Bennett Auto Center

Choosing the best possible auto repair shop can be a difficult task.

This is because people want to use an auto repair shop where the staff is honest, reliable and the services are reasonably priced. Bennett Auto Center is all of the above.

When choosing an auto repair shop that you can count on to fix your automobile, then you will undoubtedly want to select a shop that offers a wide variety of repair services. This is because you may not know what may be wrong with your vehicle and a shop that covers a lot of services can fix just about anything.  Choosing an auto repair shop like Bennett’s Auto Center, a repair facility that can fix just about any auto problem, will provide you with security.  Should something go wrong, Bennett Auto Center can handle the issue quickly and efficiently.  Below are some common services Bennett's Auto Center handles:

Tires

Tires are classified into several standard types, based on the type of vehicle they serve.  Bennett Auto Center caries a variety of tires for a variety of vehicles and if they don't have what you need they can order it for you.

• High performance tires are designed for use at higher speeds, and more often, a more "sporty" driving style. They feature a softer rubber compound for improved traction, especially on high speed cornering. The trade off of this softer rubber is shorter tread life.

• Mud and snow, is a classification for specific winter tires designed to provide improved performance under low temperature conditions, compared to all-season tires. The tread compound is usually softer than that used in tires for summer conditions, thus providing better grip on ice and snow, but wears more quickly at higher temperatures. Tires may have well above average numbers of sipes in the tread pattern to grip the ice.

• All season tire classification is a compromise between one developed for use on dry and wet roads during summer and one developed for use under winter conditions. The type of rubber and the tread pattern best suited for use under summer conditions cannot, for technical reasons, give good performance on snow and ice. The all-season tire is a compromise, and is neither an excellent summer tire nor an excellent winter tire. They have, however, become almost ubiquitous as original and replacement equipment on automobiles marketed in the United States, due to their convenience and their adequate performance in most situations.

• All-terrain tires are typically used on SUVs and light trucks. These tires often have stiffer sidewalls for greater resistance against puncture when traveling off-road, the tread pattern offers wider spacing than all-season tires to remove mud from the tread. Many tires in the all-terrain category are designed primarily for on-road use, particularly all-terrain tires that are originally sold with the vehicle.

• Spare - Some vehicles carry a spare tire, already mounted on a wheel, to be used in the event of flat tire or blowout. Minispare, or "space-saver spare" tires are smaller than normal tires to save on trunk/boot space, gas mileage, weight and cost. Minispares have a short life expectancy, and low speed rating.

Transmission

A vehicle transmission is an intricate mechanical system consisting of a variety of gears, bands, pumps, and rotors that all work in harmony to affect optimum transmission operation. A transmission rebuild includes the careful inspection of all of the main parts of a vehicle transmission. After careful inspection, parts that are severely worn or damaged beyond repair are replaced; sometimes this means replacement with brand new parts, and sometimes this means replacement with a refurbished and/or reconditioned part. The bottom line is this: a transmission rebuild restores a vehicle transmission to peak operating function and efficiency without replacing every single transmission part.

Brakes

Symptoms of bad car brakes can vary depending on the type of braking system in a particular vehicle, but many symptoms are common to all systems, and should be checked by a mechanic as soon as possible. In addition, a quick response to these symptoms can result in a lower bill.  A small part of the system often can be fixed, but if left to deteriorate, it can cause other components to wear out as well.

Squealing Noise - A common symptom of bad car brakes is squeaking or squealing when the brake pedal is applied.
Scraping Noise - If the squealing is ignored long enough, it can eventually turn into a grinding or scraping sound, as in metal-on-metal, indicating a serious problem.
Less Resistance - The brake pedal may feel spongy when applied, or it may offer less resistance and drop lower.
Vibration-  or pulsation when applying the pedal indicates warped or improperly-finished rotors. Rotors can usually be adjusted once or twice before needing replacement.
Pedal Drops - If the pedal drops completely to the floor when pushed, it is likely a worn master cylinder or a brake fluid leak. Sometimes pumping the brake will bring it back up, but it is hazardous to drive a vehicle with this problem.

Suspension

Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose.  One purpose is contributing to the car's handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure.  The other is keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road noise, bumps, and vibrations. These goals are generally at odds, so the tuning of suspensions involves finding the right compromise. The suspension also protects the vehicle itself and any cargo or luggage from damage and wear.

Mufflers & Exhaust

If you've ever heard a car engine running without a muffler, you know what a huge difference a muffler can make to the noise level.  Mufflers are typically installed along the exhaust pipe as part of the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine (of a vehicle, or stationary) to reduce its exhaust noise. The muffler accomplishes this with a resonating chamber, which is specifically tuned to cause destructive interference, where opposite sound waves cancel each other out.

An exhaust system is usually tubing used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system design, the exhaust gas may flow through one or more of:

• Cylinder head and exhaust manifold
• A turbocharger to increase engine power.
• A catalytic converter to reduce air pollution.
• A muffler to reduce noise.

Steering

Many modern cars use rack and pinion steering mechanisms, where the steering wheel turns the pinion gear; the pinion moves the rack, which is a linear gear that meshes with the pinion, converting circular motion into linear motion along the transverse axis of the car (side to side motion). This motion applies steering torque to the kingpins of the steered wheels via tie rods and a short lever arm called the steering arm.  A disadvantage is that it is not adjustable, so that when it does wear and develop lash, the only cure is replacement.

Power steering

As vehicles have become heavier and switched to front wheel drive, the effort to turn the steering wheel manually has increased.  Often to the point where major physical exertion is required. To alleviate this, auto makers have developed power steering systems. There are two types of power steering systems and hydraulic and electric/electronic. A hydraulic-electric hybrid system is also possible.

A hydraulic power steering (HPS) uses hydraulic pressure supplied by an engine-driven pump to assist the motion of turning the steering wheel. Electric power steering (EPS) is more efficient than the hydraulic power steering, since the electric power steering motor only needs to provide assistance when the steering wheel is turned, whereas the hydraulic pump must run constantly. In EPS the assist level is easily tunable to the vehicle type, road speed, and even driver preference. An added benefit is the elimination of environmental hazard posed by leakage and disposal of hydraulic power steering fluid.

Speed Adjustable Steering

An outgrowth of power steering is speed adjustable steering, where the steering is heavily assisted at low speed and lightly assisted at high speed. The auto makers perceive that motorists might need to make large steering inputs while manoeuvering for parking, but not while traveling at high speed. The first vehicle with this feature was the Citroën SM with its Diravi layout, although rather than altering the amount of assistance as in modern power steering systems, it altered the pressure on a centring cam which made the steering wheel try to "spring" back to the straight-ahead position. Modern speed-adjustable power steering systems reduce the pressure fed to the ram as the speed increases, giving a more direct feel. This feature is gradually becoming commonplace across all new vehicles.

Four-wheel steering

Four-wheel steering (or all wheel steering) is a system employed by some vehicles to improve steering response, increase vehicle stability while maneuvering at high speed, or to decrease turning radius at low speed.

In most active four-wheel steering systems, the rear wheels are steered by a computer and actuators. The rear wheels generally cannot turn as far as the front wheels. Some systems, including Delphi's Quadrasteer and the system in Honda's Prelude line, allow for the rear wheels to be steered in the opposite direction as the front wheels during low speeds. This allows the vehicle to turn in a significantly smaller radius, sometimes critical for large trucks or tractors and vehicles with trailers.

Major Engine Repairs

Many of the major engine repairs that we see tend to be related to gasket failures. Repairs such as cylinder head or intake manifold gasket repairs are well within the scope of repairs that we perform. We are meticulous when performing component reassembly to ensure proper fit and finish of the repair. We’re proud of our work and we think you will notice the attention to detail we offer at the front counter and under the hood.

Troubleshooting

It's time to come see Bennett's Auto Center when:

Engine won't start

• The engine makes a sound while starting known as cranking. If you don't hear that sound when the ignition key is turned on to start the car, this generally means that there could be something wrong with the starter or the battery (assuming you are not out of gas). A simple way to check if your battery is weak or completely discharged is to test the windscreen wipers, lights, radio or fan. If they do not work then the battery may be completely dead or may have faulty battery connections.

• Check the battery connectors at the terminals. Make sure that the connections are clean, tight and free from corrosion. Call your us if this does not work.

Starter makes a click sound and won't operate

• You hear a loud clicking noise while starting your car, but the starter does not operate. Check if the lights, windscreen wiper work. If yes, then maybe there is a problem with the starter. Either it is jammed or there could be a problem with the starter motor.
• Locate the starter motor and tap it with a spanner or a suitable tool.
• If you car has manual gearbox, try to push-start or call your car mechanic or towing service.

Engine starts slowly

• While starting the car, if the engine stops cranking after you release the key or if you hear the engine crank very slowly, you may have a weak or dead battery.
• Check the connector connections at the battery terminal. Clean and tighten them if necessary. Recharge the battery.
• You can get your car moving by jump-starting the car (please refer to your car user manual for details) or push-starting a manual gearbox car.

Engine turns on but car won't move

• If the engine is running and the car does not move after selecting the transmission gear, the first thing that comes to the mind is the car’s transmission or drive (assuming that the parking brake is released).
• For cars with Automatic transmission, check level of Automatic transmission fluid (ATF). Allowing the engine to continue running, check the level of ATF with the ATF dipstick. Pull the dipstick completely out and wipe it with a rag before inserting it back in the engine and remove it again. If the fluid level is sufficient, then it could be the gearshift that has disconnected. If the fluid level is very low or if you don't see any fluid on the dipstick, call us for assistance.
• For manual shift transmission, check the condition of the clutch. Most probably, chances are that you may only need a clutch adjustment. Burned clutch facings may result in frequent slipping and need replacement.

Diagnosing and Troubleshooting Common Problems

You can troubleshoot a problem with your car with the diagnosis of the odd smells, odors, fumes, smoke and sounds coming from various compartments of your car. Timely detection and diagnosis may help you take preventive and corrective actions for your car problems.  Come see us at Bennett's Auto Center if your vehicle:

Smells

Gasoline: If you smell gasoline odor inside or anywhere near the car, probably there is a leakage with the fuel delivery system. Pull the car over, and step out immediately. Inspect the gas tank for any leak underneath. Call Bennett's Auto Center for assistance.

Burning Plastic: The most common cause is a plastic bag stuck to the exhaust. If you smell of rubber burning, check if the parking brake is accidentally kept engaged. Driving your car with parking brake can cause burning smell due to excessive surface friction of the brake pads. Electrical shorts may result in overheating and burning of the insulation material giving out a strong smell of burning plastic. In this case, disconnect the battery immediately and contact your car mechanic to locate the problem and prevent further damage to the system.

Exhaust: Fumes of exhaust especially inside the passenger compartment of the car can be very dangerous as it contains traces of carbon monoxide, which is quite harmful. It may be the result of a leak in the exhaust system and needs to be attended immediately.

Hot or Burning Oil: It is generally a result of oil or fluid leaking on a hot surface such as hot exhaust manifold. Call the Bennett's to look for the leak and fix the problem.

Burning coolant: The burning of coolant produces a sweet smell, which indicates a faulty intake manifold gasket. Get the car inspected by us at once.

Smoke

You can diagnose a variety of car problems judging by color of the smoke emitting from the exhaust tailpipe.

Blue smoke: When engine oil enters into the engine combustion chamber and burns along with fuel and air mixture, you can see blue smoke coming out of the exhaust tailpipe. Call Bennett's to check the leak and correct the problem.

Black smoke: Black smoke is a result of an excessively rich mixture of air and fuel entering into the cylinder area. The proportion of fuel is more in the air to fuel ratio. This fuel rich mixture does not burn completely in the combustion chamber and produces black smoke coming out of the tailpipe, thus affecting engine performance and fuel economy. Although rich mixture is necessary for engine start-up, black smoke is indication for a faulty injection system or sensors in the engine computer. Get your car tested for emission and call us for an engine tune-up.

White smoke: The white smoke coming from the exhaust tailpipe is actually the steam, which indicates that water or antifreeze is being burned along with the fuel and air mixture in the engine. You may also judge the problem, if you have to add water and antifreeze more frequently than normal. Water or antifreeze if mixed with the engine oil entering into the engine cylinder can damage the engine seriously. Have your us check for leaks and fix the problem immediately.

Leaks

Always check the pavement or floor for a spot or puddle of fluid beneath your car when parked overnight. If you develop this habit of checking for new leaks under the car, you can stay ahead of many problems before they become severe. You can identify the type of leak by the color of the fluid accumulated on the spot of the leak.

Oily and Black or dark: The leaking fluid is most likely the engine oil. Check for the oil level by removing the dipstick and measuring the fluid level. Refill the oil according to the mark on the dipstick and observe the level for a next few days. If you find the oil level dropped and spot or the puddle again, its time to get the leak inspected by Bennett's.

Oily and Red: Most likely to be the transmission fluid. Check the transmission fluid level, refill it and observe for the next few days. If you find that the level has dropped, get it checked by Bennett's to avoid damage to the transmission.

Green or Yellow: Likely to be the coolant leak. Get the leak identified and fixed by us.

Clear Fluid: Most likely drain water from the car’s air conditioning unit or windshield washer fluid. You may have to touch and feel the fluid or smell it to determine if it is water.

Clear and oily: It is most likely to be brake fluid, which is a more serious type of leak. Get the leak identified and repaired by Bennett's Auto Center to avoid brake failure.