Albany Auto Repair

Do you ever get into a car on a hot summer day, turn on your A/C just to be met with an awful smell? Yeah, it’s no fun. I'm sure we have all experienced that, but what causes the smell? (This is a dirty A/C Evaporator from a 2012 Ford F-450 that was used on a farm. just goes to show how filthy they can get)   The A/C and Heating system circulate air throughout your car or truck much like the A/C used in your house. Also like your house, most automobiles have filters in the A/C and Heating System (these are called cabin air filters).   Cabin air filters trap a lot of smells and allergens. Regular maintenance of replacing your cabin air filter can keep odors at bay. For automobiles that don’t have cabin air filters the heater and cooling elements, and the vents, can collect dirt and allergens that a filter would stop. So cleaning those elements and vents are required.   BG Services steps up again with their Frigi-Fresh Service, It cleans and disinfect ... read more

Diesel, mostly found in trucks and some cars in the United States. It is the most energy dense fuel with widespread use today. In most other countries, diesel engines are in nearly all makes and models of cars and trucks.   These engines require specialized equipment and knowledge to repair and maintain. That's why we use the best tooling and equipment possible and employ the best in the industry. In addition, we continue the education of our team for new and emerging technologies in the automotive industry.     We are starting to see more diesel engines being used in smaller trucks here in the Untied States, and more European cars coming to the US with diesel options. There are some shops that don’t work on diesels, but we look forward to working with any diesel powered car or truck!   At Crabtree Automotive, we work on all makes and models, even European.  From Honda to Audi and everything in between! So give us a call or schedule an appointme ... read more

What happens to tires when the weather warms up?   Warm weather is here, and summer road trips are right around the corner. Tires are THE only part of your car that touches the ground and keeps you going down the road. You could say tires are the most important part of your car or truck. Flat tires are no fun, but another problem is when your tires wear down from normal use, they begin to have less and less traction in rainy or snowy conditions. Luckily we don’t have to worry about snow anytime soon.    Wet slippery roads cause millions of accidents across the county. Many of those are from bald tires. We inspect your whole vehicle when you come to Crabtree, Including tires. There are indicators on tires to let you know when it's time for replacement. We will check this for you.    When you bring your vehicle to Crabtree we will make a maintenance schedule for you that keeps your car and your wallet happy. This, of course, includes tires. We sel ... read more

Which Cummins engine is the best? That is another subjective question. But let's continue with our diesel truck discussion.   Like its Powerstroke counterpart, the Cummins engine found in Ram pickups has undergone many changes. Arguably the most famous light-duty diesel, the 12v Cummins first introduced in a Dodge Ram W250 and W350 in 1989, is still heavily used to this day.   Cummins designated the engine as a 6BT (6-cylinder B-Series Turbocharged), the first version having one exhaust and one intake valve per cylinder (12v) and using a rotary fuel injection pump (VE) Pump.   From there, fuel pump changes, different turbos, better injectors, and eventually electronic controls gets us to modern-day the 6.7 Cummins.   It shares the same displacement as the 6.7 powerstroke but that is where the similarities end. Ford, Ram, and Chevrolet all battle for top horsepower and towing capacity bragging rights. A few years back, Ram was the first in the industry to ... read more

Why does your A/C System keep failing?   Well there is probably a leak! The AC system in modern automobiles can get pretty complex but they all have some of the same fundamental components.    When a leak occurs it can be extremely hard to find. Thankfully we have some special tools to make that easier. On this 1997 Ford F-250 we had a leak that didn't show up with dye and the leak started all the sudden for the customer.   We started by hooking up our AC Servicing Machine to the truck to recover any feon left in the system and then put the system under a vacuum to test for leaks and see how big the leak is.   We were able to detect that there was a leak and it was rather large. But with visual inspection we couldn’t find anything. The customer let us know that nearly the entire system had been replaced last year.    We then filled the AC system with environmentally safe Nitrogen Gas and used soapy water in a spray bottle to cover ... read more

Have you heard the news? Investing in your car is now safer than keeping money in the bank 😅   Sorry, I had to, but for real new car prices, fuel prices, Interest rates, all of it is through the roof! Now is the time to keep up the maintenance on your current car or even get an older car you stashed away back on the road.   New cars are great, but so is saving money. We can’t do anything about fuel prices, but a well-maintained vehicle will get the best mileage possible; no, a huge truck isn't going to get better mileage than a little car, but that truck can gain several MPG from proper maintenance.    Take this recent purchase, a  2012 Ford F-450, needed to tow a large trailer with. It could be purchased cheaply because the previous owner did not take care of it well and it needed a few mechanical repairs.   We don’t do paint or bodywork here at Crabtree Auto, but we can handle all the mechanicals of whatever you drive!   ... read more