Portland Auto Repair

Question: My headlight lenses are all cloudy. I checked with my local dealership about replacing them and it is very costly. What else can I do? Portland Automotive Answer: You are right - replacing a headlight assembly can cost hundreds of dollars. Luckily there is something Hartford car owners can do about cloudy headlamps. First let’s talk about why the headlamps are so cloudy. Back in the day, Hartford motorists' headlights were glass. These were heavy, could crack, and had practical limits as to their shape so automakers started using plastic headlight lenses. CT road grime and UV light take a toll on the plastic surface. Over time the lenses get cloudy and discolored. Just look at the trucks in any Hartford parking lot and you'll see a lot of that. Because a disproportionate amount of traffic accidents happen at night, smart Hartford drivers make sure they have maximum visibility. Cloudy lenses impair the amount of light that gets out on the road, which in turn ... read more

Have You Seen Me? You may have seen our new mascot while driving past our shop this week! Please check us out on Facebook to enter our “Have You Seen Me” contest! Please check out the video of Ben and this moving mascot and leave a comment with your idea for a name (please keep it family friendly), and we will choose a winner at the end of the month to win a FREE CAR CARE CLUB BOOKLET! Happy Thanksgiving from our family at Portland Automotive to yours! We hope you have a safe and happy holiday! The Boss’s Pecan Pie Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes Servings: 8 INGREDIENTS: 1 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter 2 eggs 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped pecans DIRECTIONS ... read more

Question from Marty C. (Portland): My battery keeps going dead. I had it tested and it is fine - what could be the problem? Portland Automotive’s Answer: Well, your trouble could be caused by several things. Let's start with a likely suspect: your alternator. The alternator is like a little electrical generator. It is spun by the serpentine belt on your engine and makes electricity. This electricity is used to power the critical electrical systems required to run your truck. It also powers all of your electronic accessories like your stereo, navigation, heated seats, and air fans, as well as charging all the electronics you have plugged in. After the alternator has completed all that, any electricity that's left over is used to charge your battery. You can see where we're going: if the battery isn't getting enough electricity to stay charged the problem may have something to do with the alternator. Now it could be that the alternator is bad – they do wear out over ti ... read more

Some Portland motorists love driving, love their vehicles: To them, picking out the right tire is just as important – and just as much fun – as finding the right shoes is to a runner. Now not everyone in Portland is like that. Many CT people have found that shopping for tires is overwhelming because there are just so many choices. So let’s break it down: there are four main categories of tires, depending on the kind of driving you do. First, there are summer tires. You would buy summer tires if you’re looking for maximum summertime performance. The rubber is a little softer to help you stick to the road in fast corners. The tread has wide blocks at the shoulder to stiffen the tire in turns. The tread design can handle rain, but really isn’t set up for snow and ice. Next comes winter tires. You would buy winter tires if you still like performance driving when it’s cold and slippery out, so you need a tread design that’ll really bite into ice and snow. The rubber compound is formulate ... read more

Let’s review some things that Portland motorists can do to improve gas mileage. Bottom line – the better you maintain your truck, the less fuel you will use. It all adds up in a big way. For example, replacing your dirty engine air filter will pay for itself in fuel savings before your next oil change and will keep saving you money after that. A clean, well-maintained fuel system really pays big dividends for budget conscious Portland drivers. A clogged fuel filter wastes gas. So does a dirty fuel system, grimy fuel injectors and plugged up PCV valves. A fuel system service decreases the gas you use, and increases the power – so you can’t go wrong with that. Some of us Portland motorists ignore our check engine light. But fixing the problem that caused the light to come on will usually save some fuel as well. It may be a bad oxygen sensor that can really rob your fuel efficiency. And, it may be time for a tune-up. Tune-ups should improve your gas mileage. Don’t overloo ... read more