Brooklyn Auto Repair

As the sun begins to shine brighter and flowers bloom, it's time to gear up your car for the spring and summer excursions ahead. Before you hit the road for your seasonal adventures, ensure your vehicle is in prime condition with these crucial maintenance tips: Chill Out: AC Tune-Up Before the mercury climbs, make sure your car's air conditioning system is primed to keep you cool during your spring and summer drives. Schedule an AC inspection today to nip potential issues like leaks or compressor failure in the bud. Stay refreshed and comfortable all season long. Tread Lightly: Tire Check-Up From spring showers to summer heatwaves, your tires face various challenges throughout the seasons. Regular inspections are key to spotting signs of wear or damage early on. Ensure your tires are properly inflated and maintained for optimal safety, performance, and fuel efficiency. Schedule a tire inspection today for worry-free driving all season ... read more

In the realm of European auto repair, the conventional choice often leans towards dealerships. However, at MINH's Automotive, we're here to showcase why we stand out as the superior alternative. While dealerships may offer specialized care, they often lack the personalized touch and efficiency that independent shops like ours provide. Let's dive deeper into the key differences that set MINH's Automotive apart:  Warranty Assurance: Dealerships boast about their manufacturer-backed warranties, but at MINH's Automotive, we go above and beyond. We honor most service warranties and even provide a remarkable 3-year/36,000 mile warranty on all parts and labor. Our commitment to quality and service ensures your vehicle is in expert hands, offering unparalleled peace of mind. We also go a bit further than that and offer a 5 year, 50,000 mile extended warranty if you’re one to own vehicles long term.  Cost-Effective Solutions ... read more

The heart of your vehicle lies within its engine, and ensuring the optimal performance of its components is key to a smooth ride. Today, we delve into the intricacies of the timing chain and camshaft seal replacement process on a 2015 Subaru Outback at MINH's Automotive. From reasons behind failures to the meticulous steps taken during the replacement, let's explore the inner workings of your vehicle's engine. Understanding the Timing Chain and Camshaft Seal: The timing chain plays a pivotal role in the engine's functionality. The timing chain synchronizes the rotation of the crankshaft and camshaft, ensuring proper valve timing. Meanwhile, the camshaft seal prevents oil leakage around the camshaft. Reasons for Timing Chain and Camshaft Seal Failure: Over time, these critical components can succumb to wear and tear, leading to potential issues. Some common reasons for failure include: Wear and Stretching: Continuous use and exposure to high temperatures can cause the ... read more

  What are some indicators that my vehicle's transmission may need to be serviced?   Your car's transmission is one of the most critical components of its engine, responsible for transmitting power from the engine to the wheels. Unfortunately, like any mechanical component, transmissions can develop faults and problems over time. At MINH's Automotive, we have seen our fair share of common transmission faults. Here are a few that you should be aware of: Transmission Slipping: This occurs when the transmission shifts gears randomly, causing the engine to rev up without the car accelerating. Transmission slipping is usually a sign of a worn clutch or damaged transmission bands. Delayed Engagement: If you notice that there's a delay between shifting gears and the car actually moving, it's a sign of a delayed engagement issue. This is usually due to low transmission fluid levels or worn transmission components. Shuddering or Vibrating: A shuddering or vib ... read more

What exactly is a PCV? And how does it affect my engines performance? The Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve plays a vital role in regulating the pressure inside your vehicle's engine by removing harmful gases and vapors from the crankcase. If your PCV valve is not functioning correctly, it can cause a range of problems that can lead to decreased engine performance, increased emissions, and even damage to engine components over time.   One of the most noticeable signs of a faulty PCV valve is decreased engine performance. This is because the valve helps regulate the air-fuel mixture in the engine, and when it malfunctions, it can cause the engine to run too rich or too lean, resulting in decreased performance and triggering the check engine light.   Another sign of a failing PCV valve is increased emissions. The PCV valve plays an essential role in controlling emissions in your vehicle's engine. If it fails, it can cause an increase in harm ... read more

There are several potential reasons why a car's AC may not be functioning properly, including: Low refrigerant levels: This is a common reason why the AC may not be blowing cold air. Low refrigerant levels can be caused by leaks in the AC system. Faulty compressor: The compressor is a key component of the AC system, and if it is not working correctly, the AC may not function properly. Clogged or dirty air filters: If the air filters are clogged or dirty, this can restrict airflow, which can lead to reduced cooling performance. ​Electrical issues: Electrical problems such as faulty wiring, blown fuses, or a malfunctioning thermostat can also cause the AC to malfunction.​ At MINH's Automotive, we recommend bringing your car in for our qualified technicians to diagnose the issue with your car's Air Conditioner system. Once diagnosed, we will recommend the necessary repairs, which may include fixing any leaks in the AC system, replacing faulty components, or cleaning/repl ... read more

Volkswagen Audi engine timing chains come in many variations specific to the vehicle but have the same responsibility to keep mechanical synchronization within the engine to ensure smooth operation. The engine in question is a 2.0 CAEB TFSI. Here are some insights:   What is a timing chain? It is a metal chain that wraps around sprockets within the engine that are attached to crankshaft and camshafts to synchronize the stages of intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust for the engine to produce power. What are symptoms of a bad timing chain? Some may include: CEL Light- The check engine light is on and may have timing codes stored in the ECM module. Hesitation- Vehicle is having trouble starting or may not start at all.  Rattling sound- A rattling sound can be heard from the engine with accordance to applying gas.  Misfire-  ... read more

Having a safe car to drive is an important part of car ownership, especially proper brake maintenance and care.     What Are Brake Pads? Brake pads are an important part of a safe car and brake maintenance. Brake pads are located between your brake shoe and your brake drum. Here are some helpful tips to know to give you clues on when to schedule changing your brake pads.  Squealing, screeching or whining noises - This can mostly be heard while braking and happens continuously.   Grinding Noises - Some brake pads have small metal ridges placed at the bottom of the pad as a way to make a loud noise and alert you that it’s time to get new brake pads. If you hear this often it’s a sign your brake pads are ready to be changed.  Vibrating Brake Pedal – If you find it difficult to press down on your brakes and stop your car, this is a big sign your brakes are worn out. You will also feel a vibration pressing down on the brake which is ... read more

Struts inevitably wear out, and when they do, it becomes a danger to you and your passengers New struts enable your vehicle to stop as much swiftly, as much as 10 feet's worth The suspension system comprises of wheels, tires, shocks absorbers, springs, and every other part that forms a connection between the car body and the tires. it is necessary to maintain your suspension system some of the most important parts of the suspension system: springs, Dampers/Shock Absorbers, struts, Roll Bars/Anti-sway Springs - one of the most important parts of the suspensions system. In most cars the springs are usually made up of steel because of its incredible elasticity. A spring is the only part of the suspension designed to last a lifetime and is the only thing that needs little or no maintenance. However, it is better to get it checked after some time Dampers or shock absorbers - mechanical components that are designed to limit the oscillat ... read more

The piston rings, on the 2.0 and 1.8 TFSI engines pre-dating 2012 (majority of the reports being from the 2.0), let little oil seep through to the cylinders. Once there, they result in high oil consumption due to burning. As the driver, this issue will come to your attention by way of the ‘add one litre of oil’ notification. If and when this does happen, we recommend that you add a litre of the right grade oil as soon as possible, though you don’t need to stop the vehicle as soon as you see it. If left unattended, this problem will exacerbate. Thick smoke from acceleration, damage to the cylinders, etc. To get out ahead of the problem as an owner of a 2008–2012 2.0 or 1.8 TFSI engine, we suggest that you fill your oil to maximum capacity and then proceed to reset the odometer. The way you will know whether or not you’re affected by this problem will be the ‘add one litre of oil’ notification after having driven your Audi less than 1,200 m ... read more