Southampton Auto Repair

Why Is My Car Smoking? PICTURE THIS: You’re out driving to run around and complete some errands and all of a sudden you smell something off and start seeing smoke. Don’t panic! They say that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. That isn’t always the case with your car! Nevertheless, if you ever notice smoke coming from beneath your hood, here’s what you should do first: Carefully pull over and shut off your car. To feel more secure, get out of your vehicle and stand at a comfortable distance. There are numerous reasons why your car could be giving off smoke.   2 Most Common Reasons Why Your Car Is Smoking External Oil leak - If your vehicle is smoking as a result of some kind of external oil leak, you’ll notice white smoke and typically start to smell a bad chemical like smell. Coolant Leak (Vehicle Overheating) - You will also experience seeing white smoke with this issue as well and there will be a sense of a sweet like syrup smell ... read more

Many drivers are finding themselves off schedule from their routine service with new driving habits. You may be left wondering when should you really change your oil? Depending on the age of your vehicle, the type of oil that you use, and the driving conditions, oil service intervals will vary. Most newer vehicles specify a synthetic motor oil that has an extended service life. Quality full synthetic motor oils driven under the right conditions can be stretched as far as 10,000 to 15,000 miles! More realistically though you will end up servicing your car around 5,000 miles. Very few drivers meet all of the criteria to utilize the full potential of advanced synthetic motor oils.  Before you get too excited that you never need to change the oil there are a few things to keep in mind!    Most drivers do not operate under pristine high mileage driving conditions in a short time to take full advantage of the oil's potential mileage life. No matter what the mile ... read more

              At some point, we have all experienced the fear of unknown fluids under the car. When this happens, you’re probably going to worry about what fluid is leaking and what the newfound leak means for your day. You might worry if your car is safe to drive, and how much the repairs will cost. Before you get too worried, let's get an idea of how to identify the fluid leaking from your car.  First of all, let's break the fluids down into two groups; oil-based and water-based fluids. The oil-based fluid category will include Motor oil, Transmission Fluid, Differential Fluid, Power Steering Fluid, Brake Fluid, and Fuel. To tell the difference most oil-based fluids will leave a rainbow on wet surfaces and have a noticeably oily feel.  To help you further determine the fluid in question see if you can tell the color and location of the fluid.         Fuel ... read more