Automotive News & Information - Nick's Automotive

Awareness and safety are at the top of our list of concerns here at Nick's Automotive, even more so with all the recall scare that happens in the news. We think a well-maintained car is a safe car that can also save you money in the long run. Here are our top ten tips for keeping your family safe, saving you money, and keeping your car running smoothly.

Foggy headlights are a problem that has arisen in the past couple of decades, as we have moved away from glass sealed beam bulbs and into an era of plastic lenses with bulbs inside. While modern headlights are superior to the sealed beam headlights of years ago, they do tend to fog up after years of use. It’s a good trade for far better illumination and easier replacement, but an issue nonetheless. Hours and hours of heat, sunlight, and age eventually cause them to cloud up, which can reduce visibility at night in addition to worsening the appearance of your car, truck, or SUV. From Nick's Automotive in Reno, NV, here are some tips on taking care of your foggy or cloudy headlight issue.

If you drive a vehicle with a manual transmission, you know that clutch replacement can be an expensive and time-consuming job. Nick's Automotive in Reno has some tips to keep your clutch replacements as infrequent as possible.

At Nick's Automotive in Reno, transmissions are our game, and taking care of them is at the top of our list of priorities. Here are 5 things you can do to take care of your transmission, from the pros:

Your brake master cylinder is an integral part of your brake system. When one fails, some odd symptoms may arise, and it may be difficult to diagnose. Here’s some information to help you decide if yours has gone bad. At Nick's Automotive in Reno, NV we want you to know what to look out for so that you can be safely on the road.

Your pickup truck is heavy and hard working, whether it’s a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge. If you add towing to the mix, it’s even heavier and has to work harder. Your brakes are one of the most wear and tear prone systems on your diesel pickup, but at Nick's Automotive in Reno, NV, we can help you keep yours in good shape.

Car enthusiasts would argue that "those were the days". Everything you drove was built like a tank and had the chrome on it so you enjoyed washing it but NO power steering. For most of us, it is hard to remember life without power steering – cranking those great big steering wheels? It was a pretty good workout. Now power steering is standard. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid that provides assistance for steering. Most pumps are driven by a belt that is run by the engine – a few are electrically powered. A high-pressure hose passes fluid from the pump to the steering gear. A low-pressure hose returns the fluid back to the pump. Here at Nick's Automotive in Reno, NV we know that you depend on that power steering and check your fluid & hoses religiously!

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at Nick's Automotive 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.