Wilmington Auto Repair

People from Wilmington, Delaware, love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than a Delaware road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it's great! But there's nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt.You can't always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. Heading out on a Delaware road trip? Stop by PONTE'S AUTOCARE before you head out to make sure everything is in good repair. Let's look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip in Delaware and what you might do to avoid them.The most common vehicle component to fail is the tires. Of course, you can't always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance-connected tire problems.A good tire inspection at PONTE'S AUTOCARE will start ... read more

Warm weather or cold, Wilmington drivers still need to think about their vehicle's air conditioning. Most Wilmington people don't service their air conditioning until after it fails. At PONTE'S AUTOCARE, we can advise you on your vehicle manufacturers preventive maintenance schedules for air conditioning service, just as we do for transmission service, oil changes and so on. Maintaining your air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the vehicle's air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can't cool the air as well. We see that a lot at PONTE'S AUTOCARE in Wilmington.The refrigerant also contains oil that lubricates air conditioning components and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and all Wilmington vehicle owners know that air conditioning repairs ca ... read more

Lease? Or buy? These are the options for Wilmington drivers. It's always a tough question for auto owners, but here is some info that'll help you make an informed decision.If you buy, you'll pay the full cost of the vehicle, maybe an initial down payment, monthly payments on the balance that pays down the loan principal, and the finance charge.Wilmington drivers who lease finance the portion of the cost of the vehicle that's used up during the term of the lease. You'll pay some money up front: fees, security deposit, first month's payment and maybe a capital reduction. The monthly payments include a depreciation cost and a finance charge. When the lease is up, you return the vehicle to your local Wilmington area dealership. So how do Wilmington drivers decide?First, how much do you have for a down payment? A lease usually requires a smaller down payment.How much monthly payment can you afford? Again, lease payments will ... read more

  Hey Wilmington area drivers, are your tires worn out? What is the standard for our Delaware streets? How can you tell on your vehicle?While there may be legal requirements for the Wilmington area, there are safety concerns that go beyond meeting minimum replacement mandates.Two-thirty-seconds of an inch is the depth of the tire tread wear indicator bars that US law has required to be molded across all tires since August 1, 1968. When tires are worn so that this bar is visible, there's just 2/32 of an inch – 1.6 millimeters – of tread left. It's that level of wear that's been called into question recently.We're referring to the tread depth on a tire, it can't move surface water out of the way and you start to hydroplane.In a safety study, a section of a test track was flooded with a thin layer of water. If you laid a dime on the track, the water would be deep enough to surround the coin, but not enough to cover it.A car and a full-sized pick-up accelerated&n ... read more

  Which item is most often stolen from vehicles in Wilmington?Is it: Stereo Wheels Air Bag DVD System Well, if you said stereo – you used to be right. But airbags have now surpassed stereos as the biggest target for theft in Delaware – approximately 50,000 a year are stolen across the country. New airbags cost about $1,000, but go for $50 to $200 on the black market in Delaware.Stolen airbags are making their way back into cars that have been in an accident. Of course, the danger to the consumer of having a stolen airbag installed is that you can never be sure what may have previously affected them and if they will work right when you need them. Contact us at PONTE'S AUTOCARE for more information about where to get your airbags checked or replaced.Find us at 2401 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Delaware 19803You can reach us by phone at: 302-478-9786 There are reports that 1 in 25 airbag replacements ... read more