Farmington Hills Auto Repair

Keys to Having a Great Road Trip! Taking your European vehicle on a road trip this summer?  Whether you’re planning to visit somewhere in our great state, like Mackinac Island, Ann Arbor, Holland, Frankenmuth, or Grand Rapids, or you’re journeying across the country, we at Advanced Auto Sports in Farmington Hills want you to have a great time! That’s why we’ve put together a list of ways you can make your road trip great. Before you leave the Farmington Hills area and hit the open road, take a quick read! 1. Don’t get stuck on the side of the road! I’m pretty sure no one ever plans for their BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or any other vehicle to breakdown while away from home. But our staff at Advanced Auto Sports get calls all the time from people who are passing through Farmington Hills and unexpectedly breakdown. They and many others likely could have prevented that headache, unexpected (and expensive) repair, and lost time ... read more

DO I NEED A BRAKE FLUID CHANGE? You’re taking a leisurely drive through your neighborhood… just kidding, we all know driving through the neighborhood means we’re probably headed to the grocery store, running the kids to school or sports practice, or headed to work. We’re usually so busy running errands that it becomes easy to forget about maintenance for our trusty steed. One of the things that is especially easy to forget until you notice a problem is brake maintenance, although its certainly one of the most important things to ask your mechanic to check! Read on to find out a little about how your brake system works, and why its important to change the fluid every now and then.   HOW DOES YOUR BRAKE SYSTEM WORK? There are two types of brake systems commonly used, the drum brake system and the disc brake system. They both operate through fluid pressure, and both are important to service. Disc brakes have 3 major comp ... read more

WHEN DO I NEED AN OIL CHANGE? Ah oil changes; a commonly accepted and acknowledged part of car care. Most people know that they have to change their oil, but with advances in technology and different types of oil available, it’s a little more debatable exactly when you should get your oil changed. The obvious answer is to bring your car in to your trusted mechanic, like the ones at Advanced Auto Sports, and have them take a look at your vehicle. Read on to learn about different types of oil, and what they can mean for when to get your oil changed!   WHAT KIND OF OILS ARE THERE? There are three basic kinds of oil; full synthetic, synthetic blend, and non-synthetic, or conventional oil. If your car is a high-performance vehicle, like most European cars or a very high-end vehicle, you probably will use full synthetic. It is also usually good for vehicles that will experience extreme climates, or have demanding jobs (hauling/racing). Full syn ... read more

What the heck is a differential? While you might not hear about this piece of equipment very often, its actually really important to your car! Picture yourself driving down the road on a beautiful spring day, when you hear a growling, or whining noise coming from your engine. “uh, oh,” you think, “it’s time to head to my mechanic.” Well, you’re exactly right! One possible cause could be the fluid of your differential needs a change. Read on to explore what a differential is, how it works, and its maintenance requirements so you can keep your car on the road and in its best condition!   What is a differential? The differential is the piece of equipment responsible for making sure your car wheels rotate at the correct speeds when you make a turn while driving. You might be thinking, “rotate at the correct speeds? Isn’t that what a gas pedal does?” Well, when you make a turn with your car, the wheel on the inside of the turn wil ... read more

First of all, what is a power steering flush? How does power steering even work? When you’re driving, the only time you might ever think about power steering is when it’s not working! Read on to learn a little bit about power steering, what it does, how it works, and why you might want to have a trusted technician perform a power steering flush.   What is power steering? Power steering is the mechanism in your car by which you’re able to move your steering wheel with ease. In the old days (before the 50’s), the only way to steer the wheels of your car was to put your back into it. That’s right, all the weight of the wheels plus any kind of friction in your steering system was against you. It wasn’t until 1951 that power steering was invented. The early system was based on hydraulic pressure. We have now also developed hybrid-electric and electric power steering systems, which are much more energy efficient. Without going into too much detail ... read more

The cooling system in your engine is extremely important. Because the engine’s main source of power is combustion, there is quite a bit of heat generated. This isn’t the only source of heat, however. There is also heat generated from the friction created when other parts of the engine and surrounding components interact and function. This heat is capable of deforming most metal parts, and definitely non-metal pieces, like timing or drive belts. Because this heat is so powerful, and can be so destructive if not controlled, engines are designed with cooling systems. The water pump, engine fan, vents, and places where air can pass through are all means of keeping things cool under the hood. How does the cooling system work? The cooling system starts with the water pump. The pathway that it follows is through the engine block where the hottest parts of the chemical reactions, combustion, takes place. The coolant starts in the water pump and goes through the engine block, picki ... read more

You probably only hear about your transmission when it breaks, but did you know that there is a possibility you’ll need a transmission flush at some point within the life of your car? Think about all the water you need as a person so that your organs can function correctly. Cars are the same way. They need lubrication so that all the parts can work together and to prevent damage from components rubbing together. Because many parts of the car work as a result of hydraulic pressure, it is even more essential that the right fluids are present and clean to do their job.   What is a transmission and how does it work? A transmission is arguably one of most essential components for making your car go. It allows the power from the engine to translate to the rotation of your tires. Manual and automatic transmissions are built differently but have the same essential function. There are lots of parts that go into making the transmission work smoothly, but this should help you get a ba ... read more

The brake system The brakes are maybe the single most important part of a car. They keep us safe by using friction to stop our vehicles. How do they work? Well, there are two major brake systems; disc and drum brakes. The general parts of a disc brake system are brake pads, rotors, calipers, and caliper supports. This is common in many vehicles. Disc brakes work by transferring fluid pressure from the master cylinder (where the brake pedal is) to the calipers and caliper supports that squeeze the brake pads onto the disc rotor. This causes friction and retards the motion of the wheel. The parts of a drum brake system are the brake drum, wheel hub, back plate, break shoes, brake lining, hold down spring, retaining springs, wheel cylinder, brake adjuster, adjuster lever and spring, and wheel cylinder. The drum brake system, like the disc system, works through hydraulic pressure. Brake fluid is pumped to the wheel cylinder pistons, which push the brake shoes. The brake ... read more

You’re driving along in your Porsche that you just purchased. It’s perfectly perfect in every way… until you employ its high-powered stopping for its high-powered engine. You then hear a high-pitched squeal that takes your breath away. The first question in your head is, “what could be wrong with my brand-new car? Part of the reason I bought this car is so I wouldn’t have to deal with ‘regular’ car issues!” Let’s explore the ways a high-performance car might have some issues as compared with a regular car.   What is brake squeal?  Brakes operate through friction. There may not be many things that are more annoying than that loud sound, but when you have a very high-performance car, you are working with a very high-performance engine, thus requiring very high performance stopping power. When brake pads are pressed down onto the rotor, there is slight vibration. This vibration is released as sound waves, which bounce off ... read more

A timing belt sounds important, right? And it is. It controls parts of your engine that are essential for your car to run. Let’s be honest, there’s not many parts your engine could do without, but the timing belt is certainly an important one. Your engine is comprised of a myriad of pieces that push, pull, open and close in order to function. The timing belt controls the crankshaft and the camshaft, which controls a series of valves that have to open and close in appropriate “timing” for your car engine to run smoothly. Unfortunately, you probably won’t think about your timing belt until something goes wrong because it tends to last a while. It also probably doesn’t constitute one of the things you normally get checked like brakes or oil. Of course, timing belts are just one system of timing. There are also timing chains and timing gears. At Advanced Auto Sports, our technicians are experienced in working with lots of different timing devices!   ... read more