Colorado Springs Auto Repair

With Labor Day coming up, most of us are hitting the road for a weekend trip. However, we guarantee that you won't be looking forward to the packing itself. Our procrastination often leads to overpacking, and the next thing you know, you are struggling to stuff the back of your trunk. It takes skill and patience to safely and effectively pack your vehicle, and we are here to tell you how! These are our top tips on how to pack your car for your upcoming road trip:   #1: Clear Out Your Car Before you do any packing, you must start with a cleaned-out vehicle. This chore entails removing everything from the cabin and trunk that you don't need for the course of the trip, such as your trash, clunky gear, or your children's toys.   #2: Get Packing the Night Before We recommend packing up the car the night before the trip or as in advance as possible. As a result, you can begin the journey without stress.   #3: Carry Soft Baggage Soft luggage, such as duffle ... read more

Your vehicle's transmission is designed to (either manually or automatically) shift your car into the right gear and keep your vehicle running smoothly. How do you know when it has troubles? Well, imagine you're about to park your car when you get home. As you put the car in reverse, a jerking noise is made with shifting gears. The sound and jerk last merely a few seconds, but you're able to park the car without any other problems, hoping your transmission is not blown to pieces. That is simply an instance that begins the start of transmission problems.   3 Common Symptoms of Transmission Trouble   1. Transmission Has Difficulty Shifting Gears - If you notice when you're behind the wheel and your gears change from reverse to neutral for no apparent reason, then that is a clear sign of a transmission issue. Another symptom related to this is if your car is not accelerating fast enough or struggling to accelerate. You should observe any delays between shifti ... read more

  Traveling on the road with children can be a headache sometimes, but we advise you to make it fun this summer! Shake things up this summer with you and your family by playing some fun games on the road. Here are some ideas to keep your kids' screen time down or from asking the infamous question: "Are we there yet?"   Name That Song This game is perfect for those music-loving families. Name That Song is relatively self-explanatory. The adult can play tunes through a chosen playlist or radio. Every time a different song comes on, test your knowledge and be the first to shout out the song's artist and the song's title. Whoever can name the most songs at the end of the journey wins the game!   I Spy One of the children can be nominated to be "it," and they get to choose a specific thing in the car to center on. The other kids will take turns guessing clues until somebody correctly guesses the object selected by "it."   ... read more

Safety should be every driver's number one priority, and one of the main safety features of a car is the ability to be able to stop quickly, within seconds. In order for you and your passengers to be as safe as possible in your vehicle, you must make sure your brakes are in top working condition. Below, we have listed 5 top signs that your vehicle may need its brakes exchanged for new ones or at least to be inspected and possibly repaired. 1. Squealing or grinding noises: this indicates that your brakes are worn down, causing the metal to grind against metal. This indicates your brake pads should be replaced in the very near future. 2. Pulling: uneven wear on the brake pads could cause your vehicle to either swerve or pull to one side as you apply the brakes while driving. This could be highly dangerous, and you want to get it taken care of as soon as possible. 3. Soft brake pedal: if your brake pedal feels out of the ordinary, this may not necessarily mean that your brake pads ... read more

Getting a car is a big investment and for some, it's a necessary part of life. You're told to perform the recommended maintenance services on a regular basis, but is it really necessary? Well, your car probably won't explode but these services benefit you in the long run. 3 Reasons To Service Your Car Regularly 1. Extend the Life of Your Car The purpose of checking your transmission, rotating your tires and replacing your fluids is to keep your car running properly for longer. If you don't do these things, even if it doesn't put you in any danger -- although it might -- it wears down parts of your car that might've lasted longer if you performed these simple maintenance procedures. 2. Save You Money in the Future Having your car checked and maintained can save you from having to do costly repairs in the future. Catching a problem early is always more cost-effective than trying to fix something after the problem has gotten much worse. Maintenance services pu ... read more

When we drive around in our cars, trucks and SUVs, we want to feel safe. We hope the design and performance of vehicle help to avoid any accidents. However, if we are in an accident, we want to feel like we will be as protected as possible. Here are 7 of the most important safety features in your car. It's important to understand these systems and make sure you are taking care of the necessary maintenance and repairs that will eventually help take better care of you and your passengers. 1. Antilock Braking System (ABS) All modern vehicles feature an antilock braking system that prevents the brakes from locking up when coming to a quick and violent stop. If the brakes were to lock up, the car could skid out of control and lead to a bad accident. It's important to keep your entire brake system ... read more

If you drive a manual transmission vehicle, you have a little extra maintenance to worry about. You want to keep your clutch system healthy. This will allow you to shift between gears smoothly while also protecting your transmission and gear box from unnecessary wear and tear.  Modern vehicles with manual transmissions will have a clutch system with four primary components: pressure plate, driven plate, cover plate (which incorporates a diaphragm spring) and release bearing. Some older vehicles may have a hydraulic clutch, which will feature a master cylinder and slave cylinder to control the system. All clutches will have the pedal that the driver uses to control the engagement and disengagement actions used during shifting. Here are a few tips that will help you keep your clutch system healthier: 1. Watch Your Driving Habits The best maintenance tip really isn't a mechanic ... read more

Ray recently moved to Colorado. He needed some automotive repair and maintenance work done, so he did his research on local auto shops. After searching online and calling around, he decided to give LightHouse Automotive a chance to earn his business. In the end, he was glad he chose our shop! "Just moved to Colorado and had to find a good mechanic," Ray says. "The LightHouse team did a thorough diagnosis and was upfront about findings and cost. The work was done professionally and all old parts saved for my review (rare but appreciated detail)." Once Ray's vehicle was in our shop, our skilled automotive technicians performed a thorough inspection. We ran diagnostic tests and inspected key parts and systems throughout the vehicle. Then, we presented him with an inspection report to ... read more

Many vehicle owners are mentally tricked into spending more money at the gas pump. They think the “premium” fuels with higher octanes will offer better performance. The truth is, that’s not necessarily the case. Higher-octane gasoline generally won’t make your car go faster, achieve better fuel economy or run cleaner. Check the Owner's Manual The first thing you should do before taking any new car to the gas station is read the owner’s manual. Most vehicles only recommend and require the standard octane rating. Paying more money for premium fuels won’t necessarily add any benefits at all. It probably won’t hurt the vehicle. It just won’t give you a significant enough boost in performance to warrant the extra price per gallon. Engine Knocking The ... read more

A car has hundreds of smaller parts that help drive the bigger pieces we can see at first glance. Like every machine, parts get worn out and need to be maintained to avoid problems. One such part is the power steering pump. If you've ever had a stiff steering wheel or heard funny noises when driving, your power steering pump might need a professional to investigate and fix. 5 Symptoms of a Failing Power Steering Pump 1. When a steering wheel feels stiff or is slow to respond to turns you make at low speed, that is a sign of a fluid level or quality problem in the steering wheel system. A leak that goes unchecked or liquid too thick inside the pump, can cause long-term damage to the steering wheel system. 2. A failing power steering pump can also cause whining or growling noises when turning the steering wheel. The noise which comes from inside the hood of the car can also be heard when the car is in idle mode once the ignition is turned on. This indicates a need to have the powe ... read more