Colorado Springs Auto Repair

Many Colorado Springs drivers have been hearing about technological advances in power steering, specifically electric power steering. Some very high-end cars have been featuring electric power steering. Power steering fluid has the necessary hydraulic properties and the ability to lubricate the internal parts. The power steering fluid also protects vehicle components from rust and corrosion.Colorado Springs car owners should be aware that vehicle manufacturers recommend that the fluid be replaced on schedule. At Lighthouse Automotive, the old fluid is drained and the system cleaned thoroughly. Fresh fluid is then installed.Unfortunately, many Colorado Springs drivers don't realize how important it is to service their power steering, and some may not even know that it's necessary in the first place. A neglected power steering system can develop leaks that will shorten the life of the pump.Col ... read more

Today we're going to talk about power steering service in Colorado Springs. If you took an informal poll around Colorado Springs you'd probably find that most vehicle owners have never heard of power steering service. That's not surprising. Even though power steering is standard on every vehicle, most people in Colorado Springs aren't aware that it needs periodic service.If you're younger than a certain age, you've probably never driven a vehicle without power steering. To get an idea of the difference; if you've ever cut a board with a hand saw, you know it's a lot of work. Using a power saw is easy-peasy by comparison.Without power steering, your arms have to do all the work to steer the wheels, and that's hard, especially around downtown Colorado Springs. That's why old cars had such big steering wheels: to get enough leverage to steer.Most vehicles in Colorado Springs have a hydraulic power steering system. The serpentine belt from the engine powers a pump. The pump pressurize ... read more

When accidents occur in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the victims' emergency contacts are extremely important. Too often, those involved aren't able to provide rescuers with phone numbers and medical information.When Colorado police and rescue workers must sift through pockets, glove compartments, wallets, purses and cell phone directories, they waste precious time.In the unfortunate event that you are involved in an accident, you have people in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, area who you'll want to be contacted to arrange help, give consent to treatment and inform Colorado Springs paramedics of medical conditions, allergies or medications.A brilliantly simple solution is now spreading through Colorado Springs and around the globe: ICE. ICE – standing for In Case of Emergency – is a way to identify emergency contacts in your cell phone directory.Simply put 'ICE' before a contact name in your cell phone, like 'ICE ... read more

A lot of fuel is wasted in the Colorado Springs area by dirty fuel delivery systems in vehicles.Let's start at the tank. The gas tank gathers dirt, rust and sediment over the years. That's why there's a fuel filter to clean the fuel after it leaves the tank. A dirty filter will rob the engine of the clean gas it needs to run efficiently.The fuel intake components get coated with gum and varnish over time. This results in fuel being delivered inefficiently and some of that gunk getting into the engine. A fuel system service at Lighthouse Automotive will leave your intake components as clean as a whistle.The big fuel thief is dirty fuel injectors. They deliver fuel to the engine at a specified pressure and in a particular spray pattern. When they're clogged, the fuel doesn't get atomized the way it's supposed to and doesn't get burned as efficiently.See your owner's manual or ask your Colorado Springs service advisor at Lighthouse Automotive when a fuel ... read more

Good brakes are obviously very important. If you've ever had your brakes go out while you're driving around the Colorado Springs area, you'll know how terrifying it can be. Today we'll focus on how to tell when you have a brake problem and how to make good repair choices. Often, the first indication that something's wrong with the brakes is an unusual sound. It could be a squeal, chatter or grinding sound. Some brake pads have a little piece of metal embedded in them that will make a squeal or chirping sound when the brake pads have been worn down to the point that they need to be replaced. It's an early warning indicator. When you hear that sound, schedule an appointment at Lighthouse Automotive soon. Now a chattering sound is more urgent. That usually indicates that something is loose. It could be a brake pad or even the brake calipers. If one of those parts falls off, you could have some serious trouble stopping the vehicle. It w ... read more

Getting adequate fuel to your engine is very important for performance, fuel economy and safety. In order to accomplish this, your fuel system needs to be clean.Today's production cars have fuel injectors, rather than a carburetor. The injectors need to be cleaned from time to time in order to deliver the fuel with the correct pressure, spray pattern and volume.Colorado Springs drivers can buy fuel system cleaners that you pour into your gas tank to help maintain an already clean fuel system; however, they can't do a major cleaning. For that, you need to see Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs. We have the tools and chemicals to do the job right. Our friendly and knowledgeable team at Lighthouse Automotive can remove particles, gum and varnish from your fuel system and get those injectors running cleanly and efficiently. You'll find Lighthouse Automotive at 2499 East Platte Ave in Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909. Or just give us a call at 719.634.0005 to schedule an appointment ... read more

All new passenger vehicles on our Colorado Springs, Colorado, roads now have tire pressure monitoring systems – TPMS for short. They are designed to alert you if your tires are underinflated. Since they are fairly new, a lot of people have questions about them.First off, the most important thing is that you still need to check your tire pressure every week – or at least every time you gas up. The TPMS system alert comes in when your tire is 20 percent below the factory recommendation. So if the recommended pressure is 34 pounds per square inch, the TPMS warning won't come on until the pressure is at 28 pounds. That's significantly underinflated, enough to raise safety concerns.The worst is tire failure. A severely underinflated tire can overheat and fail. Also, handling degrades to the point that you may not be able to steer out of trouble. Also underinflated tires wear out faster and they wa ... read more

Hello, welcome to Lighthouse Automotive. Today's focus is batteries. It seems like everything in Colorado Springs runs on batteries. Of course, the batteries we're most concerned with here at Lighthouse Automotive are those in our customer's vehicles. Just like the batteries in our smoke detectors or TV remote, they wear out and need to be replaced . This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold vehicle engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live in Colorado, specifically how cold it is. (Many Colorado Springs drivers have first-hand experience trying to start their car on a cold winter morning.) The two factors are that the colder your vehicle's engine is, the more power it takes to turn the engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with.The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient when the ... read more

Imagine you've left Colorado Springs and you're up in the arctic on a dog sled.Your dog team is pulling straight and true. You can cover a lot of ground quickly. Now imagine what would happen if one or two of the dogs wanted to go their own way and were pulling off to the side.That would slow you down. You would have to work harder to keep the sled going where you want it. The dogs are all working as hard as before, but you're covering less ground for the same effort.You're wasting kibble.The same is true of your vehicle when the wheels are out of alignment. That wheel that's pulling to the side is dragging down the rest of the vehicle; so you push a little harder on the gas pedal to keep up your speed. You're wasting gas.So have your wheel alignment checked at least once a year. It is important to get it checked right away if you feel the vehicle pulling to one side.Sometimes we Colorado Springs residents bump a curb or hit a pothole and knock our wheels out of alignment. An acci ... read more

Your vehicle requires plenty of clean fuel to run. If your fuel contains contaminants, your fuel injectors will eventually become clogged up. When this happens, your vehicle engine may not get the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure to run at peak performance. This hurts performance as you drive around the Colorado Springs area. It can also lead to the buildup of harmful deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber.That's why all vehicles, including vehicles, come equipped with a fuel filter. The job of the filter is to clean out little pieces of dirt and contamination. The filter captures the contaminants and keeps them out of the fuel stream. Of course, like all filters, it will eventually get clogged up and need to be replaced at Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs.If your fuel filter is clogged, the vehicle engine can't get all the fuel it needs, and it may sputter at high speeds or quick acceleration. Many fue ... read more