214 Broadway St | Frederick, MD
   

Diagnostics

  • At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD, we’ve got every answer to your transmission questions and needs, and answers to a lot of things that fall outside of that realm as well. Today, we’re talking about the ABS light - an issue that plagues many modern drivers at some point or another.

  • air conditioning in a car

    At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, we understand how important it is to have ice cold AC in your truck on a long, hot day. Whether you drive a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge diesel pickup, chances are you have a lot of cab to cool down, and a subpar AC just won’t cut it.

  • dash light on

    Diagnostics are an important aspect of modern vehicle maintenance and repair. Your car or SUV is equipped with an array of computers and sensors which monitor your engine activity, and flag anything that isn’t operating as it should. At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, we are experts in performance and luxury automobile repair - and when diagnosing the problem is sometimes the most difficult part of the process, an expert is what you need. For cars like Audi, Porsche, BMW, VW, MINI, and Subaru, selecting the right shop is key to correctly diagnosing and correcting any sort of malfunction.

  • battery warning light

    It doesn't matter if you are driving a car or truck, jeep or SUV, a diesel 4x4 or a classic when those dash warning lights go off the first thing you do is think "how bad is it?" and "how much will it cost me?" followed quickly by "when was my last service visit?"!!  Driving your vehicle longer safely is all about getting it serviced based on what your vehicle manual recommends and these warning lights are alerting you to a situation that requires your attention. 

    While not all warning lights are a sign that disaster is imminent, no warning indicator light should ever be ignored!

  • mechanic working on brakes

    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 Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD we want you to know what to look out for so that you can be safely on the road.

  • mechanic sitting in vehicle working on a screen

    At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD, we understand the importance of being on top of the latest in automotive technology. That’s why we invest heavily in top-notch diagnostic and programming equipment, and why we have technicians that know how to use it.

  • Diagnostic Tablet on engine transmission sensor

    Our Frederick drivers have been experiencing issues with their transmissions and there are a few things that we here at Skip's Auto Repair feel are important to know so that you are more comfortable and confident if you are, indeed experiencing a transmission problem of any kind. First, if you drive a vehicle manufactured in the past few decades, there’s a good chance your transmission has a variety of sensors attached to it which monitors all kinds of things - fluid pressure, vehicle speed, temperature, air intake at the engine, and so on.  The first thing to check is your Transmission Sensor, which is a much more affordable fix than replacing your transmission!

  • jumper cables being held by person in front of car

    If you drive a luxury or performance vehicle, you’re an owner of a reliable machine. Still, occasionally problems do arise. On vehicles like these, with so many electronics, a dead battery is a common issue. At Skip's Auto Repair we want to keep our customers informed, here’s how to jump-start your vehicle safely. 

  • Lady with car hood up - steam rising

    Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs! 
    1.  You see steam rising from the engine!
    2.  The Check Engine Light is on!
    3.  The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
    4.  You hear grinding or thumping noises.

  • Dirty Hands Working on a diesel truck engine

    Keeping your fuel system maintained will prevent premature parts failure and poor running conditions. Here are some important aspects of diesel fuel system maintenance, to keep your fleet running smoothly. While your system and components should typically be serviced by a professional technician, there are some things you can be conscious of that will go a long way toward keeping your engine in good shape.

  • At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD, we have seen our fair share of preventable engine failures. Frequently, engine disaster could have been avoided if the driver had known beforehand what the warning lights or gauges on the dashboard indicated. While some dash lights are fairly benign, others indicate imminent trouble. This guide from Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD will prepare you for the next time your vehicle shows you a warning you shouldn’t ignore.

  • Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by floodwaters at all or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood-damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.
  • diagnostic machine on an engine

    Here at Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick we often do diagnostics and sometimes the problem is obvious after hooking the car up to the computer and reading the codes.  However, sometimes it isn't obvious during a test drive or after hooking it up to all those computer programs!  You know there is a problem and a Check Engine Light is on with the fleet customer telling you the car has been having issues starting and the light has been going off and on depending on several factors.  No pattern, no simple answer but the problem becomes obvious when you start following the "threads of the issue" thanks to all that ASE Technician training.

  • Oil gunked up on an engine.

    We see this with our fleet customers, our regular Frederick car pool drivers and our diesel truck drivers so it isn't just one type of driver that ends up with a nightmare on their hands costing thousands of dollars to repair, asking about the costs of a JASPER replacement engine!  The fact is your driving habits and maintenance habits can easily avoid this issue!  6 EASY STEPS - Service, Tires, Don't Ignore Service Engine Lights, Keep it Clean & Stop Driving Crazy!

  • hole in 4x4 diesel truck tire

    When your light comes on, it is ALWAYS important to look at the issue to see if it is a problem.  Especially if it is a light we all understand.  Tire pressure is one we all can relate to and an easy one to look at.  However, most drivers just assume the air is low in them and ignore it which is not a good idea especially when you are driving a 4x4 diesel truck off-roading and could have picked up anything and/or everything like this truck tire did. 

    He looked, and immediately headed over to see our technicians here at Skip's Auto Repair.  

  • check engine light on dash image

    It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD, we can help!

  • mechanic checking a list on a clipboard

    At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD, we know buying a used car, truck, or SUV can be a gamble. While there are no guarantees, there are key points of inspection that tell us a lot about the condition of a vehicle and how it has been maintained. There are some important points of the inspection we verify when checking out a used vehicle.

  • Modern vehicles are becoming increasingly complex, and as a result, computer diagnostic systems are becoming a necessity rather than a convenience. At Skip's Auto Repair in Frederick, MD, our state of the art technology and trained technicians are ready to diagnose any transmission issue you may be experiencing with your car, truck, or SUV.

  • Your car data owned by manufacturers now

    Newer Vehicles Generate as Much As 25GB of Data/Hour according to McKinsey.  Now That is Extremely Interesting!  It is also daunting as we now need to know "what data" right?  You also want to know where it is going if anywhere and who owns the data?  All interesting questions that we never thought about.  Just get in and drive, choose a destination and if a light goes off in the dash you call us here at Skip's Auto Repair to schedule an appointment.   We want our Frederick drivers to be informed as always and able to make their choices based on having facts.  This is a big change in the automotive-truck service industry and it really has not hit the news at all, so it is up to us to get you up-to-date and informed.  Here are the facts and where you can find more information!