Newport News Auto Repair

When you first bought your car, you were probably told that you needed to have your oil changed every three months or every 3,000 miles. However, this may not be the case any longer. Some people might recommend you have the oil changed every 3,000 miles, but research shows that this has changed. Years ago, the 3,000 mile/3 month rule was standard practice. If you happen to drive an older vehicle, it may still be advisable if you drive in harsh climates. But newer cars, those made since 2002, do not need to have the oil changed every 3,000 miles. There are several factors that will determine how often you should change your oil. Some of those are the way that you drive your car, how you handle your vehicle and if you drive more on the highways or around the city. Most experts advise a time around 5,000 miles. That number will be a little less for those who drive sporadically. Even if your car sits in the driveway, it should still have the oil changed occasionally. As the mileage in t ... read more

Preventive maintenance is the key step to eliminate the loss of air conditioning in your automobile during the scorching summer months. A short inspection by a qualified automotive technician will reveal the possible need for maintenance or repair. Catching issues before they spiral out of control will help reduce costs that would consume the family budget. The main focal point of attention in preventive air conditioning maintenance for automobiles is the refrigerant. If a low level exists and is caught in time, simply adding a small amount to fill the system is all that is required. However if low levels are not caught in time, the remaining coolant must be drained and a complete replacement must be done. The process is called recharging and is vital in re-establishing the health of the air conditioning system. Equipment failure is the next leading cause of the air conditioning not working. The ASE professionals at B&L Auto can quickly troubleshoot where the problem is. Compres ... read more

Your car’s transmission is responsible for transferring the engine’s power to the wheels by using gears. Without a transmission, a car will not be able to drive on the road. Often times, a car owner never gives the transmission any attention until there is a sudden problem. Unfortunately, the transmission could have already sustained a devastating amount of internal damage. The key to maintaining the health of your transmission is routine maintenance. Over time, the transmission fluid inside of the gearbox begins to deteriorate. The reason is because the fluid must endure the stressful environment of the transmission for thousands of miles. The fluid may eventually get contaminated with metal shavings and other detrimental debris. This is why you must have your transmission serviced on a routine basis. A proper transmission serving involves flushing out the old and degraded transmission fluid. Fresh fluid will then be filled to the optimum level. The transmission’s ... read more

You may know that all 2008 model year and newer cars, mini-vans and light trucks in Newport News come with a tire pressure monitoring system. Many slightly older vehicles around Newport News have these systems as well. A tire pressure monitoring system – called TPMS – consists of sensors on each wheel that measure tire pressure. If tire pressure drops 25 percent below the manufacturer’s recommended pressure, the sensor sends a signal to a monitoring unit that causes a warning to light up on the dashboard. When you see the warning light, you know it’s time to put some air in your tires. There are many benefits to driving with properly inflated tires around Newport News. First is cost savings. Running at the correct air pressure improves fuel economy. Driving on under-inflated tires is like driving through sand – it drags down your fuel economy. You’ll also see longer, more even tread wear so your tires’ll last longer. Another important benef ... read more

Sometimes parts on a car break for no reason. But usually, the malfunction is caused by long-term wear and tear. You can prevent many of these breakdowns and ensure your vehicle’s longevity by performing preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance can involve anything from getting your oil and air filter changed to getting your tires rotated. Your car’s maintenance guide should spell out for you what preventative maintenance you need and when you should have it done. The purpose of preventative maintenance on your car is to lessen wear and tear on your car. For example, you get your oil changed every few thousand miles because the oil gets dirty after awhile and no longer works like it should. You get your tires rotated every few thousand miles because it helps even out the wear and make sure one tire doesn’t wear out faster than the others. Replacing brake pads when they wear out ensures that you don’t do any serious damage to your brakes that would be ... read more

When you need automotive repair work and maintenance for your vehicle, you want the best repair shop in the area. Your car is one of your most expensive investments and you want it treated by an experienced automotive technician. In Newport News, that repair shop can only be B&L Automotive. They are locally owned and operated and have been in continuous operation for sixty years. Since 1953 they have kept the community’s vehicles in top operating performance. B&L Automotive personnel are trained, skilled, and knowledgeable technicians with years of experience. When you take your car to B&L Automotive, they will inspect it and only perform repairs that are required. This repair shop has an outstanding reputation for honest and reliable service. If any work is needed, you will be given a written estimate of the parts and labor before any work is done. Their work is guaranteed and you will be given manufacturer warranties for any parts used. B&L Automotive is aware ... read more

Have you ever had an experience like this in Newport News VA? You drive through the one of those automatic car washes. When you get to the end, where the dryer is blowing, your check engine light started flashing! You fear the worst, but within a block or two, the light stopped flashing, but stayed on. By the next day, the light was off. You wonder; “What was going on?” Well, it’s actually a good lesson in how the Check Engine light works. Your air intake system has a sensor that measures how much air is coming through it. When you went under the high-speed dryer, all that air was blasting past the sensor. Your engine computer was saying, there shouldn’t be that much air when the engine is just idling. Something’s wrong. Whatever’s wrong could cause some serious engine damage. Warning, warning! It flashes the check engine light, to alert you to take immediate action. It stopped flashing because once you were out from under the dryer, the ai ... read more

Lease? Or buy? It’s always a tough question for residents in the Yorktown area. But here are a few ideas that’ll make the choice more clear. Either option gives you a choice of how you might finance your car. If you buy, you’ll pay the full cost of the car, with maybe an initial down payment, then monthly payments on the balance that pays down the loan principal, and the finance charge. If you lease, you’re financing the portion of the cost of the car that’s used up during the term of the lease. When the lease is up, you return the car to your local Yorktown area dealership. You’ll pay some money upfront; fees, security deposit, first month’s payment and maybe a capital reduction. The month payments include a depreciation cost and a finance charge. So how do you decide? First, how big a down payment can you make? A lease would require a smaller down. How much monthly payment can you afford? Agai ... read more

Auto owners can increase the useful life of their car with a Lifetime Protection Program. These arrangements protect certain of a car’s critical systems, such as the engine, the transmission, brakes, power steering, differential and cooling system, paying a specified amount in case of a breakdown. Available for new cars and, under certain circumstances, for low-mileage pre-owned vehicles, Lifetime Protection Programs protect the owner’s investment in the vehicle as well as offering the piece of mind of an optimally functioning car to safely negotiate those unavoidable hazards that arise. An Arrangement With YOU In Mind A Lifetime Protection Plan is a contract, and like any other such arrangement it requires certain things in order to remain valid. For instance, owners are required to maintain their vehicles according to the recommended service schedule. In some cases, the maintenance procedures must be carried out by a specified shop. No matter who takes care of the car ... read more

Everyone in Newport News VA has blind spots – and no, I’m not talking about the fact that you really don’t sing like Jessica Simpson. I mean the areas of the road that you can’t see when you’re driving around Newport News. First let’s talk about our own blinds spots, and then we can talk about others… To begin, we can greatly reduce our blind spots by properly adjusting our mirrors to give the widest coverage possible. Make the adjustments in your sedan before you start to drive. First, adjust your rear view mirror to give the best possible view directly to the rear of your car. You don’t need it to get a better view of either side of the car, the kids in the back seat or your dazzling smile. The rear view mirror should look to the rear. Next, lean your head until it almost touches the driver’s side window. Adjust your side mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your car. B&L Automotive We’re ... read more