Unfortunately Brakes do not wear evenly due to salt and rust. Usually once or twice in the life of the brakes we advise a brake service. The reason why is we want our customer's to get the full life out of their brakes. As pictured, you can see that 1 side has no pad life left and the other side has a considerable amount. The brakes would not have prematurely needed replacement if they had been taken apart, cleaned and lubricated. Usually the service is only 1 hour per axle. Sometimes caliper pins and boots need servicing or replacement at that time. The cost of caliper sliding pins and boot kits are usually under $50 or most applications. If a service for a couple hundred extends your brake life for a year or 2 (depending on your driving habits), then it is well worth it.

if you have questions or want your brakes checked, then give us a call and mention that you saw this article. 

Should I let my car warm up before driving? We have received this question a lot over the past couple weeks with the single digit temperatures. The answer is YES, let it warm up. The reason is that cold oil does not move as fluidly and lubricate as well as when it is warm. Most engine wear occurs on start up and when the engine is cold. Driving a car in higher rpms when cold can cause premature wear inside the engine. Also, a warmer engine will help make the cabin more comfortable and your defrost working better. 

Is your engine cranking over slow? Are you hearing a click click when you went to start before the starter caught? Perhaps you needed a jump in the cold? These are all signs of a weak battery. In the single digits we have been experiencing battery failures are more common. If you would like us to check your battery, we would be happy to do so. Battery replacements are not always necessary, sometimes its just corroded cable connections that require cleaning. Give us a call at 585-454-5649, let our auto experts help you get the right repair. 

​What is that clicking sound? It could be debris on a tire, it could be brakes, it could be a CV axle. If you find your car is clicking when accelerating and making a turn, then it is likely a CV axle is going bad. CV axle boots split over time, with winter weather the grease gets washed out with salt and fails. Once the joint is no longer properly lubricated is when the noise occurs. Get the noise checked out right away. If an axle breaks, then you can incur more damage to the vehicle as well as becoming stranded. 

Ingredients for a common winter time auto repair recipe: brake pads, brake rotors, more salt, more corrosion and more rust. The ending result, brake pulsation and premature brake failure. If you asked, "why are my brakes pulsating?" or maybe asked google, "why are my brakes pulsating?" then let our expert mechanics answer that for you. In winter driving conditions where excessive salting is common, brake pads commonly rust into place in their sliding brackets. As a result, the brake pads do not wear evenly. Sometimes half the pad contacts, a little bit contacts, sometimes not at all (such as the pictured brake rotor). Due to the minimized surface area of the brake pad actually working to stop the vehicle is now working harder, it creates extra heat. Too much heat distorts the brake rotor leading to pulsation. Sometimes the brake rotor rusts up into the area that the brake pad is riding on causing a pulsation from riding on an uneven surface. New York State Inspection requirements require at least 50% of the brake rotor making contact with the brake pad. However, the brake rotors are not allowing to pulsate for inspection and have tolerances that need to be met. The proper ending repair in our climate is replacement of the brake pads and rotors. If you have questions about brakes, calipers, pads and rotors, then give us a call. ​

​Second opinions are important, especially when you are considering spending a good amount of money on auto repairs. Often times we get asked if a car is worth putting money into. This was the case with a first time customer's vehicle. Another shop quoted thousands of dollars for repairs to make their car road legal after performing a new york state inspection. They also stated it would be good for a couple more years. Upon getting the vehicle in the shop and on a lift, the cars longevity became clear. Indeed, it needed thousands to become road legal; however, the structural integrity of it was compromised. We do not always like to have first time meetings that are heart to heart, but we do them when it is necessary. Unfortunately this vehicle's time has come to be put to rest. Thankfully the customer understands that for their own safety and financial well being that it is time to find new wheels. 

On a side note, I still see lots of blue inspection stickers on cars driving by. If your inspection sticker is the color blue, those are no longer legal. 

Are you finding yourself slipping and sliding in the snow? Not every "all-season" tire is actually rated for all weather, including snow. The requirements to be considered all-season tires are not much since other states don't get snow in winter months. There are strict requirements in order to become a certified snow tire. Look for the snowflake emblem on the sidewall of your tire. That emblem means that model tire has met the federal requirements to be considered a snow tire. If you don't have that emblem, then your tires do not meet requirements to be considered a snow tire. This can explain why you are slipping and sliding. If you have questions, then please call. ​

Hello everyone! As January approaches, I wanted to issue a reminder that if you have a blue inspection sticker on your  vehicle it will no longer be the correct color for the coming year. The month of expiration is printed on the sticker as well. The attached example is overdue by 2 months as it is dated October. Please keep in mind that a blue inspection sticker will stick out to a police officer in comparison to the gray stickers that were issued in 2025. 

New york state inspection requirements involve inspecting the brake system, parking brake, tires, steering, suspension, front end chassis/frame, lighting, glass, window tint, wipers, horn, seat belts and fuel leaks. It also involves emission testing that is simply no check engine light on, no current codes and emission monitors complete. Each vehicle is plugged into a DMV inspection computer to verify that the emissions are good at the time of inspection. 

If you have questions about NYS requirements, then please call and ask. I would be happy to go over the pass / fail requirements so you can understand them. 

We do inspections based upon appointment. Please call us to set up an appointment. 

Happy Holidays everyone! I am writing his educational post on a question I am answering many times a day. So, I am hoping when you google, ask bixby or your favorite AI assistant this answer will come up. I have been asked many times lately, "What is the difference between all season radial tires and all weather tires?" 

To begin to answer this question, we need to establish a couple key distinctions between all season and all weather. All season tires do not meet federal requirements to be a "snow tire". All-Weather Tires do meet federal qualifications to be snow tires. Seasons in the lower 50 states and out west do not have the same winter driving conditions that we have in the northeast and mid west. Winter in Florida does not mean that there will be snow and the same weather. The term "all season" can apply to almost any tire that has the bare minimum requirements. To meet federal requirements to be a "snow tire", a tire is actually matched up against a designated snow tire and it must outperform against that tire. The tread compound is also different as well as the tread design. Snow tires are a softer compound for better traction and have block style tread patterns, where as all season tend to be a harder compound for longevity and more tight tread patterns with curvaceous siping that helps with water disbursement and quiet ride. All weather tires are a hybrid of snow tires and all season radial tires. They have a compound that is between a harder all season and softer snow tires. Their tread patterns tend to be a bit more blocky; however, they are still quieter than a snow tire and will last longer.

Ultimately when choosing which tires to purchase if you live in the northeast USA, all weather is the most desired if you plan on not changing out to a designated snow tire. This gives peace of mind in knowing that you have a tire that can handle snowy driving conditions. A full designated snow tire will always perform best on snow and ice; however, you will want to switch them for an all season/summer tire as snow tires will wear down faster in the summer time due to the heat and softer compound. 

If you have questions about tires, then please give us a call. We are always happy to help and educate so you can make the best decision for yourself.

- Clint




tags: #educational #allweathertires #allseasontires #allweather #education #falken #goodyear #michelin #nokian #snowtires #autoexpert #automotiveexpert #tireexpert #tirereplacement #tirerepair

We deal with a large variety of automotive issues at the shop. Some issues such as tire patches are simple and daily occurrences. Sometimes we take on classic cars that need regular repair and overhaul. Sometimes we take on "headaches" that other shops just could not figure out. This is a story about one of those times. 

We recently had in a 10 year old Chevrolet Colorado, 4 cylinder and four-wheel drive. It had been throwing lean condition codes, this means that the engine was getting too much unregulated air into the engine. As a result, the engine computer was forcing the injectors to stay open longer causing gas milage to plummet. Upon looking under the hood, it appeared to have had the "throw a part at it and see if fixes it kind of look". After looking at the scan data, the computer indeed displayed to us it was lean, the mass air flow sensor was reading lower than expected. This is likely due to a component failing causing air not seen by the mass air flow sensor to enter the engine. The air/fuel sensor (oxygen sensor) sees the excess after combustion and then the computer adds more fuel to the engine until it sees a proper mixture at the oxygen sensor in the exhaust. 

So how do we find air entering the engine? We check obvious components such as intake tubes and hoses for cracks and holes. If nothing is obvious, then it is best to hook up a smoke machine and fill the intake with smoke. Smoke machines are primarily used for fuel and evaporative emission leaks; however, they can be used for situations such as these. Expert technicians know that tools can always be used for more than 1 situation. The smoke machine showed us the leak. Within minutes, the air intake resonator box was smoking out of the seam.  The resonator box appeared in physical good health; however, it clearly was not. 

Unfortunately, the air resonator box was not available anymore as GM had discontinued it and it is not a commonly sold part by a junkyard. Our only choice of repair was to physically seal the box with adhesive and a plastic weld compound. After resealing the box, engine fuel trims came back to normal. The check engine light issue was resolved. The truck could then pass inspection and gas mileage was restored to normal.