Don't Be Shocked (Shock Absorbers)
August 8, 2021
If you've ever ridden down a rough road on your bicycle, you know how hard a ride it can be. Yet drive down the same road in your car, truck or SUV and it miraculously will smooth out the ride. That's because it is equipped with shock absorbers. They are built to dampen impacts from road irreg... More
The Part You've Never Seen (Flat Tires and Solutions)
August 1, 2021
They say your vehicle has one, but you've never seen it. And you might not even know it if you stumbled on it accidentally. We're talking about the jack, that tool that allows you to lift one corner of the vehicle up so someone can change a flat tire. So you say you'd never try to change a flat ... More
Bad Vibes (Disc brake rotor problems)
July 25, 2021
If you were to name the most important safety feature on your vehicle right now, what would your answer be? A lot of driving experts would agree that its your brakes. Most newer vehicles use a well-engineered and efficient style of brakes called disc brakes. The name disc brakes comes from one ... More
Automotive Tips from Tuffy Lake In The Hills: Signs of an Alignment Problem
July 18, 2021
When properly aligned, all of your wheels are pointed in the same direction. Your vehicle will track true and handle the way it is designed. Lake In The Hills drivers often associate our wheels being knocked out of alignment with an event like an accident, hitting a pothole, curb or some other ob... More
A New Battery in Lake In The Hills
July 11, 2021
Hello Lake In The Hills drivers, let's talk about batteries. Car batteries are just like any rechargeable battery. They will eventually wear out and die. If you are shopping for a new battery in Lake In The Hills, here's some auto advice to help you.There are two measurements to consider when pu... More
No Fueling! (Fuel Filler Location)
July 4, 2021
If you've ever gotten in an unfamiliar vehicle, maybe a rental car, you may have pulled up to the gas pump and wondered, "Which side is the fuel filler on?" Here's a tip for you. There is usually a little arrow on the instrument panel near the fuel gauge that points to the side where the fuel fi... More
Start Me Up (Ignition Systems)
June 27, 2021
When you start up your gasoline engine car, you may not know that it's using the same ignition principles as it has for decades. You have spark plugs that require enough power so a spark can jump across a gap at its tip. Years ago, a vehicle's 12-volt system had to produce 15,000-25,000 volts t... More
To Save Gas Around Lake In The Hills: Keep up with Your Scheduled Service
June 20, 2021
One topic that hits the news in Illinois on a regular basis is the price of gas. The answer for some Illinois drivers is to buy a vehicle that gets better fuel economy. For those of us in Lake In The Hills who don't want to add a car payment to our monthly expenses, we need to improve our fuel ... More
Taking the Heat (Heater Hose Maintenance/Repair)
June 13, 2021
If you have an internal combustion vehicle, you know it has a lot of hoses that carry various fluids. And if you have a heater in your vehicle, you'll have heater hoses. A heater hose connects to and from the engine so some coolant can be circulated through a little radiator called a heater core... More
Lean Times (Shocks and Springs)
June 6, 2021
You may have noticed your vehicle going through lean times. By that, we mean it's literally leaning to one side. When you notice that, you should get it checked out at your service facility soon because you could have a serious problem. Many things can cause a vehicle to lean. You may have pro... More