Ann Arbor MI Auto Repair Blog

Tips & advice on good car maintenance & Ann Arbor auto repairs to help you get the most from your investment & avoid costly major auto repairs.

I welcome your comments & look forward to hearing what you have to say. If you have a question or topic suggestion please leave a comment or email me.

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Brian Hogue, Owner/Manager

Hoover Street Auto Repair
142 East Hoover Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 913-6272


What should I do if my car starts to overheat?

Answer: This is a very serious problem – if your car overheats you can quickly damage your engine. As soon as possible, find a safe place to pull off the road and shut the engine off! Do not attempt to check the fluid level in the radiator as it is under high pressure and the escaping liquid and steam can burn you. The best thing to do is have your car towed to a repair shop.

Hoover Street Auto Repair performs cooling system repairs, radiator repair, water pump repair, over-heating repair, and coolant leak repairs in Ann Arbor MI.

What does it mean if my "check engine" or "service engine soon" light comes on?

Answer: There are many sensors and computerized engine components that manage your vehicle’s engine performance and emissions. When one of these parts fail, the “check engine” light is switched on. Although your vehicle may appear to run fine, it is important to have a check engine light repair or check engine light diagnosis to prevent serious, long-term problems.

Should my timing belt be replaced at the recommended interval?

Answer: YES! The failure of a timing belt in most cars can result in serious engine damage. The cost of repairing an engine with a broken timing belt is much greater than the cost of a timing belt replacement. Timing belts also deteriorate over time regardless of mileage. Even if your vehicle gets little use the materials used in the belts ages and should be changed. Oil and coolant contamination can accelerate belt deterioration and failure.

How often should I rotate my tires?

Answer: tires should be rotated every other oil change, or every 6000 miles. Rotating tires is an easy and economical way to extend tire life and prevent premature tire wear.

Hoover Street Auto Repair will rotate tires in Ann Arbor MI. We also offer wheel balancing, tire balancing, wheel alignment, and tire rotation Ann Arbor MI.

When should I get my oil changed?

Short answer: every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or 3 - 6 months depending on the type of driving you do.

Long answer: Oil change intervals varies with driving habits and type of vehicle. I’m assuming we share the goal to minimize the need for major auto repairs. If you’re driving 20 miles one way to work and 15 of those miles are on the highway, most vehicles should have the oil changed every 5,000 miles. If you’re like me, drive 8 miles to work, never go more than 2 miles without stopping, most vehicles should have the oil changed every 3,000 miles or every 3-4 months. If you ride the bus to work and only drive your car to run a few errands on the weekend, that is the hardest type of driving on an engine. You may need to change your vehicles oil every 3-6 months regardless of the mileage.

Can your car make it 200,000 miles?

Is it possible to drive an auto 200,000 miles… without spending an extraordinary amount of money on auto repair to keep the vehicle running… we at Hoover Street Auto Repair say the answer is a resounding YES… however, there are some things you should be aware of:

Common sense auto maintenance

Common Sense Auto Maintenance

Much like the human body, the modern automobile is very resilient. Much like the healthy choices we make (or not) in our lifestyle during our younger years… we may find ourselves at fifty years old and wishing we had made different choices. Our cars are similar. We can choose to avoid maintenance during the “early” years only to find out that the cost of vehicle repairs are compounded exponentially due to the lack of auto maintenance during the first miles driven.

When Should You Schedule An Oil Change?

Ask yourself…

is it worth the risk to save the $30 per year? Think about it… if you drive your vehicle 15,000 miles a year, the difference in cost between changing the oil every 3,000 vs. 5,000 miles is one oil change…$30 per year. Call me silly but… it seems like pretty inexpensive insurance to avoid major auto repairs.

Hello world!

Welcome to the Hoover Street Auto Repair blog! I welcome your comments & I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say… or what you want to hear from me.

I’ll be posting my thoughts & philosophy on good car maintenance to help you get the most from your investment & avoid costly major auto repairs.

If you find this information helpful, subscribe to my RSS feed or email me.

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