Maumee Auto Repair

Here's a travel tip that'll I'll bet you didn't know, and it might keep you safer...The average American commuter in OH spends two and a half hours daily in their vehicle.The government says 100,000 auto accidents yearly are caused by drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. (Aggressive driving is the number one traffic safety concern.)So what does this have to do with how your vehicle smells while you're driving around Maumee?Well, which scent did you think makes drivers more alert? Is it: A. Strawberry B. New Car C. Pine D. Warm Vanilla Breeze It's C. Drivers are more alert and have less fatigue with pine scent in the vehicle, according to AroMetrics.And, drivers were less angry with overall improved driving performance with strawberry and pine scents.And you thought they just smelled nice. Lange`s Auto Care, Inc.825 Ford St Suite AMaumee, OH 43537419-897-9988http://www.langesauto.com ... read more

Your engine is like a finely choreographed dance. All the parts have to work together. If the timing is off at the ballet, dancers crash into each other and fall down. It the timing is off in your engine, it may not run at all. One of the most intricate dances in your engine has to do with the combustion cycle.Your vehicle engine has cylinders in which a piston travels up and down. At the top of the cylinders are valves that open to bring in the air and fuel. And there are valves that open to let out the exhaust after the fuel has been burned. Call Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. at 419-897-9988 for answers about your timing belt, or drop by our Maumee, OH, service center on 825 Ford St Suite A. It's critical that the values be timed to open and close at precisely the right time in the combustion cycle, or the engine will run poorly or not at all.The timing belt is responsible for rotating the sh ... read more

  Welcome to the Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. automotive blog. Today, let's talk about the effect of tire wear. Let's focus on stopping in wet Maumee conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can't move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.That's called hydroplaning. If it's really bad, Maumee drivers can actually spin out of control - endangering themselves and the other drivers around them. At best, you won't stop as fast. So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your vehicle tire and you'll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They're designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of ... read more

  It seems like everywhere you go in the Maumee area you see custom wheels. Big trucks, little cars, mini-vans - it doesn't matter - are expressing themselves with custom wheels. Some OH auto owners want smaller tires and wheels - some want larger - and some want them enormous. So where do you start if you want new wheels? At Lange`s Auto Care, Inc., we suggest you start with your budget. We know, that sounds so practical. But if the look you're after goes beyond just new tires and wheels and enters into the world of suspension modifications, you need to be prepared for the additional cost.Let's start with something easy - you want to give your ride a unique look and the stock wheel size is just right for you. One of the concerns you will have is that the new wheels have the same offset as your vehicle factory wheels.Your tire and wheel professional at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. in Maumee can help you find the right size wheel or install adapters to make your new wheels fit ... read more

No one in Maumee, OH, likes to spend a chunk of change at the gas pump. Rising OH fuel prices, however, have spurred Maumee drivers to focus on how to improve their fuel economy. North Americans literally drive billions of miles/kilometers less each month during times of high fuel prices. But we still need to drive (we love our vehicles, after all!), so it makes sense to try and increase our fuel economy however we can.Let's look at a real life example. This man has one of those really big SUVs. Lots of kids and horses to haul around, you know. His family was planning a four day camping trip. Here's what he did to cut his fuel costs:First, he installed a new, high flow engine air filter. Then he had his service center change his oil, flush his cooling system and service his front and rear differentials along with the transfer case. He also had a fuel system cleaning, replaced his PCV valve and breather element. He also made sure his tires were up to th ... read more

The government mandates a lot of equipment on cars in Maumee, OH: emission devices and control computers, safety equipment like airbags and crash worthiness requirements. All of this is great for the Maumee motoring public, but it does add quite a bit to the price of a new vehicle.Because new vehicles are more expensive, people in the Maumee area are driving their old vehicles longer. The average vehicle is now over nine years old. Two thirds of vehicles on the road in OH have more than 75,000 miles (120,000 km) on them. As cars age, their performance drops, they have difficulty idling for long periods and are more sensitive to weather extremes. Fortunately today's cars are up to the challenge – but they need a little help to keep on goin'.Give Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. a call at 419-897-9988 to schedule your next maintenance.Some owner's manuals don't specify service requirements at higher mileage. That doesn't mean it doesn't have to be done. In fa ... read more

  Today at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. we want to talk with you about a very important safety issue. This automotive safety warning is coming from a very unusual source: fire fighting experts. You've probably heard of E-85 gasoline being offered in the Maumee area. Some newer vehicle models are specifically built to run on E-85 – the rest are not. Does your vehicle use E-85 gasoline? Bring it down to Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. at 825 Ford St Suite A in Maumee, OH 43537, to find out, or give us a call to make an appointment by calling 419-897-9988. E-85 gasoline has been developed to fight air pollution and reduce oil consumption. E-85 fuel is a mix of 85% ethanol, a grain-base alcohol, and 15% gasoline. So-called Flex-Fuel vehicles are designed to use either normal gasoline or E-85 gas. The result is lower exhaust emissions to our local Maumee community.All gas engines can run with up ... read more

Many Maumee drivers have found themselves in the following situation: They go to get their oil changed and their friendly service advisor at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. recommends a new engine air filter. They say yes, but don't know what an air filter is or what it does.If this has happened to you, rest assured that you did the right thing by getting a new one. But you should never be too embarrassed to ask your Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. service advisor for more information. It's your vehicle and you have a right to understand what you're paying for.Let's review: "What does an air filter do?"Air is the focus of this discussion. What is the air like outside in Maumee right now? Can you see any smog? Is it full of pollen? How about dust? Anyone in OH with hay fever can tell you that there's plenty in the air that you can't see. Well, the engine air filter's job is to clean that air before it goes into your vehicle engine, to mix with the fuel and be burned ... read more

All Maumee service advisors know that without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles. The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. And on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures. (On some vehicles, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt.) So you can see the serpentine belt does a lot of work. And it if breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That's why your vehicle manufacturer and your service advisor at Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn't fail.Your friendly and knowledgeable Lange`s Auto Care, Inc. service advisor can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will me ... read more

Let's talk about transmission service. It can be easy for Maumee drivers to forget about getting their transmission serviced because it doesn't need it very often. It's easier for people in OH to remember to change the engine oil - you know, every 3,000 miles or 5,000 kilometers. But proper transmission servicing keeps your vehicle running smoothly and helps you avoid repairs down the road.The transmission undergoes a lot of stress. The grit you can see in used transmission fluid is actually bits of metal that wear off the gears in the transmission. In addition to that, the transmission operates at very high temperatures. Usually, it's much higher than engine temperatures. Those high temperatures eventually cause the transmission fluid to start to break down and lose efficiency.As the fluid gets older, it gets gritty and doesn't lubricate and cool the vehicle transmission as well - leading to even more wear. The fluid can actually get sludgy and plug up the maze of fluid pass ... read more