Archive | Automotive Maintenance

People ask all the time, “Why do I need to replace my cabin air filter?”.  The answer is because it is what filters the air that you breathe inside your vehicle.  Have you ever looked at your furnace filter inside your home?  When it gets dirty, you clean it right?  The one in your home, usually just gets black from dust etc.  Well the one in you vehicle can get down right filthy with dirt, and leaves, twigs..and even rodents!!  Yes rodents, they love to get in there and chew and tear, and build nests.  So…if you want to breath nice clean air in you vehicle, you really should have you cabin air filter changed on a regular basis.  Here at Long’s we check your filter every time we see your vehicle, to make sure it is clean, and that you don’t have an wanted “guest” living in there.

The winter weather is supposed to be hitting us hard this coming week.  If you are having heater issues, now is the time to get into the shop, so that we can diagnose the issue, and keep you warm.  Nothing is worse than not having a good heating system when your vehicle is frozen.  We can repair whatever the issue is so that you can defrost your vehicle, be able to see where you are going, and be warm and safe.

It is going to be colder than normal in our area this winter, so we highly recommend bringing your vehicles in for a FREE wintertime inspection.  We will check all of your fluids, you cooling system, heater, belts, hoses, and you battery.  Cold weather really beats up on these components, and we want to make sure that everything is in good shape so that you don’t get stranded in these frigid temperatures.  Give us a call for an appointment and we will get you in as soon as possible.  See you soon!

There are a ton of Used Cars out there.  Some good, some not so much, and some just plain unsafe.  If you are looking to purchase a pre-owned vehicle, please, please, please, get it inspected by a reliable shop.  It doesn’t matter who you are buying it from, get it checked out before any money exchanges hands.  We had a young lady come into the shop today, with a vehicle that she had purchased over the weekend from a friend.  She had only had it for a day, when the check engine light came on.  She brought it in and we inspected the whole vehicle.  It was a mess, mold inside the car, under the seats to start with.  Check engine light ended up being a cooling system issue involving the thermostat.  On this particular car, it was a big job.  The had flipped the tire around so that the bare, cord showing edges were on the inside.  The rear brakes were totally shot.  After putting the estimates together, the repair bill was more than she paid for the car.  Hopefully she will be able to get somewhere with the lot that sold her the car.  It was heartbreaking watching her realize what had happened…Don’t let this happen to you!!