Steve's Auto Repair & Tire Blog

Tire rotations prolong life of tires

In Tires and Wheels by Steves Auto Repair and TireJuly 28, 2020

Updated May 9, 2024

Good, reliable tires can be pricey.

Tire rotations allow drivers to get the most out of them.

This service may have been recommended to you when bringing your vehicle in for needed maintenance, or while you were in the process of buying new tires.

Our automotive technicians perform tire rotations as part of our oil change process. We suggest oil changes, which help prevent engine damage, every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.

Why you should get tire rotations

Regular tire rotations keep tires from wearing unevenly.

The suspension in the front of a vehicle, where the engine is located, is designed differently from the back, which has less weight.

If we leave the tires on the front or the back for too long, they will adapt to that particular weight and cause feathering on the edge of the tires. This leads to tire noise.

While rotating tires, we have a chance to check the lug nuts, make sure there aren’t any brake problems, and look for other issues behind the tires.

Types of tire rotations we offer

The kind of tire rotation needed can vary among vehicles. Normally, our technicians switch the front tires with those on the back.

Tire tread at 4/32 of an inch

For certain cars — like Jeep Wranglers, which have a full-size spare on the back — we perform five-tire rotations.

In this case, the tires are rotated clockwise. A five-tire rotation will prevent drivers from having a full-size spare that’s bigger than the rest of the tires as they wear down.

Cross tire rotations are provided upon request.

We follow Tire Industry Association (TIA) guidelines, and the safety of customers and passengers is a priority.

Our technicians do not move front tires that are at 4/32 of an inch or less to the back. Doing so increases the vehicle’s chance of hydroplaning.

This reasoning also applies to new tires. New tires are mounted on the back, which is the lightest part of the vehicle.

Other tire services

Tire rotation is just one of the ways we can prolong the treadlife. We also recommend regular car alignments and balancing tires.

Wheel alignments prevent tires from wearing too much. During this service, different specifications – including caster, camber, and toe – are checked and adjusted.

A crooked steering wheel, the vehicle pulling to one side, and excessive inner or outer tire wear are symptoms of a bad tire alignment.

Uneven tire wear can also be prevented through tire balancing. This maintenance improves safety by ensuring that the tire’s contact with the road remains the same when a driver is steering or stepping on the brake.

Weights are added to the inside and outside of the tire, as needed.

When the tires are imbalanced, a vibration may be felt from the seat or steering wheel.

Taking care of your tires

Tire maintenance gets you the most value for your tires by helping them to live up to their expected lifespan.

This allows you to avoid expenses in the future.

If an auto repair shop recommends a service – tire-related or not – that you aren’t familiar with, ask questions.

They should be able to explain to you why the work is suggested and any long-term benefits.

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including BMW and Mercedes. Services include oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.

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Air conditioning repair performed on Chevy Silverado

In Cooling System by Steves Auto Repair and TireJuly 23, 2020

New parts have been installed on a Chevy Silverado.

The vehicle was in need of air conditioning repair.

Air conditioning repair performed

One of our technicians replaced the vehicle’s thermostat. The thermostat starts off closed. As the engine warms up, it opens, enabling coolant to flow through the radiator.

We also changed the condenser and drier, which are parts of the air conditioning system.

In the A/C system, refrigerant flows as a gas on one side and as a liquid on the other side.

The air conditioning compressor pushes the refrigerant through the system to the air conditioning condenser.

It becomes a liquid as the air conditioning fan blows on the condenser.

The drier is responsible for taking moisture out of the system.

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire provides air conditioning repair. We also have a new air conditioning machine for 1234yf.

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Noise diagnostics: What we go through to track down sounds

In Diagnostics by Steves Auto Repair and TireJuly 15, 2020

Updated August 15, 2025

Does it seem like your car has been making a new sound lately?

Maybe you’re hearing a clicking, groaning or squealing after you get behind the wheel.

Through noise diagnostics, we can pinpoint the source.

Acquiring information

Test driving a Toyota Highlander

Our technicians start noise diagnostics by taking the vehicle for a test drive.

But before they begin this process, it’s important that we receive a good description from customers about what type of sound they’re hearing. Is it more like a popping noise or a knocking sound?

We also want to know where it’s coming from, and any other characteristics the driver noticed around the same time — such as a vibration.

Dashboard lights that turned on and actions taken at the time the noise appears (such as accelerating) are also helpful details.

Other pieces of information drivers may want to mention are recent events. Has there been any sort of impact? Even potholes and curbs can affect suspension parts.

As we continue down the path of diagnostic testing, we may have follow up questions to get a better picture of what’s going on.

What diagnostic testing looks like

Once we have all of the information, we try to verify the noise.

Because some sounds only occur during certain circumstances, the technicians attempt to recreate it. If it’s a clunking noise, for example, the car may be driven on a road that contains potholes.

One of our technicians worked on diagnosing a noise on a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The customer had noticed a screeching sound when driving down the hill on a certain road. During his test drive, he took it on that road to listen for it.

Looking over a Toyota Tacoma

In addition to conducting test drives, our technicians make sure there aren’t obvious problems, such as a broken or worn component.

After recreating a noise, a process of elimination is used to determine what part of the car the sound is connected to, such as the suspension or the engine.

From what we learn, we can provide recommendations – whether that would involve replacing an item or performing a service.

The challenges of noise diagnostics

If your autoshop is conducting noise diagnostics on your car, don’t be surprised if they aren’t able to figure out the cause right away.

It may take a while for various reasons.

Noise diagnostics can be complicated. Vehicles make lots of sounds, and any of them could mean many things.

A growling noise could have something to do with a car’s wheel bearing, or it may indicate that you have bad tires. Meanwhile, a squeaking sound can be caused by dry, moving parts.

Diagnosing noises is also difficult because cars act like tuning forks — noise travels. You might hear a sound coming from one area when it’s actually rooted in a different place.

We worked on a vehicle where the front differential was going bad. However, the sound was traveling to the back of the car.

You can help speed up the process by being honest, providing as many details as possible, and even being willing to go on a test drive with the technician to confirm the noise.

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New air conditioning machine now being used at Steve’s Auto Repair

In Cooling System by Steves Auto Repair and TireJuly 8, 2020

Are you having car air conditioning problems?

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire has you covered.

We have purchased a new air conditioning machine for refrigerant 1234yf, or R-1234yf.

R-12 was previously used in older vehicles. It switched to R-134 around 1995 to 1996. A couple of years ago, automotive manufacturers began transitioning to R-1234yf. All of these changes have been put in place to help the environment.

The Global Warming Potential (GWP) for R-134 is 1,430, while the R-1234yf GWP is 4, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Additionally, R-1234yf doesn’t diminish the ozone layer and it has a much lower effect on Earth’s climate.

About the new air conditioning machine

When checking for leaks after repairing a R-1234yf air conditioning system, we use a dedicated electronic leak detector and put an inert gas in the system to check for leaks before adding refrigerant, or Freon. Specialized tools are used to make sure the repair is done correctly, especially since the R-1234yf is very expensive.

With our R-1234yf machine, we have the ability to do pre checks and post checks — not only for a functional test and pressure test, but a vent temperature check before and after repair. This is part of our digital inspection that we send to our customers by email and text.

Special oil is required for R-1234yf air conditioning systems. We don’t want any cross-contamination from oil or freon from R-134 to R-1234yf systems. If there is, it can actually ruin the compressor very quickly. That’s why we chose to get a separate machine, as opposed to a dual machine.

If there is R-1234yf in the air conditioning system, the machine will take out R-1234yf so it doesn’t get released into the air.

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Why shocks and struts are needed

In Shocks and Struts by Steves Auto Repair and TireJuly 1, 2020

Every time your car hits a bump or a dip, it bounces.

Shocks and struts, which are part of the suspension, prevent it from continuing to do that as it travels down the road.

While working on a 2000 BMW, Brian noticed wetness around the shock and realized the shocks and struts were original to the car. Rust had also built up on the shock.

Kinds of shocks and strut setups

The shocks and struts set up for each vehicle varies.

Most have a strut assembly — which is a shock and a spring combined — in the front. A lot of cars can have a strut or just a shock separately in the back.

The assembly connects to the car and the front wheels. The part that links with the wheels must be able to pivot as you turn.

When to replace shocks and struts

There are a few signs that shocks and struts need to be replaced.

They include a car making squeaking sounds or irregular tire wear patterns.

Another reason why you should replace these parts is it helps keep the tires in contact with the road, especially during an emergency situation when you want to have as much traction and control of the vehicle as possible.

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