Common Problems With Mercedes Benz Cars Mercedes Benz is one of the most prestigious car brands in the world. This German automobile line has been around since the early part of the 20th century which is long before the Patriots and Warriors began to upset fans of their respected leagues. Mercedes cars are known for…
How to Maximize The Life And Performance of Your Car Engine? A car is a combination of thousands of machine parts working in harmony to deliver an optimal driving performance. Any breakdown in one of the parts or an overall sluggish performance of the vehicle can hamper the daily life of its user. So, it’s…
Common Problems With BMW Cars Germany’s BMW is one of the leading car makers in the world. The company, which was created in 1916, has earned a reputation for the superior performance of its cars. Although BMW makes powerful vehicles, they are prone to issues like any other cars. If you own a BMW, this…
How to Determine That Your Car Needs a Brake Check? The braking system is probably the most important component of a car. It is instrumental in protecting the car’s occupants as well as others on the road. Therefore, it is always a salient idea to select an experienced and knowledgeable technician for brake inspection. It…
Signs And Causes of Wheel Alignment Problems And Why Does Alignment Matter? Wheel alignment is the process of adjusting the angles of the wheels of a car as per the specifications of the car manufacturer. It is also known as breaking or tracking, and is one of the important procedures performed during regular car maintenance.…
Why Does The Check Engine Light Come On And What Should You Do? Picture this scenario: You are behind your wheel and in the middle of a long drive when the check engine light on your dashboard starts flashing. This could be an indication to a major problem prompting you to take immediate action failing…
Wheel Alignment Basics THE BASICS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHEEL ALIGNMENT Keeping your car in tip-top shape is one of the most important things about car ownership. To fully enjoy your mean machine, you’ll have to learn all the parts that need attention every now and then. In this article, we’ll be looking at…
Top Signs of Engine Trouble TOP 5 SIGNS OF ENGINE PROBLEMS We have all been there: While sitting at a red light or stop sign, “What is that strange noise and where is it coming from?”. Is that noise coming from my car? Is that a squeal or a squeak? Is it serious? Is it going…
Tips on Driving In The Rain How to Drive in Rain: 5 Quick Tips (and One Suggestion) Whether you live in America’s driest city or its soggiest, rain makes driving more challenging and dangerous. To help you avoid the rainy-day car-accident blues, here are 5 quick tips. A few rainy winter days and Spring is…
Tips on Buying a New Car Buying a New Car? Are you, or someone you know, thinking of buying a used car? Have you taken into consideration all of the potential warning sings of a problematic purchase? Have you made sure that the vehicle meets state inspection criteria? Have you reviewed a CARFAX report and had a professional…
Oil Changes Most vehicle manufacturers recommend changing the oil once a year or every 5,000 miles in passenger car and light truck gasoline engines. For diesel engines and turbocharged gasoline engines, the usual recommendation is every 3,000 miles or six months. If you read the fine print, however, you’ll discover that the once a year, 5,000…
How to Take Care of your Car in the Heat Summer is just around the corner…Is your vehicle prepared to “Take the Heat”? When outside temperatures rise, vehicles feel it too. High temps can destroy car batteries, stress their cooling systems, and wear on their tires. As a precaution, vehicle owners should periodically check these…
The Penny Test: A Quick Way to Check Tire Wear The replacement of old tires is a common maintenance expense, one that also happens to be vital to your safety on the road. Knowing when they’re ready to be switched out isn’t difficult, but it does require a bit of knowledge about tire tread wear and…
How to Make Your Car Last 200,000 Miles — and Beyond By Katie LaBarre | U.S.News & World Report LP – Wed, Jun 27, 2012 8:44 AM EDT Last October, the odometer in Joe LoCicero’s 1990 Honda Accord rolled past the 1 million-mile mark. He’s a damage claims inspector who reportedly drives his Accord about 62,500 miles…
Facts About Pot Holes Drivers know immediately when they hit a pothole, but what they don’t always know is if their vehicle has been damaged in the process. To help determine if hitting a pothole has damaged your vehicle, watch for the following warning signs: Loss of control Swaying when making routine turns Bottoming-out on city…
General Driving Tips 1. To properly align your driver side mirror, put your head close to the window and position your mirror so you just can see your car. 2. If your mirrors are positioned correctly, a passing car should appear in your side mirror before leaving your rearview mirror. You should also see a…
Car Maintenance Tips That Can Add Life to Your Car Is auto repair something you have thought about tackling yourself? Perform your own auto repairs when possible by adhering to the following helpful guide. Don’t forget to ask tons of questions when taking your car to an auto repair service. These questions should be geared…
AUTO SERVICE & CAR REPAIR: Maintenance Guide Courtesy of: The Car Care Council This maintenance guide is designed for the motorist who drives their car an average of 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year in a city like Dallas or Fort Worth where the typical daily commute consists of some stop-and-go driving in heavy to moderate traffic…
A Short Course on Wheel Alignment In its most basic form, a wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. The purpose of these adjustments is maximum tire life and a vehicle that tracks straight and true when driving along a…
State Of Texas Link – Information on License, Titling, & Registration Of Vehicles The links listed below will take you to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles web-site. On this site you can obtain official information on the following: (use your back arrow button in your browser to return to hart’sautorepair.com) New Resident Titling &…
About Tune Ups Horizon Auto Center no longer offers “Tune-ups” as a fix to a problem. A “Tune-up”, before 1981, in this industry used to cure 90% of all the problems a vehicle was experiencing with engine performance. Before 1981 when a tune-up was performed the vehicle had many components that required replacement & several adjustments…
About Tires Finding The Right Tire… First off, look at what you have on the car now. If you like the way the car drove and how long the tires lasted, buy the same size and brand. If you want different tires, there are lots of brands out there and they are all basically good…
TECHNICAL TRAINING ON HOW STRUTS/SHOCK ABSORBERS WORK The job of a car suspension is to maximize the friction between the tires and the road surface, to provide steering stability with good handling and to ensure the comfort of the passengers. In this article, we’ll explore how car suspensions work, how they’ve evolved over the years…
Tips About Noises Your Vehicle May Have These words will assist a customer when trying to explain the various types of noises that may they may be experienced while operating his/her vehicle. Noises are the way a vehicle “tells” the operator that the vehicle is developing a failure or something that may be requiring immediate attention. Noise Description…
About Jump Starting How do I jump start my battery? Note: We recomend charging a battery instead of jump starting. Jump starting is is not recommended and will in fact void some warranties. Please be sur to check the owners manual prior to jump starting any vehicle. First, be sure to follow these important safety…
Intermittent & Drive-ability Concerns Testing Procedures Explained Many of the concerns we face with today’s high-tech vehicles are of an intermittent nature. That is, even though you are experiencing concerns with your vehicle, the concerns may not reveal themselves during the course of our testing process. An intermittent concern will be difficult find even with…
Cooling System This system is designed to prevent your car from overheating. The system consists of a radiator, a water pump, the thermostat, hoses and antifreeze/coolant. Anti-freeze/coolant A petroleum based solution used in most automobiles to keep the water in your coolant system from freezing in colder climates and boiling in hotter climates. It also…
Internal combustion engine The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the burning of a fuel occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. This exothermic reaction of a fuel with an oxidizer creates gases of high temperature and pressure, which are permitted to expand. The defining feature of an internal combustion engine is that useful work is performed by the expanding hot gases acting directly…
About Electrical Systems Alternator An electric generator that produces alternating current. The generator’s coil is rotated (by a turbine, motor, or other power source), and its circular path causes it to cut cross a magnetic field (set up by strong magnets), first in one direction, then the other, with each cycle. The electric potential induced…
Front wheel drive cars have two short drive shafts, one on each side of the engine to power the front wheels, with 4 constant velocity (CV) joints. Constant velocity drive shafts for front wheel drive cars are in pairs. One shaft goes on the left (driver) side of the vehicle and the other is placed on the…
About Check Engine Lights Call it the most misunderstood indicator on your dashboard, the “check engine” light can mean many different things, from a loose gas cap to a seriously misfiring engine. “It doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck. It does…
Brakes A series of components working together that exert pressure to slow or stop a vehicle. • The brake pedal pushes a rod that actuates the master cylinder. • The master cylinder distributes the hydraulic braking power to the brake calipers/cylinders that push the pistons in the cylinders. • The pistons push the brake pads…
How do I maintain my battery’s life? Note: Most automotive and commercial starting and Marine/RV batteries are considered Maintenance-Free products under normal operating conditions. However, in the event of an extreme overheat/overcharge situation, the batteries may need to be checked for water loss. We recommend the following: How to check the water level and add…
10 Worst Things to Do To Your Car Like the human body, ignoring even the smallest signs of trouble in your car’s performance can lead to trouble down the road. And some missed signals cost more than others. A new report by CarMD.com Corporation details exactly which maintenance mistakes can cause the most damage. Here are…
How to Maximize The Life And Performance of Your Car Engine? A car is a combination of thousands of machine parts working in harmony to deliver an optimal driving performance. Any breakdown in one of the parts or an overall sluggish performance of the vehicle can hamper the daily life of its user. So, it’s…
Our Reviews