Wilmington Auto Repair

Wilmington drivers want their tires to last as long as possible. Two ways to extend tire life are wheel balancing and tire rotation.When wheels are out of balance, they wobble and vibrate. That makes the tires wear in a cupping pattern. If a front wheel is out of balance you'll feel it in the steering wheel. If it's a rear wheel you'll feel it through your seat. To fix this, your technician at PONTE'S AUTOCARE puts weights on your wheels to balance them out.That brings us to tire rotation. The front tires on a vehicle wear out faster than the rear tires. As they push through turns, the shoulders of the front tires wear down. So rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate over the life of the tire.Proper tire inflation will also help Wilmington folks' tires last longer. Underinflated tires wear more on the shoulder and may even overheat. This could cause tire damage or a blow out. Overinflated tires wear too fast in the middle.Four-wheel ... read more

Wilmington auto owners may know that most automotive failures in Wilmington, Delaware, are tire related, but do you know the second most common cause of vehicle failure? Nope, it's not teenagers. It is the coolant system. But if you take good care of your vehicle coolant system, it will take good care of you.A vehicle's engine creates a lot of heat - so much heat, that if it is not properly cooled, the engine can lock up, resulting in massive damage and repair bills. But when everything is working right, your vehicle engine operates at the proper temperature and all is well. Without antifreeze in your cooling system, the water could freeze and cause vehicle engine damage. This could be very expensive, not to mention inconvenient.The right mix of water and antifreeze protects the engine against damage from freezing and overheating. Antifreeze also protects the coolant system against corrosion that could cause the system to fail. The thing to remember is this: coolant system failur ... read more

Your vehicle is important to you, and keeping it running properly is important to your lifestyle. That's why you're smart enough to have it serviced regularly at PONTE'S AUTOCARE in Wilmington. And even though it may just be routine maintenance, you want it done right by automotive professionals.It's also very important to your Wilmington service center to keep you happy and on the road. You might be surprised at the amount of money our Wilmington auto service center spends annually to make sure our friendly and knowledgeable technicians are properly trained.PONTE'S AUTOCARE offers a variety of automotive services for many kinds of vehicles. We need to be current on the latest techniques and parts so that we can give you quality service. Our Wilmington service centers subscribe to data services that list the high quality parts and fluids recommended by your manufacturer.And each service has a checklist of standard procedures. PONTE'S AUTOCARE technicians follow these procedures s ... read more

Power steering is standard on nearly every vehicle in Wilmington, Delaware, these days. Now there are some exotic, new types of power steering systems, but for the most part, the general setup is a pump that's driven by a belt powered by the engine. Contact the automotive professionals at PONTE'S AUTOCARE in Wilmington for questions about your power steering. The pump generates power that assists drivers as they steer their vehicle around Wilmington, Delaware. Power steering systems use hoses to move pressurized fluid back and forth. These hoses can develop leaks so it's a good idea to have PONTE'S AUTOCARE inspect them at every oil change. A check of the power steering fluid level is on the list for every full service oil change at PONTE'S AUTOCARE because low fluid can damage the power steering pump. And the fluid needs to be compatible with the hoses and seals, so it's important to use the correct type – just ask your service ... read more