Lititz Auto Repair

Here at Good’s Auto Service, we are attempting to educate our customers about wheel lock keys and the importance of knowing where the wheel lock key is located. So, what exactly is a wheel lock key? On some vehicles, the design of one lug nut for each tire has a unique groove in it. The wheel lock key has the matching design on it, making it the only socket that will remove these “wheel lock lug nuts”. The purpose of these wheel lock lug nuts is to prevent theft of the wheels. The main drawback of wheel locks is the fact they can only be taken off by the matching wheel lock key. Meaning you MUST know the location of your wheel lock key. If you run over a nail and the tire goes flat; and that wheel lock key is missing; getting the tire off will be next to impossible. Many people don’t even realize their vehicles are equipped with wheel locks. This is why we are using big orange envelopes to place the wheel lock keys in them any time a car with wheel locks comes t ... read more

If you begin to hear a grinding sound while the brake pedal is pressed driving down the road, schedule an appointment with us ASAP! The most likely cause of this noise is the brake pad friction material being worn down to the metal backing plate. Or in other words, the brake pad is basically useless. The grinding noise is the sound of the metal backing plate being pressed against the rotor. In most cases, the brake rotor will need replaced along with the brake pads due to gouges from metal being pressed on metal. The stopping ability of your vehicle is severely compromised when brakes become “metal to metal”, and should be addressed immediately

Unfortunately, the answer to this question may not always be cut and dry since there are a variety of different symptoms that could cause a steering wheel shake. The two most common causes are warped or damaged brake rotors, and unbalanced tires. If the steering wheel only shakes when the brakes are applied, the brake rotors are the most likely culprit. If the steering wheel shake is constant and gets worse as speed is increased, balancing all four tires is the best place to start. If a tire is not properly balanced, the weight is not evenly distributed which is what causes the steering wheel shake at higher speeds. Because tires wear over time, it is just as important to have them balanced periodically as it is when new tires are installed. Other causes for steering wheel shake can include worn tires, misaligned wheels, damaged suspension components, worn or damaged axles, and bad wheel bearings. If your steering wheel is beginning to shake, bring it on down to Good’s Auto Servi ... read more

What exactly do we mean by a bouncy suspension? Have you ever been driving and seen a car that appears to “floating” back and forth as it goes down the road? Or driven a car that seems to excessively rock side to side when the wheel is turned? These are both symptoms of a “bouncy suspension” which is most likely caused by worn shocks and/or struts. Both shocks and struts stabilize your vehicle’s movements and absorb the impact of uneven road conditions. If these components are not performing correctly, it adds a great deal of stress to the other parts of the suspension, as well as a not-so-comfortable ride. Worn struts/shocks can also cause your tires to cup or chop since the weight of the vehicle is no longer evenly distributed. Because they are such an integral part of the overall movement of the vehicle, Good’s Auto Service recommends they be replaced every 100,000 miles. This will help prevent other costly repairs to the suspension, extend the li ... read more

       We get this question all the time; “Do I really need to change my transmission fluid?”. Well, if you want your transmission to operate at peak performance and prevent wear, then yes, it is very important. Draining and refilling the fluid is always an option, but there are several advantages to flushing the transmission that you won’t get with a simple drain and refill. Most transmissions hold around 9 quarts of fluid. When the drain plug is removed, you will only remove about 3 of the 9 total quarts. This means to effectively change the fluid you would have to drain and refill the transmission several times to ensure all of the old fluid is removed. At Good’s Auto Service, we have a machine that is attached to the transmission cooler lines. A cleaning agent is added prior to service to help break down sludge and gunk that has built up in the transmission system. The machine then runs new fluid through the entire system, which pushes a ... read more