434-973-3108 | 1067 Gasoline Alley Charlottesville, VA 22091
Car Care: Auto Maintenance Services
Car & Truck Repair in Charlottesville
Auto Doctor is a full-service preventative maintenance and auto repair center, providing comprehensive car care services for your domestic or import vehicle to keep it running at full power. Serving all brands, models, imports, and fuel systems in Charlottesville, we have the tools and expertise needed to ensure your vehicle operates exactly as intended by its manufacturer.
For inquiries, please reach out to us at 434-973-3108, or you can send us an email, and our proficient experts will be delighted to address your queries and assess the necessary actions.
Our basic auto maintenance services include:
30/60/90K Mileage Maintenance
Consistent maintenance helps keep your vehicle operating at peak condition while also prolonging its life. Most automakers recommend car maintenance at 30,000-mile intervals, adhering to the 30/60/90K mile schedule provided to car owners. Our team of experts can keep you on track, preserving your vehicle's condition, optimizing its performance, and enhancing its resale value. The 30/60/90K service covers:
- Fluid replacements
- Oil and Filter changes
- Tire rotation, spin balance, and pressure adjustments
- Inspection of parts and systems - gears, tires, brake pads, belts, hoses, etc.
- With higher mileage: spark plugs, belts, timing belts when applicable
Belts
A fan belt, also known as a drive belt, is a belt connecting your car's engine to the front mounted accessories. The fan belt rotates the water pump and engine fan, which maintains a cool environment for the engine and its components. Sooner or later, your vehicle's fan belts will dry out and crack. When you are ready for a replacement you can count on Auto Doctor for all your vehicle's repair needs.
You not only have to get the belts replaced with quality ones but you should have the work done by experts. To have the belts replaced by auto cooling and heating experts - and get your car driving right - visit Auto Doctor today. The mechanics at Auto Doctor will thoroughly inspect your car's belts; replace all worn belts; and adjust the installed belts.
Check Engine Light
No one likes to see their car's "Check Engine" light come on. The light could mean a costly problem, like a bad catalytic converter, or it could be something minor, like a loose gas cap. At Auto Doctor, we can pull the code and diagnose the problem for you. Give us a call at 434-973-3108 or stop by the shop for our expert assistance.
Factory Recommended Service/Maintenance
Automotive and auto parts are accompanied by a factory-recommended service and maintenance schedule. The manufacturer specifies how often to service or replace an auto part. Keep in mind, we work on all American and imported vehicles (either diesel or gas engines). Our highly skilled auto mechanics possess the extensive knowledge and experience necessary to provide this service.
Headlight and Bulb Replacement
To maintain optimal visibility and ensure your safety, it is essential to keep your vehicle's headlight bulbs in good working order. Although replacing faulty headlight bulbs is a straightforward and rapid process, it is highly recommended that you trust this task to experienced auto mechanics. This way, you will have high-quality bulbs installed by experts, ensuring your safety. Remember that this is a vital aspect of your car's maintenance.
Hoses
Hoses play a critical role in transferring coolant and antifreeze throughout the engine's cooling system, including the radiator. Sooner or later, your vehicle's hoses will become dry and develop cracks.
Not only should you replace the hoses with top-quality replacements, but you should also entrust this work to experts. Our mechanics will perform a comprehensive inspection of your car's hoses, replace any worn hoses, and fine-tune the newly installed ones.
Oil, Lube, and Filter
To maintain smooth operation, your vehicle heavily relies on oil, lube, and oil filters. Oil serves to lubricate, cool, and cleanse the internal engine components. Over time, motor oil becomes contaminated. Your vehicle requires an oil, lube, and filter change on a regular basis, which will vary based on a number of factors. When the time comes for a lube, oil, or filter change, entrust your vehicle to Auto Doctor in Charlottesville, VA.
Wiper Blade Replacement
Visibility plays a pivotal role in safe driving. Properly functioning wipers enhance your safety on the road. If your car's wipers are not performing optimally, leaving streaks or lines, it is imperative to replace them immediately. To have high-quality wiper blades installed on your vehicle, call us at 434-973-3108 today. We will equip your car with effective and top-quality wiper blades.
FAQs About Automobile Squeaks, Squeals and Rattles
Why is my car making a squealing noise?
It may be a slipping fan belt. Listen for a few warning signs such as a squeaking or chirping noise. Those noises are usually caused by misalignment of the belt and the pulley. If you come by Auto Doctor in Charlottesville our professional auto repair technicians can realign it to stop the noise and fix it before your fan belt completely breaks.
Why does my car make a noise when I turn the steering wheel?
If your car makes strange sounds or clicks when you turn the steering wheel the most common cause is a low steering fluid. Over time the steering fluid decreases and air enters the steering mechanism causing unwanted noises. Come to Auto Doctor to top off your fluid reservoir with power steering fluid. The noises should start to go away immediately. If the sound returns quickly your car could be leaking steering fluid. Our professionals in Charlottesville can help you diagnose and repair leaks quickly and affordably.
Why does my car squeal when I start it in the morning?
A worn out cambelt (also known as a timing belt) will create a loud noise when you start your car's engine. The noise could range from squealing to hissing or rumbling. This is the sound of a cambelt that is about to break. If a cambelt breaks it can ruin your car's engine. Come to Auto Doctor and get it replaced right away.
Leaking Fluid FAQs
Why is water leaking on my foot on the driver's side?
The most common cause is a blocked air conditioning drain hose. This is a simple repair at Auto Doctor. There are other possible causes of water dripping on your foot on the driver's side of the car including a broken door seal or leaking heat exchanger.
What should I do if my car creates a small oil leak on my driveway?
If the spill is still wet, cover the stain with clay cat litter, sand, cornmeal, cornstarch or baking soda. This will help absorb the oil before it soaks into the cement. Once the spill has dried, sweep up the absorbent material. Then, wash away the remaining stain with water and soap. A small oil leak on your driveway is an indication that something is wrong with your car. Bring your car to Auto Doctor to get the problem diagnosed. Do not ignore an oil leak as it can seriously affect your car's engine.
Why is my car leaking a sweet-smelling fluid?
If there is a sweet-smelling fluid leaking from your car, the most likely culprit is leaking coolant or antifreeze. A coolant leak can become a serious problem. If your vehicle gets too low on coolant or antifreeze, it will overheat and may cause engine damage.
To learn more about our Car & Truck Care services, call us at 434-973-3108 or request a quote by clicking below:
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Testimonials
Andrew Porter, 02/19/2025
They can fix your ISUZU TRUCK! The family business I work for sells furniture and our largest and most important piece of equipment is our Isuzu NPR box truck; it's our lift gate truck. I first truly appreciated that machine delivering a four-hundred pound mahogany armoire. So when it started having trouble a couple of months ago (check engine light, exhaust warnings, reduced performance) we took it where we always took it- probably the same place you take your large truck as it is well advertised, I'll call them the Can't Repair Autos Properly Shop, or CRAPS for short. So craps got the warnings turned off and gave us a diagnosis of what fix, which was around 5k. When we got the truck back there was a terrible squeal that sounded like a belt. A young craps employee told me it would "settle down" in time. It did not, and the truck broke down on its first run, oddly right in front of craps, with fluids spraying out from under the engine. Another craps employee told me a bolt had come loose... and charged me ten bucks to "replace it." Also the warnings were all back and they said they didn't have the ability to reset them. What was the point of even working on it if you are unable to do that? So I got a tip that Auto-Doctor had the necessary magic to talk to an Isuzu. They fixed it (well under 2k) diagnosed the real problem, discovered that the noise was NOT a belt that would settle down, but my compressor was going out, and topped off my DEP fluid (which was low- craps didn't even bother to fill it). My POC at Auto-Doctor was Larry and he is a great communicator although I accidently saved his number under the name Debbie so I affectionately call him Debbie in my head, though not to his face. If you've been in Cville for any time at all you'll know the place, right off Rio behind the three gas stations across from the Greenbrier neighborhood. I always wondered what the place was, like a level for a videogame I hadn't gotten access to yet. Turns out all I needed to do in order to go there was get screwed over by a greenhorn mechanic in a fancy garage. No shiny new cars fronting this place. It's a working shop in the middle of a junkyard, not a daycare garage with a dealership out front, so for the hard-work challenged you may feel anxious driving down the dirt road (called Gasoline Alley!!) that takes you passed the car corpses. Nobody is likely to greet you at the door because they are busy doing a great job for a reasonable fee so tuck your feelings in your pocket with the money you save. If you ask me it's what an auto-shop should be, surrounded by dead cars. I mean really- what can a mechanic learn from a new car lot? That's why med schools teach gross anatomy on corpses. And these guys are truly auto doctors.