Colorado Springs Auto Repair

  Which item is most often stolen from vehicles in Colorado Springs?Is it: Stereo Wheels Air Bag DVD System Well, if you said stereo – you used to be right. But airbags have now surpassed stereos as the biggest target for theft in Colorado – approximately 50,000 a year are stolen across the country. New airbags cost about $1,000, but go for $50 to $200 on the black market in Colorado.Stolen airbags are making their way back into cars that have been in an accident. Of course, the danger to the consumer of having a stolen airbag installed is that you can never be sure what may have previously affected them and if they will work right when you need them. Contact us at Lighthouse Automotive for more information about where to get your airbags checked or replaced.Find us at 2499 East Platte Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909You can reach us by phone at: 719.634.0005 There are reports that 1 in ... read more

Because 90% of our driving decisions are based on visual information, unobscured vision is paramount. Which brings us to the topic of today's Lighthouse Automotive article: wiper blades. While this isn't the most exciting automotive subject, it's important. You wouldn't drive at night in Colorado Springs with your headlights off, but a dirty or streaked vehicle windshield can catch the glare of the sun or on-coming headlights and make it just as difficult to see.Most of us in Colorado Springs replace our wiper blades when they no longer do the job. They are so worn, hard or brittle that they can't clean the windshield. They may even be falling apart. In other words, we deal with our wiper blades from a failure perspective. We address them when they no longer function. The theory, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," doesn't apply here. Instead, we should think about wipers blades as an important safety system that we should maintai ... read more

Today in our Lighthouse Automotive blog, we're going to talk about following recommended service intervals. Your vehicle isn't the only aspect of your life in Colorado Springs with recommended intervals: Let's start with twice yearly dental check-ups and regular physical exams. How about laundry, watering the lawn and paying the bills?Now, what would happen if you didn't follow these intervals? Well, you'd get more cavities. You may not discover health conditions that could be more effectively treated with early detection. And you'd have to wear dirty clothes, be embarrassed by your brown lawn and have your utilities shut off.Clearly, there are some things in life that we have to take care of regularly. If we don't, there are negative consequences. Our quality of life in Colorado Springs takes a hit and it inevitably costs more money.So why is it so hard to remember to follow regular preventive maintenance on our vehicles?Pr ... read more

Colorado Springs consumers are demanding. We want a safe, reliable vehicle that handles well and is comfortable to ride in. Oh, and we want good fuel economy, too. We also want vehicle repairs that are cheap, fast and easy. Unfortunately, one usually comes at the cost of the other.Today's vehicles have made significant improvements in reliability and performance over the last few decades. They also deliver more power to Colorado Springs drivers more efficiently than ever before. For example, some of today's 4-cylinder engines are equal to yesterday's V-8's. Our vehicles also offer an amazing range of features that make them more comfortable and convenient than ever before.But all of that improvement has come at a price for Colorado Springs vehicle owners. Our vehicles are more complicated and difficult to repair than ever before. They have numerous mechanical and electrical systems. Fuel systems are so complex they have to be run by a computer. Our vehicles are covered with sensor ... read more

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Colorado Springs drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Colorado Springs drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Colorado Springs?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero Colorado temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in Colorado?Do you drive often in dusty Colorado Springs areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Colorado Springs?Do you drive in very hot or very cold Colorado weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Colorado Springs on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Colorado Springs surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil ... read more

A generation ago, Colorado Springs drivers seemed to be more inclined to keep their vehicle's preventive maintenance on schedule. One reason for this may be that vehicles back then were a lot less reliable than they are today. Taking your vehicle in to your Colorado Springs shop every year or two for repairs seemed to be a good reminder to keep the oil changed.For example, almost everyone in Colorado Springs used to take their vehicles in for regular tune-ups. Vehicles had mechanical ignition systems, which meant ignition points, spark plugs and coils had to be replaced and the timing adjusted every few years. As long as the vehicle was in for a tune-up at Lighthouse Automotive, the vehicle was inspected and you took care of any needed repairs at the same time.Today's engines have electronic ignition systems and engine control computers. Spark plugs can last for up to 100,000 miles/160,000 km. Vehicle reliability has vastly improved in the last few decades ... read more

Sometimes busy Colorado Springs residents dream about going back to the “simpler” days of our grandparents. But if you could travel back in time and take a road trip around Colorado in a Model T, you might change your mind. The improved designs and quality of today's automobiles have significantly reduced the amount of time Colorado Springs residents spend at the side of the road during breakdowns. With proper maintenance, today's vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before.Some of those improvements, however, have led to higher repair costs. For example, older cars often broke down from vapor lock. Gas vaporized while traveling from the gas tank to the fuel pump. No gas, no power. The car quits going. The solution was simple — you just sat by the road until the car would start up again. Today's Colorado Springs drivers would hardly tolerate that kind of inconvenience, and it's likely that yesterday's Colorado Springs drivers didn't care much for it, ei ... read more

Colorado service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Colorado Springs drivers may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.Lighthouse Automotive fuel system cleaning: Over time, the vehicle fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.Lighthouse Automotive headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It's usually good to change them every year or so.Lighthouse Automotive inspections: Colorado Springs drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they're going on a trip or just want to make sure their vehicle's ready for a Colorado summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used vehicle and want to give it the once over. An inspection may reveal some things tha ... read more

Buying a new car in Colorado Springs is always a big financial decision. The allure of that new car smell is powerful, to be sure. But what if your current car is still in good shape? How do you decide?People in Colorado Springs who've been used to driving a new car every three to five years may be having second thoughts in this economy. For many, the question is, how does the certainty of a new car payment stack up against uncertain repairs for a car that may be out of warranty?For purposes of our discussion, let's assume you live right here in Colorado Springs and have a five year old vehicle. It's now paid off. If you keep it, you fear that there'll be some repairs over the next five years, but you really don't know what to expect. For help we turned to maintenance and repair information for cars and trucks. With this data, they project likely service and repair costs for a particular make and model. They're able to use manufacturer ... read more

Your vehicle is important to you, and keeping it running properly is important to your lifestyle. That's why you're smart enough to have it serviced regularly at Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs. And even though it may just be routine maintenance, you want it done right by automotive professionals.It's also very important to your Colorado Springs service center to keep you happy and on the road. You might be surprised at the amount of money our Colorado Springs auto service center spends annually to make sure our friendly and knowledgeable technicians are properly trained.Lighthouse Automotive offers a variety of automotive services for many kinds of vehicles. We need to be current on the latest techniques and parts so that we can give you quality service. Our Colorado Springs service centers subscribe to data services that list the high quality parts and fluids recommended by your manufacturer.And each service has a checklist of standard procedures. Lighthouse Automotiv ... read more