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

If you spend much time on the road, you’ll eventually encounter a flat tire on your vehicle. At Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, FL we want to prepare you for what you should do next. First, get out of traffic immediately. It’s best if you can stop on solid, flat ground, out of the way of traffic where other drivers can see you. Don’t continue driving; your steering is compromised, and you risk damaging expensive components, including your rim. Next, decide whether you want to call a tow truck, or change the tire yourself. If you have towing and assistance then you can call for help but it is always great to be able to handle the situation yourself if need be as there is not always cell phone service and you sometimes do not have the luxury of the added time it would take to wait for that assistance.

Your pickup truck is heavy and hard working, whether it’s a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge. If you add towing to the mix, it’s even heavier and has to work harder. Your brakes are one of the most wear and tear prone systems on your diesel pickup, but at Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, FL, we can help you keep yours in good shape.

Turbochargers are intricate and precise components, but not all that complicated or difficult to understand. By knowing the parts of your car’s turbocharger and its functions, you’ll have a much better idea of how one works and here at Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, FL, we feel it is important that our area drivers know more about their vehicles! Starting with your turbocharger, we which is powered by pressure from the exhaust.

Obviously, your brakes are pretty important. Your brake system is made of many components that all have to work correctly for your brakes to operate seamlessly. If one thing needs to be repaired, the whole system is compromised. Brake pads, rotors, hoses, calipers, and metal lines all play a part in stopping your car. At Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, FL, we’re here to make sure your car, truck, or SUV stops as it should.

Awareness and safety are at the top of our list of concerns here at Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair, even more so with all the recall scare that happens in the news. We think a well-maintained car is a safe car that can also save you money in the long run. Here are our top ten tips for keeping your family safe, saving you money, and keeping your car running smoothly.

The automotive market is always fast-changing, and leaps and bounds have been made in the past couple of decades concerning both diesel and gasoline engines. With gasoline-powered trucks achieving more power than ever, purchase costs being lower, and fuel costs at an all-time low, many fleets are switching over to gasoline-powered fleets. However, diesel still offers some distinct advantages - it really depends on what you're looking for for your fleet of vehicles. Here are some points to consider, from Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, FL.

Most commercial diesel engines these days are turbocharged. Turbos dramatically increase power and efficiency, particularly on diesel engines, which makes them a must-have item on engines that rely heavily on both. However, sometimes issues arise in turbo systems; at Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, we can fix that.

Car enthusiasts would argue that "those were the days". Everything you drove was built like a tank and had the chrome on it so you enjoyed washing it but NO power steering. For most of us, it is hard to remember life without power steering – cranking those great big steering wheels? It was a pretty good workout. Now power steering is standard. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid that provides assistance for steering. Most pumps are driven by a belt that is run by the engine – a few are electrically powered. A high-pressure hose passes fluid from the pump to the steering gear. A low-pressure hose returns the fluid back to the pump. Here at Melvin's Auto & Truck Repair in St Augustine, FL we know that you depend on that power steering and check your fluid & hoses religiously!