You Selected Drive. Why Is The Car Still Waiting?
“It’s only a moment, then it goes.” We’d want to know whether that moment is new. Perhaps the vehicle has always had a slight pause under certain conditions. Perhaps it used to engage promptly and now you’re sitting there wondering whether to touch the accelerator. Please don’t give it extra throttle to hurry it along; […]
Should You Change Your Oil Before A Long Road Trip?
Before booking an extra oil change, check when the last one was done. A long drive doesn’t automatically mean the oil needs replacing. If it was changed recently with the right oil and filter, another change may do very little for you. If the trip will take you past the service interval, getting it done […]
A Pulling Car Needs More Than A Tire-Rotation Appointment
If you call us because the car pulls right, say that before asking for a rotation. It changes the job. Moving four tires is one service; finding out why you keep correcting the steering is a different request. You might need both. You might not need a rotation at all. That’s how we’d approach the […]
Something Smells Burnt After Towing. Is It The Transmission?
You’ve got the trailer parked. Walking past the truck, you catch a smell that wasn’t there before the trip. It would be nice if the smell came with a label: brakes, transmission, clutch, oil on the exhaust. It doesn’t. When you call Maclane’s Automotive on Horseshoe Pike, PA, tell us what the truck was doing […]
A Transmission Leak Doesn’t Automatically Mean A New Transmission
You find fluid under the car, search for transmission repairs, and the prices aren’t comforting. Before you go too far down that road, we need to establish what the fluid is. Then where it came from. A wet transmission case is evidence to investigate, not a verdict on everything inside it. That’s the starting point […]
Why Is My Oil Level Low Before My Next Oil Change?
There’s still plenty of mileage left before the next oil change. So why are you standing there with a low reading on the dipstick? Because the service interval and the amount of oil in the engine are two different things. One tells you when the oil needs replacing. The other needs checking between services, too. […]
How Do I Know Whether I Need A Battery Replacement Or An Alternator Repair?
“Battery or alternator?” is a reasonable question when the car won’t start. Unfortunately, the car doesn’t make the answer quite that tidy. A flat battery might still be usable, and a car that starts after a jump can still have a charging fault. Buying either part on that evidence alone is a gamble. At Maclane’s […]
Does Needing A Jump-Start Mean It’s Time For A Battery Replacement?
Getting it started is a relief. Deciding whether you trust it to start again is another matter, especially when you’ve already had to borrow jumper cables. We’d hold off on buying a part until it’s been tested. A successful jump tells you extra electrical power helped. It doesn’t tell you where the original power went. […]
How Do I Check Tire Pressure Correctly Before A Long Drive?
We’d put the gauge next to the car keys the night before. Otherwise, it’s easy to remember the tire check when the luggage is in, everyone is buckled up, and somebody is already asking why you haven’t left. You’ll be tempted to look at the tires and call it good. We’ve got a better starting […]
Why Is My Tire Pressure Light On When All Four Tires Look Fine?
“None of them looks flat” is reassuring, but it doesn’t tell us the pressures. We’d still check them with a gauge. A tire can keep a fairly ordinary shape while running low, especially if you’re only looking from a few feet away in the driveway. There are really two jobs here. Find out whether the […]