New Orleans Auto Repair

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

Your radiator is responsible for removing heat from your engines coolant to help keep your engine cool. A leak free cooling system and a properly functioning radiator is key to the reliability and longevity of your vehicle. When engines get hot or “over heat” internal engine damage can occur. In years past radiators were constructed from brass or aluminum fins and soldered on to brass or aluminum tanks. Today most modern vehicles have aluminum fins which are crimped on to plastic tanks. The most common areas for failure on modern radiators is either where the plastic tank seals to the aluminum fins, or the plastic tank itself. Cooling systems are also subject to pressure, most cooling systems operate between 13 and 16 psi. Plastic tanks heat and cool at a different rate than the aluminum core. Over time the heating and pressure created from the heat, and the pressure relief from cooling wear the plastic on the tanks of the radiator. We find that over time the black plastic ... read more

Many times we find new customers with old and dry rotten tires on their vehicles. Dry rotten tires can be just as much of a safety risk as a worn tire. A tire that is dry rotten is much more likely to fail from tread separation than a tire that is less than 5 years old. All Department of Transportation certified tires have a serial number molded or branded into the sidewall. This number is referred to as the DOT number or the Tire Serial Number. DOT numbers are 8 to 13 digits long and identify: 1) the manufacturing location of the tire 2) the tire size and manufacturers code 3) the week and year the tire was produced If you are looking at the sidewall of a tire you can easily tell the manufacturing location, and tire size without decoding the DOT number, however nowhere on the tire besides the DOT will tell you the age. When looking at t ... read more

Today while inspecting a Rav4 we found a slow coolant leak on the upper radiator hose at a Tee. Coolant can leakfromyour enginecoolingsystemat a rapid rate and you will see liquid dripping from under your vehicle, or see a puddle under the vehicle. Many coolant leaks start as slow leaks. You can see a crusty residue around water pump seals, radiator tank seams, hose connections and anywhere else where coolant is contained. It is far better to catch a coolant leak before it starts dripping or becomes a major leak. Depending on your vehicle your cooling system can be under anywhere from 13 to 18or morepsi of pressure while at operating temperature. A small leak can turn into a large leak in an instant sometimes causing the vehicle to lose a significant amount of coolant in a very short period of time. When a vehicle isranwhile low on coolant it can overheat causing engine damage.Routine checks of your cooling system can help prevent problems before they occur. At Tim’s Quality Car ... read more