fuel injectors can get clogged with debris and not atomize fuel correctly, which will cost you in a decrease in fuel economy. There are fuel injector cleaner products that you can pour into your gas tank to help clean out your fuel injectors and get them to spray correctly. This can also help your engine run smoother as each of your cylinders will get an even amount of fuel. There are many fuel injector cleaner products on the market. We have had great experiences with Berryman B-12 Chemtool Fuel Injector cleaner.

Sometimes fuel injectors get damaged beyond what a fuel injector cleaner can help. For this we have a professional fuel injector cleaning service where your injectors are moved cleaned in an ultra sonic bath and then bench tested for spray performance and flow. This service can greatly help your fuel economy! Always feel free to contact us if you have questions.

Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer

Certain engines are prone to bearing wear when they are run low on oil, oil isn’t changed frequently enough, or the engine is simply worn out. When this happens you’ll get a low oil pressure warning light on the dash board. This will mean that you are in a high probability to spin an engine bearing or wear out another mechanical component due to not enough oil pressure. We have seen that this can be helped with thicker weight oils along with Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer. This product works like the transmission fluid by making the oil thicker and bumping up the pressure that way. This can actually make the engine last a lot longer than it would have otherwise with low oil pressure. This product can buy a lot of time for a worn or improperly maintained engine.

High Zinc Oil Additive

There are various products that are sold as oil performance additives. We have had great experiences with Marvel Mystery Oil, but other additives can accomplish the same thing. The main ingredient in these additives is Zinc. These products can be used to help quiet down noise from a worn valve train. Pretty much as engines wear they can develop ticking noises from worn components. Increasing the zinc content in the engine oil can help quiet these noises down. Aside from quieting the noises down it can help extend the time you have before you have to bring the car into the shop to replace the worn engine components. We recommend you look at the product information and confirm the components of the additive package and confirm it has a high volume of Zinc.

If your engine is running perfectly fine and your car is under 100k miles then most of these products shouldn’t be necessary unless your cars has been badly abused, is highly modified, or hasn’t been maintained. All these products can help you buy time if your transmission or engine are worn and on their way out. None of these products will permanently fix your car, but for a couple of extra bucks they can help buy you time. As usual if there is an issue you should have it professionally diagnosed and repaired. If you have any questions or would like automotive advice feel free to Contact Us .

Free Second Opinion on Your Car’s Diagnosis

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 23:26:00 GMT

If you paid for a diagnostic on your automobile and it seems dubious, Tolima’s Auto Center offers a free second opinion. All you need to do is schedule an appointment at our shop and bring with you the invoice that states the original diagnosis and we confirm or refute it at no charge to you. We have had countless happy customers that came after other shops misdiagnosed their car. At our shop we have over 30 years experience with electrical and mechanical diagnoses. We also are experienced in diagnosing and repairing or European luxury cars such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Land Rover, and Mini.

This service on its own is not a free re-diagnosis. We are simply confirming or refuting the diagnosis and repair estimate from another professional shop. We do not perform this service for people who have diagnosed the car themselves or have received a diagnosis from a non licensed, non professional shop. The car has to be able to drive in for us to be able to perform our own inspection of the diagnosed area of the car. An invoice with the original diagnosis is required in order for us to perform this service. A simple OBD code read out is not a diagnosis. If you have any questions please feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center.

Electrical Diagnostic

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 02:13:00 GMT

As cars become more complicated we get more cars come in for electrical diagnostic. 20 years ago cars were much more simpler and more components under the hood of the car were mechanical. They were driven by the engine via the serpentine belt. Now more and more components are electrical driven off the electricity generated from the alternator and the battery. This adds complexity to the components. Mechanical components make noise or leak when they are failing. Electrical components are harder to diagnose because they make minimal noise and usually don’t leak fluids to help diagnose a problem.

In the last decade more and more components are now electrical. Water pumps were once belt driven but now electrical. Thermostats used to be simple parts that could be bought at most auto parts stores for $20 or under are now electrical computer controlled and can cost hundreds to replace. Steering systems were once hydraulic so when there was a problem we could check for leaks or clogs in the system. Now they are more commonly electric. We had a customer come into Tolima’s Auto Center with a complaint that it was hard to move the steering wheel. After some diagnostic we discovered that the battery terminals were bad and the electric power steering system wasn’t receiving enough voltage to operate smoothly. Our customer was lucky because he was able to have his issue resolved quite cheaply instead of paying thousands of dollars for a new electric power steering unit, installation, and alignment. To fix his car we simply replaced the battery terminal and problem solved!

Modern cars are so sensitive to having low voltage that the first thing we check with most electrical problems is the battery and the terminals.

First Step to Diagnosing an Electrical Problem

We find that the best place anybody can check are the battery terminals. Damaged, corroded, loose, or poorly maintained battery terminals can cause a drop in the electric current supplied to sensitive components causing them to not work correctly or set off a check engine light.

Checking the Battery Posts and Terminals

Battery terminals are clamped on to the battery posts mechanically with a bolt to tighten or loosen the clamps. Terminals can lose good contact with the battery posts by over tightening and deforming the soft metal of the battery posts or someone manipulating the metal to make an incompatible battery fit.

Loose terminals or terminals that weren’t tightened down enough when the battery was installed. We have also seen loose terminals caused by batteries that were missing the battery hold down that prevents the battery from shifting as you drive around and take corners.

Battery Acid and Corroded Battery Terminals

Corroded battery terminals are caused by the bluish powdery build up from the battery posts that is caused by battery acid cooling off or overheating. This powder can accumulate and greatly reduce contact between the terminals and battery. Here at Tolima’s Auto center we have seen there be so much build up that the customers have their cars towed in because the engine won’t start and all it needed was a through cleaning of the battery posts and terminals.

Simply a Worn Out Battery

Most batteries have a production date sticker on them. Depending on the quality of the battery they tend to average a lifespan of 4 to 6 years. If they are 4 years or older after confirming the terminals and posts are in good condition we connect the battery to our tester. Then if it fails we recommend putting in a new battery. Simply by doing that most electrical problems tend to get resolved! There is the saying that the simplest explanation is the most likely cause. At our repair shop we find that to be true. If you are having electrical problems or would like to ask a question feel free to Contact Us .

6 Most Common Problems on the e70 BMW X5

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 22:55:00 GMT

On this article we will list the 6 most common problems repair on the e70 BMW X5. The e70 BMW X5 was produced from 2007-2013 and it is another popular SUV we often repair at Tolima’s Auto Center . This is the second generation BMW and the beginning of the thoroughly modern era of BMWs with Idrive and many other electronic features. This second generation X5 is bigger than the previous generation X5 and features a more complex suspension and engine choices.

1. Thrust Arm Bushings and Control Arms

BMW is known for making vehicles with handling prowess even in their SUVs. This also means that their owner tend to drive them harder and as a result their suspensions require more maintenance. The thrust arm bushings get worn and develop play in them. Drivers get a distinctive wheel wobble feel when applying the brake from highway speeds aside from traditional suspension clunks. The ball joints develop play or the bushings tear requiring replacement of these front suspension components.

2. V8 Valve Seal Failure

On the V8 equipped BMW X5 models owners will notice puffs of blue smoke coming out of the rear tail pipes. This is indicative of failing valve seals. For some reason this affects only V8 engines and not the I6 engines. The valve seals get hard and brittle then let oil get sucked into the combustion chamber. When the problem worsens the car will make more smoke and the engine will burn large amounts of oil causing low oil conditions.

3. V8 Water Pipe Leak

On the v8 engine there is a water pipe that connects to the water pump that is made out of plastic. Over time and heat cycles the plastic pipe gets weak and brittle which causes it to leak.

4. I6 Electric Water Pump

The Inline 6 cylinder X5 models have electric water pumps. Traditional water pumps like the one on the V8 engine are drive by the engine’s serpentine belt. The 6 cylinder water pump is entire electric and tends to fail without notice. Suddenly they burn out and the car will start to overheat. The electric water pumps are also expensive to repair and since they tend to fail randomly they can be quite a hassle to replace.

5. Oil Leaks

As typical with BMW engines both the I6 and the V8 like to leak from the valve covers and the timing covers. It is more of an expected maintenance item at this rate with how often these parts leak and how many we replace.

6. Transmission and X drive issues

We find that most owners ignore to service the xDrive All Wheel Drive system with fluid changes to the transfer case and differentials. Also the transmission fluid is supposed to be “lifetime fluid”, which means that you are supposed to drive the car until the transmission breaks! In reality these transmissions can last hundreds of thousands of miles when the transmission fluid is changed every 40k-60k miles depending on how hard you drive the car. Most people ignore these services and don’t want to do the maintenance until the transmission has problems. Once the transmission starts having problems it is a coin toss whether a fluid service will fix it or make it worse. That is why we recommend a transmission service is performed while the cars still have under 100k miles on the odometer. Also make sure the transfer case and differential fluids are changed to prevent issues with the xDrive system.

It was around this time that BMW started with the 15,000 mile oil change intervals. We recommend that anyone with these cars change their oil at 7,500 miles. We find that as these engines age multiple issues that require expensive repairs can be mitigated by simply changing the oil more frequently. These cars are maintenance heavy, but if maintenance is up to date including the “lifetime” fluids getting changed then they can be reliable. If you own or are looking to purchase the first generation e53 X5 then we recommend you check out this article here for the most common problems with that platform. If you have any issues with your BMW, feel free to Contact Us .

7 Most Common Repairs on the e53 BMW X5

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 21:40:00 GMT

We repair a lot of 2000 to 2006 e53 BMW X5 at our shop and in this blog post we will discuss the 7 most common repairs we do on these BMW X5 models. These BMW X5 models are popular and affordable SUVs that are great for New York City’s terrible roads. We get these often at Tolima’s Auto Center and these are the most common repairs we find on them.

1. Air Suspension on V8 Equipped Models

Fully Loaded V8 BMW X5 models come equipped with rear air suspensions. Instead of using springs and struts the rear suspension has a computer controlled air struts and compressor. The air struts will eventually leak and cause the air compressor to turn on constantly to keep the rear of the car raised. This will burn out the compressor if the leak isn’t fixed quickly. Then the rear end of the car will sag and the suspension will ride poorly. The rear air struts and compressor are expensive to replace. That is why another option people consider is replacing the air suspension with traditional aoil springs from a non air ride equipped BMW X5, but that is also a costly solution as well, although more permanent as you’ll never have to worry about the air suspension again!

2. V8 timing chain guides

As these car age V8 equipped BMW X5 models start to suffer from worn timing chain guides. There will be a distinct chain rattle when the engine is started cold. Infrequent oil changes make this problem happen sooner. This is a problem that happens around 100k miles and with most people buying these cars used the problem tends to creep up quickly. The repair is quite involved and costly. If the problem is ignored then the timing chain tensioner brackets can break apart causing the engine to go out of time destroying the engine.

3. License Plate Light Strip

This seemingly simple part of the rear hatch is a bit over complicated and trouble prone component. The rubber pad that you apply pressure on to open the rear hatch cracks and breaks with time. Then the computer board the it protected becomes exposed to the elements. This causes it to corrode and break more which make opening the rear hatch harder and prevents your license plates lights from working. This whole component must be replaced with a new unit and the new unit come unpainted. The cost of the unit, painting to match the car, and labor add up.

4. Door Handles

BMW designed the door handles to be pulled up in order to open the doors. The problem is that people pull them “out” towards themselves instead of “up” which in time breaks the internal aluminum door handle frame which is made out of aluminum. Once these break the door will not open from the outside, but can still be opened from the inside. These break often with people continuously pulling on the door handles the wrong way.

5. Window Regulators

The window regulator are also common failure items. The mechanism are made out of plastic and in time the plastic gets brittle and fails. They can be made to last longer if Silicone is sprayed in the window glass tracks on each door. This greatly reduces friction and strain on the window regulators. When these regulators fail the window glass tends to fall inside the door sometimes shattering it or making the glass unreachable to temporarily tape it in place.

6. Broken Sunroof Mechanism

The sunroof mechanism are made out of plastic and as plastic ages it becomes brittle and finally breaks. The problem is that when the sun roof mechanism breaks it isn’t possible to close the sun roof properly and to fix the mechanisms properly a god portion of the interior need to be removed. The A pillars, B pillars, C pillars, seatbelt mechanisms, grab handles, and many other small trims must be removed in order to get to the sun roof to service it. That is why many customers request we try to get it closed and disconnect power to the sun roof so it can never open again.

7. Coolant Leaks

This is a common problem with most BMW models starting around this generation. The coolant hoses are made out of hard molded plastic and start to leak as the cars age. Best way to help prevent this is to make sure you have fresh coolant in your car as old coolant loses its ability to condition the plastic hoses making them brittle and easier to crack and leak.

Aside from the problems listed above the e53 BMW X5 models tend to be fairly reliable as long as other basic maintenance is kept up to date. If you have any questions about a repair or problem on your BMW, feel free to Contact Us .

How Changing Your Air Filter Can Improve Fuel Economy

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 02:28:00 GMT

In this article we will discuss how your air intake system works and how changing your air filter can improve your fuel economy. The engine in your car ignites a fuel and air mixture to create combustion and uses that energy to drive your pistons up and down. The pistons spin the crank and the crank is connected to your transmission which transmits the that power to your wheels. Every internal combustion engine works on this principle and it all starts with air, fuel and spark.

For your engine to make maximum power and be the most efficient as possible it is important that the engine gets the right amount of oxygen rich air. This is greatly affected by a dirty air filter.

What does the air filter do?

The air filter traps dirt and debris that would otherwise get sucked into your engine. If dirty and debris managed to get into your engine your engine could experience catastrophic damage or your exhaust equipment could get clogged. That is why it is recommended to change your air filter every year or every 12,000 miles.

How a dirty air filter reduces fuel economy

Since your engine is dependent on the air it takes in to be efficient and make power a clogged air filter will reduce the volume of air entering your engine’s cylinders. This will cause a reduction of power. In turn your engine will be more sluggish/ less eager to rev and make power. Then it will require you to depress the gas pedal farther and more often to get the car moving. This will cause you to stay longer on the throttle and waste more gasoline to travel the same distances.

Over time this reduced efficiency will cost you when you fill up at the gas pump. For the low cost of the air filter and the ease of installation this is one maintenance item that we recommend every one stay on top of. That is why air filter is a common replaceable item during every tune up. Other issues that clogged air filters can cause are a choppy idle, stalling, and hard starts. If you have any questions regarding reduced fuel economy or any other car related questions feel free to Contact Us .

Car Heater Repair

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 22:04:00 GMT

Car heater repair is one of the most common repairs we perform during the winter months. Customer complain of weak heat, no heat at all, or the vents blow cold. The heating system of your car is amazingly efficient and recycles engine heat back into your cabin to keep you warm during the cold New York winter months.

Engine coolant gets very hot as it draws heat away from your engine and dissipates the heat in the radiator. During the cold winter months this heat is reused to heat up the inside of your car. As part of the cooling system there is a tiny radiator called a heat exchanger inside your dash board that hot coolant flows through. Then a small fan disperses the heat out of the heat exchanger through the ducts in your dashboard then into your cabin. This is basic concept that all car heaters use to keep you warm in the winter months. That is why when you start your car in the morning you don’t get any heat until you warm up the engine.

As cars age and systems break down we will discuss the most 5 most common causes as to why the heater in your car might stop working in the winter months.

1. Thermostat that doesn’t close

Your coolant temperature is regulated by a thermostatic valve. When the car is cold the valve is closed and when the temperature increases to a pre-determined temperature between 180-220 degrees the thermostat opens to let coolant flow to the radiator to keep the temperature stable. The thermostat can fail in an open or closed position. If it fails in the closed position you will quickly notice as your engine will quickly overheat. When it fails in the open position then it will constantly let coolant go through the radiator and the engine will never get warm in the winter months. This will keep the coolant from getting hot enough to warm the cabin and you will get a weak heat or no heat at all.

2. Bad Dash Fan/ Blower Motor

Inside your dashboard there is a small fan that blows the hot air through the vents inside your cabin. This fan can fail and once it does it will not be able to transfer the heat from the heat exchanger to the ambient air inside the cabin. This repair can be very expensive depending on the model of car you have. On some late model cars the entire dashboard removal is required to get to the fan or the heat exchanger. On some cars the fan can be easily accessed and changed from under the dashboard.

3. Low Coolant

If you have a slow coolant leak then you might also experience a weak heater. As there won’t be enough coolant carrying heat energy from the engine to heat up the passenger cabin in your car. Adding coolant to the correct level will help solve this issue temporarily until the coolant leaks out again. The best way to fix this problem is to find the leak and replace the component that failed and leaked.

4. Bad bypass valve

Some cars have a bypass valve that prevents coolant from reaching the heat exchanger inside your dashboard until you turn the heat on. This bypass can also fail. If it fails in the closed position then your heat exchanger will never receive the hot coolant it needs to circulate heat inside the car. The bypass valve is usually not difficult to replace except in some luxury European models.

5. Clogged or Damaged Heater Core

As coolant deteriorates it tends to leave mineral deposits inside the cooling system. As most people neglect to get their coolant flushed every 5 to 7 years the deposits from the deteriorated coolant can clog various components. This includes the heat exchanger and other tubing leading up to the heat exchanger. We have also seen heat exchangers crack and leak from bad coolant. This can be an expensive repair as a coolant flush is not always enough to clear the clog. and if the heat exchanger is leaking then depending on the car the whole dash would have to come out.

These are the main causes we have seen when customers bring us their car because their heater isn’t working. Some of these repairs are inexpensive and can be completed in about an hour. Other repairs require the whole dashboard to come out and take hours to complete. That is why a proper diagnostic is important to know what is wrong as a misdiagnosis can cost you hundreds of dollars. If your heat isn’t working properly or your have any questions feel free to Contact Us with any questions.

BMW Coolant System Leaks and Repair

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 00:22:00 GMT

BMW Coolant System leaks are infamous for being expensive to repair. BMW e39 5 Series, e46 3 Series, and e53 X5 models are very popular due to their relative affordability and great German sport sedan handling dynamics. Aside from suspension maintenance one of the most common repairs on them is repairing leaks in the cooling system. These can be costly and time consuming to repair. In this blog post we will discuss why BMW coolant system repairs are costly and time consuming.

In the late 90’s to early 2000’s BMW arguably made and released their best line up of cars. These cars also introduced a series of new inline 6 cylinder engines with variable valve timing and other new technology. Along with these came a new engine cooling system that was mostly made out of plastic. While other makes were still using aluminum thermostat housings and coolant inlet tubes BMW switched everything to plastic for weight savings.

The new plastic parts did not have the same long life expectancy as their aluminum counterparts so after a few years of use these engine cooling components started showing signs of failure by cracking and leaking. The problem was compounded as the system uses rubber sealing rings in the plastic hoses to seal the system from leaks.

The Rubber O-rings also leak

One top of the plastic cracking as it ages the sealing rings inside the hoses also warp and leak. This problem is compounded further because the engine cooling system is pressurized. Most cars from the same era have cooling system that run on 8 to 16 PSI. On BMW models the coolant system is pressurized to 30-40 PSI. This problem is compounded further as BMW vehicles have a number of rubber hoses inside the engine compartment which are exposed to heat from the manifold and dry out over time thus causing cracking, failure or leaks in those lines too.

Why Cooling System Repairs are expensive on BMW models

With the cooling system having so many points of failure it can quickly turn a small cooling system leak into an expensive repair. For example, if the plastic thermostat housing is leaking then you will also need to replace the hoses that connect to the thermostat as the rubber ring inside the plastic hoses will lose its shape and be unable to seal after disconnecting the hose from the thermostat housing. Mind you that hose leading up to the thermostat housing had no leaks, but disconnecting it will warp the rubber sealing ring inside.

As you might imagine each of these plastic hoses has to be made in specific shapes and to very tight tolerances making these hoses expensive to buy. This is just one example of why cooling system repairs are so expensive on BMW models.

BMW Coolant Leaks pretty much mean you have to replace all components.

In auto repair we try to save our customers money by only replacing worn or failed components. Unfortunately BMW designed their coolant hoses and components to be single life in that disconnecting them causes them to warp and no longer seal. So every related cooling component to the one that failed must all be replaced.

You can try to save money by only replacing the failed cooling system part and reusing the others, but there is a very high probability that once the repair is completed the vehicle will have a new coolant leak.

This is due to the fact that BMW hoses are made of high quality materials but are very thin-walled making them susceptible to “flaring” or warping when disconnected from their fittings. This means it’s best to replace all the components when you attempt this type of repair on your own, as you can easily make things worse if you re-use old parts and make new coolant leaks!

We at Tolima’s Auto Center have vast experience with BMW coolant systems and we take extra steps such as pressure testing the coolant systems after performing the repair. This way we make sure that our customers get their cars back with no more leaks. If you are experiencing a coolant leak and have any questions feel free to contact us .

Catalytic Converter Theft and Replacement

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 21:30:00 GMT

This year there has been a sudden increase in the rate of theft of customer’s cars catalytic converters. There is a global rare earth metal supply shortage due to the Corona Virus lock downs last year, the cost of rare earth metals has gone through the roof. Thieves are now stealing catalytic converters in record numbers because they can trade them in to shady metal recycles for hundreds of dollars each. Their victims then have to usually spend thousands replacing the stock catalytic converters that got stolen plus whatever else the thieves damaged while stealing the old catalytic converters. This article will explain what catalytic converters do in your car’s exhaust system. Why they are so expensive to replace in New York State. And finally what you can do to deter theft of the catalytic converter on your vehicle.

What do catalytic converters do?

Catalytic converters are the most important part of your car’s emissions system. It runs inline with your exhaust piping and reduces the pollution produced by your engine through the combustion process. It accomplishes this using by using a mesh made out of a special combination of rare earth metals. The exhaust passes through this mesh and gets super heated denaturing and reducing the toxic gasses in your car’s exhaust.

Why are they popular theft item?

Due to the precious metals in your catalytic converter it can be sold for hundreds of dollars. The Covid-19 lock downs have made precious metals even more valuable. So thieves make easy money by simply cutting them out with a cordless hack saw. Then they can get hundreds of dollars for the used catalytic converters by selling them to shady metal recyclers that ship them overseas.

What can you do to prevent your Catalytic Converter from getting stolen?

There are a couple of things you can do to deter thieves from stealing your catalytic converter.

From what we have seen at Tolima’s Auto Center is that most of the victims car’s tend to be Sport Utility Vehicles with high ground clearance which makes it easier for the thieves to crawl under the car to cut it out.

Why are Catalytic Converters so expensive to replace?

Catalytic converters are expensive to replace because New York has very strict emissions laws which require our shop to use dealer catalytic converters or OEM, which are much more expensive than aftermarket catalytic converters. Newer cars are also much more sensitive to aftermarket catalytic converters which can cause the car to have a check engine light and fail the New York State emissions inspection unless it is a factory catalytic. If you have any questions regarding catalytic converters, emissions, or New York State Inspections feel free to contact us .

BMW Misfires with N20 Engine

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 19:36:00 GMT

The BMW N20 Engine is a popular turbo charged 4 cylinder engine equipped in many BMW models produced from 2011-2017, which have a problem of developing misfires when they age. Here at Tolima’s Auto Center , we have seen many BMWs come into our shop with misfire issues or stalling. Customers will come to our shop with misfires on all cylinders or random stalling when they are waiting at a red light on their N20 equipped BMW.

Once we hear the symptoms from the customer we will start diagnosing. We will start by checking the computer for current or stored codes. Then we will go through the usual checks for spark, fuel, and air. As we eliminate the possibilities for simple fixes we will start to check the engine timing. Then we have found that more and more often as these engines age we find that indeed the timing chain has stretched.

The timing chain synchronizes the top and bottom halves of your engine. If the chain stretches then the engine will no longer be synchronized and this will cause misfires and stalling. It is not normal for a timing chain to stretch prematurely, but we have found that one of the many possible reasons this happens is due to infrequent oil changes.

BMW started recommending 10,000 mile oil change intervals which we have seen cause issues as these engines age. As 10,000 miles is the recommended oil change people generally push the oil changes even further over that mileage before changing the oil. The spent oil loses its ability to lubricate the timing chain and tensioners causing the chain to stretch and the engine to go out of time.

Replacing the stretched timing chain on a BMW N20 engine is a laborious process. which requires special tools and knowledge to do the job right. If the job is done incorrectly and the engine isn’t timed properly with the chain then the misfires will continue or the engine will experience metal to metal internal impact which will destroy it. That is why it is always a safe bet to count on shops experienced working on BMW engines like Tolima’s Auto Center to do these complicated jobs with a warranty.

Wheel Bearing Noise

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 21:20:00 GMT

If you drive your car and suddenly start hearing a whirring rotational noise you might be hearing a bad wheel bearing noise. Wheel bearings are some of the most critical parts of your suspension as they literally support a quarter of your vehicle’s weight. The wheel bearing assembly is one of the most stressed and critical components of your car. Your wheel bearing assemblies take the stress of all your braking, accelerating, and potholes. All these variables factor into how long a wheel bearing will last. When your wheel bearing starts making noise it is on its way out and should be replaced as soon as possible.

What causes a wheel bearing to fail?

The bearings are sealed inside the bearing assembly in the wheel hub. The ball bearings are packed with a high temperature bearing grease. Over time the seals will fail, the grease will leak out, and contaminants will get inside. The contaminants could be brake dust, dirt, sand, or water and these contaminants will add extra friction to the bearings inside causing them to fail sooner. As the grease leaks out the bearings will start to overheat and corrode as well, accelerating failure and making more noise.

How long do wheel bearings last?

The quality of wheel bearings vary significantly between different manufacturers and proper installation is also important to making them last a long time. There are economy wheels bearings with 1 year warranties and there are premium wheel bearings with 3 to 5 year warranties. As you can imagine economy wheel bearings might only be good for up to one year. At Tolima’s Auto Center , we only install premium wheel bearings as our warranty is 2 years or 24,000 miles. Installation is critical too as there is a vehicle specific tightness (torque spec) for the axle nut that holds in the bearings, so it doesn’t crush them. If the axle nut is too tight the bearings and the bearing seals can get crushed and all fail prematurely. Generally the longevity of wheel bearings depends on how well they are made (premium or economy), the conditions of the roads the car drives on, and proper installation. Cars in stop and go traffic on bad roads (New York City) will cause wheel bearings to fail sooner rather than later.

What happens when you don’t get your wheel bearings replaced?

If the whirring noise continues to get louder and the wheel bearing were to completely fail then it is quite possible the wheel and tire could completely separate from the vehicle. This can also cause major damage to the fenders, brake system, and suspension of the car. This is one of those repairs that if the repair is not in your budget then you should avoid driving the car as much as possible. If you have a suspension noise that you suspect might be a wheel bearing noise get your suspension inspected to confirm. If you are wondering what the price to replace a wheel bearing in your car might cost feel free to use our repair estimator .

Vibrations While Accelerating and Worn CV Axles

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:01:00 GMT

If you experience vibrations while accelerating at highway speeds you might have worn CV Axles. This happens more commonly on front wheel drive cars. Vehicles with independent suspensions use constant velocity joints to allow the axle to articulate as the car turns or the suspension moves independently. They spin at the same speed as your engine so if you are cruising at 2,100 RPM so are your CV Axles. Like every moving part of your suspension they can also wear. As they wear they will cause a clicking noise when you turn and a vibration when you accelerate.

What fails on CV Axles

CV axles have a few failure points as they age. The most common failure comes from the external rubber boot tearing and leaking. The grease inside the joint then gets flung out and the joint gets dry. Without lubrication the metal on metal contact between the joint and the CV housing causes the CV axle to have play and fail. The axle can also develop rust and snap during hard acceleration. Finally the CV joint can just fail due to wear and tear.

If a tear is found on a CV boot quickly enough the boot can simply be replaced and the joint re-packed with grease assuming there is no play in the joint. The joint can also be replaced as long as the inner CV housing wasn’t damaged where the new joint has play. In most other situations it is better to replace the whole CV Axle as the labor to change the boot and joint is equal to or greater than the cost of replacing the whole assembly.

How a worn CV Axle causes vibrations by accelerating

The play in the CV Axle joint causes the vibrations as the joint rotates thousands of times a minute. The rotation causes the joint to move inside the housing and bounce around accelerating the failure and causes the vibration you feel as your drive on the highway. The symptoms of a worn CV joint in an axle are a clicking sound when you turn your steering wheel most noticeable when driving around at low speed in a parking lot. You will also feel a vibration particularly while accelerating on the highway.

Why you should get your CV Axle Replaced or Repaired as soon as possible

The vibrations at highway speeds can cause the seals where your axle connects to your differential seals to leak and lose lubricating fluid, which will lead to differential or transmission damage depending on your car being front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or all wheel drive. The play inside the joint can cause the housing or axle to break, which will make the car un-driveable requiring you to need a tow. As mechanical problems tend to cascade it is always best to get your car repaired sooner rather than waiting for something to break and leave your car un-driveable. If you have an questions feel free to contact us for all your auto repair and maintenance needs.

Why Does My Car Hard Start?

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 21:37:00 GMT

When you start your car in the morning you might notice that your car is taking unusually long to start. Your car cranks and cranks and then hard starts. Typically this could be due to a weak battery, dirty air flow meter, or if your car is in need of a tune up. This topic was discussed in this blog post, “ Why your car doesn’t start in the winter “. In this article we will discuss another reason why your car can hard start. That is a seizing accessory or idler pulley.

The front of your engine hosts your accessory serpentine belt system. This system uses the rotational energy from your engine spinning to drive your accessories such as your power steering, air conditioning, water pump, and alternator. Under normal conditions the pulleys are free spinning as the engine crank pulley spins them. As the pulleys wear out they start to make a chirping noise when you start your car and normally goes away after a few minutes of driving unless the bearings are very worn. Accessories such as your water pump and power steering may be on their way out but won’t make any noise. The only symptom you might have is a hard start.

Why does my car hard start when those accessories are about to fail?

As the accessory pulley starts to fail it will get harder to turn. The battery and the starter have to turn the engine, but now are also meeting resistance from the failing accessory pulley, causing the hard start. The majority of the time a hard start means that you might need a tune up or need a new air filter or Mass Air Flow Sensor. But in this case the issue is much more urgent as the failed accessory will break the belt or can seize bad enough that the car won’t be able to start.

How can you diagnose a hard start condition?

A reputable mechanic shop will check spark plugs, fuel pressure, air filters, and intake components for any obstructions. If those test out fine then the serpentine belt will be removed and all the pulleys will be checked by hand for wear, play, or binding. This takes time, knowledge, and equipment to test. That is why reputable shops charge a diagnostic fee as you can’t diagnose issues like these by simply connecting a computer and checking for codes.

How long can I drive my car with a hard start condition?

That is tough to say as if the car is in need of a tune up it can drive with a hard start condition for a long time. If the hard start condition is being caused by an accessory pulley binding then seizing then it could drive like that for a few hundred miles or much less. Either way it is best to get your car diagnosed if you can’t do it yourself. A diagnostic fee will always be cheaper than a tow truck and repairs after a component fails. Serpentine belt and accessory pulley failures tend to have a cascading effect where the belt shredding can damage other components and now those other components need to get repaired or replaced. Here is an example of an X5 with a seized water pump.

The water pump pulley bent the fan shaft which caused the fan to hit the air conditioning idler pulley. The belt shredded and the system overheated which blew some coolant hoses. All of these parts could have been reused if the water pump was changed in a timely manner. If you are suffering from a hard start starting condition it might become more expensive to wait than to get it repaired right way. If you have any questions, feel free to Contact Us .

How a Coolant Flush can Save you Thousands of Dollars

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 22:28:00 GMT

A coolant flush at proper intervals can save you thousands of dollars in engine and cooling system repairs over the life of your car. Coolant is a fluid most people don’t think about unless they see a puddle on the floor or get the low coolant light. It is a miraculous fluid as it prevents your engine from overheating. Brings hot air into your car on a cold winter day. Keeps everything cool enough for your air conditioning to work in the summer. Keeps gaskets, plastics, rubbers, and metals inside your engine lubricated to prevent corrosion. Coolant won’t freeze in sub zero temperatures or boil until it reaches well above 212 degrees (the boiling point of water). Engine coolant does all this, but after thousands of miles and years of service it degrades and become acidic.

Degraded Coolant

Coolant has corrosion inhibitors which help keep rubbers, plastics, and metals from corroding. Once these inhibitors are depleted after hundreds of drive cycles the coolant will start to deteriorate these rubbers, plastics, and metals. Since your radiator and hoses are made out of plastics and rubbers. The plastic radiator end tanks will crack and leak. Rubber hoses will balloon and leak under pressure. This can be prevented with proper coolant flush intervals. When you replace the old worn fluid with fresh fluid your plastic and rubber cooling components will stay flexible, lubricated, and last tens of thousands of miles over components being run with depleted coolant.

Aside from components of your engine cooling components being damaged you can also incur damage to engine components needing expensive repairs. Your engine needs a great deal of cooling and there are many small passages for coolant and oil particularly in the head(s) on your engine. On many engine designs the oil and coolant passages run parallel to each other or intersect and the only thing separating your engine oil and coolant is a metal or rubber gasket. When coolant gets depleted and turn acidic it will start eating away at this gaskets. When the gaskets lose integrity coolant and oil will start mixing. Oil mixed with coolant look like a chocolate milkshake. If you were to keep driving with this contaminated oil your engine will seize and need a full engine replacement.

Depleted engine coolant can also destroy water pumps. Water pumps are belt or chain driven and use an impeller to move coolant throughout your engine and cooling system. On modern water pumps the impellers are made out of plastic instead of metal and acidic coolant can completely eat away the impellers overheating the engine. Aside from that they can also corrode seal for the water pump bearing causing it to fail.

Clogged Radiators

Old coolant can also cause clogs in your cooling system particularly the radiator. This can be expensive as there are cooling components inside your dash board that can get clogged like the heater core, which can take hours of labor to replace. Aside from needing to replace damaged cooling components from clogs you can also overheat your engine which can lead to warped heads and other very expensive repairs.

All these problems can be prevented by having a simple coolant flush done at the appropriate intervals. The cost of a coolant flush is a small price to pay for peace of mind and will save you thousands of dollars in repair and maintenance fees in the life of your car. On most cars you can easily inspect your coolant by removing your radiator cap when the engine is cold and inspecting the condition of the coolant in your radiator. If you have any question always feel free to Contact Us .

Why Everyone Should Keep a Tire Inflator in their Car

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 18:13:00 GMT

Flat tires are an awful inconvenience that can be quickly resolved by having a portable tire inflator in your car. Most flat tires can be temporarily mended by simply connecting them to a tire inflator and pumping them back up. This is not a permanent repair by any stretch of the imagination. This is a temporary solution that might last a few days, hours, or minutes depending on how badly the air leak is on the tire. But it is a temporary repair that will allow you to drive to a trusted mechanic shop for a permanent tire or rim repair that might save you money.

How keeping a tire inflator in your car can save you money

A tire inflator can save you money in multiple ways. It prevents you from further damaging your current tires. Most tire punctures can be repaired, but driving on flat or low tires will cut the internal steel belt that supports the sidewall of your tire. When that belt is damaged the tire is unsafe for road use as there is no reinforcement for the rubber that makes up the sidewall and it will balloon out like a hernia on your tire.

At this point there is no repairing this tire and if anyone drives on a tire in this condition the likelihood of a tire blow out is imminent, which can cause an accident. If you see any bubbles on the sidewall of your tire then you have to get it replaced as soon as possible. This is entirely preventable by inflating a low or flat tire before you have drive on it, which is why you should always keep a portable tire inflator in every car you own.

If the tire leak is severe you will be able to hear a whistling as you inflate the tire. If the air escaping the tire is audible then you don’t have much time to drive on the tire, but as long as you keep an eye on the tire and keep it inflated you can limp the car to the closest shop.

The most tire leaks are located on the tire treat and are caused by simply running over a nail, screw, or road debris. The next most common leak point is the tire valve stem. Many people try to save a few dollars by going to the cheapest tire place to have their tires mounted and balanced. These shops will also cut corners in order to give you the cheapest and lowest prices. They usually cut corners by not replacing the tire valve stems. So you might have brand new tires with old tire valve stems which will degrade and leak after a few years. This is why using a reputable shop is important.

Why Tire Inflators are Better than Spare Tires for the Average Consumer

Tire inflators simply connect to your cigarette lighter or battery and work right away. Spare tires require you to know the jack points in the frame under the car to safely lift it. You might also have to deal with lug nuts that are stuck in order to remove the flat tire and replace it with the spare. In order to avoid all this hassle a tire inflator will allow you to drive the car to a repair shop to have the air leak repaired or the tire replaced. Finally a tire inflator can get you back on the road in about 5 minutes when changing a spare tire will take longer.

Same as an emergency spare tire, a compact tire inflator is also a temporary solution meant to get you back on the road long enough to get to a shop for a permanent repair or replacement of the tire with the air leak. For light duty and emergency use we recommend a tire inflator like the Slime 40051 . For heavy duty use such as large truck tires we recommend a tire inflator like the Viair 88P .

Different Types of Tire Leak Repair

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 19:28:00 GMT

Repairing tire leak sounds like a straight forward task. Unfortunately there is a lot of nuance when it comes to repairing a tire that is losing air pressure. There are multiple reasons as to why a tire might be losing air pressure. In this blog post we will discuss the most common and some uncommon reasons as to why some tires might be unable to hold air.

Nail In the Tire

The most common reason a tire might not hold air is due to the tire being punctured by a nail, screw, or some other form of debris. These repairs tend to be simple as long as the puncture doesn’t occur on the sidewall of the tire. For a temporary repair the tire can be plugged with a thick rubber strand. A permanent repair will require dismounting the tire from the rim and applying a tire patch to the inside of the tire. If Somehow the nail managed to puncture the sidewall of the tire then the internal structure has been comprimised and unfortunately, you’ll have to replace the tire.

Bent or Cracked Rim

Your tire might be losing air due to a bent or cracked rim. Hit an infamous New York pothole and you can bend or crack your rim. This will cause your tire to not properly seal against the rim and lose air slowly. Your tire is perfectly fine, but your rim will need to be re-straightened or replaced. If you are on factory rims replacement may cost hundreds of dollars. As an alternative Tolima’s Auto Center offers a rim straigtening and refurbushing service for $185.00 . Once your rim is repaired your tire will have no problems holding air anymore.

Leaking Valve Stem

The valve stem on the tire is the nipple that sticks out where you fill the tire with air. They have little plastic caps on them to prevent corrosion or debris from damaging the valve. Many tires people lose the caps and don’t replace them. Then corrosion can form inside the valve causing an air leak. Other times the rubber body of the valve stem can dry crack due to age and cause a leak as well. Thankfully the valve stem can be replaced on a rim inexpensively.

Paint Peeled and Rusty Rims

Rims are painted or chromed to look good and prevent corrosion. Over years of being exposed to the weather and thousands of miles the finish or paint on them can start to peel or rust through. This will cause the tire to not seal properly against the rim and start leaking air. The solution for this is to have your rim acid-washed and repainted or re-chromed.

How to Find Air Leaks

As mechanics when a customer comes in with a flat tire the first thing we do is identify the location of the leak or puncture. We use soapy water and look for bubbles. That will tell us air is escaping the tire, rim, or valve stem. Once we identify the location of the air leak we can proceed accordingly with the correct repair. A plug or patch can be done quickly, but rim refurbishing can be done in an average time of 2 business days. If you have any questions or have a leak in your tire you’d like for us to take a look at feel free to contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center.

Difference Between a Solid Check Engine Light and a Flashing Check Engine Light

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:23:00 GMT

At some point every driver gets a check engine light, but there are also situations where you get a flashing check engine light. We will discuss what the deference between them and why one of them can should be checked out at your earliest convenience and the other requires you to get it checked as soon as possible. The worse thing you can do is completely ignore any check engine light and keep driving as mechanical and electrical problems in cars have a cascading effect where failure of one component will lead to the failure of others if ignored. Also if your State Inspection is due then a check engine light is an automatic fail in New York State.

What causes a Solid Check Engine Light

There are multiple computer systems in every modern car. Each computer system has multiple sensors that report various readings to them such as the density of air coming into the engine for combustion or coolant temperature. The main computer in your car has a set of parameters that is compares the data it receives from each sensor to. If the data being sent out by the sensor is deemed not to be normal by the main computer, you’ll get a check engine light. Sometimes the check engine light will turn off after some more driving if the sensor reading falls back into normal parameters.

What causes a Flashing Check Engine Light

Your computer prioritizes data from different sensors. There is some data your computer receives that is considered more important because it can more adversely affect the drivability and emissions of your car. For example all cars have something called an Initial Air Temperature sensor. This sensor tells the computer how cold or hot the air coming into your engine is. Then the computer can make adjustments to give you a little more power if the air is colder because it is more densely packed with oxygen. Or make adjustments for hotter air which has less oxygen. The data given by this sensor is valuable but not critical as the computer will only make small adjustments based on this data stream. Then you have data from the M ass A ir F low sensor or Air Meter (same sensor has both names) which tells the computer the actual volume of air coming into the engine. The computer then uses this data to adjust the amount of fuel sprayed by the injectors. If the MAF sensor were to go bad or produce bad data because it was damaged or clogged with debris then the engine would start to run very poorly. Your engine would start to misfire. This would immediately set a check engine light on your dash. Then depending on the severity of the misfires you would get a flashing check engine light.

Severe misfires send unburned fuel through your exhaust which can cause all sorts of damage such as burnt valves, but most importantly they can damage emissions equipment. Your catalytic converter which cleans your exhaust can be destroyed from the added heat when the unburnt fuel combusts. Any condition in which the computer detects the catalytic converter can be damaged or destroyed will cause you to have a Flashing Check Engine Light .

Why Flashing Check Engine Light Means Get It Fixed Now

The conditions that lead to poor running conditions in which a catalytic converter can be destroyed are serious, but can be okay if the car is diagnosed and repaired quickly. Aside from bad sensors serious engine mechanical damage can cause things such as oil and other chemicals to leak into the exhaust which will destroy the catalytic converter. If these engine components are placed in time then there is a good change your catalytic and engine can have a longer service life. If the car is driven with the flashing check engine light then the damage will continue and get worse until you experience serious failure. Then things will get very expensive as the repairs can be major. If you get a flashing check engine light then stop driving your car or drive it directly to your closest trusted mechanic. If you have any questions always feel free to reach out to us at Tolima’s Auto Center .

How to Prevent Your Honda Transmission from Breaking

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 21:29:00 GMT

We will cover the why and how to prevent your honda transmission from breaking. Honda makes some great reliable and fuel efficient cars. They are fun to drive and reliable. Unfortunately as they go over 100,000 miles their transmissions start to slip and fail. We regularly get requests for quotes from people wanting to replace their Honda or Acura Automatic Transmission. As you can imagine putting in a new transmission in a 10 to 12 year old car can be quite costly. Here we will discuss a little bit about why they fail and how you can prevent your Honda transmission from breaking in the future.

How Honda Transmissions became unreliable

In the 1990’s Honda transmissions were reliable, but were criticized for their hard shifting. Those 1990’s transmissions rarely had problems. In the early 2000’s Honda released new transmissions that were smooth shifting and gave their cars a much more refined feel. These new more refined transmissions were much more problematic and would regularly fail after 100,000 miles.

What causes the Honda Automatic Transmissions to Fail Prematurely?

The newer more failure prone 2000+ Honda Automatic transmissions are a lot more sensitive to the condition of the automatic transmission fluid. The added smoothness when shifting is the result of the computer slipping the clutches more between shifts. This causes the clutches to get hotter and wears out the transmission fluid faster with the increased heat. The other problem with the newly designed Honda transmissions comes from Honda using an internal filter that is not serviceable. Not serviceable, means the transmission has to come out and must be disassembled in order to change that filter. This means that when that internal filter gets clogged with cutch material you are guaranteed to start having transmission problems.

What You Can Do To Prevent Your Honda Transmission from Breaking

Thankfully there are some things you can do to make sure your Honda Automatic transmission lasts the longest.

Out of all the things that can be done to extend the reliable service life of your Honda Automatic Transmission, doing the 30,000 mile fluid flushes is the most reliable and easy to do. Just make sure to use genuine Honda ATF and make sure the fluid is properly topped off after the drain and fill. Doing these things can greatly extend the service life of your transmission and even if you have to pay for our shop to do these services, it is a lot more economical to have these services done than replacing your transmission when you car goes over 100k on the odometer. If you have any questions feel free to Contact Us @ Tolima’s Auto Center.

Why Everyone Should Own a Basic Automotive Scan Tool

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 02:08:00 GMT

Automotive scan tools are sold everywhere online and everyone should own an automotive scan tool. Less than a decade ago scan tools were expensive and uncommon. Even cheap scan tools used to cost hundreds of dollars and then you had to purchase expansion credits or cartridges to unlock certain makes, models or extra parameters such as ABS codes. The old scan tools used to also use AA batteries and would drain them quickly. Modern cheap automotive scan tools are better in every way. They don’t require batteries and simply get power when plugged into your OBD2 port. The cheap sub $50 scanners can read some live data, read generic engine codes, and tell you if your car is ready to pass or fail inspection. The information a basic automotive scan tool provides can help save you hundreds of dollars in car ownership over the years.

How can an automotive scan tool save you money

For certain things an automotive scan tool can save you a trip to the mechanic shop. Let’s say you get a check engine light. Scan your car and get a code P0441, which means the “evaporative emission system has an incorrect purge flow”. You cross reference the engine code with your year, make, and model on Google. Then you see that the most common cause for that engine code on your car is caused by a loose gas cap. You tighten your gas cap, delete the code and it doesn’t come back, then you have saved yourself a trip to the mechanic. If the code does come back, then you need to have your car properly diagnosed and have your evap system tested by a mechanic.

An Automotive Scan Tool isn’t always going to solve all your car problems

Automotive scan tools can be very handy this way, but it is not going to tell you always what is wrong with your car. Like that p0441 code, it states something is wrong with the evaporative emissions system. Does that mean that you start replacing random parts on your evap system? Sometimes you will Google your year, make, model, engine code and you won’t get any solid information, because it is not a common pattern failure on your car. You might not have the tools to change the part yourself. Or you will get conflicting information from the search results. The scan tool will only help you narrow down certain problems. It is not a problem solver if you don’t have the knowledge or equipment to test confirm and repair. That is where a trusted and experienced mechanic is still very important to have.

Which Automotive Scan Tool is right for you?

There are so many models of scan tools available on Amazon or your favorite auto parts store. Some can give you anti lock brake system, transmission, and suspension fault read outs, which can cost a bit more. Those scan tools are more suited for weekend mechanics or shade tree mechanics who have a more knowledge and experience fixing cars. Basic scan tools are best for people that aren’t mechanically inclined to help them understand what may be wrong with their car or to tell them if their car is ready for state inspection. Below are some cheap basic scan tools that are rugged and we have had personal experience with. Automotive scan tools are cheap investments that can help you save money in the long run.

Common Repairs on Mercedes Benz Sprinter Vans

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 23:45:00 GMT

Mercedes Benz Sprinter vans are popular vehicles for many businesses in New York City. They offer very large cargo capacity, reasonably good fuel economy from their turbo diesel engines, and they handle well for such large vans in narrow New York streets as they are tall and narrow. They are great vans for plumbers, contractors, and delivery companies. They see many hard miles as they are work trucks and usually part of fleets for various companies. This causes accelerated wear and tear which also causes common pattern failures on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter Vans.

Sprinter Van Broken Flex Pipe

With the Sprinter Vans being driven for thousands of miles every year we commonly see broken exhaust flex pipes. The exhaust in every car is made out of rigid steel, but as the engine revs and compresses the engine mounts, the exhaust also needs some movement. That is why there are flex sections in every automobile’s exhaust that allows this movement. Sprinter vans have turbo diesel engines that see much higher temperatures than gasoline engines which also helps the flex joints in the exhaust fail sooner. Having and exhaust leak is not that big of a deal except that there is wiring routed near the flex pipe sections that can melt and cause a series of other electrical problems. That is why it will save you money and time to get the flex pipe replaced when you can start to hear the exhaust leak.

Sprinter Van Glow Plug Failure

Diesel Engines don’t use spark plugs like traditional gasoline engines. They use glow plugs named after the fact that they get so hot they glow. They work by drastically increasing cylinder temperature enough to make the diesel fuel combust under mechanical pressure and heat inside the cylinder. After thousand of miles of use, glow plugs tend to fail and then unfortunately get stuck in the head making removing the glow plugs labor intensive.

Sprinter Van Oil Cooler Leak

Sprinter Vans have an oil cooler gasket that is prone to leaking. It is a common oil leak location on the Sprinter and getting to the the gasket to change it is a challenge. The top end of the engine needs to be disassembled to reach the oil cooler gasket. Oil cooler gaskets of upgraded materials are now available to make this repair much more long lasting and to prevent this type of leak in the future.

Sprinter Van Rumble Strip Sound

When driving at highway speeds there is a thrumming sound that can be heard and felt throughout the Sprinter Van. This can be caused by not having enough transmission fluid or having a failing torque converter lock clutch. For low transmission simply we top it off and inspect for leaks. For a failing torque converter lock up clutch the transmission has to come out and rebuilt. In automatic transmissions you have a torque converter that transfers power from the engine to the transmission which on turn transfers power to the wheels. Torque converters are designed to have a certain amount of slip in them so your engine can continue to spin even though the car is sitting still in traffic or at a red light. At highway speeds the torque converter locks up to improve fuel economy. It uses an internal clutch to lock the engine output to the transmission. This clutch can wear out over time. When the clutch fails there is no longer enough material for it to grab and lock causing the rumble strip feeling in the Sprinter Vans.

Sprinter Van Turbo Issues

Sprinter Vans use smaller diesel engines to improve fuel economy, but also require turbos to give the vans enough pep to carry heavy loads and have passing power. With the turbos there is also added complexity from intercooler tubes and intake tubes that over time can leak. Once a leak becomes bad enough it can trigger a “Limp Mode” and the engine will lose significant power output. Then the computer will bypass the turbos and the Sprinter will need to be diagnosed and serviced to work as intended. The added complexity of the turbo system can make some repairs complicated or other repairs simple. That is why it is best to choose a shop that has experience diagnosing and serving Sprinters.

Sprinter Van Emissions Equipment Issues

Diesel powered cars can get great fuel economy, but as a downside they are loaded with extra emissions equipment that can wear out as well. The Sprinter has a D iesel P articulate F ilter “ DPF ” that can clog. Mercedes also uses a D iesel E xhaust F luid “ DEF “. It is a mix of urea and water that gets injected into your exhaust for environmental reasons. If you are about to run out of the DEF or there is any problem with the system you will get some dash warning and finally a count down to the number of starts your Sprinter van has until it refuses to restart as without DEF the truck is no longer emissions compliant.

Sprinters have become incredibly popular work trucks and can be regularly seen sporting Amazon logos as Amazon famously bought tens of thousands of Sprinters to help deliver their packages throughout the United States. We at Tolima’s Auto Center , have serviced and diagnosed many of these Sprinter work vans and have grown comfortable with their quirks and features. If you are experiencing an sort of issues with a Sprinter and would like an experienced shop to diagnose and service it please feel free to Contact Us with any questions.

Getting Your Car Ready for the Winter

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 04:43:00 GMT

Winter is upon us and any week now we can expect regular sub zero weather and snow. There are a couple of things we at Tolima’s Auto Center recommend having in the car to help you in a bind and some preventative maintenance to save on costly repairs. As important as air conditioning is in the hot summer months so is having heat in the freezing winter months. One of the best things you can do before it gets really cold is have your engine cooling system checked to make sure that your anti-freeze is good and make sure you don’t have any leaks. Your car uses the hot engine coolant to provide heat in your cabin. If your cooling system is not working optimally then you also won’t get heat inside your car.
The most common problems we see are;

Any of these problems can cause your car to not have heat in the winter months. If you notice that your car is not warming up your cabin as expected then you might want to bring it in to a trusted shop to make sure your car is not having any of the problems mentioned above. You can also check for leaks yourself if you are a Do It Yourselfer, with this tool , which allows you to pressurize the system and find leaks. We referenced this tool on this blog post .

Mityvac MV4560 Automotive Radiator/Cooling System Pressure Test Kit

Most drivers in New York City street park their cars and in the winter months the worst thing you can experience is getting stuck in the snow. When snow builds up your car can get stuck in its park spot or if you are able to drive around you won’t be able to parallel park into a street parking spot because the snow around the spot has hardened into ice. Now your car doesn’t have the traction or clearance to climb over the ice and park. For these situations it is best to carry a collapsible metal shovel . This tool will allow you to dig your car out or get it into a parking spot. Some people carry plastic snow shovels, but those will be useless when the snow and slush harden into ice. And as every New Yorker knows the ice can stick around for weeks in sub zero temperatures.

Rhino USA Folding Survival Shovel w/Pick – Heavy Duty Carbon Steel Military Style Entrenching Tool

Finally the last thing we recommend you have is a jump starter. Winter’s freezing temperatures can be very unforgiving for older car batteries. When temperatures are freezing cold your car battery loses a lot of its ability to store electricity and when you go to start your car it might not have enough power stored to start your car. So, now your car won’t start and you have somewhere to go. Do you call roadside assistance for a jump start or just grab your portable jump starter and start your car right up? Best part is that you can still use this tool year round when you need to charge cell phones, tablets, or laptops.

GOOLOO Jump Starter Battery Pack

Based on our experiences these are the best precautions to take and items to have when surviving a New York City winter. These tools will help you avoid surprises and expensive repairs. These tools also make great Christmas presents for the motorists in your life.

Why Mechanic Shops don’t give auto repair quotes over the phone

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 20:52:00 GMT

Most reputable auto repair shops are put in a bind when asked to give a quote over the phone. Many customers tend to be afraid to come into a shop without having an idea of what a repair will cost. On the other hand once a shop estimates the price for a repair the shop is sort of locked into the price. We recently had a great reminder of why we always ask new customers to please bring their car in for us to give an accurate estimate.

How much does this auto repair cost?

We had a new customer call asking for en estimate on replacing the front air shocks on his W211 Mercedes Benz E500. We asked the customer to bring it in so we could confirm that the air shocks were indeed leaking and there wasn’t anything else that needed replacement in the system. He was insistent on getting a price estimate over the phone. We offered an estimate but explained that there could be other components that might need service or replacement and we would need to diagnose the car to give an accurate quote. Finally when the customer brought the car in we were able to conduct our diagnosis.

What we found during our auto diagnosis

Once we got the car on our lift we were able to confirm that indeed both air shocks on the W211 Mercedes Benz E500 4Matic were leaking as the customer had stated. But we also found two other front end parts that were needing replacement. The sway bar end links had torn bushings on both sides and the cv axels had one half stuck in the steering knuckle and had split requiring new cv axels. These added parts increased the quote to repair the E500 4Matic properly. Worn sway bar end links cause a thud when going over bumps or braking hard. Worn CV Axels cause noticeable vibrations when accelerating at highway speeds. We had to explain all this to the customer, because if we had gone in and only changed the air shocks the customer would later have experienced thuds and vibrations and he would have think, “That Auto Repair Shop, must have left something loose or damage something else while they were trying to change my air shocks!”. Then our reputation would take a hit with a bad review and phone calls telling to fix what we broke.

In order to avoid these types of situations we at Tolima’s Auto Center always will ask new customers to bring their car for diagnosis and an accurate quote. In this business it is really important to earn trust from new customers. The quickest way to lose that trust is to give one agreeable quote over the phone and then once the car is in our shop to have to call the customer and give them a higher priced quote once we are able to see there are more parts that need replacement. This is generally why most reputable shops rarely give auto repair quotes over the phone.

How to get your car ready for your yearly New York State Inspection

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 16:12:00 GMT

Every year New Yorkers have to get their vehicles ready for their New York State Inspection. The cost of the yearly inspection is $37.00 pass or fail. If you fail your inspection you get ONE 10-day extension to remedy the problem that caused your car to fail its yearly New York State Inspection. That puts a lot of people out $37.00 and then in a hurry to get whatever is wrong repaired and try again before the 10 day extension expires. In this blog post we will give a few tips in order for you to go in confident you’ll pass your inspection.

The two parts to an inspection

There is a safety inspection and a emissions inspection. The safety inspection involves checking tires, brakes, suspension, glass, and the general body of the car to certify that all the safety equipment works as it should and your car is roadworthy for another year. That is pretty self explanatory. Don’t have broken or cracked glass anywhere. Make sure your brakes aren’t dangerously low or your suspension is collapsed. Other things like your lights and horn all work. Make sure your car isn’t leaking like the Exxon Valdez and your tires aren’t worn down to the cords. The other part of your inspection is emissions.

There is the idea that if you have a check engine light, you cannot pass inspection. That is because most check engine codes directly affect your car’s emissions. Emissions inspections are done through the O n B oard D iagnostics port under your dash board. Your car’s computer is connected to a computer belonging to the New York State DMV and it checks your car for specific faults. The computer is usually looking at catalyst efficiency, evaporative emissions system, oxygen sensors. These are all related to your vehicles emissions system and your car’s computer routinely checks itself to make sure all systems are working as intended. If any of these systems is not working as intended you’ll get the dreaded check engine light.

As many New Yorkers know your car will absolutely fail and inspection with a check engine light. So you take it to a shop or fix it yourself and reset the check engine light, then you are ready for inspection? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Once your fix the emissions related problem and reset the check engine light, you need to perform a full drive cycle before your car is ready for inspection.

What is a drive cycle to get your car ready for inspection?

A drive cycle is necessary when you reset a check engine light and your emissions monitors reset. Then your car has to be driven to give your car’s computer field data. Every car is different but generally to get your car ready for inspection there are some rules to follow. First you can’t have too much gasoline in the tank or too little. Your gas tank needs to be below the 3/4 mark but above the 1/4 mark for your car to appropriately test your EVAP system. Then you need to do varied driving in city and on the highway without exceeding 60 miles per hour. Within 20-40 miles of this type of driving your car should be ready for inspection. There is no easy way of knowing when your car is ready for inspection unless you have a scanner that can check Emission Readiness data.

Why you should own a code scanner if you drive in New York State

With a simple code scanner you can check to see if the if your car is ready for the emissions portion of your yearly New York State Inspection. That way there will be no surprises when your car is connected to the DMV computers to check for emissions compliance. A cheap simple scanner we can recommend is the Autophix OBD2 scanner. Simply find your OBD2 port under your dashboard and connect the scanner. With the press of a single button you’ll know if you car is ready to pass inspection or if you need to drive it more to get all the emissions monitors ready. Since you have to pay $37 pass or fail for your yearly inspection owning a simple scanner like this one is a cheap investment. Also you can check your own codes for when you get a check engine light. This tool is handy for checking the health of your car, resetting a check engine light, and helps you know with confidence if your car is ready to pass inspection.

How to find a coolant leak

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 21:46:00 GMT

One of the most tedious auto repair problems to diagnose can be how to find a coolant leak. Customers are made aware of the problem when they find a puddle of coolant where they were parked or get the dreaded low coolant light. Coolant leaks are particularly dangerous to modern engines as they are mostly made out of aluminum. Older engines were most made out of iron which made them heavier, but much more resistant to overheating. Since aluminum is much lighter and easier to machine, it is now vastly used in modern cars. The problem with aluminum is that is a softer metal than iron. Overheating an aluminum engine a single time can cause head gasket or other expensive repairs. This is why having coolant leak can be a devastating to your wallet. The good thing is that there is common tool, the DIY people can buy to help them find a coolant leak.

Mityvac MV4560 Automotive Radiator/Cooling System Pressure Test Kit, Contains Adapters to Test Most U.S. and Asian Cars, Light Trucks and European Vehicles

This tool is a home user version of the professional tool we use at our shop. Comes with just about every adapter you will need for your average vehicle. To use the tool you simple unscrew your radiator cap when your engine is COLD , do not open the radiator cap when your engine is hot as you will be burnt with scolding hot coolant under high pressure ! Then find the correct adapter in the tool kit and install it properly. Then plug in the vacuum vacuum pump and gauge with the supplied vacuum tube to the radiator cap adapter. Now you want to look at he radiator cap to know the max pressure your system is rated for and simply pressurize the coolant system. Make sure to not over pressurize it or your could break something. Do not surpass the PSI printed on the radiator cap! Once you reach the desired PSI of pressure keep an eye on the gauge to see if the pressure drops. If the pressure doesn’t drop then you will know your cooling system is sealed up tight. Your leak might be located in a non pressurized component like a coolant reservoir.

If you notice the pressure drop then you do have a leak. You can see how bad the leak is based on how quickly the pressure gauge goes down. Now you have to get a good flash light and search for the leak. Check the usual places such as the radiator, hoses, thermostat housing, and water pump. If the leak is bad enough you should be able to see a constant drop of coolant dripping on the floor. If you follow the drip from the bottom up that should help you pin point the leak. Once you find the coolant leak location you can decide if you can change the part yourself or bring it to your trusted mechanic if it is big job. There are time when a coolant leak will not be visible. If the heater core located in your dash is leaking then it will not be obvious. Also if the leak is caused by a bad head gasket or depending on the engine the leak might be located on a coolant hose buried under the intake or somewhere else that is hard to spot. In those cases you might have to pay your trusted mechanic a visit, but you will have the knowledge that you have a leak somewhere in the system. If you have any questions always feel free to contact us.

This video shows how pressuring the coolant system can be used to find a leak from the weep hole on a water pump from a 2012 Dodge Avenger with the 2.4 litre engine.
This very useful tool can be purchased here.
https://amzn.to/3n4QN9z

Diagnosing an engine that stalls

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 23:53:00 GMT

A common reason cars are towed into our auto repair shop is to diagnose an engine that stalls. We start diagnosis by scanning the engine computer. In this case the customer’s car was a 2002 X5 3.0i. We didn’t find any fault codes that would lead us to the cause of the engine stalling. Then we started diagnosing the vehicle. Since it was an older BMW with high miles we wanted to make sure the engine was mechanically sound so we started by putting a socket on the crank pulley and turning the engine by hand to make sure it isn’t binding or has some serious mechanical issues. The engine turned fine so far it seems mechanically sound.

What an engine needs to run

An engine needs three things to run. It needs spark, fuel, and air. So one of those systems was causing the engine stalling issue. The first thing we checked was the air filter and air intake system for obstructions or other issues. All the plastic ducting was clear and the engine was getting a proper reading from the air meter when the engine was temporarily run without stalling. Then we used a spark tester to confirm that the coils were firing properly and there weren’t any frayed wires in the harness that powered the ignition coils. The battery was tested as well and was running great. Finally we moved on to test the fuel system. This model BMW thankfully has a fuel pressure testing port on the fuel rail. We hooked it right up and immediately noticed low fuel pressure. For port injections systems we expect to see about 50 to 60 pounds per square inch of fuel pressure. Also when the engine stalled out the fuel pressure dropped to zero. So we knew that we had to find out what was wrong with the fuel pump. Was it a broken wire? Was the fuel pump bad? Was it a severely clogged fuel filter?

Accessing a fuel pump

Depending on the manufacturer accessing a fuel pump can be a breeze or it can be labor intensive. Some manufacturers install an easy access panel under the back seats or in the trunk. Other manufacturers require you to lower the exhaust and part of the rear suspension to access the fuel pump by dropping the whole gas tank. This can make the repair quite expensive when you are paying a shop as it is labor intensive. Thankfully this BMW X5 has an access panel under the rear seat. We accessed the fuel pump and tested the wiring to make sure it is receiving the proper voltage and the wiring is in good condition. Once the wiring was confirmed to be good we moved on to test the actual fuel pump. The fuel pump was likely a factory original due to the markings on it. Then we confirmed that the fuel pump was barely running and would suddenly stop when voltage was increased. We the repaired the car by installing a new Original Equipment Manufacturer fuel pump assembly and whenever you change the fuel pump you must also clean out the gas tank of any debris and change out the fuel filter.

This blog post goes over a little bit of the process that is used to properly diagnose a problem and not simply change parts at expense of our customers. This shows a little bit of the process we go through to fix any problem the right way the first time. It shows how we have built up our reputation and why our customers keep coming back to us for their automotive repairs. If you have any questions or would like to set an appointment please feel free to contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Why You Should Replace a Weak Car Battery

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 17:26:00 GMT

Sometimes we notice that the battery in our car might be getting weak. We notice dimmer map lights at night and the car might take longer to start in the morning. Car batteries are expensive and can be a hassle to change to change or pay someone to change. So we tend to ignore the issue and as long as the car runs and drives we can wait. What many motorists don’t know is that a weak battery can cause different computer modules in your car to report faults. This will cause a warning light on your dashboard. It might set off an Anti-Lock Brake System light, a steering sensor fault, or many other dash lights to come on.

These dash lights might cost you hundreds of dollars on replacing components related to the dash light when the components actually work fine. It is just that your car’s electrical system can’t handle the load and supply the appropriate amount of voltage. When the battery is weak the computer modules in your car detect that there is something inconsistent with the voltage and set off fault and a dash light. This might cause a technician to mistakenly replace a good working component only to have the light come back in a few weeks.

Modern cars and older luxury cars are full of computers that monitor different systems in your car and they require a lot of electric power to run properly. Some cars are so computer heavy that they even require an auxiliary battery to run the car. With all the benefits that modern and luxury cars offer there are some negatives. One of those negatives is that the electrical systems are much more sensitive. That is why it is important to have a trusted mechanic that spends time properly diagnosing your car . Also better to have fresh batteries in your car to avoid a no start condition when your battery does goes too weak as winter is fast approaching. We invite you to get your battery load tested at Tolima’s Auto Center if you believe you have a weak battery.

Why Car Repairs Can be More Expensive on Higher Mileage Vehicles

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 07:47:00 GMT

As cars get into the higher mile range and they get older, car repairs can get more expensive. The reason for this is because as cars gain more miles certain components surpass their intended service life. For example if we have a car come into our shop for a misfire and we find the component at fault to be a leaky injector we would normally replace the single injector, but if the car is in good shape and has over 150k on the odometer we are going to advise the customer to change all the injectors. The reason for this is that at that mileage it is not unreasonable for injectors to fail. We will let the customer know that if we change the single injector they might be coming back with the same problem on another injector. Depending on the engine it could be a considerable amount of labor to get to the injectors. It just doesn’t make sense to change one injector when you consider the labor it takes to get to the injectors. We might as well change all of them if the mileage on the car is high enough.

Manufacturer Recommended Replacements

There are parts where the Original Equipment Manufacturers will not honor the warranty unless other parts within the same system have been changed as well. One of these parts are fuel pumps. If you change a fuel pump but cheap out on replacing the fuel filter, if the new fuel pump were to fail the manufacturer will not warranty it unless you can show a receipt that the fuel filter was changed at the same time. The reason for this is that fuel pumps often burn out due to clogged fuel filters.

Another part like this is air conditioning compressors. If you were to change an A/C Compressor and weren’t able to show you changed the receiver dryer and orifice/expansion tube then the company would refuse to warranty the new A/C Compressor if it failed. The reason for this is because when an AC Compressor fails it is likely to send small metal particles through the Air Condition System. The metal particles tend to get stuck in the receiver dryer and expansion/orifice tube and those metal particles will destroy the new A/C Compressor.

While you are in there type repairs

If the car is high mileage and there is something about the car that is a well known pattern failure we will always avise to change the part that is well known to fail. For example a customer comes in with a Nissan 3.5 litre V6 and it is leaking from the timing cover gasket. Even if the timing chain isn’t rattling we would advise to change it if the car had anywhere near 100,000 miles as the timing tensioners are prone to fail around that mileage. Similar with the Honda 3.5 litre V6. If the engine is nearing 100,000 miles and we have a leaking water pump then we would advise the customer to just do the entire timing belt job as it is pretty much the same amount of labor and the engine would be good for another 100,000 miles of service.

This tends to be one of the reasons as to why people end up trading in or junking their older high mileage cars. As the cars get older many components surpass their service life and problems tend to cascade. Mechanics are put in a difficult predicament where if you only replace one worn component it is likely that the next ignition coil or injector will fail shorty, but then if a mechanic suggests to change everything the mechanic runs the risk of upsetting the customer. When dealing with high mileage cars it is always difficult to advise the customer on what needs repair if the car has had some services neglected.

Why you shouldn’t ignore a check engine light

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 20:28:00 GMT

There are some motorists that drive around ignoring a check engine light. Modern cars are so well built and safe that unless you know what to look for most people can’t feel something is wrong with their car. They will drive around for weeks or months until whatever problem their car had becomes too big to ignore. This is where what might have been a small repair becomes a big head ache. On this blog posts we will go over a few experiences where a customer ignored a check engine or service light and what might have been a small or simple repair became a big repair that cost much more to repair than if they would have brought the car in sooner.

Ignoring the low brake pad lining light

Some motorists ignore their low brake warning light so long that the brake pad is completely destroyed. The brakes go down to the metal. This causes extreme amounts of heat from the metal on metal friction which cooks the brake fluid turning it black. Damages brake hoses due to the heat. Priciest of all, it destroys the brake calipers and rotors. Now the the repair doesn’t consist of simple brakes and rotors. The repair required is now a full brake system overhaul. New brake pads, rotors, hoses, calipers, and a brake fluid flush. All these extra parts and longer service add up! All this could have been avoided by simply getting the brakes done on time when the low brake warning light came on.

Ignoring a Check Engine Light that was for bad Oxygen Sensors

We have seen cases particularly with luxury cars were the owner noticed that the car was getting very poor fuel economy and the check engine light was on. They kept driving it like that for months. Then they finally brought the car in when they noticed the engine was severely down on power. We diagnose the issue and we find that the oxygen sensors had failed. The oxygen sensors tell the computer how much fuel is needed for the combustion process. Without the sensor’s reading the computer compensates by dumping fuel. That caused the reduction in fuel economy. The problem is that the extra fuel over time can damage the catalytic converters causing them to clog. On most non-luxury brands like Toyota, Chevrolet, Kia, Honda, and Subaru you can get away with using aftermarket catalytic converters that cost a couple of hundred bucks. With luxury brands the computers will not accept anything but factory catalytic converters that cost $1,000+ for just the part from the dealer. Simple oxygen sensor replacement now becomes a very expensive repair costing over a thousand dollars.

Chips on a Windshield

New York City has never ending construction projects. This causes loose debris on the road to be kicked up and cause a simple chip on a car’s windshield. Most people will ignore this small imperfection and keep on driving. The chip can be repaired with a cheap $15 windshield repair kit that can be found in all auto part stores. But people will ignore it for weeks and months until the chip develops into a crack. Now the cracked windshield has be replaced at the cost of a few hundred dollars instead of $15 for a DIY repair kit and 20 minutes of your time.

Why you shouldn’t ignore small car repairs

As the few examples listed above cars are complex machines and when you ignore a problem it can cascade and cause much bigger more expensive problems. You can get codes scanned at most auto part stores for free. Having your check engine code isn’t the same as having a diagnosis performed, but it can help you ask the right questions to your trusted mechanic. As an highly rated independent mechanic shop we welcome questions and we will advise you as best as possible based on the information you provide.

Low Brake Fluid Light

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 20:52:00 GMT

A lot of cars built in the last 20 years have brake fluid level sensors that will set off a big warning light on your dashboard when it detects you have low brake fluid. This is not a light that should be ignored or taken lightly. Your brakes use hydraulic pressure to slow down and stop your car when you actuate the brake pedal. The system is under 900 to over 1,400 pounds per square inch of pressure and relies of brake fluid to transfer that force to your brake caliper pistons which squeeze on your brake pads then rotors to stop your car. That is why if a leak were to develop your car would lose brake fluid quickly and you’d soon have a car without the ability to stop.

Places where brake fluid could leak

The most common places that break fluid can leak from on older cars are the brake hoses. To withstand 1,400+ pounds of pressure brake lines that run under your car are made out of steel. But to reach the moving parts of your suspension there are portions of your braking system that need to move and those parts are made out of a special rubber. This rubber is reinforced in order to withstand extreme pressures, but like all rubber it degrades over time. Eventually the rubber dry rots cracks and will rupture. Then with each press of the brake pedal a substancial amount of fluid will be forced out.

Rust tends to be a big problem with most non luxury car models that don’t have much protection against road salt and rain water on the under carriage. Over the years this leads to corrosion and the steel brake lines will eventually develop a pinhole leak when the metal rusts through. The solution for both these brake fluid leaks is to replace the worn components then refill and bleed the brake fluid. The problem, is that once either of these components starts leaking you have only a few presses of your brake pedal before you lose so much brake pressure that the only brakes you will have will be the emergency brakes.

What to do when you experience fluid loss?

You will notice immediately that your brake pedal will become very soft or spongy when you press it. Then your dash board will quickly warn you that the brake fluid is low. Now if you car is driving down the road you will want to turn on your hazard lights and pull over immediately as you will very soon lose hydraulic pressure and your brake pedal will do nothing. If you can’t come to a complete stop you better use for emergency brake to avoid causing an accident. Then you’ll need to get the car towed to as shop. Even if you add brake fluid you will quickly lose it as the system is under very high pressure so a road side repair won’t really be feasible or safe. This issue is can be quite dangerous as it can happen spontaneously on older cars and you need the issue to be addressed immediately. If you experience this issue it is best to get a tow truck and take it to your trusted mechanic .

Water Sloshing Sound in Car

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 20:50:00 GMT

You get in your car and you hear a mysterious water sloshing sound inside your car. First you wonder where is the sound coming from? As you drive you notice the sound is more pronounced as you brake or accelerate harder. This is a common problem in cars that are parked outside. Particularly when parked under trees where fallen leaves and other debris can get into your car and clog water drains.

Clogged Drains in your Car

Your car is not actually very water proof. There are systems of drains and hoses that evacuate water away from your car all over your car. One part of your car that isn’t particularly water proof are your doors. Your doors are actually designed to take in water inside the door frame and evacuate it through some drains in the bottom. What keeps the water from going inside your car and creating mildew or wetting your carpets is a plastic cover inside your door called the vapor barrier. Some DIY mechanics have no idea that this cover actually prevents water from getting into your car and destroy it or don’t reinstall it. This can also create a lot of problems.

The part of your door that is designed to get wet, quickly evacuates the water to prevent rust and other problems from having water stagnating inside your doors. Over the years dirt leave and debris gets inside your door and clogs the drains. Then as water builds up you will get the “Sloshing Sound” from the water sloshing back and forth inside the door. This can cause problems in a multitude of ways that can cost you money in repairs. The water can damage computer modules and speakers installed inside your door. The sitting water will also strip away the paint from the metal causing rust. Moving components inside your door like the window motors can get water damaged and need replacement. The added humidity on hot days will cause all sorts of adhesives in your cabin to soften and can damage your headliner, glued leather or wood trim inside your cabin.

How to Fix Water Inside your Car Doors

The solution to this problem is actually easily done by most people and usually requires minimal tools. Simply identify the door with the clogged drain. Then feel along the rubber gasket on the bottom section of the door. Open the rubber gasket with your fingers and see if you see water droplets start pouring out. Keep the rubber gasket open with your hand and let the water drain out. If there is a lot of debris you can use a can of compressed air when you locate the drain at the bottom of the door. If there is a lot of debris then the way to fix is is to remove the door card and clean it out from the inside cavity.

If this problem has gone beyond being a DIY and need your car repaired please feel free to contact us with questions at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Air Suspension Leak Repair

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 18:34:00 GMT

Luxury car manufacturers try to balance great handling dynamics along with a smooth comfortable ride and they accomplish this with air suspensions. They are amazing as they are adjustable. They can be made stiff for handling or soft for highway cruising. On high end car manufacturers like Land Rover, they can even raise or lower the car for off-roading or to make the car easier to get in or out of. Air suspensions offer amazing versatility on high end cars. The issues start when the cars go out of warranty and the cars get older. They finally become affordable for people looking to spend $6,000 or less for a used luxury vehicle.

What Breaks on an Air Suspension

As the air suspension ages the rubber air bladders that hold the pressurized start to dry rot and crack. The bladders are under immense pressure as they hold the weight of the car and are strained with every bump and pot hole you hit. As the rubber fails so will the seals and start to leak air. It is easy to identify a leak because over night the car will drop as the suspension collapses. We have also come across problems with the air compressors themselves. As their name suggests they compress air and pressurize the air bladders in the struts. They can fail with age or if someone ignores leaky air struts and just keeps driving their car the air compressors can burn themselves out from constantly running while trying to keep the bladders pumped up with air. The final most common problem we have encountered is with the level control system. It is a complex system that uses sensors to detect the ride height and makes sure your car is level as it drives down the road. If the system malfunctions the car will not be evenly leveled on the road and can damage suspension components as the weight of the car is not evenly distributed.

The problem with Air Suspensions

The main problem with air suspensions is that when anything breaks the parts cost and labor can easily go over half the value of the car or surpass the value of the car if it is old enough. Even for people who work on their own cars the parts cost can still get into the thousands. As some popular cars with air suspensions like the Mercedes Benz W211 E500 and the BMW E53 X5 many people will drive the cars with broken air suspensions causing even more damage to the cars. One solution to the air suspension problem on these older cars is to delete the air suspensions and install a coilover kit. This is also pricey as these coilover kits tend to cost nearly $1,000 and then you have to pay for labor and alignment. But the advantage is that you never have to worry about a broken air suspension component again. For quotes or any issues with any vehicle equipped with an air suspension contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Car Overheats When The Air Conditioner is On

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 23:42:00 GMT

As the weather warms up and people use their air conditioners more there are some cars overheat only when the air conditioner is on. This is a common issue on some older cars. This puts the driver in a difficult situation on particularly hot days. Does the driver risk overheating their engine or do they risk overheating themselves and their passengers? The most common reason for this condition is caused by the radiator fans not switching to high speed mode.

When you use your air conditioner all the heat that is displaced by cold, air conditioned air in your cabin is sent to the condenser which is sandwiched between your engine radiator and cooling fans. When you turn your air conditioner on, the fans receive a signal from the computer to spin at max speed. This allows the fans to pull heat out of the air conditioning system’s condenser which will immediately start to get very hot when you run your air conditioner. If there is something wrong with the fans which doesn’t allow them to spin at max speed the heat from the condenser will be absorbed by the radiator which will add heat to your coolant and overheat your engine.

If your car is experiencing this overheating issue

You can easily confirm if your overheating issue is due to a problem with your fans. With your engine running and the A/C turned off observe the fans. They should be spinning slowly or not spinning at all. Then go inside your car and turn the air conditioner on. Once your vents start blowing cold air go look at your fans. They should be spinning at max speed. If they aren’t and your car is overheating then you know the issue is caused by your fans. Any time your air conditioner is on the computer will command your fans to spin at max speed. There can be multiple causes for this. One reason could be the fan motors could be worn due to age. A second reason could be a broken wire that sends the signal for the fans to spin on max speed, needs to be found and repaired. Third reason could be a sticking or damaged fan relay. There are a few other causes for this, that require further diagnosis and might best be handled by a trusted mechanic shop.

If your car is overheating it is best to have the problem solved right away. Overheating your engine can cause mechanical damage to the engine or crack the plastic components of your engine cooling system. If either of these things happen the repairs can be quite expensive. If you need help diagnosing an overheating issue we welcome you to contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Car Air Conditioner Repair

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 02:58:00 GMT

As the weather warms up we get many questions from customers about car air conditioner repair. Usually a customer will notice their car’s air conditioner doesn’t work and will buy one or two cans of refrigerant at their local auto parts store. They will follow the instructions and use the cans in their AC lines. Sometimes this will make their air conditioners work while other times the AC will not work at all. This is because air conditioning systems need a very specific amount of refrigerant. Too much pressure or too little pressure in the AC lines and the system won’t work at all. Having a broken air conditioning system isn’t too bad when you can cruise on the highway with the windows open and the breeze cools you off. But when you are stuck in stop and go traffic and you can only drive a few feet before you have to wait at another red light the heat can be excruciating.

Common cause for your air conditioning to stop working

A modern automobile’s air conditioning systems is highly efficient and pressure sensitive. There are a series of lines and hoses that keep the system closed and pressurized. At the end of those lines there are special green sealing rings that are specially made to withstand extremely high and low temperatures. The most common way your car’s air conditioning system stops working is when these O-rings fail with age and they allow the refrigerant to leak out. Once enough leaks out the pressure in your system will be too low for the air conditioner compressor to turn on. That is why the cans of refrigerant sold at auto parts stores can sometime fix the problem by increasing the refrigerant level enough to turn on the AC compressor. That will fix the problem temporarily as the new refrigerant will eventually leak out too.

How shops find and repair refrigerant leaks

If a refrigerant leak is the cause of your air conditioning not working then you have to find the leak and repair it. Professional shops have machines that allow a technician to find or detect the leaks which allows for a proper repair. These same machines also allow a shop to vacuum test the ac system to make sure that other seals don’t suddenly fail shortly after the repair. The AC system service machine also refill the refrigerant and oil to the factory levels which is very important in order for the AC system to work properly in modern cars. That is why if refilling the refrigerant doesn’t help fix your air conditioner then best to take it to your trusted auto repair shop.

How can I make my car faster?

Wed, 20 May 2020 17:46:00 GMT

“How can I make my car faster?” is a question we regularly get from people wanting to get more power out of their enthusiast car. The short answer is, if your car has no turbo or supercharger then not much unless you are willing to spend a lot, But if your engine has forced induction, then how up to date are you on your maintenance and what is your budget?

Why it is harder to increase horsepower without a Turbo or Supercharger?

All engines require air, fuel, and spark to run. The more air and fuel you can cram into each cylinder the more power the engine can make. Naturally aspirated engines are limited by atmospheric pressure (14.7 PSI) and rely on the physical size of each cylinder (Displacement) to draw in air in order to make power. With this limitation, the options to increase power are expensive and not cost effective. On a naturally aspirated engine you can have a performance tune loaded, which can marginally increase power by increasing engine timing or allowing the engine rev out more. There are also performance cams shafts and differentials with more aggressive gear ratios that can help. All of these mods can be pricey to have installed and require computer tuning to get the full benefit. All this is not cost effective for potentially marginal horsepower gains.

Why Turbo or Supercharged cars can make more power easily

Engines equipped with turbos and superchargers are a bit different. There are large enthusiast markets around performance models from Audi, BMW, Subaru, Mercedes Benz, Mazda, and Fords that come with factory forced induction. Turbos and superchargers are mechanical air pumps that use mechanical energy to force more air into the engine. That way the engine is not dependent on size and atmospheric pressure to make power. Cars with force induction can be tuned and modded to make their systems cram even more air than the manufacturer intended with supporting modifications for cooling, intake, and exhaust. This substantially increases horsepower and torque in exchange of some reliability.

The downside of adding horsepower

Cars equipped with turbos and supercharger can make great power when modded, but also expect higher wear and tear on power train components. When a customer tells us they want to make more power from their boosted BMW, Subaru, Mini, or Audi we always consider the car’s mileage and maintenance history. If the car is higher mileage and hasn’t been well maintained then we would advise against modding the car for more power. Cars that make substantially more power can also look forward to more wear and tear from increased heat and potential engine knock the engine will experience with added boost. When lots of power is added transmissions tend to fail faster if they are already high mileage. All this will make the car more maintenance intensive. With great horsepower comes great maintenance! If you have a car that are interested in modding feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

5 Reasons Why You Should Purchase an Out of New York State Luxury Car

Thu, 07 May 2020 18:42:00 GMT

When looking for a deal there are many American, Asian, or European luxury cars that can be had for a fraction of their price from when they were new. Many customers tend to buy from local dealers for the sake of convenience. Buying from a local used car dealer saves time and is convenient as they are usually a short drive from home. Unfortunately, due to city driving conditions used luxury cars from the New York City Metro area always tend to develop problems or need major repair sooner in our experience.

When looking to purchase a used luxury car, it has been our experience that customers that buy an out of state car are much happier in the long term. Regardless of where you find the car you are looking to purchase we always recommend a pre-purchase inspection by us at Tolimas Auto Center to avoid buying a lemon with hidden problems that will cost you thousands to repair right after buying your car.

Vibrations, Clunking, and Other Symptoms of Broken Engine Mounts

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 02:08:00 GMT

If your car has annoying vibrations at idle and clunks when you accelerate then you most likely have worn or broken engine mounts. As cars age they tend to develop vibrations and clunks. Clunks can be mostly attributed to worn or broken suspension components including mounts. Vibrations are caused by misfires or broken engine mounts as well. Those vibrations are felt throughout your car due to collapsed metal and rubber mounts that attach your engine and transmission to your car’s frame. The internal combustion engine inherently vibrates quite a bit from all the metal moving parts and the internal combustion process. Auto manufacturers tune these vibrations out with the use of engine and transmission mounts.

Different Types of Motor Mounts

Most cars have simple engine and transmission mounts made out of rubber which has been bonded to or pressed into a metal casing that bolts on to the frame of your car. This does a good job of dampening engine vibrations while the mounts are in good condition. There are also fluid filled hydraulic mounts which have a chamber inside the mount filled with hydraulic fluid. These mounts are more cushioned and give the car a softer more luxurious feel, but also wear out faster. On fluid filled engine mounts the chamber that holds the fluid will rupture and it will leak out giving this type of mount a much shorter service life. The most modern and expensive type are called active mounts. They are also filled with fluid, but have an electrical connector that uses sensors and valves to change the characteristics of the engine mount. These types of mounts are mostly found in performance and luxury car such as those from Audi, BMW, Lexus, Acura, and Cadillac. Lastly there are aftermarket motor mounts that are made out of polyurethane for stiffness. These are the hardest and transfer the most vibrations into the cabin.

How motor mounts break

Motor mounts tend to break from a combination age and engine torque. The rubber portion of the motor mounts deteriorates over time. The same way tires dry crack with age, so do engine mounts. As the motor mounts age and get weaker they are less able to tolerate engine torque. This will eventually cause the motor mount to tear and fail. Another less common way motor mounts can fail is due to an oil leak. A slight oil leak won’t cause any major issue as long as the engine is kept with the recommended amount of oil. But if the oil happens to be leaking over a motor mount the oil will cause the rubber to soften and swell making the mount fail prematurely. A failed motor mount will cause excessive vibrations to be felt throughout the cabin at idle and smooth out as your drive or cruise. It can also affect suspension geometry affecting alignment. Broken motor mounts can be easily diagnosed when brake torquing an engine with the hood up. You’ll quickly notice the excessive engine movement seeming like the engine wants to jump out of the engine bay.

Engine Mounts can also be visual inspected as the rubber will start to crack and separate from the metal sleeves that house the mount. If you have the symptoms discussed in this article or have questions about your car, please feel free to Contact Us at Tolima’s Auto Center.

How changing your Fuel Filter can drastically increase your fuel economy

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 17:03:00 GMT

Most people know about changing oil, spark plugs, and ignition coils as maintenance items to improve or maintain good fuel economy. One maintenance item that is often overlooked is the fuel filter. As the name implies the fuel filter filters sediment and other crud that builds up in the bottom of your gas tank and the tanks at your local gas station. If there was no fuel filter in place, that sediment would travel to your fuel injectors and clog them causing misfires. Like the other various types of filters in your car, fuel filters have a service life and must be changed at certain mileage intervals. Once a fuel filter is worn it clogs up and forces the fuel pump to work harder to maintain proper fuel pressure. This will wear out the fuel pump and eventually damage it. The lower fuel pressure will also make the computer command the injectors to stay open longer to compensate for the lower pressure wasting fuel.

Why Fuel Filters don’t get changed often

Fuel filters used to be easily accessible in older cars from the 80’s, and 90’s, held in with plastic clips or clamps along the fuel lines under the car. They were very easy to change. As modern cars made more power and required higher fuel pressures the fuel filter designs changed and now use special metal fittings to screw metal fuel lines into the fuel filters. This made them much harder to change as New York cars deal with a lot of road salt in the winters, which causes corrosion that rusts the steel line to the filter. Normally a gas torch would be used to separate rusty bolts, but you can’t use that because of the fuel in the lines. So the solution is to cut the steel fuel line and replace part of the rusty line with new fittings to screw in a new fuel filter. This requires experience, can be time consuming, and adds parts costs to the repair. Even newer cars from Toyota, Honda, and Chevrolet made in the last 10 years now have their fuel filters built into the car’s fuel pump assembly inside the gas tank which may require removing the gas tank if there is no fuel pump service panel. Due to these added costs many people decline having their fuel filter serviced until there is a problem.

Why changing your fuel filter is important

Symptoms of a clogged fuel filter can manifest as hard starting, low engine power, loud fuel pump, poor idle, and terrible gas mileage. Once we diagnose and change the fuel filter our customers remark that their fuel economy has gone way up. Especially during highway driving where the engine will benefit from steady constant fuel pressure. As stated before, a clogged fuel filter can lower fuel pressure causing your injectors to not discharge the exact amount of atomized fuel. Then the oxygen sensor will detect that there isn’t the right amount of fuel burned. The computer will compensate by commanding your injectors to stay open longer to compensate for the inadequate fuel pressure. This causes your engine to burn more fuel and reduces your fuel economy. Changing your fuel filter also greatly extends the life of the fuel pump as it won’t have to struggle against a clogged filter burning itself up in the process. It is one of those maintenance items that usually gets skipped due to lack of awareness of level of difficulty to service due to the added labor and material cost, but definitely worth changing if you plan on keeping your car for a long time.

Waiting to have your brakes serviced will cost you more money

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 22:50:00 GMT

There are some people who wait until something is seriously wrong with their brakes before bringing their car in for service. Unfortunately waiting until your car has no more brakes will also greatly increase the cost of a brake service. Driving a car with bad brakes that long will actually cause permanent damage to braking components. The car will go from needing brake pads and rotors to needing a partial reconstruction of the braking system.

How Brakes Work

When you use your brakes your brake pedal pushes hydraulic fluid through a closed system of steel tubing and reinforced rubber lines to push out the pistons on your brake caliper. Then in turn the pistons push your brake pad against the brake rotor to stop your car. This is how brakes generally work for every car from a Toyota Camry to a BMW M5 to a Lamborghini Aventador. The problem comes in when the brake pads wear out.

What happens when low brake warnings are ignored

When low brake warnings are ignored and your car keeps being driven the brakes will wear down until they are metal to metal. The brake pad material will be completely gone and the metal backing plate for your brake pad will be pushed against the rotor. This metal on metal contact will make a terrible grinding sound. This added friction will create extreme heat which will cook the brake fluid turning it black. The heat will also damage the seals and piston in your brake calipers. The excessive heat can also cause the rubber brake lines in your car to fail.

All this damage will cost a lot more to repair because you’d go from needing brake pads and rotors to needing a brake overhaul. This means your car would also need brake calipers, brake fluid flush, and the rubber lines replaced. With damaged seals and pistons your brake calipers wouldn’t be able to properly retract. Burnt brake fluid wouldn’t be able to properly provide pressure when you depress the brake pedal. Rubber lines can collapse and restrict the flow of brake fluid or leak if they not replaced after they have been overheated. All this adds up in parts and labor. All this can be simply avoided by having your brakes serviced when you get the low brake warning on your dashboard or you hear your brakes screeching when you stop your car. If you have any questions or your car shows these symptoms then feel free to contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Why Diagnosing a Car isn’t Simple, Quick, or Easy

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 14:36:00 GMT

Modern cars are technical marvels that use multiple complex computer systems and modules to run everything from your engine to your seat heater. When something breaks many people tend to think that diagnosing a car is simple, quick, and as easy as hooking up a code scanner. Due to the popularity of YouTube Auto repair videos videos, the general public has the misconception that the car is capable of telling you exactly what is wrong. Then all the mechanic has to do is change the part and reset the computer. Rarely is the solution that simple.

Why diagnosing a car can get complicated

Check engine lights are triggered by a component in your car that is out of tolerance which makes the computer turn the service engine soon light on your dash. Generic scanners can interpret codes simply as “P0300” Multiple Cylinder Misfire, which can help narrow down to where the component is failing. A technician will know that the code is ignition related, so what is next? Does the technician change everything that is ignition system related? How does a technician know exactly what part of the ignition system is causing the misfires? Replacing everything related to the ignition system can cost thousands of dollars in a modern car. And what if after changing everything the light comes back on for “Multiple Cylinder Misfires”?

A reputable and experienced mechanic shop will then proceed to testing each individual ignition component to see which component exactly is failing. This step is very important because a Multiple Cylinder Misfire code can be set by something completely unrelated to the ignition system. It could be easily caused by a bad air meter also known as a Mass Air Flow sensor. It can also be caused by a bad crank sensor, inadequate fuel pressure, or simply a broken wire somewhere in the wiring harness. Nine out of ten times having a check engine light code read will not tell you what repair needs to be performed.

Why a good mechanic shop will save you money

An experienced technician from a reputable mechanic shop will pull codes and use their knowledge as well as their experience to methodically troubleshoot the problem. This might require checking voltages, continuity, or fuel pressure. Checking these components also requires thousands of dollars in specialized equipment, knowledge, and time. A bad mechanic shop will pull codes and simply start changing parts on their customer’s dime whether it fixes the problem or not, but will happily stick you with a large bill. This is why diagnostics from a reputable shop take time and will save you money in the long run.

What Causes Steering Wheel Shake

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 15:21:00 GMT

You are driving along and notice that the steering wheel shakes as you drive. There are multiple reasons this can occur in your vehicle. The four main culprits being suspension, steering, brake or wheel related. Worn components in any of these system will cause a vibration or shake in your steering wheel under different driving conditions and they will be discussed further in this article.

How brakes cause steering wheel vibration

The most common cause for steering wheel shake tends to be brake system related. As you use your brakes they get hot and thermal shock from driving over a rain puddle, over tightened lug nut, or simply worn brake rotors can cause the metal to warp. When your rotors are warped and you depress the brake pedal at highway speeds your steering wheel will shake as the brake rotor surface is no longer smooth. This will cause your brake pad to skip over the rotor surface area when you brake. To remedy this you need to have your braking system inspected and remedied by having your brake rotors replaced.

How your rims can cause vibrations

The next most common cause of steering wheel shake is from an off balance rim. When a new tire is mounted on a wheel it needs to be balanced on a machine and have small weights glued or hammered on to the rim to keep the wheel from vibrating at speed. As the roads around the New York City Metro area’s terrible roads and hit potholes the weights can be knocked off. Also the rim itself can bend and crack throwing the wheel off balance. This will normally cause the steering wheel to shake when the car is above 40 miles per hour or faster. In this case the wheels and tires need to be inspected for damage. A simple re-balancing of the wheel might be all that is needed to resolve this issue.

Steering wheel shake caused by worn suspension components

The least common, but most problematic cause tends to be worn suspension and steering system components. These require an experienced mechanic to diagnose as there are so many components that can be at fault. Worn constant velocity joints can cause vibration and steering wheel shake particularly during acceleration. Worn wheel bearings can cause steering wheel shake while cruising depending on how close the are to catastrophic failure. Worn components in the steering are dangerous and will cause vibration along with inconsistent handling. In these circumstances immediate diagnosis and repair are necessary as the vibration you feel in the steering is not just an annoyance, but symptom of a serious failure that could leave you stranded.

When experiencing steering wheel shake and you aren’t sure of the cause, it is import to take your car in to a trusted mechanic. It could be something simple and easy or it could be the indication of major failure that could leave you stranded or cause an accident. If you are experiencing any of these issues we invite you to come get your car diagnose here, at Tolima’s Auto Center .

Why High Performance Sports Cars Cost More to Maintain

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 20:47:00 GMT

Many car fanatics choose buy older performance models from BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Subaru, Acuras for their M Cars, AMG, S-line, STI, and Type-S high performance models. They can be had for a fraction of the cost from when they were new and still offer amazing acceleration, braking, and handling dynamics. All that cheap performance does come at a cost, which was reflected on the price of the car back when it was new. Now you have to ask yourself, “Why was I able to buy this 2008 BMW M5 with a V10 engine, and 500 horsepower for about $10,000?” The real answer would be along the lines of, you bought it for 10 grand and now you’ll have to spend about another 10 to 15 grand to make the car somewhat reliable.

The cost of high horsepower

Top of the line performance models will have more rigorous maintenance schedules than that of your average Toyota Camry or Honda Civic. After these sport models come out of warranty and there are no more free services or repairs, maintenance will start to get ignored. Expensive repairs will pile up and once the owner is tired of the expensive maintenance they will sell the car at a big discount to the next owner. Then each new owner will start by fixing some things that are wrong, but when something new breaks they will sell the car again. Finally a car that was worth $80 grand ten years ago can be purchased for under $10,000, which is a steal. Except for the thousands of dollars the car will probably need once you consider the repair costs to get the car sorted out.

Why the repairs are much more expensive.

Normal wear and tear items will have a higher maintenance cost such as suspension and brakes. Take the BMW 5 Series for example. The standard models will have smaller brake rotors and simpler brake design with single or dual piston sliding calipers. On the top of the line performance oriented M5 the brakes will have significantly larger rotors and the calipers will be Brembo style monoblocks with anywhere from 4 to 8 pistons. These brake components will be significantly more expensive than the ones from a normal BMW 5 series. On the M5 models oil changes require a special synthetic oil which has to be special ordered. They use 10w-60 synthetic, which due to being an uncommon oil weight is much more expensive than common synthetic oils due to it being rare.

Performance cars can also have special suspension components that aren’t shared with lesser models. These are designed differently to handle the extra power the engine makes. They also have wider tires to help with the traction and 0-60 mph times. Larger wider tires are more expensive to replace than smaller and narrower tires. Performance models also have special alignment specs with more aggressive camber to give the car even better handling, but also makes tires wear out faster.

Audi, Subaru, and now even Honda use factory turbo chargers to get more power out of their engines. As fun as turbos can be, there are added costs to that too. Turbos add coolant lines and radiators which add complexity and parts to repairs and maintenance. If a turbo coolant line start leaking and if you neglect to change it you run the risk of damaging the turbos or overheating your engine. On top of everything else performance models have the largest thirstiest engines that will require premium fuel to engine knocking.

Know what you are getting yourself into

Older performance cars can be had for great deals, but you really need to do your research and know what you are getting yourself into. Major maintenance services and common problems are well documented online. Also spend a little more and buy a car with a detailed maintenance history so you know your aren’t getting yourself a car that will need thousands of dollars in repairs. Lastly always invest in a pre-purchase inspection as the seller might be trying to hide a big problem the car might have. All performance comes at a cost and you have to ask yourself if you are willing to pay to play?

Why you should avoid overheating your engine

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 22:44:00 GMT

As temperatures rise and the summer driving season goes into full swing we will start to have customers towed in with overheated engines. In the hotter months your car’s engine cooling system has to work much harder to keep your engine from overheating and your air conditioner blowing cold. City driving is especially hard on your cooling system as main and auxiliary fans have to come on high in order to get enough air through your radiator as you sit in traffic. If you have your air conditioner running the radiator also absorbs heating from the ac condenser that gets extremely hot in order to deliver cold air into your automobile’s cabin. All this puts a tremendous strain on your engine’s cooling system which can be under 15 to 30 pounds of pressure and mostly made out of plastic.

Modern car engines are made out of aluminum which is a lighter metal than the older heavy iron engines they replaced. Aluminum engines are also easier to cast and machine which allows auto manufacturers to design engines that make more power. One unfortunate trade off is that aluminum engines are more sensitive to extreme temperatures. This causes them to be more prone to warping than older iron block engines. Engines warp around the sealing surfaces where the block and the head meet due to the extreme heat and pressure from the compression and combustion in each cylinder. On an aluminum engine a single overheat can cause the condition known as a blown head gasket. A blown head gasket occurs when the gasket between the head and block fails to seal and combustion gasses get into the coolant and the coolant leaks into the combustion chamber. This condition causes more overheating and is expensive to repair.

Symptoms of a bad head gasket

The symptoms of a failed head gasket are misfires, randomly overheating engine, low power, and white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Head gasket[s] are expensive to repair as the job requires taking apart the top end of the engine. Then once the head[s] are removed having a machinist shave metal off the heads until they are perfectly flat and can seal again. Finally having a technician put everything back together again. This repair can exceed the value of most older cars.

Luxury and performance models from brands like BMW, Lexus, Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Infinity, and Acura tend to be even more sensitive to overheating and repair. They tend to have bigger engines with two heads sealed to the block. Some engines also depend on turbo charging to make power, which adds turbo coolant lines to complicate the systems even more. All this adds to the price of repair if the engine were to overheat.

Other issues from overheating your engine

Auto manufacturers have also moved toward more plastic components and this includes parts in the cooling system. Radiators and coolant inlet pipes were once made out of metal, but now tend to be made out of specially molded plastic. As they age the plastics become brittle and start to leak. If a cooling fan were to fail and your engine were to overheat, all these plastic components will also have reduced service life. The plastic components would experience temperatures and pressures above their rating and will start to crack and leak.

How you can avoid overheating your engine

All these problems can be avoided by maintaining your coolant system and simply paying attention to your engine temperature gauge. If you ever see the reading moving up, towards the red markings or your dashboard outright tells you your engine is overheating then find a safe spot to pull over. As inconvenient as getting towed to a mechanic shop can be, it is more inconvenient to have to have to pay to get your engine repaired or find a new car because the repair costs more than what the car is worth. If your car is showing any of these symptoms and have further questions feel free to contact us at Tolima’s Auto Center.

Your Road Trip Check List

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 21:58:00 GMT

Spring is right around the corner and along with the warmer weather comes travel and road trips. Experiencing a breakdown can ruin your travel plans and cost you hundreds of dollars in towing fees and repairs by having some random mechanic shop patch the issue to get you on your way. Here are a few things to check on your foreign or domestic automobile before going on a long road trip.

Check Your Fluids

There are multiple fluids that are essential to your car running properly. They lubricate, clean, and cool the components throughout your automobile. They are all important, except for windshield washer fluid, maybe? Check all your fluids and make sure they are full and at proper level. If a fluid is slightly low, then top it off. If any fluid is particularly low then have your car checked out by your trusted mechanic shop as that could indicate a leak.

How to check the oil level

With the engine off, locate your oil dip stick. Pull the dip stick out and you’ll see marks indicating how much oil is in your engine’s crank case. If your car doesn’t have an oil dip stick like many late model BMW, then you can check your oil level via the infotainment menus. If you are a little low on oil then top it off until the dipstick reads full with the engine off. If the oil level is really low then you might have a serious oil leak in which case have your car looked at by a mechanic shop. If you run too low on oil you risk serious engine damage which will lead to very expensive to repairs.

How to check your coolant level

The cooling system on modern cars is complex and have many components which can start leaking. Make sure to check your coolant level when your engine is cold. As many luxury and European car brands use expansion tanks which are under pressure and can burn you when you the engine is warm. Locate the coolant tank and check the indicator to see if your coolant level is at the full mark. If it is a little low then make sure to top it off with the correct coolant as using the wrong coolant can cause the radiator, thermostat, or water pump to fail.

Check your tires

As you plan to drive a long distance you will want to avoid getting stuck in the middle of nowhere due to a flat tire. First you’ll want to get a cheap tire pressure gauge. They can be found in any auto part store for under $5. You will want to use it to make sure your tires are at the recommended air pressure. That number can be found on your driver’s side door jamb on a sticker along with other vehicle information.

If your tire pressures are close to specification, then top them off. But if one tire is significantly lower than the others, then you have an air leak and you will want to have that tire and rim inspected. Finally you will want to inspect your tires for tread depth in case you experience rain. So you don’t hydroplane and lose control of your car when you drive over puddles on the highway.

Take your car on a shake down cruise

Take your car out on a quick highway jaunt. Make sure to turn off the radio and avoid other distractions. Listen for strange noises that might be coming from the suspension, tires, or brakes. Pay attention to how your brakes feel. Does the brake pedal feel spongy or solid? Does it feel gritty as you gradually apply brake pressure to the pedal? Any strange smells coming from the vents in your car like you might be burning oil or something else? Anything that doesn’t seem right is reason to get your car checked out by your trusted mechanic. Any repair you might have get done now before your road trip will be exponentially cheaper than breaking down on the way to your destination. And if you are looking for a reputable and highly regarded mechanic shop, we invite to come on down to Tolima’s Auto Center .

BMW N20 Engine Timing Chain Stretch

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 15:45:00 GMT

At our shop we get our fair share of customers with BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Audi models. We started to notice a pattern failure with BMW models that have the N20 turbo 4 cylinder engine. Customers will come to Tolima’s Auto Center with misfires on all cylinders and the engine will randomly stall at idle on their BMW. The the car has no engine codes we will start diagnosing the issue by check for spark, fuel, and air. As we eliminated the possibilities that could be causing the misfires and stalling we find that the timing chain has stretched. With the chain stretched the engine goes out of time and that causes the misfires and stalling.

Cause for the BMW N20 timing chain stretch

After repairing a few of these engines we believe the reason the chain prematurely stretches is due to infrequent oil changes. BMW started recommending 10,000 mile oil change intervals which we have seen cause a series of issues once these engines go out of warranty. When a 10,000 mile oil change is recommended by BMW, people will tend to go even further over that mileage before getting around to changing the oil. As oil wears out from being run in the engine so long it loses its ability to lubricate. This loss in lubrication causes the timing chain and tensioners to wear out prematurely, particularly on the N20 engine.

Replacing a stretched timing chain on a BMW N20 engine is a laborious process, which requires special tools and knowledge to do the job right. If the job is done incorrectly and the timing chain isn’t installed properly with the engine synchronized in time the engine will continue misfiring. That is why we recommend 6,000 mile oil changes. Specially if you own a European sports sedan or coupe. If you have are experiencing random misfires and stalling on your BMW we recommend you bring it to a reputable shop like Tolima’s Auto Center .

Why Reputable Mechanic Shops are Better than Dealerships

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 18:54:00 GMT

When people buy car under warranty they get into the habit of bringing their car to the dealership for service. It a pleasant experience as everything is covered under warranty and there isn’t any real out of pocket expense except for your time. Once the warranty period runs out and the car goes to dealership for service the owners get shocked when they realize the dealer is really expensive. Then the dealership will tell them that whatever is wrong with the car has to be repaired urgently. Some people that don’t have any mechanical knowledge then get pressured into authorizing the repairs. Others will refuse the service and will bring their car to an independent mechanic shop like Tolima’s Auto Center for a second opinion.

Dealership Scare Tactics

Tolima’s Auto Center has had many customers come into our shop telling us that a dealership told them they needed repairs done urgently. We take a look at their car and see that the problems were greatly exaggerated. Recently we had a customer tell us the dealership said she needed rear brakes on her Honda, because they were metal to metal and making noise. We checked, and she had plenty of brake pad left and the rotors were good too. The reason they were making noise was because there was no lubricant between her brake pad and brake shims. We lubricated them and the noise went away. The dealership was quoting her hundreds of dollars for brakes when all they needed was a little brake grease.

It is also common to hear from first time customers that the dealership told them they have severe leaks. The leak is so bad that they could get stranded. Then we then put the car up on the lift and inspect it. All we find is a little seepage from the oil pan or valve covers which is common as cars get older. We show it to them and tell them it is nothing to worry about. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse then it would be time to have the leak fixed.

Skewed Motivations

The dealership is motivated to get you to buy or lease a new car. If they can scare you into thinking your out of warranty car is unreliable then you might trade it in and get a new car. The dealership will profit twice from this transaction. They will sell you a new car and then take your current car, fix it up, and resell it. Dealership mechanics get paid on a flat rate system. That means that they don’t get paid a normal salary. They get paid a percentage of what the dealership charges their customers for each repair they perform. That gives dealership mechanics incentives to find problems in cars that don’t need repairs.

On the other hand reputable independent repair shops are motivated by return customers. We depend on building relationships with our customers so they come to us when they need auto repair, auto body work, or maintenance. Relationship building is highly dependent on trust. If we see something that needs immediate attention we show our customers the problem and explain why it needs repair. Also if we find a small issue that is okay for now, but will need attention in the future we let our customers know so they avoid surprises. A good independent mechanic shop’s business model revolves around fixing cars so our motivation revolves around satisfied customers who will return to do more business with us in the future. Unlike dealerships whose main motivation is to sell you a newer car.

How to find a good Independent shop?

The internet is a very powerful tool to help you find reputable mechanic shops. That is why at Tolima’s Auto, we are prompt to respond to any criticism we may get from review sites such as Yelp. And we are very appreciative when a customer takes the time to leave a great review. That is also why on our main webpage we are proud to show that we are highly rated by our customers. There are also plenty of shady repair shops out there, but a quick google search will show when a mechanic shop is poorly rated. So word of mouth is important and online reviews are important as well.

The One Thing You Should Always Do Before Buying a Used Car…

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 21:25:00 GMT

There are plenty of cheap used cars that can be bought for under $5,000. You can get good, cheap, and reliable used cars that are less than 10 years old in that price range. The best thing you can do before you hand over your hard earned money is get a pre-purchase inspection. Often we get customers that bring in a car they just bought because something is wrong or it has a check engine light. After doing a full diagnosis of the car we have to break bad news to them. They bought a car that needs a lot of work or some expensive repair.

Used car dealers and private car sellers can be very devious and hide big problems with the cars they are selling. Unless you get a pre purchase inspection you can be buying a car that needs thousands of dollars of repair work. There are many tricks that car sellers use to hide problems that a car might have. The most common is resetting the check engine light. They reset the light in order to hide problems long enough to sell the car.

Tricks Used Car Dealers Use to Sell Broken Cars

Used car dealers have a business model where they buy used cars in private auctions. The dealer doesn’t know what they are buying from the auction until they can get it to their car lot and have it inspected themselves. Their mechanics will look for anything that is broken. Then they will repair everything as cheaply as possible. That can be gluing broken plastic pieces. Hiding engine noises with thick oil to quiet them down. Adding transmission slip fix to hide worn slipping transmissions. Cleaning up oil leaks and temporary sealing them with silicone. Also using the cheapest no brand name parts to replace anything that they can’t mend themselves. All these repairs are temporary and won’t last more than a couple of weeks before you have to bring it to a mechanic shop like ours for diagnosis. Then we have to break the bad news to our customers.

How to avoid buying a lemon

You can avoid all these problems by having a pre-purchase inspection. During a pre purchase inspection we will put the car on our lift to inspect everything. We check for any evidence of fluid leaks and body frame rust. All suspension components are then inspected for wear and play. We inspect the car’s frame for auto body work in case it was in an accident. Brake pads, rotors are checked for worn or frozen components. Then we check under the hood of the car and make sure all the fluids are in good condition; as burnt fluids can indicate component damage. All engine accessory systems are checked for leaks and proper operation. Finally, we connect out dealer level scan tools which check for normal and shadow codes. Some auto manufacturers such as BMW have shadow codes stored even when someone tries to clear the check engine light. We specially recommend a pre purchase inspection if you are considering a BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Land Rover, Mini, Lexus, Infinity, Acura, or Cadillac. As luxury car repairs are more complicated and costly.

Tolima’s Auto Center offers pre purchase inspections for $165.00. When you think about spending thousands of dollars on a car, the cost of a pre-purchase inspection is nothing compared to the risk of buying a car that turns out to be a lemon. Simply contact us to make arrangements to bring the car to our shop for a pre-purchase inspection.

Why having a good alignment will save you money

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 21:29:00 GMT

Having proper camber, caster, and toe properly aligned is very important for the safety, performance, and longevity of your car. In this article we will discus the detriments to having a bad alignment and why not getting one will cost you more money in the long run. Part of living in New York City, is dealing with bad roads. Pot holes are everywhere and they test your car’s suspension to its limits. This will cause old worn parts to fail and that will throw your alignment off.

What makes for a good alignment?

A good alignment means that your car has a tendency to want to drive itself straight at all times. When you are driving down a straight road and as your car is moving the steering wheel is perfectly centered and your car doesn’t pull in any one direction. Also when you apply the brakes on a straight road your steering wheel will also perfectly center itself. Your car’s suspension is engineered from factory to track straight and with a good alignment your suspension will work as intended. This will ensure all your suspension components last a long time without service or replacement.

What is a bad alignment?

A bad alignment is pretty much the exact opposite of what was stated before. Your steering wheel be crooked and need a lot of slight input for your car to drive straight. Your car will have a vague on center feel. When you keep your steering wheel centered on a straight road your car will want to pull to the left or right. When you apply the brake at speed, your car will also want to veer left or right requiring you move the steering wheel in the opposite direction to stay in your lane. Driving with a bad alignment can be annoying, but also expensive if the issue goes on ignored.

As your suspension components aren’t calibrated to work as intended, they will experience excessive strain and wear out faster. Things you can expect from driving with a bad alignment are;

Problems caused by a bad alignment

As your alignment is off, your wheels will not point straight and will be cocked in or out. This will wear out the inner or outer part of your tire tread much faster. This will mean you will need to purchase mount and install new tires much sooner. Your suspension bushings are made out of rubber, which are designed to flex and compress as your drive to give your car a smooth luxurious feel. When your alignment is off, some bushings will be under more strain as your car will not want to track straight. As the wheel’s camber or caster will be off, your tire’s contact patch with the road will be reduced. When you apply your brake there will be less friction against the road to stop your car.

All these problems can be avoided by simply making an appointment and taking your car in for alignment. A simple alignment can save you hundreds of dollars from needing to buy new tires or needing expensive suspension work. Tolima’s Auto Center in Long Island City offers laser guided alignment service for cars, trucks, and fleet vehicles. Feel free to contact us to schedule an appointment or if you have any questions.

Why you shouldn’t ignore engine chirping sounds at idle

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 03:39:00 GMT

We have all heard that sound. At some point you’ll see a car on the street that will draw your attention, because you can hear a chirping sound coming from the engine as it is sitting at a light. The light turns green and as the car drives away it gets louder and faster. Some people ignore that sound and keep driving until something breaks. When that happens their engine will suddenly shut off. Now they will be stranded and their car will need to be towed to a mechanic shop for repairs. What might have been a simple repair will now be more complicated and costly.

What causes that engine chirping sound?

That sound is actually caused worn pulley bearings in the accessory drive A.K.A. serpentine belt system. Every engine, no matter whether it is made by Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet, BMW, Audi, or Kia uses an accessory drive belt system. This system uses your car’s engine to power the air conditioner, generate electricity, pump coolant, and even helps you steer your car. This system is made up of a series of pulleys that are connected to the engine via belts.

They are spun together along with your engine using friction from the belt. After spinning for thousands of miles the bearings on these pulleys wear out and start making that bird chirping sound. When the problem is diagnosed and repaired in a timely manner it could take as little as an hour or two of labor and a $30 pulley to fix the problem.

The problem is that some people ignore the this noise and drive their cars for hundreds of miles until something breaks. If the problem isn’t repaired in a timely manner, the bearing on the pulley will seize and that will destroy the accessory belt. Then the belt will shred or snap and that can then damage surrounding components. With these components being critical for the engine to run, it will shut off and not restart. You will then need to have your vehicle towed to a shop for the damage to be assessed. Now more parts will need to be replaced and the repair will be more much more expensive.

What you can do to avoid catastrophic failure

That is why when you hear a chirping when you start your car, it is best to bring it to a trusted mechanic shop. Diagnosing the issue early will be much more economical than waiting for something to break. If you experience this issue, Tolima’s Auto Center would be happy to help diagnose and resolve the issue. Please feel free to Contact Us .

Get Auto Body Repair Estimates Online for Free!

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 03:38:00 GMT

Tolimas Auto Center is fully equipped for all types auto body, paint, and glass repair. Now you can submit pictures of any damage you’d like to to have repaired and get an estimate for free sent straight to your email.

From your our website www.tolimas-auto.com select to go to our “ Contact Us ” page. Here you will fill out this simple form.

Once you fill out the form with your Name, E-mail, Telephone Number, and select “Auto Body Work Estimate” from the drop down menu you will tap on “Choose File”. This will bring up a gallery of the pictures you have taken on your cell phone.

Then simply select the pictures of the body damage you want an estimate for then select “Done”.

You will then see the file[s] you loaded and then simply tap “Submit”.

Tolima’s Auto Center will then receive the email with your inquiry and we will provide you with an estimate over email. This way you will have a good idea of what the repair will cost.

Why You Shouldn’t Wait To Get Your New York State Inspection

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 17:02:00 GMT

Tolima’s Auto Center is proud to be a licensed New York State Inspection Center . At the end of every month we get a rush of customers coming in to get their cars inspected. Their inspection stickers are a day or two away from expiring. We quickly take the car in to perform the inspection ASAP. As an expired inspection sticker is a magnet for tickets from the city.

What a New York State Inspection Entails

The New York State inspection has two parts. One is performed by us where we check the car to make sure it is street legal and safe to drive. The second part requires us to connect the car’s computer to the New York DMV computer system. Then DMV checks that the car has passed all the onboard emissions monitors. When we start the inspection process and notice the car has a check engine is light on and that puts us in a tough spot. As a check engine light is an automatic fail for the second part of the inspection. We will then be in a rush to repair the car and go through the process to get it ready for inspection.

What you need to do to get your car ready for inspection

Once we fix the issue, the car’s computer has to be reset. This also resets the computer’s onboard emission monitors, which are necessary for the car to pass inspection. Once these monitors are reset we have to have our customer drive their car and complete a full drive cycle under specific driving conditions to get the emissions monitors ready for inspection. The conditions are as follows;

We have found driving in those conditions most reliably gets the car ready for inspection. All this has to be done under limited time constraints if the inspection sticker is about to expire. That is why Tolima’s Auto Center recommends getting the inspection done early in the month it is due. If an issue were to arise you have the entire month to get it resolved.

Start early, and get your vehicle inspected today!

All You Need to Know About Timing Belt Services

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:34:00 GMT

Many of our customers prefer small 4 cylinder engines due to their reliability and fuel economy. In stop and go New York City traffic they are amazing. While Toyota, Honda, and Subaru are the top favorites, many people don’t think about their timing belt service. Aside from the usual maintenance of spark plugs, and oil changes there is also a required timing belt service which tends to get ignored. The timing belt is a critical component of the engine. Its job is to synchronize the valve train on the top half of the engine with the crank and pistons on the bottom half of the engine. As the name implies, the timing belt keeps engine components synchronized while your engine is idling at 600 RPM or when you are accelerating at 6,500 RPM. If a timing belt service is ignored the belt will break cause havoc inside your engine.

When the timing belt breaks

If the timing belt fails, it will throw the engine off sync. Once that happens, there is a big chance that your pistons will smack right into your valves. This causes bent valves and chipped pistons which then require extensive engine work costing thousands of dollars. Whether it is a Toyota, Honda, or Subaru the timing belt service interval can be anywhere from 60,000 to 105,000 miles. You should consult your owner’s manual to be sure you aren’t overdue. If looking to buy a used car, be mindful of the mileage and ask if the timing belt service has ever been done before.

Timing belt service, while you’re in there…

Any reputable mechanic shop will also change the water pump, idlers, and tensioners while doing the timing belt service. Those components are driven by the timing belt and also need to be changed during the service. If the mechanic shop were to only change the belt and a pulley or water pump were to fail soon after you’d have to pay hundreds of dollars to do the same job again. Essentially paying for the job twice. Since this service is only done a few times in your car’s service life make sure to bring your vehicle to a reputable shop like Tolima’s Auto Center to have this very important service done right.

Are Aftermarket Car Warranties Worth Purchasing?

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 02:16:00 GMT

Customers planning to buy newer cars always ask us if aftermarket car warranties are worth buying. In our experience the quality of aftermarket warranties can vary wildly. Some aftermarket warranties are a pleasure to work with as they require typical paperwork and diagnostics to approve the work. Other companies require a ton of jumping through hoops only to reject the warranty claim.

There are many aftermarket companies to choose from and they offer different levels of coverage at varying price ranges. When choosing an aftermarket warranty we recommend our customers to read the contract very carefully. Make sure you fully understand what you are buying. This is particularly important if you are buying the warranty for a luxury car such as a Mercedes, BMW, Infinity, or Audi. As their parts costs and labor hours can be pricey.

Make sure you read all the fine print and keep your insurance contract in a safe place. Every month we get a handful of customers who bring us their car for repair and have their warranty claim denied. We ask, “Why”, and they specifically point to the fine print which excludes the repair required. Other times customers bring us their car for aftermarket warranty repairs, but can’t find their insurance policy document or remember the name of the company they bought the policy from.

Aftermarket Warranty Catch 22

Some aftermarket warranty companies put us in a catch 22 dilemma. When a warranty claim requires something expensive the insurance company will request pictures of the part that failed. If the failed component is inside the engine. Then engine disassembly will be required to take those pictures. If the aftermarket warranty company were to deny the claim after the pictures are submitted. We wouldn’t be reimbursed for the time and resources spent taking the engine apart and the customer would be stuck with a car in pieces.

Things to consider when using your aftermarket warranty

Getting a claim approved through an aftermarket warranty can be a lengthy process. Your car has to be brought in to Tolimas Auto Center for diagnosis. We submit the claim to the insurance company and wait a couple of days for the warranty company to review the claim. Then the warranty company will send an independent agent to confirm the necessary repair or they will ask for more evidence such as pictures or video. This process can take as little as one week to a couple of weeks. During this time you will not have access to your car.

Are aftermarket warranties worth buying?

When you consider the negatives, are they still worth buying? The answer is yes, but it depends on the company. There have been customers who bought these warranty policies and saved thousands of dollars in repairs greater than the amount they paid for the policy. Also have had customers with policies that didn’t cover any repairs. We always recommend reading and understanding your policy in full to understand what you are buying. Do your research and see what people say about the company offering you an aftermarket warranty.

What is Direct Injection Carbon Cleaning?

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 01:20:00 GMT

Direct injection carbon cleaning is a service that is required by most modern cars. In the 2000’s, new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (C.A.F.E) standards went into effect. Due to this car companies started implementing new technologies. Among these new technologies was direct injection. Direct injection is able to boost fuel economy in an engine by about 9%. One of the draw backs to this technology is that engines now build up large amounts of carbon. Carbon build up is bad because it limits the amount of air that gets into each cylinder. This reduces power. The carbon also accumulates on the valves. This prevents them from fully closing shut, which makes your engine run poorly.

Direct Injection versus Port Injection

Before gasoline direct injection, car companies used something called, “port fuel injection”. Port Injection meant that gasoline was sprayed behind the intake valves and when the valves opened they would pull in the air and fuel to ignite in the cylinder. The gasoline would clean the ports and valves and prevent carbon build up. Direct Injection, as the name implies injects fuel directly into the cylinder under very high pressure. There is no longer any gasoline hitting the back of the valves to clean them.

Carbon Build Up Solutions

To solve this issue some car makes like Toyota, have started implementing both systems in some of their engines to prevent the carbon build up problem. Most engines still run on a single direct injection system to avoid complexity and lower manufacturing costs. When there is excessive carbon accumulation your engine will run rough like it is misfiring. When idling at a red light the engine will stall as there is too much carbon. At Tolimas Auto Center we offer carbon cleaning services. During the service the engine intake is disassembled down to the head. Once we have access to the valves and the ports we clean them using special equipment and solvents. If you have any questions about this issue or service, please feel free to contact us .

What you need to know about Nissan CVT transmissions

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 07:08:00 GMT

Tolima’s Auto Center is a shop located by Astoria, and a lot of our customers drive cars made by Nissan. They tend to be good on gas and good city cars. Are also fairly reliable and fun to drive cars in our experience. The most common problem we see is customers having problems with their CVT transmissions. We have seen many failures with Nissan’s Continuously Variable Transmissions.

What is the difference between a CVT transmission and Automatic transmission?

From the perspective of a driver the CVT and Automatic Transmission work exactly the same. You start your car, hold the brake, and move the center shifter from “Park” to “D” step on the gas pedal and go. The difference is in how the transmissions work internally. A traditional automatic transmission uses gears to shift your engine’s power band down or up depending on your acceleration needs. A CVT uses two large drums and a steel belt to move your engine’s power band. Since CVT transmissions have less components they are cheaper to produce and are most popular with Asian car manufacturers.

Nissan CVT transmission pattern failure

Toyota, Honda, and Subaru use CVT transmissions in many of their cars, but don’t experience the same failure rate as what we have seen from Nissan. They last between 40,000 to 80,000 miles before they have issues and need to be replaced or rebuilt. It is theorized that overheating is what causes the Nissan CVT transmissions to fail prematurely. The factory cooling system is insufficient and they run hot which breaks down the CVT fluid. The life of the transmission can be extended by doing a CVT fluid service as explained in this blog post .

Since driving a Nissan with a CVT transmission is the same as one with an automatic, many motorists are unaware that they have one these problematic transmissions. If you own a Nissan with a CVT, stay on top of transmission fluid changes. If you are going to buy a used Nissan with one of these transmissions then make sure it is covered by a good warranty. You should keep these things in mind as replacing the CVT on an older Nissan can cost as much as the value of the car.

How to make your transmission last the longest

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 15:29:00 GMT

Every motorists knows about the importance of engine oil changes, but few know about changing their transmission fluid. Be it a Toyota, Honda, or Chevrolet everyone knows that timely oil changes keep your engine running great. What most people don’t know is that also changing their transmission fluid will also make their car last longer. Transmission oil lasts a lot longer than engine oil, so we recommend changing it every 30,000 to 60,000 miles.

When do I change my transmission oil?

Being a mechanic shop located between Astoria and Long Island City, the majority of our customers drive automatic transmission cars. An automatic transmission works as a middle man transferring power from the engine to the wheels. Transmissions are filled with a special type of oil that does many jobs. It cleans, lubricates, cools, creates pressure to actuate different components. Once transmission fluid is worn the transmission can overheat and wear out prematurely. As transmission fluid ages it gets darker in color until it turns brown. Then if not changed it will continue darkening until it turns black, which usually indicates that there is transmission damage. You can easily check the condition of your fluid yourself. Under your hood find you transmission dip stick and smear a sample of your transmission on a paper towel. If it is brown or black then you are over due for service.

Most auto manufacturers claim their transmissions have lifetime fluid and some don’t even include transmission oil dip sticks to even check the condition of the transmission fluid. There is no such thing as lifetime fluid. When transmission fluid is worn out the transmission will start to slip. Transmission slip happens when you give a car gas and the engine revs, but the wheels don’t move the car forward. When a car has this symptom it usually means that the fluid is very dark or black and the transmission needs a rebuild, which can cost thousands. That is why Tolima’s Auto Center recommends following a transmission oil change service interval depending on the type of car and how hard you drive your car.

What are Engine Misfires and Common Causes

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 22:31:00 GMT

One of the most common reasons our customers bring their cars to us is for of excessive engine shaking. This happens when the car is at idle, sitting at a red light. This type of problem tends to be caused by an engine misfire. As the name implies, a misfire occurs when your engine doesn’t get enough air, fuel, or spark into each cylinder. This causes the air and fuel mixture in the problem cylinder[s] to not ignite properly. If the misfire is severe, it will cause a flashing check engine light on your dashboard.

Combustion in each cylinder is a violent process that would normally cause a lot of vibration. To prevent that, engineers design engines to have opposing, even number of cylinders. This allows even numbered cylinders to cancel out the vibrations from the odd numbered cylinders going through combustion. If one cylinder is not getting proper air, fuel, or spark then it will misfire. This causes the engine to run off synchronization and shake.

What causes engine misfires?

The most common culprit for an engine misfire tends to be the ignition system. Spark plugs, ignition wires, and coils wear out and fail with age. That is why it is important to have an engine tune up . Worn ignition components will also cause your car to lose horsepower and get poor fuel economy.

Another common cause for engine misfires tend to be vacuum leaks. Your engine computer measures the amount of air coming into your engine. That way it can supply the right amount of fuel for your engine to run efficiently. If you have a vacuum leak then there is un-metered air going into your engine computer won’t know how much fuel to add or subtract. Finding an air leak can be like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The proper way to look for a vacuum leak is with a automotive smoke machine which fill the insides of the engine with smoke. Then our technicians will be able to see where the smoke is coming from to identify the leak.

When you feel excessive vibration from your automobile or see a flashing check engine light on your dashboard, Tolimas Auto Center recommends you have the issue repaired as soon as possible. As driving your car with a misfire can lead to it needing major repairs in the future. When car trouble arises, Tolimas Auto Center is here to help.

Why you should get your oil changed with us at Tolima’s Auto Center

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 00:54:00 GMT

People have many choices on where they can take their cars for an oil change. The difference between places is the level of service you get for your oil change. You get all new quality oil filters, seals, and washers that come with our oil change service. The added benefit comes from our master technicians […]

Why your car doesn’t start in the winter

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 21:19:00 GMT

Even though this has been a mostly mild New York winter there are certain days where the temperature dips and we get phone calls from customers whose vehicles don’t start. The problem tends to always be a weak battery when this issue occurs on very cold days. As car batteries get old they lose their ability to hold a charge. The cold temperatures make it even harder for the battery to undergo the chemical reaction it needs to release enough electrons to start the car in the winter. This leads to people with cars that barely start or don’t start at all.

Why does a car battery fail?

Age is the most common factor as to why a car battery fails, but there are other things to consider. Modern cars with fully featured entertainment systems and large stereo systems require a lot of electricity to run all the electrical components. This means that the car puts large demand of power on the alternator and battery. Added to the fact that in New York City driving, people drive very short distances means that the battery doesn’t get the opportunity to fully recharge. This causes the battery to degrade prematurely.

Other reasons why your car might have a hard time starting are more mechanical in nature. Your car gets power from the battery through large electrical cables. Over time the battery cables can corrode and limit the battery’s ability to supply power to start your car. We also see car batteries that aren’t properly installed in some customer’s automobiles. When a battery is improperly installed the battery gets damaged from the engine bay’s vibrations as well as stop and go driving cause the battery to get knocked around. Without proper restraint the excessive movement will cause damage to the battery’s internal components.

What can I do to avoid getting stranded?

For the average motorist it is important to pay attention to any warnings on your dash board. In modern cars a weak battery will set off a light in the shape of a battery on your dashboard. On older cars pay attention how long it takes your car to start on cold days. If the car starts like normal you are fine, but if you turn the key and have to hold it for your car to start, then you need to have your battery tested.