Tag: Seattle Auto Body Shop

When you take your car off of the comfort of pavement to drive along a gravel road, you’re going to notice a significant difference. You sacrifice traction, which is going to affect both your speed and handling. It is best to slow down significantly when you first start driving on gravel to get a sense of your reduced capabilities, and to avoid throwing up rocks to damage vehicles behind you. If you know that you’re going to be driving on gravel, you can also benefit from checking your tire pressure; pressure that is either too high or too low is going to compromise your ability to drive.

Should the worst happen, bring your vehicle down to our Seattle auto body shop for all of your collision repair needs.

When you puncture your tire, that’s not necessarily the end of it. Certain holes can be repaired without you needing to buy a whole new tire. As a general rule, you can only expect to repair a puncture in the tread area that is no more than a quarter of an inch in diameter.

There are DIY repair kits available, but you shouldn’t rely on these for too long. Though they can get you out of a jam, like a spare tire, they’re no substitute for a proper tire. A puncture can only be fully repaired by removing the tire from the wheel and applying a patch to the inner liner. Consult our Seattle auto body shop for more on vehicular repairs.

Car batteries represent one of the big success stories in the recycling world. Though they contain toxic materials, including lead and battery acid, these materials are highly recyclable. Today, lead acid car batteries are the most widely recycled consumer product, with over 98% of all such batteries making their way back into the manufacturers’ hands. This is well over the 55% of aluminum cans, the 45% of newspapers, and the 26% of glass bottles.

When your own car battery can no longer support a charge, be sure to dispose of it with a proper lead acid battery recycler. And, if your car should struggle with any other body or engine problems, bring it in to our auto body shop in Seattle for quick and reliable repairs.

Are you smelling a musty odor when you drive your vehicle? Is your climate control system not working like it used to? It’s possible that you need to change your cabin air filter. This filter cleans the air entering your cabin, removing bacteria, dust, allergens, and exhaust gases. A failure to maintain a clean cabin air filter could be subjecting you and your passengers to high levels of contaminants.

It is generally recommended that you change your filter every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, depending on your particular vehicle. Check your owner’s manual for more information. If you require any further help with car maintenance, contact our auto body shop in Seattle.

Many of us struggle with a cluttered-up car. If you spend a lot of time on the road, you probably accumulate a lot of food wrappers, drink containers, food waste, and other pieces of garbage. This not only compromises your car’s interior, but can make for a more dangerous driving environment. So, how can you keep your car clean?

The answer is quite simple: Try putting a small trash bin in your car. A plastic cereal container with a plastic bag in it is a strong choice; place it at the feet of the passenger seat where it won’t intrude too much on anyone seated beside you. By having a small, convenient place designated for your trash, it is easy to keep your car clean in even the most hectic circumstances.

If your automotive maintenance needs go beyond simply managing your trash, consult our auto body shop in Seattle.

Many drivers think of winter as being the time for dead car batteries, but the hot summer months are actually even tougher on your power supply. This is because heat serves to accelerate chemical reactions, like those that occur within your battery. When a car’s battery is heated up, it is more prone to overcharging. Meanwhile, the internal battery fluid is more vulnerable to evaporation. This can dramatically reduce the battery’s lifespan.

You can protect your battery by keeping it clean. Regularly detach the cables from the terminals and wipe them off, then assure that it is reconnected securely. Should your battery become overcharged or otherwise damaged, visit our Seattle auto body shop.

It happens all too often: a driver, probably drunk, drives the wrong way down the road to collide with an innocent motorist. They’re difficult to avoid, they’re highly dangerous, and they claim roughly 360 lives every year in the United States. So, what can you do to protect yourself?

Unfortunately, there is rarely a lot of time to react to a wrong-way driver. However, there are still a few measures you can take to avoid them. As a majority of such accidents occur between 6 pm and 6 am, it is good to be particularly mindful at this time. If you’re driving on a multi-lane road, avoid the left lane unless you are passing another vehicle. Aside from this, there’s not much you can do aside from maintaining proper awareness and defensive driving practices.

Should you have a run-in with a wrong-way driver, bring your vehicle to our auto body shop in Seattle for repairs.

The heat of the summer months does more than just make driving uncomfortable. It also has the potential to inflict cosmetic damage to your vehicle. So, when the weather turns hot, consider taking the necessary steps to protect your car from the sun.

To begin with, try waxing your car with a polish that offers UV protection. This is a simple way to protect your finish from the sun’s harsh rays, and prevent your paint from fading. Since you can’t apply the same wax to the delicate plastic in your car’s cabin, consider making use of a sunshade; this will prevent fading and cracking.

Should you require any further help maintaining or restoring your vehicle, call Greenwood’s auto body shop in Seattle.

If you took proper care of your car during the winter, you’re probably going to need to de-winterize your vehicle as we leave the cold months behind. Consider the following tips from our auto body shop in Seattle:

• Lose the Snow Tires: These tires are heavier than is needed in the summer, and will reduce your fuel economy.
• Check Your Fluid Levels: If you stored your car during the winter, you’ll need to check on your coolant, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, differential fluid, and brake fluid.
• Clean Your Undercarriage: Particularly if you live in a snowy climate, your car may have accumulated salty residues that can quickly corrode the metals.

When a fire starts in your car, it’s probably going to be in one of two places:

• The Engine Compartment: These fires are usually caused when hot gasses flood back into the carburetor and ignite the residual gas fumes that manage to gather after the engine is turned off. If you suspect that you have an engine fire, you’ll want to pull over immediately, avoiding anything combustible. Turn off the engine and any electrical systems, and have everyone leave the vehicle and stand away.
• The Passenger Compartment: These fires are relatively safer, as they are probably not being fed by the car’s fuel. Should you have a fire in your passenger compartment, pull over and use your chemical fire extinguisher, if you have one. Take care, though, as most car interiors are made with flammable materials and the flames can spread quickly.

After suffering a car fire, you will definitely need to have extensive work done on your vehicle. Contact our auto body shop in Seattle for all your repair needs.