Bryan Auto Repair

When Should I replace my Tires? This is a great question and literally your life is riding on this question. Knowing How Long Tire Last is very important. There are 3 reasons to replace your tires, Tread Depth, Uneven Wear, and Age. First let’s look at tread depth. All Tires in the US have a wear bar in the tread that will tell you the life is up. Approx 2/32- 3/32 is a general rule. A penny placed in the tread with Lincolns head upside down is an easy test. If you can see the top of his head, you need tires! (see pic)The purpose of the tread is to keep your tire in contact with wet roads. The less tread you have the more likely your Car is to hydroplane. Tires and suspension Uneven wear may or may not mean you need tires, but it does mean you need your Suspension and Alignment checked. Any steel or cord showing is an indicator of worn Ball Joints, Tie Rods, or other Front End part need to be repaired. Also Tire need to be replaced right away. Any bumps or unevenness needs to b ... read more

Special Contribution by: Ashley McLean | YoungMoms.info As a new parent, the well-being of your child is your top priority. While you may be used to hopping in your car without a second thought, getting behind the wheel with a baby in the back seat requires some extra attention to safety. Vehicle safety is all about following smart driving practices and keeping your car in top-notch condition. Here are some care maintenance and driving tips to protect your family out on the road. Review Your Insurance Coverage Now that you have a child, take a moment to review your auto insurance policy. Make sure you have the right type of coverage to protect your family’s finances if something happens. Even if you’re never in an accident, weather damage, car theft or vandalism can be very expensive to fix ... read more

Why is my Tire light on? Well that is a great question. Today’s cars have tire monitoring systems (known as TPMS Tire Pressure Monitoring System) that help you know when a tire is getting low on air. This stems from safety issues in the past that caused a great deal of damage and even death. The light comes on to let you know that one or more tires are below/above a safe pressure level; this allows you to make adjustments as needed to keep you and your car in safe working order. In addition to safety, the TPMS also has another benefit: it saves on fuel and helps tires last longer. How Does it Work? Well there are 2 systems that monitor tire pressure. Indirect TPMS and Direct TPMS. Both do a remarkable job, but work completely different ways. Indirect systems rely on the ABS wheel speed sensors to monitor tire rotation. A low tire or an over-inflated tire will have a different circumference than the properly inflated tires. This causes a slight difference in tire RPM and turns on ... read more

“Why isn’t my car ac blowing cold”? This is a common question. You could need your A/C System repaired. The air conditioner on your car or truck has basically 2 systems: the mechanical side and the refrigerant side. On the mechanical side we have drive belts, duct work and vent doors, electrical controls, switches, and fans that tell the system when to come on and how cold or hot you desire. Any of these things can and do cause your A/C and heating system to not work like they should. Next we have the refrigerant side. This is where the magic happens…Well, it really is science, but still pretty cool stuff (pun intended). When you take a refrigerant and pump it through a mechanical orifice, it creates a pressure differential. Pressure generally equates to temperature as well. It changes from a liquid to a gas state creating a massive temperature drop. If that then flows into an evaporator, air flow will then exchange the ... read more

What does an Alternator do? Quick answer is it powers the electrical system of your car or truck any time the engine is running. It is NOT a battery charger! The battery is the anchor of the electrical system and is primarily used to start the engine. Secondly it acts as a buffer, if you will against voltage spikes and other electrical interference. The alternator will charge a battery but is only intended to replace the energy lost during start up. Using it to charge a dead battery will strain the system and shorten the life of the alternator. Along with bringing the battery back to full charge after start up, the alternator powers all the other loads on the car. It will vary the voltage and amperage as loads change to maintain the battery and power things such as Air Conditioning, Power Seats and Fuel Systems on modern cars. The Alternator must be able to keep up with all the loads on the car without drawing anything from the battery. It is not hard to see that there is more need fo ... read more