New Orleans Auto Repair

Who wouldn't want to find the best mechanic torepair and maintain their vehicle? One great way to find a good local mechanic in the New Orleans Area is to ask your friends, co-workers and relatives. Your friends are probablylooking for the same qualities in a mechanic that you are, so that could be your best source. If no one in your circle has a good recommendation, no need to stress! !he internet can save the day!A great start to finding a good local mechanic is assimple as searching “auto repair near me” or “mechanic near me.” If you are looking for an auto shop that is organized and professional, they will most probably have a good web presence. While you are browsing the web, take a look at the online reviews. You can get an idea of what your experience will be like by reading about other peoples experiences. We recommend checking at least 2 different sources. If you are moving away from the New Orleans area or are trying to help someone in another pa ... read more

Vehicles have been designed to detect emissions or engine management related failures. When your vehicle detects a failure in a system, the check engine light will illuminate.If your check engine light is on, that is your vehicle’s way of letting you know to get it in a shop as soon as possible. This is not normally an immediate emergency and you can still continue to use the vehicle. The check engine light can come on for something as simple as a loose gas cap or one of over a thousand different other reasons.   If your check engine light is flashing that is your vehicle's way of letting you know there is a damaging event occurring. Continuing to use the vehicle could result in damage to the catalytic converter or the engine. If your check engine light is flashing you should bring your vehicle to a shop, and stop regular use of the vehicle until it is repaired. A flashing check engine light is your vehicle letting you know something more serious is going on. Let the ... read more

When should you replace your tires? Tires are a wear item on your vehicle, they provide traction to help accelerate, stop and keep your vehicle in control. Tires should be replaced if they have under 4/32 of an inch of tread or if they are more than 5 years old. Tires with low tread can cause the vehicle to have an increased stopping distance and cause the vehicle to be more likely to hydroplane in wet weather. Old tires need to be changed because the rubber and the chemical bonds that keep the layers of the tire together deteriorate over time. Old tires are far more likely to separate, overheat and cause a blow out than new tires. Some signs of a worn tire are a wobble or shake, a hum or buzz noise while driving. Any large defects or injuries in the tread or sidewall of a tire may also be a reason to replace the tire.   Since your safety is our priority, we include checking tires in our digital inspection, we will check the age, tread depth and condition of your tires at every ... read more

Does your brake pedal feel hard? Have you noticed that it takes longer to stop your vehicle and sometimes you worry it isn't going to stop in time? There are a couple reasons your brake pedal could feel hard.   A hard brake pedal can be a sign of failure in your brake booster. Your brake booster uses either engine vacuum or power steering pressure to multiply the force put on the brake pedal to stop your vehicle. If there is a problem with the boosters ability to hold pressure or with the pump or engine vacuum supplied to the booster it could create a hard brake pedal and the sensation that your vehicle is not able to stop. Leaking engine vacuum can cause a brake pedal to feel hard. Some vehicles use a Vacuum pump to create vacuum for the booster and a failed pump can cause a hard brake pedal. On brake systems that use power steering fluid to create pressure, a leak or failure in the power steering system can cause a brake pedal to feel hard. Another reason your brake pedal ... read more

There are a couple reasons the brakes on your vehicle could be squeaking.   The first is if your vehicle has been sitting for several days. Sometimes surface rust can develop on the stopping surface of your brake rotors, causing a squeak noise during your first few brake applications. This is not a safety concern and this will normally stop after a few brake applications.   The second reason could be that your brakes are low and in need of replacement. Some vehicles have metal tabs that act as wear indications to let the driver know when the brakes are low by squeaking. But even vehicles without those indicators built in, will often squeak when the brakes are very low and ready for a Brake Repair.   At Tim’s Quality Car Care we are dedicated to keeping our clients in safe and reliable transportation. Brakes are a big part of our safety focus. We try to help our clients plan their vehicle maintenance and repair by inspecting every vehicle before we service. At e ... read more

Hearing a grinding sound could indicate your vehicle’s brake pads are worn down all the way – exposing the metal puck under the pad. If so, when you go to press the brakes, pads with no friction material left are trying to grip on to the metal rotor, resulting in a grind and an increased stopping distance. This is an unpleasant sound, but it could also result in a brake failure when you need it most.It may be time for a Brake Repair. As a safety focused company Tim’s considers your vehicle’s braking system one of our primary concerns. Your brakes are checked, measured and photographed every time we service your vehicle. All brake repairs at Tim’s are done only to the highest standards, with only the best quality parts available and backed by our industry leading 3 year, 36,000-mile warranty

Many newer vehicles have smart charging systems. The vehicle takes into account the age and degradation of the battery and alters the charging system accordingly. In order to properly install a new battery in many later model vehicles a factory level scan tool is needed. After installation a technician needs to register the battery to the vehicle. We need to “tell the car” it has a new battery. Not registering a battery to a vehicle will cause the vehicle to charge and maintain the new battery in the same way it was charging the degraded old battery. Many times this causes the new battery to gas and overheat from being overcharged. The abuse of the charging system will significantly shorten the life of a battery. Following manufacturers’ procedures while servicing and repairing vehicles is very important … even when it comes to replacing batteries. Not all vehicles require battery registering. At Tim’s we not only check every battery on every vehicle tha ... read more

Had a little fun with the Crew earlier this week. We had our Tire Bowling Championship! Watch the Team in this sudden death championship bowling tournament…. And learn a little about the tires we sell

Constant Velocity or CV joints are used in most front wheel drive vehicles, many all-wheel drive vehicles and some rear wheel drive vehicles. A CV joint is a joint designed to transmit even power through a wide range of angles with minimum friction and internal play. CV shafts have two CV joints on either end of the shaft allowing the vehicle to be driven forward while allowing the suspension to articulate over bumps and the front wheels to turn left and right. Two wheel drive vehicles have two CV shafts and all-wheel drive vehicles can have up to four CV shafts. CV joints are filled with molybdenum disulfide grease, this specialized grease is either dark green or brownish grey in color. A rubber or neoprene flexible boot keeps this grease in the joint and all of the moving parts submerged. The weak point in CV shafts is the boot. After years and miles of turning and bumping up and down with the suspension the boots weaken and begin to tear. A torn CV boot allows the grease to leave t ... read more

Windshield wipers are a big part of keeping drivers safe on rainy days. A good set of wipers gives you the clear vision you need to safely see around your vehicle.MsMary Anderson of Birmingham Alabama is credited with the invention of the wiper blade. Her patent filed on November 10 1903 for Her “window cleaning device” came from an idea she had while on a rainy trip to New York City. By 1916 Windshield Wipers were standard equipment on most vehicles.By the mid-1950s we had the intermittent speed electric wipers we all know and love as standard equipment on most vehicles. Windshield wipers can be divided into 3 maincategories, Frameor “Traditional” wiper blades, Beam style blades and winter blades. Frame or “Traditional” wiper blades are made up of a metal frame holding rockers, the rockers are then attached to and hold a reinforced rubber wiper blade onto the windshield. The rockers on the wiper allow the rubber blade to contour to the windshield ... read more