Vehicle Maintenance

Whether you drive a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche (some exclusions apply), Subaru, or other performance automobiles, your car has a cooling system. With winter right around the corner, at Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire we want to make sure your cooling system is ready for the cold.

Coolant is vital to your engine. Without the right type, amount, and proper circulation of coolant, your engine won’t last long. How do you know when it’s time to check it or replace it? Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL has the answers.

At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL, we understand how frustrating it is when your vehicle makes mysterious noises that it shouldn’t be making. Here’s a rundown on suspension bushings, to help you figure out what that sound is you keep hearing.

If you’re ever in a situation where you must remove the battery from your vehicle, it’s important to know what you’re doing. It seems pretty straight forward, and it is. However, there are some important things to remember when disconnecting the battery in your car, truck, or SUV. Here are some tips on disconnecting a car battery, from Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL.

When you get in your car, truck, SUV, or minivan to drive and the A/C does not work what could be wrong? Here at Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire, we have some simple answers to help you understand how your vehicle A/C system works. The first question we are asked is "Why isn't my air conditioner blowing cold air?" Let's talk about what could be happening. 

If you’ve owned a vehicle long, particularly one with a few miles on it, you have probably encountered a peculiar smell that grabbed your attention. Scents that you encounter while driving (emanating from your vehicle, not the horse farm down the road) are indicators of your vehicle's health and often the first warning that something may be wrong. Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort has assembled this list to prepare for you for the next time you smell something odd, so you’ll know what’s going on next time you notice a funny smell.

Obviously, your brakes are essential. However, it’s easy to neglect or ignore brake issues, and even miss them altogether; as long as the car, truck, or SUV still stops, many people don’t see the need to have their brakes serviced. From Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, here are some common brake issues, and why you should fix them.

There are many parts and systems outside of the car’s transmission that is equally as important as the parts and systems inside the transmission. Without them, the transmission won’t do much. There’s no way to transfer power from the engine to the shafts, disengage it to shift the gears, or power the differential without them. Just in case you need us, at Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL, we can help keep your transmission in top shape, but here’s what you need to know.

Obviously, the dirtier your fuel system is, the bigger the improvement you will see in performance and fuel economy after a fuel system cleaning. But it is important not to wait until your system is running poorly. If you do, by the time you get a cleaning, you’ve wasted hundreds of dollars in gas or even possibly damaged your fuel injectors and catalytic converter.

What condition are your tires in? At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL, we want to make sure you can tell. A simple visual inspection is all you need - it’s easy if you know what to look for.

If you drive a Dodge, Chevy, or Ford diesel pickup, you know the amount of hard work your truck puts in. You may also be aware that diesels run a little dirtier than your average gas burner. At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL, our goal is to keep your Duramax, Cummins, or Powerstroke truck on the road for many miles to come. A huge part of that is keeping your oil maintained.

Manual transmissions are generally more reliable than automatic transmissions. They don’t have as many parts, aren’t as complex, and can take a lot more abuse. However, if an issue is allowed to persist, more and more damage to surrounding components on your manual transmission will occur. Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL can help you take care of your car as soon as you notice a problem.

The interval for the tire rotation could depend on a recommendation from either the tire manufacturer or the vehicle maker. The interval is typically around 5,000 miles but could range from 3,000 to 8,000 miles. So why do tires need to be rotated and how do you know when the right time is for your vehicle?

No matter what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive, maintenance is the key to giving your engine a long life. At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL, we focus on keeping your engine running strong.

When driving around town, your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, we want to help you get the best air quality in your vehicle, but first, we want to explain the process of where this dirty air is going. 

If you drive a car, truck, or SUV that runs on gasoline, there's a good chance you’ve run it low on fuel a few times (or more than a few times,) and maybe even run out of gas completely a time or two. At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire in Spanish Fort, AL, we like to provide information applicable to you. Running a vehicle low on fuel is something we’re all guilty of, and most of us don’t think twice about it. But, can it be bad for your car?

Everyone knows to get routine tire care every so often. Tire rotations, alignments, and even replacements are necessary to ensure your tires stay in competent condition and don’t pose any harm when you’re driving. At Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire, it’s important to us that your tires perform well and are safe to be on the road. Routine maintenance is sometimes not enough to get the most out of your tires. Here are just a few tips and steps to extending the lifespan of your tires, so they can continue to take you wherever you need for as long as you need.

As your vehicle ages, it not only gains sentimental value but a number of maintenance measures arise as well. Vehicles from previous decades have the potential to keep their value and functionality for many years. But how can you make that possible? Here are some tips from Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire to keep your older vehicle running and on the road for a long time!

If you want to avoid nasty and unexpected surprise maintenance costs, sticking to a regimented schedule of preventative maintenance is something you are going to want to get used to. The reason being is simple – frequent maintenance will keep your vehicle in good health, ensuring you get the most out of all those expensive-to-replace parts. While it might sound counterintuitive, the best way to reduce maintenance costs is to stick to a prescribed maintenance schedule.

If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, there are important points to remember in preserving not only your car or SUV, but it's resale value as well. Luxury and performance vehicles depreciate more quickly than other cars. Many who own these cars like to have the newest and the best of the best. In that way, the odds are stacked against you when trying to get a good price for your car. Fortunately, Andrew's Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Auto & Tire has some steps you can take to ensure you get the most for your car when it’s time to sell.