Daytona Beach Auto Repair

Let's talk shocks and struts.

Shock absorbers and struts last a long time and wear out pretty slowly for most vehicles in the Daytona Beach area. They're easy to take for granted, but your shocks and struts do a very important job so you need to pay attention to them. They keep your tires on the road; and your tires are what connect your vehicle to the road and allow you to safely handle your car through turns, over bumps and even stop in time.

When your shocks and struts are worn, your tires bounce excessively over bumps in our Daytona Beach roads. Your vehicle will wallow through corners; your front-end will dive when you stop; and your rear-end will squat when you accelerate. All this hurts your ability to control your vehicle. And your ride just isn't as comfortable.

Worn shocks or struts&n





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Let's talk about your suspension – you know, the system that connects your wheels to your vehicle, controls your handling and delivers a good ride as you cruise around Daytona Beach FL. Your suspension is critical for proper steering, stopping and stability.

Hey, it's a rough world out there in FL – every time you hit a pothole, a bump or an object in the road, your suspension system has to absorb the impact and maintain control.

As you can imagine, your suspension has a lot of joints and pivot points that allow your wheels to move up and down over bumps and to turn as you steer. These parts include ball joints, tie rod ends, the pitman, idler arms and the control arm bushing. They simply wear out over time.

When a joint or other part is worn the suspension parts don't fit together as





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All new cars and light trucks in Daytona Beach FL since 2008 have come equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system, or 'TPMS'. The TPMS system detects when a tire becomes under-inflated and lights up a warning light on the dash.

So what's the big deal? Well, under-inflated tires can be a real safety concern for everyone in FL. First of all, they don't handle properly and that can lead to an accident. Second, under-inflated tires can overheat and cause the tire to come apart, which can also lead to an accident.

Government regulations requiring TPMS systems aim to reduce accidents in FL and save lives: A very worthy goal. There are also positive environmental effects because under-inflated tires are fuel wasters – you lose 1 percent of your fuel economy for every 3 pounds of pressure



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Let's talk water pumps for autos in Daytona Beach, FL. The engine is cooled by coolant/antifreeze mixed with water. This mixture circulates around the engine, absorbing some of the heat. The coolant then flows through the radiator where air cools it down for the return trip back through the engine. Your vehicles's water pump is what drives this process.

Cooling system problems are the number-one mechanical failure in Daytona Beach. So the water pump plays a pretty important role. You can't get very far in FL without a water pump.

After all those miles and years of pumping coolant, water pumps just wear out. You might notice a whining or grinding sound coming from the water pump. Or maybe see coolant leaking from the pump itself.

The precise location of the water pump varies depending on the vehicle. Some have the water pump attached to the outside of the engine where you can see i





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Your wheel bearings may be something to which you've never given a thought while driving around Daytona Beach FL. Wheel bearings are what enable your wheels to spin freely. Since they bear the entire weight of the vehicle, they have to be tough. Wheel bearings can last well over 100,000 miles. They do wear out though and must eventually be replaced.

You might hear a groaning sound from your wheels. The sound might disappear at some speeds and reappear at others. Your Daytona Beach FL service technician at Honest 1 Auto Care - Daytona Beach can quickly tell if your bearings are bad by raising the vehicle and wiggling the wheel. When you grasp the top and bottom of the tire, it shouldn't move along the vertical axis. Many vehicles these days have wheel bearing assemblies that cannot be serviced at Honest 1 Auto Care - Daytona Beach. When the bearings go bad, we simply replace the

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There was a man in Daytona Beach who learned that most car accidents occur within a mile of home – so he moved. (Just Kidding!) When we think of defensive driving, we often focus on our local FL highway situations. The fact of the matter is we need to be just as careful close to home in Daytona Beach, because that’s where we do most of our driving. We can’t let our familiar surroundings keep us from driving defensively. Defensive driving begins with the proper attitude. Have in mind that you won’t let anyone take your safety away from you. You’ll be aware of your surroundings, road conditions, other vehicles and hazards. And the first person to be concerned with is you: start with your own environment. Don’t leave without securing all occupants including children and pets. Watch for loose items that can become projectiles during evasive maneuvers. Driving too fast or too slow increases the chance of an ... read more

Okay. You went to your local Daytona Beach car wash and while your pickup was under the dryer, the check engine light started flashing. Panic! What did you just do? Something is seriously wrong with the pickup! You head for the nearest Daytona Beach service station, but on the way, the check engine light stops flashing, and just glows red. Hmm. Maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem. You decide to wait until payday to take your pickup in to get serviced. In the meantime, the check engine light goes off. What? You decide the light must be faulty, or that when it comes on it doesn’t mean anything, or that it’s just in your pickup as some sort of scam to get you to pay for unnecessary costly repairs. You’re glad you didn’t take your car to the Daytona Beach repair shop and resolve to ignore that engine light in the future. Whoa! Let’s look at what really happened. Your pickup was under an air dryer. Your air intake sensor measured too much air ru ... read more

  So you have some exciting plans for the FL weekend. You’re going to take some of your Daytona Beach, FL friends out on the boat for some water skiing. Of course, you’ve gotten the boat all ready. And you haven’t forgotten about your tow vehicle. You’ve gassed it up and even vacuumed it out. However, there is something even more important than the cleanliness of the interior: you want to make sure that your pickup maintenance is up to date. Think about it – heavy freeway traffic on the way out of Daytona Beach. There’s hilly terrain as you get to the lake. Some dirt roads – and it’s going to be pretty hot in Daytona Beach this weekend. And all the time you’ll be towing around several thousand extra pounds. That all adds up a lot of severe strain on your engine, brakes and transmission. Let’s just consider the transmission. It’s going to be working overtime, spending more time in lower gears. The i ... read more

Safe FL travel starts with preventive maintenance and good car care at Honest-1 Auto Care. But there are other things Daytona Beach car owners can do to prepare for emergencies on the road. Here’s some auto advice that can help you plan for emergencies, and just may save your life — or someone else’s. First, Daytona Beach drivers should consider keeping an auto emergency kit in their car. The kit should contain items that will allow you to deal with common emergencies on the road. Some essential items you should carry in your pickup include jumper cables (or a booster box), flares, a flashlight and some basic hand tools. Other useful items includegloves, two quarts of oil, some antifreeze, water and everything you need to change a tire. You might also consider a can of tire inflator, which is a great temporary fix for minor flats. But taking care of your pickup is only part of emergency preparedness. It is vital to take care ... read more

If you’re interested in customizing the wheels and tires on your pickup, there are a few things you should know first. Most importantly, the wheels you buy need to fit your vehicle. Not all wheels are created equal. Too many Daytona Beach car owners have bought a set of wheels that caught their eye, then, after going to the work of mounting them, have found that the wheels don’t fit right and the tires rub against the pickup when they turn or go over a bump. To ensure a proper fit, you can consult with your Honest-1 Auto Care tire professional. He/she can also help you find tires that are suited to your driving habits as well as your pickup. You may find their auto advice invaluable, and you’ll probably be happier with your new wheels once you purchase them. But if you just have to have that set of wheels, and you’re willing to pay for them, you can modify ... read more