How to Improve Your Gas Mileage

Like Jerry says "some people drive their cars like a light switch", meaning they are all in the gas or all in the brake. Transitioning from stops to cruising or vise versa has much to do with gas mileage. Temperance while accelerating and developing space between your vehicle and another allows more coasting and less braking hence less accelerating. Also when approaching a stop light begin coasting long before the brakes need to be applied to stop. The #1 way to increase gas mileage is to have your tires properly inflated. Don't buy any snake oil mileage gimmicks. We did a lot of work a few years ago when people bought the airnado devices which supposedly would swirl the air to help mix with the gas in the engine. What a total rip off. The #2 rip off was the magnets that went around the fuel lines to allegedly make the hydrocarbons molecules equally disperse thus making combustion more efficient.

We like to offer tips for our clients and readers.  Little actions we take usng our vehicle will help save you money in the long run.  Gas is at a good price right now however, I think we all realize prices will not remain low forever.

Todd Frank
Owner Jerry Garage

How to Know When Your Air or Cabin Filter Needs Changing in Your Car

It is always a good time to buy. It cannot always be a good time to buy what somebody is selling. Next time you are told you need an air filter, or cabin air filter, ask to see it. If you can hold it up to the sky and see light coming through the pleats it does not need to be replaced. Check your records if you are replacing your vehicles air and cabin filters more than once in three years you are most likely being retailed. Exceptions would be if your constantly shedding dog shares a lot of windshield time with you, or if you drive in a very dusty environment frequently.

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Transmissions Fluids and Education on Repairs

Does it really matter what fluids are used when a service or part requires topping off of a system? We build several transmissions a year because an improper fluid was not used. Some businesses will use a less expensive universal fluid and then use an additive to allegedly convert the fluid to the proper characteristics. Why would a business even attempt this? Profit margin. Some transmissions, transfer cases, differentials and even power steering units, require expensive fluids. Always use the proper oem fluid. Don't trust any product which claims to be an equivalent. Think about your favorite meal your Mom makes, are really going to be happy when ingredients are substituted? It is not going to be the same. Cars want and need the real McCoy.

We offer full turkey transmission service. Short Video I talk about transmissions.

Quality of Auto Parts (Cheap vs Dealer)

We are all looking for a good deal, right? At Jerry's Garage we take a realistic approach to the parts we use to repair your vehicles. We usually give our customers as many options as possible and will issue warnings if needed. A childhood friend of mine needed a hub bearing for his truck a year ago, and a cheap bearing was around $200 and a dealer bearing was almost $500.

 I explained to  him the dealer bearing would last longer, he opted for the cheaper price.

Here we are a year later putting a new OEM (original equipment manufacturer) bearing on to replace the aftermarket bearing.  Be aware Cheaper is not always less expensive if you pay for the job twice. 

If a job is expensive in labor to replace a part, would you rather risk putting a cheap part in or would you want the best part available? At Jerry's we advise our customers based off our knowledge and experience. We provide out customers with best information and pu the final choice in our customers hands.

We are located in Round Rock Texas.  Family owned business open the doors in 1967.  We take great pride in taking care of our customers.

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Maintenance For Your Vehicle

What is it that you seek? Over maintenance, under maintenance, or just the wright amount. 


How many times a year does a vehicle need an air filter?  Depends on operational environment, for instance if you have a work truck that is always in the dust or out the fields maybe a few times.  But for those who are not in a dirt/ dust/ grass/ grain free environment maybe only a filter every few years.  I personally have owned cars for over 7 years and the air filter never needed changing.


It drives me crazy to see how many filters some people have paid for when I go through their receipts from other shops. Other things which are often over sold is fuel injection services or decarbonizing services.  Sometimes these are needed services but many times they are just commission driven sales.


Ever been a shop and thought "My car drives just fine... how could these problems exist?"

Goldilocks Maintenance II Transmissions

Maintenance is indeed important for longevity and avoiding usually unnecessary repairs.  A long time customer had a transmission go bad.  He wanted to know why and I asked if he had ever serviced the transmission because the fluid was nasty.  He stated that his father told him servicing a  trans was the quickest way to have them go bad. 


My question back was if this was so, why is there a serviceable filter? Would the filter never clog or become restricted?


Myth: Serving transmission is bad.
Truth: Changing the fluid and or filter helps keep fluid flow and quality of fluid good, hence longevity for the unit.


Could the repair of this transmission been avoided? Yes and no.  In this case yes, but even with proper maintenance  sooner or later all transmissions wear out, so later in this case would have been preferred. 

Should I Flush My Transmission

To Flush or Not to Flush?     


A flush service entails hooking up a machine which takes new fluid and forces it through one transmission line and then through the transmission and back out the other trans line.  Trans fluid is not only a lubricant but also has conditioners and cleaners. 


Think of a small babbling brook, that twists and turns down a gentle hill side.  There are small sand bars and pools with still water interspersed.  There are birds singing and a frog living on the bank.  On the horizon comes a great storm, which causes the silt and sand to be deposited where it is usually not. The brook has been reshaped how sad.


So in the process of flushing, the normal build up of clutch and metal debris (think still pools with sediment) can break loose and move into the heart of the transmission (valve body) and then cause all types of mayhem.


Do not Flush a Transmission!  If a shop offers or recommends this, see if there is any fine print which indemnifies them from any responsibilities should there be an issue once the service is done.  We have seen this happen many times over the years.

Goldilocks Manintenance .5 Oil Changes

How often should I change my oil? Depending upon the operational environments of your vehicle, quality of oil, quality of filter, and characteristic of engine determine the frequency of an oil change.

For you diesel truck owners who really work your vehicle hard, take a few thousand off your the manufactures normal maintenance schedule, see if there is a severe maintenance schedule.

For gas vehicles that have short duration trips more often is better.  Engines are vented via air intake (starts before the filter) and vented at the heads which go to the exhaust (ending at muffler and tail pipe).  Have you ever noticed all the water that comes out of your muffler and tail pipe when a car is started after sitting overnight, or all the steam when it is cold out side? Well trust me it happens... So with short duration drives a vehicles engine never gets to operational temperature and if the does it does not stay there long before being turned off.  Hence the oil never has the opportunity to cook off the moisture or impurities, which enter the engine when it cools off.

Commuters, can run the oil a lot longer due to the engine and its' oil being at operational temperature for long periods of time.   At Jerry's we have many customers who run synthetic oil with a premium filter,  who run 10k to 12k miles between oil changes.  We do recommend if you choose this route to change the filter out at the halfway mark.

Remember, if you have oil leaks to keep the correct level, don't wait the a warning light come on.

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Do you want your car Repaired or Retailed?

Often at our business we will have, soon to be happy customers, bring us quotes from our competitors because they think something is awry. Often their suspicions are correct, because they have been retailed. Being retailed occurs when a sales person depends on gross sales to make a decent pay check.  So basically, if they want to make money they have to sell a lot of parts and or service.


This begs the question as to the integrity of a person who would do this to another.  I recommend a person have a healthy dose of skepticism to recommendations and understand most chain or dealerships have their compensation plans based largely on sales volume. So it is not that the person is naturally deceptive, it is that they are forced by corporate desire for high sales. 


Our philosophy is simple... "If it is not broke don't fix it"  If you live near Round Rock Texas drop by and see us.. Our Webiste.