Colorado Springs Auto Repair

  Traveling on the road with children can be a headache sometimes, but we advise you to make it fun this summer! Shake things up this summer with you and your family by playing some fun games on the road. Here are some ideas to keep your kids' screen time down or from asking the infamous question: "Are we there yet?"   Name That Song This game is perfect for those music-loving families. Name That Song is relatively self-explanatory. The adult can play tunes through a chosen playlist or radio. Every time a different song comes on, test your knowledge and be the first to shout out the song's artist and the song's title. Whoever can name the most songs at the end of the journey wins the game!   I Spy One of the children can be nominated to be "it," and they get to choose a specific thing in the car to center on. The other kids will take turns guessing clues until somebody correctly guesses the object selected by "it."   ... read more

Safety should be every driver's number one priority, and one of the main safety features of a car is the ability to be able to stop quickly, within seconds. In order for you and your passengers to be as safe as possible in your vehicle, you must make sure your brakes are in top working condition. Below, we have listed 5 top signs that your vehicle may need its brakes exchanged for new ones or at least to be inspected and possibly repaired. 1. Squealing or grinding noises: this indicates that your brakes are worn down, causing the metal to grind against metal. This indicates your brake pads should be replaced in the very near future. 2. Pulling: uneven wear on the brake pads could cause your vehicle to either swerve or pull to one side as you apply the brakes while driving. This could be highly dangerous, and you want to get it taken care of as soon as possible. 3. Soft brake pedal: if your brake pedal feels out of the ordinary, this may not necessarily mean that your brake pads ... read more

Getting a car is a big investment and for some, it's a necessary part of life. You're told to perform the recommended maintenance services on a regular basis, but is it really necessary? Well, your car probably won't explode but these services benefit you in the long run. 3 Reasons To Service Your Car Regularly 1. Extend the Life of Your Car The purpose of checking your transmission, rotating your tires and replacing your fluids is to keep your car running properly for longer. If you don't do these things, even if it doesn't put you in any danger -- although it might -- it wears down parts of your car that might've lasted longer if you performed these simple maintenance procedures. 2. Save You Money in the Future Having your car checked and maintained can save you from having to do costly repairs in the future. Catching a problem early is always more cost-effective than trying to fix something after the problem has gotten much worse. Maintenance services pu ... read more

When we drive around in our cars, trucks and SUVs, we want to feel safe. We hope the design and performance of vehicle help to avoid any accidents. However, if we are in an accident, we want to feel like we will be as protected as possible. Here are 7 of the most important safety features in your car. It's important to understand these systems and make sure you are taking care of the necessary maintenance and repairs that will eventually help take better care of you and your passengers. 1. Antilock Braking System (ABS) All modern vehicles feature an antilock braking system that prevents the brakes from locking up when coming to a quick and violent stop. If the brakes were to lock up, the car could skid out of control and lead to a bad accident. It's important to keep your entire brake system ... read more

If you drive a manual transmission vehicle, you have a little extra maintenance to worry about. You want to keep your clutch system healthy. This will allow you to shift between gears smoothly while also protecting your transmission and gear box from unnecessary wear and tear.  Modern vehicles with manual transmissions will have a clutch system with four primary components: pressure plate, driven plate, cover plate (which incorporates a diaphragm spring) and release bearing. Some older vehicles may have a hydraulic clutch, which will feature a master cylinder and slave cylinder to control the system. All clutches will have the pedal that the driver uses to control the engagement and disengagement actions used during shifting. Here are a few tips that will help you keep your clutch system healthier: 1. Watch Your Driving Habits The best maintenance tip really isn't a mechanic ... read more

Ray recently moved to Colorado. He needed some automotive repair and maintenance work done, so he did his research on local auto shops. After searching online and calling around, he decided to give LightHouse Automotive a chance to earn his business. In the end, he was glad he chose our shop! "Just moved to Colorado and had to find a good mechanic," Ray says. "The LightHouse team did a thorough diagnosis and was upfront about findings and cost. The work was done professionally and all old parts saved for my review (rare but appreciated detail)." Once Ray's vehicle was in our shop, our skilled automotive technicians performed a thorough inspection. We ran diagnostic tests and inspected key parts and systems throughout the vehicle. Then, we presented him with an inspection report to ... read more

Many vehicle owners are mentally tricked into spending more money at the gas pump. They think the “premium” fuels with higher octanes will offer better performance. The truth is, that’s not necessarily the case. Higher-octane gasoline generally won’t make your car go faster, achieve better fuel economy or run cleaner. Check the Owner's Manual The first thing you should do before taking any new car to the gas station is read the owner’s manual. Most vehicles only recommend and require the standard octane rating. Paying more money for premium fuels won’t necessarily add any benefits at all. It probably won’t hurt the vehicle. It just won’t give you a significant enough boost in performance to warrant the extra price per gallon. Engine Knocking The ... read more

A car has hundreds of smaller parts that help drive the bigger pieces we can see at first glance. Like every machine, parts get worn out and need to be maintained to avoid problems. One such part is the power steering pump. If you've ever had a stiff steering wheel or heard funny noises when driving, your power steering pump might need a professional to investigate and fix. 5 Symptoms of a Failing Power Steering Pump 1. When a steering wheel feels stiff or is slow to respond to turns you make at low speed, that is a sign of a fluid level or quality problem in the steering wheel system. A leak that goes unchecked or liquid too thick inside the pump, can cause long-term damage to the steering wheel system. 2. A failing power steering pump can also cause whining or growling noises when turning the steering wheel. The noise which comes from inside the hood of the car can also be heard when the car is in idle mode once the ignition is turned on. This indicates a need to have the powe ... read more

If you want your vehicle to run well and last longer, you need to perform standard preventative maintenance from time to time. It doesn't matter if the car is old or new, foreign or domestic, manual or automatic. It needs to be cared for to keep it safe and performing its best for as long as you own it. Even if you plan to sell it in a couple years, it pays to take care of the vehicle in order to enhance its resale or trade-in value. The Importance of Preventative Maintenance We call it "preventative" maintenance for a reason. It is done to help prevent major problems from happening. These services should be performed proactively rather than waiting for something to go wrong. You will save a lot of money and headaches if you keep up with preventative maintenance. Some common maintenance procedures include: Oil Change— ... read more

Michael depends on his truck every day for his work, which requires him to drive all over Colorado. Unfortunately, he was having some problems with the ignition system and he only had one day off in which to get the truck repaired. This is what led him to contact LightHouse Automotive and schedule an appointment. "I had called LightHouse Automotive because the key to my truck kept getting jammed in the ignition," Michael says. "Rylan [Blair, owner] promptly ordered the part and scheduled an appointment. Even though his technician, Gary, wound up sick shortly after we made the appointment, Rylan came in himself to repair my truck." Like all businesses right now, we have to adapt. If one of our employees is feeling ill, we make sure they stay home and the rest of our team is willing and able to pick up the slack. Our customers' needs still come first and we want to m ... read more