Maumee Auto Repair

Most vehicles have automatic transmissions, yet a lot of Maumee drivers only have a fuzzy understanding about what a transmission does. Think back to the last time you rode a bike in Maumee. You started out in a lower gear and shifted to higher gears as you went faster. Down shift for hills, stuff like that. Think of your legs as the engine – there's an ideal speed you can pedal and you change gears to leverage the work you're doing.Lower gears for power on hills or for starting out. Higher gears for more speed. That's what the automatic transmission does – it automatically starts in lower gears and shifts up to higher gears to go faster on OH roads. And it automatically shifts back down to climb Maumee hills, pass or start up again.Vehicle automatic transmissions have certainly gotten more sophisticated in recent years. They have more speeds than before: the base is four speeds, five is very common. At Lange`s Auto Care, Inc ... read more

Maumee auto owners may know that most automotive failures in Maumee, OH, are tire related, but do you know the second most common cause of vehicle failure? Nope, it's not teenagers. It is the coolant system. But if you take good care of your vehicle coolant system, it will take good care of you.A vehicle's engine creates a lot of heat - so much heat, that if it is not properly cooled, the engine can lock up, resulting in massive damage and repair bills. But when everything is working right, your vehicle engine operates at the proper temperature and all is well. Without antifreeze in your cooling system, the water could freeze and cause vehicle engine damage. This could be very expensive, not to mention inconvenient.The right mix of water and antifreeze protects the engine against damage from freezing and overheating. Antifreeze also protects the coolant system against corrosion that could cause the system to fail. The thing to remember is this: coolant system failure is very comm ... read more

Every car in Maumee, OH is at risk for theft. So it's up to us Maumee drivers to make our cars a less appealing target and more of a challenge – hopefully sending potential thieves to look elsewhere. The National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends a layered approach to protecting vehicles: Common sense Visible and audible devices Immobilizing devices Tracking devices Let's review each of these. First, common sense: you would be surprised how many vehicles are stolen in OH where the keys were left in the ignition with the doors unlocked. Always take your keys and lock the doors. In fact, in some places it's against the law to leave a vehicle unattended with the keys in the ignition. And don't leave spare keys in the car or hide them outside – because a thief will find them. Maumee car owners would be wise to park in well-lit areas that have a lot of foot traffic. If possible, park near th ... read more

We find that a lot of Maumee drivers are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions but don't want to be embarrassed or seem pushy. Vehicles are very complicated and there's more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it's because vehicles have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn't need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road.You know, your local hospital has a Patient's Bill of Rights that they post throughout the hospital. We think our Maumee automotive service customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a right to understand the financial end of the transaction.It's all about the communication. It's a little harder when you're trying to find the right ... read more

With high fuel prices in Maumee, OH, comes lots of gas saving advice. Some of it, like what you hear on   is great.  When you get one of those e-mails that's going around telling you how to save gas, try to think it through.Does it really make sense? Does it defy the laws of physics?Do some research on the internet or ask your Maumee, OH, service advisor at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc..There aren't any magic pills you can drop in your gas tank, and the government hasn't suppressed a device you can clamp on your fuel line to make your vehicle run on air. Not even in Maumee!So next time you get one of those e-mails, check it out with an automotive professional. You'll get more bang for your buck with an oil change or an engine air filter replacement.We're here for you at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc., so give us a call at 419-897-9988 for good honest advice about your vehicle. Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. 825 Ford St Suite A Maumee ... read more

Here at AutoNetTV, we have national viewers, like your neighbors in Maumee, who write to us with questions or feedback. One common question we're asked is: "What is a differential and what does it do?" You may have been told by your Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. service advisor that your differential needs serviced, or it's seen it as an option up on the service menu. Differential service at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. covers a lot of things, so let's first talk about what a differential does.As you drive through a turn, your outside wheels and inside wheels turn at different speeds. Kind of like the cars going around a race track - the ones driving in the outside lanes have a greater distance to travel than the cars in the inside lanes. The differential is what allows the outside and inside drive wheels to rotate at slightly different speeds so that the tires don't hop or skip while taking corners, or lose traction in dirt or snow on M ... read more

Today, we are talking about your PCV valve. Unburnt fuel is forced into the crankcase as your engine runs.  The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve vents this unburnt fuel and oil vapors from the crankcase and sends it back into the air intake system to be burned in the engine.  A clogged PCV will not allow these vapors to escape. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause vehicle engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc.. At high speeds on OH freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak. Back in the old days, vehicles were simply installed with a hose that vented these gases out into the atmosphere. But starting in the 1964 model year, environmental protection laws required that these gases be recycled back into the air intake system to be mixed with fuel and burned in the vehicle's engine.This is much better for air q ... read more

Some Maumee vehicle owners wonder why Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. and other Maumee auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics. Receiving a diagnostic charge at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the Maumee area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy OH road, you pull off at the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you're having an intermittent problem with your vehicle engine, however, a Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. diagnosis may be much more involved.Much of the Maumee driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem. There's a common misconception among OH drivers that the trouble code tells the Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. technician exactly what's wron ... read more

At Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. we've had a lot of Maumee customers asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that's been building for several years in OH. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles (120,000 km) on them. It looks like it's going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices, a lot of OH folks are putting off buying a new car. So let's say you're one of the average in the Maumee area; you've got a nine-year-old car with 80,000 miles (130,000 km) on the odometer. What can you do to make it last another year or two?Let's start with the premise that there's no reason that a modern car can't run for 200,000 miles (320,000 km) with proper care in Maumee. The engineering and manufacturing quality is there.Of course, some parts will wear out along the way, but there's no reason for a cata ... read more

Many Maumee drivers have been hearing about technological advances in power steering, specifically electric power steering. Some very high-end cars have been featuring electric power steering. Power steering fluid has the necessary hydraulic properties and the ability to lubricate the internal parts. The power steering fluid also protects vehicle components from rust and corrosion.Maumee car owners should be aware that vehicle manufacturers recommend that the fluid be replaced on schedule. At Lange`s Auto Care, Inc., the old fluid is drained and the system cleaned thoroughly. Fresh fluid is then installed.Unfortunately, many Maumee drivers don't realize how important it is to service their power steering, and some may not even know that it's necessary in the first place. A neglected power steering system can develop leaks that will shorten the life of the pump.Maumee drivers should be aware ... read more