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Auto Repair Ann Arbor

How to Avoid Unexpected Michigan Car Repairs

Everyone who’s ever owned a vehicle knows the shock when the battery is dead, the brakes scrape, or the engine smokes like a chimney.

If you are like many drivers who struggle to make ends meet, the last thing you need is an unexpected car repair. The truth is, though, driving an older car means car repairs. It faces old age like anything with extra mileage, so you’d best have a good mechanic. We’re talking about Complete Auto Service of Ann Arbor, of course.

Signs of Unexpected Michigan Car Repairs

What does an unexpected car repair look like, anyway? 

Try these on for size:

You’re sound asleep, and it’s 3:00 in the morning and in typical Ann Arbor fashion, the wind chill factor is 39 degrees with bitter wind gusts. And suddenly, you hear a car horn honking. When you look out the window, you’re surprised to discover it’s your car honking.

Believe it or not, some cars don’t like to be cold. Their protest is loud enough to get you snubbed out of the neighborhood. What’s a car owner to do, go outside and kick the tires? Slam the hood, hoping that will punish the car? With any luck, you’ve got a hairdryer and a long heavy-duty extension cord. The only thing you can do in the middle of the night is turn the hairdryer on full blast and hope the car warms enough to stop the horn.

Not everyone is a mechanic, and not every mechanic will come to rescue you from your car unless you’ve got someone you can call. Good news – you’ve always got connections at Auto Service of Ann Arbor. We’ll tow your car 24/7. 

Here’s another unexpected car repair. You’re hurrying home because you’re meeting friends for dinner, but your boss kept you late at the office. And when you think things can’t get more dreadful, guess what? They can. The steering wheel starts shaking, and the self-diagnosis in your head takes over; it must be the bearings. Or is it? 

The wheel shakes some more, but you forge ahead when suddenly you realize the steering wheel is no longer attached. Your steering wheel came off, and the only thing you can do is maintain control of the car and ease over to the side of the road. Sorry about that, but your dinner date just got postponed because you’re waiting for a wrecker instead of appetizers.

Hopefully, your mechanic takes time to explain the reasons and how you can take preventative measures, so it doesn’t happen again. Later, you find out the linkages wore out, and as weird as it seems, it happens more than you realize.

The thing about unexpected car repairs is that they are always unexpected. You can’t predict them. The only thing you can do is practice prevention.

Michigan Car Repairs 

If you live in the Wolverine State, the Great Lakes State, or whatever you prefer to call it, you are no stranger to the frigid temperatures. And your car? Let’s just say your poor car is no stranger to the “common cold.”  

Michigan has its legendary effects on cars, so when you least expect it, your vehicle is at risk, and so are you.

  • Dead battery: so much of your car depends on the battery. In freezing temperatures, the battery gets overworked, and let’s face it, if the battery is dead, so is nearly everything else in your car. Try turning on the heater, using your fog lights, or running the windshield wipers without a battery. 
  • Tire pressure: the air pressure in your tires tends to increase and decrease with the weather. The pressure will be lower in cold weather. Colder temperatures cause the pressure to drop.
  • Frozen gas line: the gas line can freeze in frigid temperatures. 

Prevention for Unexpected Michigan Car Repairs

You don’t have to be a sitting duck when winter comes calling. Proactive steps can keep your car winter-roadworthy.

If you think you’re cold when you first get in your car, try sitting in a car without gas. A traffic jam can be mighty chilly if you’re sitting there a while, and running out of gas is the last thing you want. Never let the gas tank dip below half a tank, especially in the winter.

  • Check the tire pressure regularly. Since the tire pressure changes in extreme weather, you don’t want to risk a blowout.
  • Get the fluids in your car checked, and often.
  • You’ll want to check the coolant and replenish it.
  • You’ll also want to make sure your windshield wiper fluid is full and that it is the kind that doesn’t freeze.

Emergency Supplies

Stock your car for the worst, then hope for the best. Make sure you have blankets, an extra set of clothing, gloves, hat, boots and socks.

  • Food: Never leave home in the winter without granola bars, peanut butter, crackers, and water. 
  • Must-have supplies: You’ll want a cellphone, extra charger (fully charged), first aid supplies, medicines, a flashlight with extra batteries, a roadside emergency kit, and a flare.
  • Check out the American Red Cross website for a complete list of supplies.

We need our cars to get to work, take the kids to school, for health reasons, and when emergencies arise. Every driver should do the responsible thing and have their car inspected for wiring, battery charge, fluids, and any other roadworthy prevention as advised by your Auto Service. 

The easiest way to avoid unexpected car repairs is to take your car to a trusted mechanic. Complete Auto Repair Service in Ann Arbor is your go-to repair shop. Because we employ only certified technicians, you will always drive off the lot with confidence.

We stand by our work as if we are putting our own families behind the wheel: no half-done work, only a promise of excellence.

You’ll never see us performing any work on your vehicle that we haven’t explained, and only with your consent—no hidden charges. Only the pleasant surprise that we are here when you need us. 

Ann Arbor can dish out some wicked weather. We dish out only the best car maintenance and repair. 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

It’s your responsibility to maintain your car in good condition. It’s our responsibility to serve our customers with integrity. Give us a call at Complete Auto Service today.