FALCONER AUTO REPAIR

Rewind the clock 30 years ago and imagine someone saying, “Hey, did you know that I can hail a cab right from my phone?” I’m guessing your reaction would be one of disbelief and you might even call the person crazy! Fast forward to today and millions are now using their phone to call for a ride. A Better Way This idea of ordering a taxi with a smartphone app has not taken a lot of time for people to get used to. Uber took advantage of the popularity of taxis while greatly improving the user experience by providing service in areas where conventional taxis don't line up at the curb. (Why didn't I think of that?) In 2010, Uber introduced a location-based ride-share service out of San Francisco, California, to assess how the market would receive such an idea. The results were amazing and from there the ... read more

Automotive technology zooms along in the fast lane on the innovation highway. Some of the parts in a car have been simplified, while some have become even more complex. As automobiles have become more advanced, so have the ways that we diagnose and repair troubles as well as perform routine maintenance services. Let’s review the state of automotive diagnostics. The ECU and OBD Two dynamic tools are the engine control unit and the on-board diagnostic reader. For short, they’re called the ECU and the OBD. The ECU and OBD devices are onboard computers that help control and manage all the functions of the auto. The ECU’s main responsibility is to read and test the engine. ECU technology was introduced in 1939 but had v ... read more

Car thieves have advanced significantly from busting windows and hot-wiring. In today's article, we are discussing a more sophisticated way professional car thieves are stealing cars and covering their tracks: VIN Cloning. No, it's not the latest sci-fi movie, but a real-life epidemic that is resulting in misery for victims here in New York and around the country. VIN Cloning is not about reproducing actual cars, but stealing VIN numbers. The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is the unique 17 digit number assigned to each car by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is used like a social security number to track the car's history throughout its life. You probably have discovered that a valid VIN is need ... read more

Have you ever left your parking brake undone (or left a manual transmission out of gear), climbed out of your vehicle, and off your car goes? It’s not common, but with over 1.2 billion cars in the world, it happens from time to time. You may have experienced something like this if you have ever driven an automobile with a standard transmission. This is a typical scenario: you fire up the motor and then realize that you forgot something inside your house. Leaving the engine running, you start getting out of the vehicle to quickly reclaim the item. A more dangerous situation is when your car waits until you are out of sight before it decides to take off. This is what happened in an unusual story we heard the other day. The auto owner parked his car in front of a friend's home on a gently descending rural road. After spending some time ... read more

Some Falconer drivers are loyal to one car brand, while others will mix and match different makes to suit all of their needs. There are hundreds of brands of cars internationally but most of the small ones are owned by one of the following mega-corporations: General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Fiat-Chrysler, Daimler, Renault-Nissan, Honda, BMW, Ford, FCA, TATA, PSA, and Hyundai. Just about every car maker offers a car that caters to the wants, needs, and delight of any Falconer motorist. At I-86 Truck & Auto Repair, we have had the privilege of servicing a broad range of autos and have received a lot of feedback from customers. Here’s what they’ve had to say. Audi owners love their A4 sport sedan, Q7 SUV, and their outrageously fast R8. BMW matches with the very popular 3 Series seda ... read more

In today's message we will talk about something many Falconer drivers do every day, or, perhaps feel guilty about not doing. We're talking about carpooling. Whether you drive to work with some colleagues or take turns driving with other parents in the neighborhood to get the kids to school, you are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of ride sharing. Pros: You can save on gas, car maintenance outlays, and parking fees. U.S. carpoolers save over one billion dollars every year.1 In the case of carpooling kids to school, you save time by not having to drive every day. Where available, you can use the carpool lanes on highways and zoom past the single drivers in the stop-and-go lanes. When it's not your day to drive, you can sit back and close your eyes or get a jump start on your work to-do ... read more

At I-86 Truck & Auto Repair, we understand that your car is a significant purchase. We can help you protect your investment by providing quality maintenance and repair services. Another way you can make sure your vehicle serves your transportation needs as long as possible is to avoid these bad habits. Flooring it When the Light Turns Green Okay, Mr. Earnhardt, you are not at Talladega. You don't need to floor it and push your car to the limit just to slow down at the next stoplight. Junk in the Trunk Do you keep a lot of stuff in your trunk that you don't need to haul around? You are stressing all those costly parts unnecessarily. (And your fuel efficiency takes a hit, as well.) Riding Your Brakes This can be a challenging habit to break (no pun intended ... read more

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all had the experience of acquiring a product and not quite understanding the warranty that comes along with it. It seems like just about anything that you can buy—from a refrigerator to a cell phone—either comes with a warranty or you have the option to add a warranty. When shopping around for cars, there is some vital warranty information that should be analyzed beforehand so you’ll be clear on what’s covered if something does go wrong. New Cars If you’re buying a new car, warranties are typically much easier to come by and are more straightforward than their used car warranty counterparts. Most car manufacturers now deliver a warranty with the purchase of a new vehicle. These standard manufacturer warranties will either cover you for a set amount ... read more

The key to your car is one of the smallest, yet most essential features of your car. In today's article we’re going to look at how the key has changed and advanced over the years. Back when cars were first developed and then started being mass-produced, keys weren’t even part of the equation. You’d have to crank a lever that was connected to the engine just to get your auto to fire up, and that took strength and patience. This was the norm back then, but imagine having to start your vehicle like that every time you wanted to take a drive. Not my idea of convenient. (And it's easy to see why turn-of-the-century era bank robbers had to have an accomplice sitting in the getaway car with the engine running. It wasn’t until 1949 that someone had the clever idea of using a key to start the engine. After painstaking e ... read more

At I-86 Truck & Auto Repair, we believe that many autos are a pleasure to look at from the outside. And some have gained popularity for outer body appearance alone. For example, think of your favorite car and then consider why you like it. I’m guessing one of the main reasons is because of how it looks on the outside. But have you ever analyzed the amount of detail and innovation that goes into car interiors? While the outside styling of cars is what turns heads, the interior is what keeps the driver and passengers happy and comfortable. But auto interiors haven’t always offered opulent comfort and an array of tools at your fingertips. Technically, the first cars had no "interior" because they were basically open-air buggies ... read more