Graham Auto Repair

How Often Should You Change Your Brakes? Brake Pads and Brake Shoes will wear out over time. The more often they are used, the thinner they will become. As they thin out they are no longer able to generate the same amount of friction and heat. This makes it harder for you to stop your vehicle quickly, which will increase the distance that’s required for you to stop. There are many factors that contribute to how quickly our Brake Pads or Brake Shoes need to be replaced. Our driving habits and the environments we drive in both make a difference in how fast they thin out. The material our Brake Pads or Brake Shoes are made from also makes a difference. Different materials have a different amount of durability. Let’s talk about the different warning signs that you can watch for, to know when it’s time to change your Brakes. 1. Vehicle Warning Light One sign you should watch for is the Brake System Warning Light. If this warning light comes on it could mean more t ... read more

How Do I Check My Oil? It is important to Check Oil Often. In today’s blog we are going to give you a few steps to follow so that you can Check Your Oil today. If you are asking, “How Often Should I Change My Oil?” you can  read our blog post here. Step 1: Prep Your Car First thing you want to do is park your vehicle on a flat, level surface with the engine turned off. Let your car cool down before Checking Your Oil. Pop the hood open and get ready to Check The Oil! Step 2: Find the Dipstick Next you will need to locate the Dipstick. This may or may not be easy to find. Sometimes it will have a colored handle that is yellow or orange. If you do not see it, you can check your owner’s manual for it's location. Step 3: Clean the Dipstick Next thing you will want to do is clean the Dipstick off so ... read more

Is it Worth it to Buy a New Car Right Now? I am sure that you’ve seen the commercials or even seen it online: Auto Sales Companies are offering to help us get into a new or used vehicle quickly during this crazy time. They are doing this by offering things like, 90 days deferred payments, free ship to home, 60 or 84 month extended loans, and some are even offering 0.0% Interest payments. But are these great deals, really? At Graham Auto Repair we have a few questions that we suggest for you to consider before deciding if right now is, “the right time” to purchase a new vehicle for yourself or for your family. Click on the link to watch the YouTube Video on our YouTube Channel. 1. Were you already in the market for a new vehicle? If your immediate answer is, “Well no, but… it would be nice to have a new vehicle with these deals!” then I would like to caution you to take a step back. Continue through the rest of the questions and at the end of the Bl ... read more

How Important is Coolant & Antifreeze? Check out our YouTube Video about Antifreeze and Coolant! We all know that it's important to get our Oil Changed regularly (even if we do procrastinate) and we all know that it's impossible to drive our vehicle without filling it up regularly with Gas (boy do we all wish THAT wasn't true?!). But do you know that Antifreeze/Coolant is another very important fluid for our vehicles? Making sure that our vehicles have Antifreeze/Coolant with the proper amount of protection is VITAL to our vehicle's well-being. What is Antifreeze/Coolant? Before we get into the finer details about Antifreeze and Coolant you should know this: The names "Antifreeze" and "Coolant" are interchangeable. In the Summer it's better known by the name "Coolant" and in the Winter it's better known by the name "Antif ... read more

It's important to know when it's time to purchase New Tires. It's extremely unsafe to drive on worn out Tires! Continue reading below as we answer the question, "How Do I Check My Tires?" We will give you 5 different things to look for, to help you decide when it's time to Replace Your Tires. You can also watch our YouTube Video. Our Service Advisor, Rob will show you step by step what to look for when checking your Tires. 5 Ways to Check Your Tires   1. Check the Tread DepthAt 3/32 it's Time to Replace Your TiresYou can watch the YouTube Video to see an example of How to Check the Tread Depth of Your Tires. The easiest, most straight-forward way to Check Your Tires is to use a Tread Depth Gau ... read more

When to Change Brake Pads Watch this Video on YouTube: What Are Brake Pads? Brakes are one of the most important parts of any vehicle! They help to ensure that you and your passengers are safe on the road. That is why it's so important to know When to Change your Brake Pads. The easiest way to find out is by scheduling a Brake Inspection. Most of us wait until something breaks before we actually look into fixing it. With an Automobile this can often be a mistake! Especially with something so vital as your Vehicle's Brakes. The last thing that any of us wants is: to find out that our Brakes are bad in an emergency, when it's too late! If someone runs out in front of our car while we're driving; if someone slams on their brakes in front of us unexpectedly - those are both times that we really need to be able to depend on our Brakes. What Ar ... read more

Summer is here! It's during this time of year that most of us are getting ready to go on our next big Road Trip. The kids are out of school, and it's time to take that Big Family Vacation that you've been longing for all year. When the weather is nice we are ready to put the windows down and get out on the Open Road! Most of us take the time to do a lot (or at least some) planning ahead for Road Trips. Unfortunately, many of us forget to make sure that our car is ready for that big Road Trip! For that reason, we want to give you a few tips on Preparing Your Car For Your Road Trip. Quick Note: At Graham Auto Repair, when you come in for an Oil Change Service we always perform a Courtesy Check on your vehicle, every time. Make sure that you plan ahead before your Ro ... read more

How often should I change my oil? Many people ask the question, "How Often Should I Change my Oil?" The standard saying that we’ve always heard is, “Change Your Oil Every 3,000 Miles or Every 3 Months.” But is that still true? The answer may surprise you: YES! A quick Google Search and you will find conflicting information. Many articles will tell you that the best thing to do is to consult your Owner’s Manual. Some articles will tell you that Auto Repair Shops are lying, telling you to change your oil too often. Let’s stop and consider something for a moment: if you wait 10,000 or 15,000 miles (or even more!) to get an Oil Change, your car will break down faster! Who is benefiting from this the most? The Car Sales Industry would surely benefit, by selling you a new car. Even Auto Repair Shops would benefit from your car breaking down! We would make a lot more money on repairs that happen when you don't change&n ... read more

If you've ever had a dead battery then you've probably found yourself asking the question:   "How Do I Jump Start My Car?"   The first thing that you need to know is if your battery is actually dead. If you need help with this, check out our other post, “Why Won’t My Car Start?”   If you’ve already verified that you have a Dead Battery, it’s time to Jump Your Car.   Caution: If either vehicle has an Electronic Ignition System or is an Alternatively Fueled Vehicle, the use of Jumper Cables may damage it. Also, NEVER allow any of the Jumper Cable’s Clamps to touch each other while they are being used. This could result in an Electric Shock!   9 Steps To Jump Your Car   Step 1: Find a Vehicle With A Good Battery ... read more

Why Won’t My Car Start? or Why Won’t My Car Turn Over?   It can be pretty scary when Your Car Won’t Start or Turn Over! Thank goodness that today we can rely on a quick Google Search to find out some possible answers for why, or to find out what’s going on.   Here are some questions you can ask if you want help determining the problem yourself:   1. Can you turn the key in the ignition? If not, try one of these things:   - Make sure that your car is in park - Make sure that your foot is on the break - If the steering wheel won’t move, try jiggling the steering wheel back and forth to release it. - Try a different/spare key, in case the one you’re using is worn out.   Note: If you still cannot turn the key in the ignition, give us a call. We would love to help you diagnose your problem.   ... read more