Grand Rapids Auto Repair

That truly IS the question! When you drive, almost ALL the decisions you make are influenced by one thing, the ability to see clearly. Seeing clearly means that both your windshield wipers AND headlights have to do their job as well as possible. Your wipers need to keep the windshield clean and streak-free in order to what’s ahead of you. And your headlights need to illuminate your path at night far enough ahead of you so you have time to react. Headlights: We don’t see well at night. Our vision is severely curtailed by the dark. Headlights illuminate your path ahead, but can assist only so much with you peripheral vision around the vehicle. Dim, burnt out or broken headlights further reduce how far ahead you can see. The shorter the distance, the fewer seconds you may have to react to a sudden obstacle. Just like the lights in your home, auto headlights will dim and/or burn out over time. Unless caused by an accident, headlights and/or capsules should be repl ... read more

How often should they be replaced: Well, obviously when lights dim or burn out. For maximum driving safety, it is very important to keep a close eye on how your car lights are functioning. If a light goes out, follow these steps to replace it and continue driving safely. In general, there are two kinds of headlamps—sealed beam and composite. Sealed beam lights are common in older cars, while composite lights are found in newer models and contain special housing with a removable halogen or xenon bulb or capsules. More often than not, if not caused by an accident, headlights and/or capsules should be replaced in pairs. Why? Because they’re usually of the same age, so when one goes the other it also likely to go out too. With newer composite lights, dimming can also be caused by oxidation of the outer lens – similar to cataracts in people. Replacing the entire composite assembly can be an expensive option. However, we may have less expensive opti ... read more

If your vehicle’s radio or air-conditioner aren’t working properly, that’s an inconvenience. But if your brakes aren’t as reliable as they used to be, that’s serious business. With school back in session and fall and winter driving right around the corner. Now more than ever, your vehicle needs great brakes you can rely on for every stop. One of the most interesting things about vehicle brake system is that a small peddle can stop a huge vehicle with a slight push of brake pad. How it all happens is still a mystery (friction not fiction) for many people. Being “out of sight, out of mind,” the braking system on most vehicles go unnoticed… until a problem crops up. There are drum brakes, disc brakes, anti-lock brake systems (ABS) and hand or parking brakes, depending on the age of the vehicle that all may come into play when stopping your vehicle. Some use hydraulics, others a cable, and still others an on-board computer to assist and/or control how that all works. W ... read more