Road Trip Inspection Going on a road trip? Don’t leave home without a road trip inspection! Before you pack your bags, cancel your newspaper and mail delivery, and pile into your vacation vehicle for your long-awaited and much-anticipated road trip, pl …

Head Gasket A crucial multi layered metal and/or graphite composite that makes a water-tight seal between two halves of an engine, the head gasket’s job is two-fold: to seal combustion chambers that reach pressures in excess of 200 pounds per square in …

Wheel Bearings It probably should come as no surprise to learn that wheel bearings tend to be among the most overlooked parts of a vehicle, even though they are absolutely crucial to the functioning of your car. Your wheels rotate on these bearings; th …

Air Conditioning Have you noticed that road rage incidents increase as temperatures soar? When Corvallis gets hot and humid, commute time can become cranky quickly unless the air conditioning unit in every car is working at peak efficiency. Sadly, this …

Buyer’s Inspection As much as you’d rather not have to think about it, your vehicle comes with vehicle maintenance needs, whether you bought it off a showroom floor or secondhand. New vehicles need gasoline, oil, tire pressure checks, window and body-w …

All Wheel Drive This service is just like a 4wd system except for the fact that, like it’s name, is full time 4wd so all four wheels are being turned by the engine at all times. 4wd systems can be selected to 2wd or 4wd by the driver. Also, AWD service …

Water Pump Water is as vital to the life of your vehicle as it is to your own. The water that courses through the pump and various tubes keeps your engine cool and performs other crucial functions. So when your water pump starts misbehaving, you need t …

Differentials Differentials defined: A differential is the way manufacturers get your vehicle’s tires/wheels to rotate perpendicular to the rotation of the engine or driveshaft. The engine spins clockwise at an angle from front to back, then has to spi …

CV Axles Vehicle CV axles usually last a long time—upward of 100,000 miles. But when they begin to go bad, you need to attend to them promptly. If you keep driving on a bad CV axle, you run the risk of having one of its bearings freeze up; if this happ …

Clutch When it comes to your clutch, be sure to get an honest quote for apples-to-apples services. It’s a sad fact: some auto repair shops dole out quotes that don’t cover the total cost of a responsible clutch repair job. As a result, you may find you …

Transmissions The last thing most vehicle owners want to hear from a service adviser or mechanic at an auto repair shop is, “It’s your transmission.” Ouch! Usually a diagnosis like this translates to big money. One way to put off the date of this kind …

Starter When your vehicle has electrical problems, if you’re like most people, you begin to feel just a little bit panicky. Correcting electrical problems can be expensive—but not always—so don’t fret quite yet! If your electrical problem involves alte …

Battery Your car’s battery delivers the electrical juice that puts everything else under the hood in motion. Without a good battery in your vehicle, all you have is an expensive garage or driveway ornament. So when your vehicle doesn’t start, the first …

Alternator The alternator in your vehicle provides electrical power while the engine is running. It also recharges the battery that brings your engine to life. Without an alternator the battery will quickly drain leaving you and your wheels dead in the …

Electrical When your vehicle has electrical problems, if you’re like most people, you begin to feel just a little bit panicky. Correcting electrical problems can be expensive—but not always—so don’t fret quite yet! If your electrical problem involves a …

Check Engine Light You’re driving down the road minding your own business when it happens: your dashboard informs you that you need to “check your engine.” Strange! Nothing seems to be amiss—there has been no indication that anything is wrong underneat …

Shocks / Struts If your vehicle is beginning to ride like a jalopy, your shocks/struts are likely to blame. Signs of ailing/aging shocks/struts include bouncy trips, ‘bottoming out’ when you hit a bump or dip in the road, front end ‘bowing/dipping’ dur …

Steering / Suspension Right up there next to accelerating and braking responsibly is the ability to steer your vehicle. That’s pretty much a no-brainer. But did you know that your steering ability is closely tied to your vehicle’s suspension systems? I …

Radiator Your vehicle’s radiator can go south for a number of reasons: brittle hoses, damaged water pump; weakened solders; leaky fittings; malfunctioning thermostat; rusting, and more. Without a well-functioning radiator, your engine can’t survive the …

Belts / Hoses We’ve already explained timing belts and drive belts on other pages but the topic bears repeating. Vehicle belts and hoses are the muscle and arteries that keep you on the road. Neglect them for too long, and you won’t be on the road at a …

Timing Belts Is Your Timing Belt a Ticking Time Bomb? Timing belt defined: Your timing belt is a hidden belt with teeth inside your vehicle’s engine. It is responsible for making your engine’s intake and exhaust valves open and close at the precise tim …

Wondering what to expect in the way of service and maintenance services as your vehicle approaches 30, 60, 90k miles of travel? You’ve come to the right place to find out. Because every driver is different, the recommended servicing times in your owner …

Whenever there’s a car, truck or minivan in your possession, you’re in charge of making sure it gets the vehicle maintenance it needs to keep it running and serving you well. But we know all how easy it is to lose track of the last time you brought you …

Wondering how often to change your oil or how to safely dispose of the old stuff? You’ve come to the right place for answers. For gasoline-powered passenger vehicles and light trucks, vehicle manufacturers recommend an oil change once a year or every 7 …

You bought your car, truck or minivan to help you get places faster. Equally important, when driving potentially-lethal vehicles like these, is the ability to STOP when you must. Doing one without being able to reliably do the other is asking for serio …

Tune up Time? When it comes to getting your vehicle in here to G&J’s Auto Repair for that tune-up you know you need but have been putting off, we understand completely: life has a way of making scheduled maintenance seem like the least of your prioriti …