Your gas mileage mostly depends on what kind of car you drive; engine displacement and vehicle weight are the largest determining factors on gas mileage, and there’s not much you can do to change either of those. That doesn’t mean attempting to improve your fuel economy is a completely hopeless endeavor, however. With these tips from D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ, you might be surprised how much your fuel mileage can be improved.

At D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ, we’ve witnessed our fair share of burnt out and broken clutches. While clutch failure is an inevitability, there are a variety of ways to make sure yours lasts as long as possible.

It’s easier than ever to keep your fleet running smoothly for thousands of miles. If a vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it today, chances are it still has 75 percent of its driving life ahead of it. That’s good news if you’re a company managing a fleet of vehicles. It wasn’t that long ago that hitting the 100,000-mile mark on the odometer was a major milestone. Today, vehicles are built to last. With the proper maintenance and attention, there’s no reason you shouldn’t expect to see that 50,000-mile reading on the odometer one day roll right past 200,000 and keep ongoing. Here at D & E Service Center, we're going to give you some tips on how to make that happen!

At D & E Service Center in Andover, we know that the first and most important step toward keeping your car, truck, or SUV reliably on the road, is knowing how to properly care for it. Here are a few tips on how to keep your vehicle in shape.

Judging by the number of near-rear-endings we witness on our morning commutes, the typical attitude toward brake maintenance appears to be, “Brakes: Don’t let them stop you!” This puzzles us because monitoring your braking system’s health is one of the most straightforward aspects of car ownership. You do have to know what to look for, though, or rather, what to listen and feel for. So let us, uh, break it down for you. Here are the top three signs that your brakes need fixing.

A good technician will give your car a quick inspection whenever you have maintenance performed. Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance. At D & E Service Center in Andover, we're good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off when its been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance here at D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ, where we are good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off when it's been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

Travelling can be difficult, and traveling can be fun. The difference usually comes down to how much preparation you do in advance, and how many unplanned obstacles you meet along the way. A great way to avoid setbacks, mishaps, and stressful situations is to make sure your car, truck, or SUV is ready to hit the road. Here are some important points to check before travelling, from D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ.

Manual transmissions require far less maintenance than automatics. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need a fluid check from time to time. Here’s what you should know about checking and adding fluid to your manual transmission, from D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ.

At some point or another, it’ll happen to you. You leave your headlights on, your battery finally fails, or for some other reason, you don’t have enough juice to start your car. Don’t call a tow truck just yet, though...D & E Service Center in Andover has the info you need to properly jump-start your car.

If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, you know that your precision engineered equipment demands precision tuning. At D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ, we specialize in high-end imports and performance vehicles and keep them up to par.

Gauges are your first, and often only, line of defense in catching a major problem before it’s too late. At D & E Service Center in Andover, we know that sometimes a faulty gauge is overlooked when the truck is still running fine and there’s a busy day ahead. However, gauges are extremely important, and are typically easy to repair.

At D & E Service Center in Andover, our priority is keeping your transmission shifting smooth and running strong for years to come. While proper maintenance, driving habits, and a myriad of other conditions affect the life and reliability of a transmission, there are also ways to increase the overall efficiency of your unit, even above stock performance.

A huge part of what the hydraulic system in your transmission does is tell the mechanical components what to do and when to do it. Even if you don't understand how that works, our technicians at D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ have trained with the best to make sure they understand all the ins and outs of your system. We want you to understand what we're talking about when we talk to you about your vehicle so we'll break down some aspects of your hydraulic system. 

At D & E Service Center in Andover, we know you’re busy. We also know that while there are certain issues with your car, truck, or SUV you can ignore for a while, some of them shouldn’t wait. While serious issues are often obvious, sometimes they aren’t - ball joints are one such case.

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at D & E Service Center is here to help you out. It's simple in theory but does quite a lot of work for such a small piece of equipment. Your spark plug forces electricity to arc across a gap like a bolt of lightning at high voltage and fits into your engine's cylinder head, where it “sparks” to ignite the fuel and creates combustion within your engine. Without it, you wouldn't be able to drive your car or truck. 

It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ, we can help!

At D & E Service Center in Andover, NJ, we recommend always making it a priority to change your oil on time. Here’s a look into why it’s so important, and what happens if you don’t keep up with oil changes.

Sludge - If oil stays in an engine too long, sludge begins to build up anywhere oil can go. The oil absorbs tiny debris and contaminants, kind of like a liquid sponge - once it’s at capacity, that oil begins to stick, clog, and build up throughout the engine. Small veins that carry oil to components like actuators, turbos, and bearings will become blocked, starving critical components of oil and causing component or engine failure.

At D & E Service Center in Andover, our goal is to keep your car, truck, or SUV shifting and riding as smoothly as it did the day it rolled off the lot. A big part of that is the mounting hardware that keeps the moving parts in your drivetrain running smooth.

Do you hear a funny clicking sound when you turn the wheels of your vehicle? It could be your car or truck's CV or Drive Axle, and it may be in need of repair. Safety is the number one priority for our customers here at D & E Service Center, and it is our goal to keep your vehicle running smoothly. Driving around with a damaged CV Joint or Drive Axle problem can be extremely dangerous. The axle is a structural component that bears the weight of the vehicle, any cargo, and the acceleration forces between you and the ground. It is so important to have your vehicle inspected regularly by a trained automotive repair professional here at D & E Service Center to ensure its safety.