Memphis Auto Repair

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Memphis drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Memphis drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Memphis?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero Tennessee temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in Tennessee?Do you drive often in dusty Memphis areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Memphis?Do you drive in very hot or very cold Tennessee weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Memphis on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Memphis surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 miles/5,000 kilometers and t ... read more

There are a number of factors that contribute to the high nighttime accident rate in the Memphis area, things like drowsy driving and a higher rate of impaired driving. Without a doubt, visibility is a major contributor. Let's focus on visibility…It's said that 90 percent of our driving decisions are based on what we see. Nighttime driving has the effect of reducing 20/20 vision to the equivalent of 20/50 vision. What you could clearly see at 50 feet in daylight can't be seen until you are just 20 feet away at night.Too make sure your headlights are giving you the greatest visibility, visit us at Allen's Automotive Center, located at 1195 WINFIELD AVE., Memphis, Tennessee 38116. Please give us a call to make an appointment: 901-332-3279.Accident avoidance is dependent on reaction time. Reaction time deteriorates measurably in low light conditions. One thing we can do to improve visibility is to make sure our headlights are as bright as they ... read more

Unless you live in Death Valley, you really don't hear much any more about cars overheating. That's because cooling systems in vehicles have been much improved. That doesn't mean you can't overheat your vehicle engine, though. Without proper preventive maintenance, you could still find yourself on the side of the road in Memphis waiting for your vehicle engine to cool down.When you service your cooling system at Allen's Automotive Center, your technician will check the condition of the coolant. It can become corrosive over time, which can damage a radiator — leading to an overheated engine. Changing the coolant periodically is good vehicle care. Your vehicle owner's manual can give you guidelines on how often to replace it.If your engine overheated, your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor will also check your coolant system for leaks. Check the vehicle radiator for ... read more

The drive train in your vehicle includes all the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. Those components differ depending on what type of vehicle you drive, namely, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The preventive maintenance your driveshaft needs will also differ by what type of vehicle you drive.Let's start with front-wheel drive. In this vehicle, the transmission and the differential are combined in one component, known as the transaxle. The transaxle is connected to two half-shafts (axles), which are then connected to the wheels with a constant velocity (or CV) joint, which is protected by an airtight rubber boot.Allen's Automotive Center service for this type of driveline includes servicing the transaxle and inspecting the CV boot. If the boot is damaged, the CV joint will need to be inspected, and the boot will need to be replaced. If you hear a clickin ... read more

Hello Memphis! Let's talk about alignment. One of the most important parts of preventive maintenance for your vehicle is keeping the wheels in alignment. Poor alignment causes your tires to wear unevenly, which can significantly reduce their lifespan. This means you will have to replace them more often, which can be costly for drivers in Memphis.It can even damage your suspension system, which is costly to repair. But even more importantly, uneven tread wear can lead to blowouts on the road, a dangerous and potentially deadly safety risk for Memphis drivers and their passengers.It may not take an accident or bad driving habits to “knock” your tires out of alignment. Tires can go out of alignment with just everyday Tennessee driving. Memphis road hazards, pot holes, uneven or gravel roads, and even the bumps and bounces of normal Memphis roads and surface streets can gradually put your vehicle tires out of alignment.So it's good auto advice ... read more

Differential? What's that? And what's it for? I've been told by my service advisor that I need to get it serviced, but is that on the level?Do these questions sound familiar? They're not uncommon for Memphis drivers. A lot of us in Memphis don't know what a differential is or what it's for. Every vehicle has a differential, and, yes, it does need to be serviced. In fact, it's more important to the operation of your vehicle than the air conditioner or windshield wipers.A differential allows your vehicle tires to move at different speeds. This happens more than you think. The best example is when a vehicle is turning. The inside wheel travels a much shorter distance than the outside wheel during a turn. This means the outside wheel has to move faster than the inside wheel. Without a differential, your tires would hop and skip while turning. They would also lose traction in sand or snow.The location of your differential depends on what kind of ... read more

All Tennessee pilots have checklists for every aspect of flying. They always use their checklists even if they only have two steps on them. They do this simply because a checklist is a great way to not forget steps. It is also how they can assure a predictable outcome. That is why Memphis automotive service centers including Allen's Automotive Center have procedural standards for each service they perform. Allen's Automotive Center technicians are trained step by step. And they perform the procedures step by step, the same way each time. By training to procedural standards, Tennessee service centers can assure a quality outcome. The job is done right every time and Memphis customers leave happy with how their vehicle performs. Each company trains its technicians to standards. The Tennessee automotive industry as a whole is very committed to standards of excellence and encourages individual Tennessee service center operators to apply them to every vehicle t ... read more

Imagine you've left Memphis and you're up in the arctic on a dog sled.Your dog team is pulling straight and true. You can cover a lot of ground quickly. Now imagine what would happen if one or two of the dogs wanted to go their own way and were pulling off to the side.That would slow you down. You would have to work harder to keep the sled going where you want it. The dogs are all working as hard as before, but you're covering less ground for the same effort.You're wasting kibble.The same is true of your vehicle when the wheels are out of alignment. That wheel that's pulling to the side is dragging down the rest of the vehicle; so you push a little harder on the gas pedal to keep up your speed. You're wasting gas.So have your wheel alignment checked at least once a year. It is important to get it checked right away if you feel the vehicle pulling to one side.Sometimes we Memphis residents bump a curb or hit a pothole and knock our wheels out of alignment. An accident can take the ... read more

Sometimes we hear people in Memphis say, "What's up with all this maintenance stuff? Modern cars just don't break down." While it is true that today's vehicles are extremely reliable, they are also becoming increasingly complicated and use more exotic materials than ever before. All that complexity demands higher tolerances for everything. For example, most Memphis drivers don't realize how high tech automotive fluids have become,  fluids such as engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant and brake fluid.Did you know that a modern engine would not run for more than a few months using motor oil formulas from 30 years ago? Today's automotive fluids contain a much higher percentage of additives to protect your vehicle's components from premature wear and corrosion. Time and distances march on for all of our cars. Please don't think we're using scare tactics to get you to take care of your maintenance - but here are some personal stories we've heard to em ... read more

Remember snow tires? They were basically just regular tires with big, knobby lugs to get them through deep snow. They were loud and rode hard, and Memphis drivers couldn't wait to get them off the car. Then along came television advertisements for “all-season” radials. Tennessee drivers ran out and bought some and we thought we were done with snow tires forever.Tires have come a long way since then. Modern winter tires sold in the Memphis area are much better designed for the wide range of conditions that come with Tennessee winter weather. They are made with a rubber compound that helps them stay flexible in cold weather. Regular tires become hard and stiff at Memphis temperatures below 45°F (7° C) which reduces their traction. That's a concern in winter, especially with snowy or wet conditions. But it also means that Memphis drivers are better off with winter tires in cold weather even when it's dry.The tread design on winter tires has been improved to move snow ... read more