At Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ, it’s important to us that you see the value in the work we do. Over the course of the past decade, depending on what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive, it may seem like oil changes have gotten more expensive, and there’s a lot of differentiation in pricing at different locations. What’s going on?

Failed engine mounts are an irritating issue to live with causing your car or truck to vibrate and you don't know why. At Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ, we can help, no matter what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive and it is an easy issue to detect on a test drive.

There are a few indicators your engine mounts need to be replaced. For one, you can do a visual inspection, if they’re accessible enough - if they looked cracked, smashed, or dry-rotted, it’s probably time for new ones.  If the engine visibly shakes while it’s running, engine mounts are also likely the culprit.  However, if you are like most drivers you simply get in and drive on down the road until something is different or a light comes on!   Then you call our shop for help!

There is a reason we check your brake fluid when you come in for a service check.  Maintenance pays big dividends and we want to avoid high repair costs for our Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction drivers.  Did you know that brake service isn't just all about the brake pads, drums & rotors?  That we have found low brake fluid to be the cause of a large percentage of brake issues here at Mercie J Auto Care?  Seriously, brake fluid is an important part of your braking system and with your service intervals being less frequent on the newer vehicles 5,000-10,000 more miles this has become an issue!  Why?...

It doesn't matter if you are driving a car or truck, jeep or SUV, a diesel 4x4 or a classic when those dash warning lights go off the first thing you do is think "how bad is it?" and "how much will it cost me?" followed quickly by "when was my last service visit?"!!  Driving your vehicle longer safely is all about getting it serviced based on what your vehicle manual recommends and these warning lights are alerting you to a situation that requires your attention. 

While not all warning lights are a sign that disaster is imminent, no warning indicator light should ever be ignored!

Every car, truck, van, and SUV on the road today has headlights. However, you've probably noticed an increase in different types of headlights in more recent years - gone are the days where every vehicle on the road had the same bulb. Here is some information on headlights, from Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ.

If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle made by manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Land Rover, Porsche, etc., you’re probably no stranger to state of the art electronics, sensors, and control systems. At Mercie J Auto Care, our technicians have the right knowledge, ability, and equipment necessary to keep your car or SUV in top-notch condition.

When you are having trouble with your car or truck starting and you open the hood up to take a peek to see this....you'll see what an overly corroded battery looks like. This happens naturally over time on vehicle battery terminals.  If you are like 99% of normal Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction drivers, you don't check your oil or your battery so you don't keep an eye on the amount of corrosion that's building up on your car or truck battery.  Here at Mercie J Auto Care, we do and there are solvents that we can use here in the shop during a battery maintenance service that will help slow the corrosion process but nothing that can prevent it 100%. Way before it gets to this point, we will be suggesting you consider replacing the battery. 

Manual transmissions are generally more reliable than automatic transmissions. They don’t have as many parts, aren’t as complex, and can take a lot more abuse. However, if an issue is allowed to persist, more and more damage to surrounding components on your manual transmission will occur. Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ can help you take care of your car as soon as you notice a problem.

Repairs are costly and we all want to avoid them including our team here at Mercie J Auto Care!  It's our job and we take it seriously.  Here, it is all about keeping your car or truck serviced and looking for problems "before" they happen to avoid those high repair costs and ensuring you avoid any breakdowns when it's hot outside or cold outside as either is a problem for our Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction drivers!  Nobody can forsee a flat tire or blowout due to running over a nail, but we can avoid some of the regular issues we see all the time such as....

Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs! 
1.  You see steam rising from the engine!
2.  The Check Engine Light is on!
3.  The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
4.  You hear grinding or thumping noises.

Don’t you hate it when potholes sneak up on you? There is a lot of money being spent on vehicle damage due to potholes. Do you know what parts of your car could receive the most damage.

A quality product is only as good as the quality of the installation. You’re dropping some serious money on an engine replacement, on a car that’s worth even more. Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ is here to make sure you get the quality install you need.

At Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ, we pride ourselves on specialty knowledge and ability. Once you’ve settled on a transmission to invest in, it’s important not to cut corners on the homestretch. We’ve got you covered here and you can expect top quality repairs for your top quality product.

Here at Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction we often do diagnostics and sometimes the problem is obvious after hooking the car up to the computer and reading the codes.  However, sometimes it isn't obvious during a test drive or after hooking it up to all those computer programs!  You know there is a problem and a Check Engine Light is on with the fleet customer telling you the car has been having issues starting and the light has been going off and on depending on several factors.  No pattern, no simple answer but the problem becomes obvious when you start following the "threads of the issue" thanks to all that ASE Technician training.

If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, you know that your precision engineered equipment demands precision tuning. At Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ, we specialize in high-end imports and performance vehicles and keeping them up to par.

We see this with our fleet customers, our regular Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction car pool drivers and our diesel truck drivers so it isn't just one type of driver that ends up with a nightmare on their hands costing thousands of dollars to repair, asking about the costs of a JASPER replacement engine!  The fact is your driving habits and maintenance habits can easily avoid this issue!  6 EASY STEPS - Service, Tires, Don't Ignore Service Engine Lights, Keep it Clean & Stop Driving Crazy!

Automatic transmissions aren’t easily understood outside of specialists like those at Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ. While it would be impossible to teach you enough to make you a transmission expert in a series of articles, what we can do is give you the fundamental knowledge you need to have a good idea of what your transmission is doing, and how it works.

There have been a lot of technological advancements, and breakthroughs in efficiency to make modern cars, trucks, and SUVs so much more fuel-efficient than their counterparts. While engine design certainly plays a huge role, automatic transmissions have come a long way as well, contributing greatly to the gas mileage of your vehicle. From Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ, here are some ways transmissions have changed to meet the demands of fuel efficiency.

If you drive a Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Land Rover, or other luxury or performance vehicle, you’re no stranger to the bells and whistles of the modern automobile. For the past couple of decades, these cars have nearly all been equipped with ABS, or Anti-lock Braking Systems. You may never think about ABS - until the light comes on the dashboard.

If you drive a Jaguar, BMW, Land Rover, Porsche, Subaru, or other luxury or performance vehicle, the last thing you want to do is start your engine to be met with the sound of a screeching drive belt. Fortunately, we at Mercie J Auto Care in Mesa, Gilbert, & Apache Junction, AZ have you covered.