5 Reasons Why Your Car is Overheating   No one wants to see a dreaded warning light flashing or the temperature gauge rising off the charts, but when you’re on the road and the alarm bells are ringing (literally and metaphorically) what do you do? The first thing you’ll want to do is turn your heat and fan on high and roll down your windows to help dissipate heat through the car’s heater core. Next, quickly find a safe place to pull over and shut the vehicle off right away. In these instances when your car is overheating, it is not recommended to open your hood immediately, in case of burst or broken equipment that could expose you to hot engine coolant and cause injury. Once you’re pulled off safely, you’ll want to call your trusted automotive repair shop, Honest Wrenches.    So what could have caused this overheating? There are many reasons, 5 of which we’ll dive into today to help you understand what’s happening with your ... read more

Troubleshooting an Overheating Car: What Can You Do   Last Thursday, we talked about high temperatures–not just the sweltering summer weather, but high temperatures in your vehicle causing it to overheat. We’re rounding out our 10 reasons for an overheated engine with our final 5 this week.    Failed serpentine belt     Your serpentine belt powers multiple essential systems, like your cooling system. A failed belt means that your water pump isn’t getting power, so your engine won’t be receiving any coolant.   Blown head gasket     Your head gasket is another vital part of your engine and system. A blown gasket could mean that coolant is entering your engine, where it either burns off or leaks out. As the coolant escapes the system, your engine can overheat.      Failed thermostat     Just like the thermostat in your home, your vehicle’s thermostat controls the temperatu ... read more

Back to School Tips for the Day to Day Driver   On Wednesday, we went over some tips for students whose car’s might sit unused for longer periods of time. Today, we’ve got tips for students who will be using your vehicle daily to get to and from school, sports, work, and other activities.    Service Get your vehicle serviced and make sure your fluids are in good condition. If you  are going to be driving it often, we really need to treat it like any other vehicle.  Making sure we maintain the performance of the vehicle and its fluids is just as important.   Tires You’ll also want to do a check in with your tires. What condition are they in? Are they cracking? Wearing unevenly? Older than 7 years? Properly inflated? These are all good things to look into, and answers we can provide. When you bring your car in for service here with us at Honest Wrenches, we can talk over these questions, and find so ... read more

Summer is here and so are your summer road trips! Before you hit the road, it’s important to ensure that your car is ready for the journey ahead. Regardless of your destination, taking the extra steps to prepare your car and have your mechanic check it out to get it road-trip-ready will keep you from being stranded on the side of the road on your vacation.     Tires   The only thing between you and the road is your tires. It’s crucial to ensure that your tread is wearing evenly, there’s plenty of the tread remaining, that no road hazards have damaged your tires, and they are filled to the proper pressure. And don’t forget the spare! You never know when a flat tire could create a detour in your route.   Fluids   Fluids are the lifeblood of your vehicle. Your car has many different fluids ranging from engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, differential fluid, and of course, your fuel sys ... read more