Automotive News & Information - Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair

Chances are you don’t pay much attention to your vehicle’s battery until it dies, when you get to perform the dreary dual task of waiting for a jump while simultaneously calling for an appointment to get a new battery fitted. Of course, that’s if you’re sure it’s the battery that’s dead in the first place. The only way to be certain is to take it in to be tested. However, it generally helps to know the health of your vehicle battery prior to finding yourself stranded.

Tires are often neglected, but easy to maintain. As long as they work, most people don’t really think about them. However, if you take care to properly maintain your vehicle and your tires, they will last much, much longer. At Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, we see all too often the results of poor tire maintenance, and the result is expensive new tires. Here’s what you can do to make sure you don’t become part of that statistic.

With AAA, roadside assistance, and the decreasing ability of people to fix and maintain their own cars, there are a lot of people on the road today who don’t know how to change a tire. Removing your wheel and replacing it with your spare may seem like a daunting task, but with this guide from Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, you’ll have the knowledge you need when you find yourself in a bind.

Bert Hostetter

Customer Review

★★★★★

Worked on my RV for an insurance claim and were very professional and fair when problems arose not in their control. I would recommend them to anyone needing chassis work.

Obviously, your brakes are essential. However, it’s easy to neglect or ignore brake issues, and even miss them altogether; as long as the car, truck, or SUV still stops, many people don’t see the need to have their brakes serviced. From Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, here are some common brake issues, and why you should fix them.

Part of maintaining your vehicle is keeping its safety devices in good working order, especially when there are kids in the car. Seat belts, window locks, and airbag sensors work together to keep children safe in an automobile. Though safety components are generally very reliable, they do occasionally fail. Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine is here when they do; here are some things to watch out for.

At Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, we know how much efficiency matters. When it comes to your truck, it’s equally important. Obviously, a huge chunk of your operating cost is fuel consumption, which is largely dependent on the truck's design. Fortunately, there are ways to greatly increase the efficiency of your truck, regardless of shape or size.

a car with lines and details over it like a computer screen

Your Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is essentially your car’s fingerprint. In its entirety, it is specific only to your car. Each car has its own unique VIN number and can be decoded to provide manufacturing and identification information on any vehicle on the road. Date of manufacture, manufacturer, vehicle type, where it was made, and options such as engine and transmission type, whether a car is a two or four-door, and a multitude of other specifications can be gleaned from a VIN number. Essentially, a VIN number will tell you exactly what a car is and where it came from, without even having to see the car.