Frequently Asked Questions
Keeping your old car or buying a new one depends on a few factors. You want to weigh the cost of repairs and maintenance for your old car against the costs it would be to purchase and insure a new vehicle.
It’s almost always more affordable to repair an existing car, but you can consult with one of our auto repair experts to get professional advice on how to proceed.
To get the most mileage out of your vehicle, you want to stay on top of maintenance and repairs. This includes working with a quality Auto Repair Shop in Maryland for oil changes, engine maintenance, alignments, and more.
At home, you can reduce the load in your vehicle, avoid over-revving, be light on the pedals, and stay within recommended speed limits.
Before heading off on summer road trips, you want to visit an auto repair shop in Maryland near you to be confident your vehicle can handle the road, weather, and other conditions.
At Lisbon Auto Repair, we recommend checking tires and tire pressure, inspecting the brakes, testing the battery, replenishing any fluids, updating the wiper blades, and checking the AC.
Prepping your car for winter is different than preparing your car for summer road trips.
Winter car preparations include checking the tread of your tires, replacing your tires with snow tires if you’re in an area with heavy ice or snowfall, changing the oil, changing the antifreeze, inspecting the battery, and testing your heater. Stop in to our Auto Repair Shop in Lisbon in the fall to get your car winter-ready.
You should rotate your tires every 6 months or every 7,500 miles. Some drivers wait until every 10,000 miles, which is often too much use and wear-and-tear.
Aim to schedule an appointment at Lisbon Auto Repair to rotate your tires between 5,000 and 8,000 miles.
The check engine light coming on is the first signal that you need to take your car to an Auto Repair Shop for diagnostics. The light is an alert that something has triggered faulty in the on-board diagnostics system.
However, this could be anything from a loose gas cap to a major engine malfunction. The most common reasons you’ll need to bring your car in for a check engine light are engine or transmission issues, electronic power control failures, spark plugs, or dirty or clogged sensors.
If your car starts to overheat, you want to react quickly to protect your engine. Our Auto Service Shop recommends that you immediately turn off the AC if it is on and instead crank the heat (this will pull the heat off of the engine).
Pullover when safe to do so as soon as possible. Give your engine some time to cool down before popping the hood. Check your coolant levels – it may be as easy as refilling to prevent overheating.
If you can’t find the problem, call for a tow to get your car to your local Maryland Auto Repair Shop for diagnostics and repairs.
When to get your oil changed depends on the year of your vehicle and the oil your vehicle uses. Older model cars should have their oil changed roughly every 3,000 miles or 3 months. Newer vehicles, however, can opt until around 5,000 miles or every 6 months for an oil change.
Older vehicles should have their fuel filter replaced everyone 25,000 miles, roughly once a year or every other year. Newer vehicles, however, only need their fuel filter replaced every 60,000 models. Lisbon Auto Repair Center can help you determine how often to have your fuel filter replaced.
Spark plugs are designed to be durable and long-lasting. For this reason, they often don’t need replaced until after 80,000 miles. However, damage or incidents can occur that require these to be changed sooner than anticipated.
Local Maryland Auto Repair Shops like Lisbon Auto Center can help inspect and diagnose your vehicle to see if spark plugs are the reason for your engine trouble.
Staying on top of preventive maintenance and car tune-ups can help reduce the chance of your vehicle unexpectedly breaking down. At Lisbon Auto Repair Center, we recommend regular oil changes, spark plug checks, fluid checks, belt and hose inspections, alignments, tire rotations, and consistent brake and light checks.
You should bring your car to Lisbon Auto Repair Center for a tune-up if you notice any abnormal sounds or odors, a lack of efficiency, or general rough riding.
The most common signs include the check engine light coming on, stalling engine, vibrations throughout the vehicle, pulling, or worsening fuel mileage.
