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631.265.1515
service@smithtowntransmissions.com
Service You Can Trust
Battery & Starting
Battery & Starting
Clutch Service
Clutch Service
Diesel
Diesel
Electrical Service
Electrical Service
Fuel Systems
Fuel Systems
Hybrid
Hybrid
Belts & Hoses
Belts & Hoses
Differential
Differential
Engine Service
Engine Service
Heating & Cooling
Heating & Cooling
Suspension & Steering
Suspension & Steering
Brake Repair
Brake Repair
CVT Transmissions
CVT Transmissions
Diagnostic Service
Diagnostic Service
Drivetrain
Drivetrain
Filters & Fluids
Filters & Fluids
The Basics of Car Repair
It’s a simple fact: anything with moving parts is bound to wear out over time. Having your car serviced can delay this process and potentially increase the longevity of your vehicle. So if your car needs preventative care to keep it running smoothly, what types of car maintenance services should you get and when?
Keep reading to learn about the difference between car services and what kind you’ll need for the road ahead.
What Are the Different Types of Car Repair Service?
Some auto repair shops offer different types of car repair services depending on your vehicle type, how much you drive, and when your car was last serviced. Services typically include an inspection of your vehicle’s critical components to ensure your car is operating safely and performing optimally.
Vehicles also come equipped with a manufacturer's suggested maintenance schedule that highlights which services you need and when but to be totally safe you can simply book an appointment at Smithtown Transmissions for a Complete Free Vehicle Diagnostic!
Our trained technicians will check around the wheels, under the hood, and more to ensure your car is in good condition. Smithtown Transmissions can also make you aware of any maintenance items that might additionally be listed by your vehicle manufacturer.
Schedule A Free Car Diagnostic Appointment Now!What Are Interim, Full, and Major Car Services?
Not all car repair shops specifically offer interim, full, and major car repair services. However, understanding the difference between these three intervals can help you identify what your car needs based on your manufacturer's suggested maintenance schedule (MSMS).
At Smithtown Transmissions, we're happy to provide you with a printout of your vehicle's MSMS. Ask our teammates about the best inspection for their car's specific needs.
Interim Car Repair Service Intervals
An interim car repair service is typically smaller-scale maintenance that occurs between full services, generally every six months or 6,000 miles. Interim services often include:
- Oil change and filter replacement
- Serpentine belt inspection
- Wiper blade inspection
If you rack up more miles than the average driver, you could benefit from an interim car repair service.
Full Car Repair Service Intervals
It's generally said that every driver should bring their car in for a full car repair service once a year or every 12,000 miles. A full car repair service typically includes all the checks of an interim car repair service, plus inspecting several other key components, such as:
- Engine air filter
- Cabin air filter
- Coolant
- Belts and hoses
- Brake pads
A full car repair service can include more than 50 separate checks on your car to make sure it’s running safely and efficiently.
Schedule A Free Car Diagnostic Appointment Now!Major Car Repair Service Intervals
Major car repair services are often reserved for the important maintenance items that don’t require servicing as often as other parts. Major car repair services may include all the checks from an interim and full car repair service, plus other critical items such as:
- Brake fluid exchange
- Spark plug replacement
- Transmission fluid inspection (if applicable)
- Timing belt replacement (based on MSMS)
- Battery testing
Types of Car Maintenance Services
These are some of the important maintenance services you can expect when you bring your car into Smithtown Transmissions
Oil & Filter Change
Your car’s oil should be changed at intervals ranging from about 3,000-12,000 miles — based on your MSMS. During this service, an expert car repair technician will offer to perform a Courtesy Check and replace your engine oil and oil filter.
Wiper Blades Replacement
It’s easy to forget about your wiper blades if it doesn’t rain much where you live. But you’ll sure miss them when that next thunderstorm rolls in! Renewing your wiper blades every six months can help ensure that they maintain adequate contact with your windshield, keeping it clean so that you can see more clearly in rainy weather.
At Smithtown Transmissions and Car Repair, a car repair technician will evaluate the condition of your wiper blades and top off your windshield wiper fluid level. We’ll remove your old wiper blades and install new ones if needed.
Schedule A Free Car Diagnostic Appointment Now!Engine & Cabin Air Filter Replacement
Your engine and cabin air filters do the important job of ensuring that you and your car both have clean air to breathe while on the road. The engine air filter helps keep debris from entering the engine during the air-intake process. Meanwhile, the cabin air filter helps prevent contaminants like smog, dust, and pollen from entering the passenger cabin of your vehicle.
Both air filters should be replaced approximately every 12 months or 12,000 miles – or anytime they become too dirty. During a service, we’ll inspect and remove your old, dirty filters and install new ones if needed. That way, you and your engine get the fresh air you need while driving.
Brake Fluid Exchange
Your brake fluid is essential to maintaining safe braking performance, although it doesn’t typically need changing as often as many other car fluids. To err on the side of caution, you’ll want to have your brake fluid flushed and exchanged around every two years — according to some car manufacturers — or when it fails the brake fluid test strip per MAP guidelines.
A car repair technician will test the condition of your brake fluid during a service inspection and make a recommendation. If you haven’t had your brakes serviced in a while, consider stopping by and allowing one of our expert car repair technicians to perform a brake inspection.
Spark Plug Replacement
Spark plugs play a crucial role in the performance of your car by igniting an air-fuel mixture, causing combustion in your engine. Without them, you’re not going anywhere.
Spark plugs wear out over time due to extreme temperatures, regular use, and outside contaminants. But exactly when they wear out depends on the age and health of your engine. We recommend having your spark plugs serviced according to your manufacturer's suggested maintenance schedule.
Schedule A Free Car Diagnostic Appointment Now!Carefree Maintenance for the Road Ahead
Bring your vehicle to Smithtown Transmissions for routine car repair maintenance and more. It's that simple!
Schedule A Free Car Diagnostic Appointment Now!
Heading Off Problems
The more you know about your car, the more likely you'll be able to head off car repair problems. You can detect many common car problems by using your senses: eyeballing the area around your car, listening for strange noises, sensing a difference in the way your carhandles, or even noticing unusual odors.
Looks Like Trouble
Small stains or an occasional drop of fluid under your car may not mean much. But wet spots deserve attention; check puddles immediately.
You can identify fluids by their color and consistency:
- Yellowish green, pastel blue or florescent orange colors indicate an overheated engine or an antifreeze leak caused by a bad hose, water pump or leaking radiator.
- A dark brown or black oily fluid means the engine is leaking oil. A bad seal or gasket could cause the leak.
- A red oily spot indicates a transmission or power-steering fluid leak.
- A puddle of clear water usually is no problem. It may be normal condensation from your car's air conditioner.
Smells Like Trouble
Some problems are under your nose. You can detect them by their odor:
- The smell of burned toast — a light, sharp odor — often signals an electrical short and burning insulation. To be safe, try not to drive the vehicle until the problem is diagnosed.
- The smell of rotten eggs — a continuous burning-sulphur smell — usually indicates a problem in the catalytic converter or other emission control devices. Don't delay diagnosis and car repair.
- A thick acrid odor usually means burning oil. Look for sign of a leak.
- The smell of gasoline vapors after a failed start may mean you have flooded the engine. Wait a few minutes before trying again. If the odor persists, chances are there's a leak in the fuel system — a potentially dangerous problem that needs immediate attention.
- Burning resin or an acrid chemical odor may signal overheated brakes or clutch. Check the parking brake. Stop. Allow the brakes to cool after repeated hard braking on mountain roads. Light smoke coming from a wheel indicates a stuck brake. The vehicle should be towed for car repair.
Squeaks, squeals, rattles, rumbles, and other sounds provide valuable clues about problems and maintenance needs. Here are some common noises and what they mean:
Squeal — A shrill, sharp noise, usually related to engine speed:
- Loose or worn power steering, fan or air conditioning belt.
Click — A slight sharp noise, related to either engine speed or vehicle speed:
- Loose wheel cover.
- Loose or bent fan blade.
- Stuck valve lifter or low engine oil.
Screech — A high-pitched, piercing metallic sound; usually occurs while the vehicle is in motion:
- Caused by brake wear indicators to let you know it's time for maintenance.
Rumble — a low-pitched rhythmic sound.
- Defective exhaust pipe, converter or muffler.
- Worn universal joint or other drive-line component.
Ping — A high-pitched metallic tapping sound, related to engine speed:
- Usually caused by using gas with a lower octane rating than recommended. Check your owner's manual for the proper octane rating. If the problem persists, engine ignition timing could be at fault.
Heavy Knock — A rhythmic pounding sound:
- Worn crankshaft or connecting rod bearings.
- Loose transmission torque converter.
Clunk — A random thumping sound:
- Loose shock absorber or other suspension component.
- Loose exhaust pipe or muffler.
Feels Like Trouble
Difficult handling, a rough ride, vibration and poor performance are symptoms you can feel. They almost always indicate a problem.
Steering
- Misaligned front wheels and/or worn steering components, like the idler or ball joint, can cause wandering or difficulty steering in a straight line.
- Pulling — the vehicle's tendency to steer to the left or right — can be caused by something as routine as under-inflated tires, or as serious as a damaged or misaligned front end.
Ride and Handling
- Worn shock absorbers or other suspension components — or improper tire inflation — can contribute to poor cornering.
- While there is no hard and fast rule about when to replace shock absorbers or struts, try this test: bounce the vehicle up and down hard at each wheel and then let go. See how many times the vehicle bounces. Weak shocks will allow the vehicle to bounce twice or more.
- Springs do not normally wear out and do not need replacement unless one corner of the vehicle is lower than the others. Overloading your vehicle can damage the springs.
- Balance tires properly. An unbalanced or improperly balanced tire causes a vehicle to vibrate and may wear steering and suspension components prematurely.
Brakes
Brake problems have several symptoms. Schedule diagnosis and car repair if:
- The car pulls to one side when the brakes are applied.
- The brake pedal sinks to the floor when pressure is maintained.
- You hear or feel scraping or grinding during braking.
- The "brake" light on the instrument panel is lit.
Engine
The following symptoms indicate engine trouble. Get a diagnosis and schedule the car repair.
- Difficulty starting the engine.
- The "check engine" light on the instrument panel is lit.
- Rough idling or stalling.
- Poor acceleration.
- Poor fuel economy.
- Excessive oil use (more than one quart between changes).
- Engine continues running after the key is removed.
Transmission
Poor transmission performance may come from actual component failure or a simple disconnected hose or plugged filter. Make sure the technician checks the simple items first; transmission repairs normally are expensive.
Trouble Shooting
Car repair trouble doesn't always mean major repairs. Here are some common causes of trouble and techniques to help you and your technician find and fix problems:
- Alternator — Loose wiring can make your alternator appear defective. Your technician should check for loose connections and perform an output test before replacing the alternator.
- Battery — Corroded or loose battery terminals can make the battery appear dead or defective. Your technician should clean the terminals and test battery function before replacing the battery.
- Starter — What appears to be a defective starter actually may be a dead battery or poor connection. Ask your technician to check all connections and test the battery before repairing the starter.
- Muffler — a loud rumbling noise under your vehicle indicates a need for a new muffler or exhaust pipe.
- Tune-up — The old-fashioned "tune-up" may not be relevant to your vehicle. Fewer parts, other than belts, spark plugs, hoses and filters, need to be replaced on newer vehicles. Follow the recommendations in your owner's manual.
