Scottsbluff Auto Repair

Brakes really aren't optional equipment for Scottsbluff drivers' vehicles. And taking care of them isn't optional either.A regular brake inspection is on every NE driver's vehicle maintenance schedule. At Twin City Auto, our team will check your brake system and let you know if there are any problems. Of course, if you're having trouble with your brakes, get your car into your Scottsbluff service center right away. And watch out for these problems: Low or spongy brake pedal Hard brake pedal A brake warning light that stays on Constantly squealing or grinding brakes Vibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakes There are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that's attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle. Drum brakes are more common on back wheels. Pads, called shoes, push against the inside of the drum to slow the vehicle.There are several things that need to be serviced on the ... 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 Scottsbluff drivers. A lot of us in Scottsbluff 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 ... read more

Sometimes busy Scottsbluff residents dream about going back to the “simpler” days of our grandparents. But if you could travel back in time and take a road trip around NE in a Model T, you might change your mind. The improved designs and quality of today's automobiles have significantly reduced the amount of time Scottsbluff residents spend at the side of the road during breakdowns. With proper maintenance, today's vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before.Some of those improvements, however, have led to higher repair costs. For example, older cars often broke down from vapor lock. Gas vaporized while traveling from the gas tank to the fuel pump. No gas, no power. The car quits going. The solution was simple — you just sat by the road until the car would start up again. Today's Scottsbluff drivers would hardly tolerate that kind of inconvenience, and it's likely that yesterday's Scottsbluff drivers didn't care much for it, either. So on today's vehicl ... read more

Knowing how their engine works can help Scottsbluff drivers make informed decisions about auto care and prevent repairs to their vehicles. This is especially true when it comes to timing belts.An engine's power is generated in the cylinders. Inside the cylinder is a piston that moves up and down while the engine is running. Power is generated in a cycle that includes four strokes of the piston. First, the piston drops and a valve at the top of the cylinder opens to let in fuel and air. The piston then rises, which compresses the fuel and air. At this point, the spark plug fires, igniting the fuel and pushing the piston down. This downstroke transfers energy to the engine, which provides the power it needs to run. The piston rises again, and a valve opens to release the exhaust.All of this movement is orchestrated by a timing belt. The timing belt is so named because it keeps the pistons and valves operating in synch with each other, just as a conductor keeps all ... read more

There are a lot of drivers in Scottsbluff who are due for a differential service, but had never heard of a differential before.With front-wheel drive being so common in NE these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Scottsbluff folks don't even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don't need to be serviced for years, so it's understandable that it's not something on the top of your mind. It's not uncommon for people in Scottsbluff to not know they have a differential, let alone know that it needs service.To better understand what a differential does, think about a track at any NE high school. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That's to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each ru ... read more

There is a clear and vocal demand in Scottsbluff and nationally for a reduction in air pollution and our dependence on fossil fuels. This is what is driving the NE market for alternative fuel vehicles. There are a number of these vehicles on Scottsbluff area roads today, and many more being developed. Yet each of these vehicles has its own advantages and disadvantages. Scottsbluff auto owners should learn what these advantages and disadvantages are before running out and purchasing one of these alternative fuel vehicles at your nearest Scottsbluff dealership.Scottsbluff drivers should carefully research the vehicle care before buying an alternative fuel vehicle, as it may or may not coincide with the standards for gasoline vehicles. You should look at costs as well; these vehicles may help save our environment here in Scottsbluff, but that might not represent a savings to your wallet. You'll need to decide what you can afford and w ... read more

When winter approaches in NE, Scottsbluff residents break out the sweaters, coats, boots and mittens. We want to be ready for NE winter conditions. Your vehicle needs to be ready for winter as well. The last thing Scottsbluff residents want is to get stranded out in the cold. You need your vehicle to be safe and reliable. It's a good idea to get caught up on any neglected maintenance items anytime - but the stakes are higher in cold NE winters.There are some specific things Scottsbluff drivers need to do to have their vehicle ready for winter. The most obvious is having the antifreeze checked. If the antifreeze level is too low, it can't properly protect your engine, radiator and hoses from freezing. If your car does not seem to be making enough heat to keep you warm, your antifreeze level may be low or you could have a thermostat problem. Get it checked out at Twin City Auto in Scottsbluff. If you are due for a cooling system service, now is a perfect time to have it done.In the cold ... read more

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Scottsbluff drivers, and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most people. Let's get the urgency issues out of the way first. If your Check Engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause engine damage. Naturally, you need to get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn't drive at high speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to your Scottsbluff service center. If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn't go off, schedule an appointment with your friendly and knowledgeable pros at Twin City Auto to get it checked out.Some more information on how the Check Engine light works may be helpful for Scottsbluff drivers. Most of your engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, c ... read more

Your engine is like a finely choreographed dance. All the parts have to work together. If the timing is off at the ballet, dancers crash into each other and fall down. It the timing is off in your engine, it may not run at all. One of the most intricate dances in your engine has to do with the combustion cycle.Your vehicle engine has cylinders in which a piston travels up and down. At the top of the cylinders are valves that open to bring in the air and fuel. And there are valves that open to let out the exhaust after the fuel has been burned. Call Twin City Auto at 308.635.7404 for answers about your timing belt, or drop by our Scottsbluff, NE, service center on 1802 E Overland Suite #4. It's critical that the values be timed to open and close at precisely the right time in the combustion cycle, or the engine will run poorly or not at all.The timing belt is responsible for rotating the s ... read more

These days many people in the Scottsbluff area are really committed to making their cars last a long time. First thing: you've got to start with what you've got. It'd be ideal if people started with a brand new car, never missed a scheduled service item, paid attention to the severe service maintenance schedule and had regular inspections. But if you've had the vehicle for a while or bought it used, its maintenance history is what it is; and that's where you start.Go through the maintenance schedule for your vehicle and see what's been done and when. Have your Scottsbluff service advisor at Twin City Auto do an inspection and come up with a list of stuff that needs to be done. Review the list and prioritize the work, talk about budget and make a plan to get caught up.Making a plan is so important. Suppose you go in for an oil change and learn you need your cooling system serviced, a transmission service and are coming up on a timing belt replacement in the next ... read more