Wilmington Auto Repair

Most people in the Wilmington area are aware that automotive manufacturers have recommended service intervals. Following recommended service intervals is very important. The engineers that design our vehicles have tested the various systems and components to meet durability and safety standards. Some of these standards are self-imposed and others, like those for emissions components, are government mandated for areas in Delaware.The maintenance schedules are designed to achieve the standards. Think of the benefits of following recommended intervals as falling into three general categories: Protection, Efficiency and Safety.Protection. Let's start with motor oil. First of all, the engineers recommend a particular weight and type of motor oil for your vehicle. All of their oil change recommendations assume using the proper motor oil. Motor oil contains detergents and other additives that clean the engine and provide corrosion resistance ... read more

Wilmington residents' vehicles have to operate in a wide range of Delaware temperatures which requires the engine coolant to be able to perform 'no matter what.' Think for a moment about the environment where the coolant does its thing. Very hot, high pressure, corrosive...And all the while, it has to protect the components of the cooling system from corrosion. These components are made from steel and aluminum, plastics and rubber. The coolant has to be formulated to protect against corrosion for all of these different materials. That's why vehicle manufacturer’s recommend different types of anti-freeze for our Wilmington, Delaware, vehicles.There are several different 'families' of anti-freeze available to us here in Wilmington. Your owner's manual will tell you what kind you should use. Of course, the automotive professionals at PONTE'S AUTOCARE will know the right kind for your vehicle.It's important to stay on top of this because coolant system failure is the ... read more

For those of you in Wilmington, Delaware who pay attention to these things, you may have been hearing about the new direct injection engines and want to learn more about them. Some deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.For example, in one family of engines the conventional V6 makes about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version of the same engine makes over 300 horsepower and gets essentially the same fuel economy. The turbocharged version makes over 350 horsepower.So what are the differences from a conventional engine?The core difference is in the fuel injection system. The system most vehicles use now is called a port injection system. The fuel injector squirts fuel into a port just outside the cylinder where it's then drawn into the engine with the air.With a direct injection system, the injector squirts the fuel directly into the cylinder. The gain in power and economy come because fuel injected directly into the cy ... read more

Some Wilmington vehicle owners wonder why PONTE'S AUTOCARE and other Wilmington auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics. Receiving a diagnostic charge at PONTE'S AUTOCARE for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the Wilmington area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Delaware road, you pull off at the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you're having an intermittent problem with your vehicle engine, however, a PONTE'S AUTOCARE diagnosis may be much more involved.Much of the Wilmington driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem. There's a common misconception among Delaware drivers that the trouble code tells the PONTE'S AUTOCARE technician exactly what's wron ... read more