College Station Auto Repair

What the Chip Shortage Means   Your car needs repairing but what do you do? In days of old a repair facility will diagnose and find the problem. If a replacement part is required, they will order it from any number of suppliers that manufacture vehicle modules. But in times of the pandemic and the global supply chain shortages - this is no longer an easy task.    The chip supply is still catching up with demand and car makers are looking at means to reduce their reliance on semiconductors. Either by re-designing vehicles to have fewer modules, or by warning customers that if they want their car, they can have it without some features.   Major car features including park assist, advanced driver assist, and infotainment extras may be excluded from the vehicle - even when their VIN and order from the factory has them included. This means auto repair shops need to do some detective work to understand what features their customers' cars have.   Ever ... read more

You've probably heard countless times that brakes maintenance is a must. Yet, many drivers put it off time and time again.    Excuses abound. Lack of time and high repair costs are the most popular. But there is one really dangerous pretext that stands out from the rest - thinking that brake service is only necessary when performance declines or a warning light comes on.   Overconfidence, the main enemy of road safety   In the last 30 years, automakers have invested millions in improving car safety. As part of this effort, modern cars now feature a variety of warning indicators in the instrument cluster. The brake warning light and the brake (pad) wear indicator are two of them. The problem with these indicators is that many people misunderstand their true purpose.   Contrary to popular belief, brake system warning indicators are not there to remind you to have your brakes serviced. These ... read more

The recent surge in gas prices has fueled the demand for electric vehicles. As you might know, the President has set a goal for half of all new car sales to be electric, fuel cell, or hybrid electric vehicles by 2030, so the EV revolution is going to happen sooner rather than later.  If you’ve already purchased an EV or are about to, congratulations on saying goodbye to the gas pump. Here are a few tips for 2022 to help you get used to your new charging life. EV Credits You’ve just splashed out for an EV in a market where new cars are in short supply and buyers are getting overcharged on the sticker price. The good news is that you’ve heard that the government is offering rebates of up to $7,500 for EV purchases and you want to get some of your money back. Not so fast! It’s not an instant rebate. If you haven’t filed the credit this tax season, you’ll have to wait for the next one. Oh, and if you make more than $135,000 (or $200,000 filin ... read more

Proper maintenance of a car not only improves its efficiency but also extends its life. Most of all, maintenance has an impact on the vehicle's fuel efficiency. Prices of gas are exorbitant, and no one wants to burn it unnecessarily. There are a number of factors that help improve a car's gas mileage, and many people are unaware of it. Many also believe that they cannot do anything to improve its mileage. However, if you focus on maintaining several parts of your car, you can improve the mileage by up to 40%. Here are a few essential vehicle maintenance tips that will help you save fuel. Change Air Filters Air filters get clogged over time due to the accumulation of dirt and debris. Dirty air keeps passing through the filter and leaves a large amount of dirt in it. Keeping such a clogged filter for a long time is terrible for your vehicle's gas mileage. Changing them on time helps improve the fuel economy. This is also beneficial in enhancing acceleratio ... read more

Let’s not forget something really important here. Your car can have all manner of cutting-edge wizardry and specialist hardware to make it the perfect ride, but it all means nothing unless you have a set of humble tires sitting underneath it all. A set of properly maintained, regularly rotated tires of a high-order of quality and brand is absolutely essential for your on-road safety and comfort. Here at Gladney Automotive in College Station, Texas, we’re proud to reveal that we’ve now added tire replacement services as well as tire balancing services to our program. Below you can learn more about what these services involve and why they matter. Tire Rotation Vs. Tire Replacement – What’s the Difference? Tire rotation is the process of changing the positions of your current tires in order to ensure that all four of the tires will wear evenly. On most cars, two of the four tires will bear more brunt than the other two. Therefore, a rotation will ensure th ... read more

Automotive Locksmith Services and Why They Still Matter                                  In this ultra-modern age of “Keyless” entry and “Push-button Start” in our cars, does the humble car key even have a function anymore? The frank and honest answer is yes it does. Keys have definitely become more complex and interesting, and the key fob is now arguably the most important element as opposed to the metal key bit, but keys and their related services remain a crucial automotive service that we all need. Here at Gladney Automotive Solutions, we know that all too well, which is why we maintain a huge stock of 78,000 different keys to offer fast and efficient key repair and replacement services. In today’s blog, we’re looking first at what kinds of services a reputable automotive locksmith offers their customers and how to spot the good one ... read more

     A lot of automotive enterprises out there claim to serve the need for “Fleet Services.” To many drivers, however, this is a somewhat unknown term. What exactly do people mean when they talk of “fleet services,” and who are these services for? Here at Gladney Automotive Solutions in College Station, Texas, we offer fleet services on cars, vans and light-duty trucks. In today’s blog, we’re sharing our knowledge on fleet services, what they include, how they work and why they are important. You might discover that your own business ambitions will include the need for fleet services like ours, one day soon. What are Fleet Services? The term ‘fleet services’ refers to the many maintenance and repair services that are carried out upon commercial vehicles that make up part of a business fleet. You might think the word ‘fleet’ suggests only companies with dozens or many hundreds of vehicles out on the road ... read more

Cars have never been safer. With smarter design and construction, more rigid and durable materials, as well as more reliable safety equipment, our cars are increasingly protecting as well as transporting us. But it’s not just rigid steel and related hardware that’s keeping us safe, but also high-tech wizardry and cutting-edge software. Many of these systems are what we now call ADAS features, and that’s what today’s article is all about. After reading today’s piece, you’ll not only be fully up to speed on what ADAS features are, but where they are located on your vehicle, and how important it is to keep them properly calibrated, in particular after your car undergoes repairs or wheel realignment. What are ADAS Features? Just about every new car nowadays comes with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or “ADAS” for short. These are systems that actively assist you while driving, usually in the interests of driver and passenger safety. Th ... read more