West Chester Auto Repair

Wensel's Truck and Trailer Repair in West Chester, PA provides truck and auto repair as well as a towing service for large trucks, RVs, and everyday vehicles. If you live in the immediate or surrounding areas, your best bet for auto care is to either bring your car by or contact us by phone or online about parts or services.

When Do You Need an Oil Change Service?

There are many different beliefs about when is the best time to change your vehicle's oil. The system everyone probably knows (and many people still go by) is to change your motor oil every 3 months or every 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. However, with the advances in oil technology, especially in the last decade, that is not so true anymore.

Check Your Owner's Manual.

The best place to find out how often you should change your oil is your vehicle's owner's manual. This should tell you what weight and viscosity goes best in your truck or car, and it should tell you how often that oil should be changed. Sometimes the manufacturers will even have an ideal oil that they believe would go best in your car, but typically as long as you use the right weight and viscosity, the brand really does not matter. If you do not have your owner's manual, most oil change centers including Wensel's Service Centers have access to your manual online. 

Most people would probably be shocked to know that they are actually performing an oil change on their vehicle much too often. Many modern cars in particular can go between 8,000 and 10,000 miles before needing an oil change, and some are capable of going 15,000 miles. Also with modern cars, it is usually best to trust the oil life monitors. Many are so advanced that they not only monitor your oil, but how your driving affects other parts of the engine to determine the oil's life expectancy.

Don't Forget to Top Off Your Oil. 

The problem some people are facing with modern cars is forgetting to top their oil off periodically. Even though the oil does not need changing as often, you should still check under the hood at least once a month (although new suggestions are at least once a week) to see if oil levels are running low. If the oil level in the engine gets too low engine temperatures will raise. If this continues for too long, it could cause the engine to seize up, and there is no coming back from that kind of damage.

Weekend and Low Mile Drivers

If you only use your vehicle on the weekend or do put very many miles on it often, going by the manufacturer's guide or even the oil monitor is not your best option. As oil sits, it degrades from gas contamination. For this reaason, many manufacturers have a backup plan that does involve a set amount of miles or time. For example, a 2010 Toyota Prius recommends 10,000 miles or a year, whichever comes first. It is good to remember these two numbers if your car does not see much road.

Normal vs Severe Driving

Your driving has an effect on your engine wear, and your oil has remnants of that wear. If you are unsure how your driving is impacting how often you should get an oil change, get an oil analysis. This could help you determine how often you should go in between an oil change service. 

All Wensel's Service Centers perform full-service oil changes. When you bring your vehicle to any of the four Wensel Garage locations your will get much more than an oil change. A Wensel technician will check all of your fluids and if any are low, he will find out why that is. He will also check for other warning signs while performing your oil change including being on the lookout for a worn serpentine belt and corroded battery cables. When you bring your car in for an oil  change, you get a complete visual inspection so you can avoid any serious damage happening to your vehicle.

Wensel's Automotive provides auto care service and regular maintenance including oil changes to all surrounding eastern Pennsylvania locations. For the best service area to visit in your area see below:

• Wensel's of Reading: Shillington, Sinking Spring, Denver, Ephrata, Fleetwood, Exeter, Birdsboro, Reiffton, Robesonia, Womelsdorf, Boyertown, Oley, and Parkesburg.

• Wensel's of Hamburg: Bethel, Pottsville, Cressona, Schuylkill Haven, Shoemakersville, Kutztown, Beinigsville, and Allentown.

• Wensel's of Spring City: Pottstown, Royersford, Collegeville, Phoenixville, Norristown, King of Prussia, Bridgeport, Conshohocken, Berwyn, and Morgantown.

• Wensel's of West Chester: Downingtown, Thorndale, Exton, Malvern, Paoli, Aston, Concordville, Kennett Square, Toughkenamon, and Coatesville.

Resources: Edmunds, MOM, Wensel's Service Centers

It's Wensel's Auto Repair with an "S" and not a "Z"

There has been some confusion about the spelling of Wensel since the very beginning. It is not uncommon for people to think that Wensel is actually spelled like "Wenzel" or even "Wentzel." We just wanted to clarify that for all of our loyal customers. When you search for a Wensel's Service Center, we want you to know with 100 percent assurance that you have found the right guys.

So just to rehash...

• Correct spelling - Wensel or Wensel's Service Centers or Wensel's Garage or Wensel's Auto Repair

• Wrong spelling - Wenzel or Wentzel or anything not listed above.

Contact us for all of your auto repair, regular maintenance care, and towing needs at any of our four Southeast Pennsylvania Locations. These are located at Spring City, West Chester, Hamburg, and Reading. You can also contact us at our website, where we will contact you within 24 hours. We will get your truck or car back on the road in a safe condition and do it as quickly as possible. 

Complete Car Repair Services in West Chester, PA

Wensel's Garage in West Chester, PA

When you visit the Wensel's Service Center in West Chester, you will get the same full comprehensive auto care treatment that is offered at all four of the Wensel Garage locations. As a family owned business Wensel's understands the importance in customer satisfaction and the entire team has been providing their all since 1978.

If you live in the West Chester area, you will be glad to know that the Wensel's Service Center there trains all team members in the most sophisticated automotive technology including computerized allignments. Expect any maintenance or repairs, no matter how minor or major, to be handled with the utmost importance as it is handled like one of the crew's on vehicles.

All services and repairs made at any Wensel's Automotive Care location are backed by a Napa Auto Care 12,000 miles/ 12 months nationwide warranty. Some of the repairs and auto care maintenance you can expect when visiting any of the four locations in West Chester, Spring City, Reading, and Hamburg, PA include:

• Engine Light, Anti-Lock Brake, and Transmission
• Battery, Alternator, and Starter 
• Quick Lube Oil Change
• Brakes
• Steering and Suspension 
• Wheel and Tire 
• Wheel Alignment 

When you visit Wensel's in West Chester in particular, there are specific automotive care skill sets that you will receive. All of these are geared towards providing you the best service to get you back on the road quickly and safely.

• Preventative Maintenance
• Fleet Services
• Transmission
• Engine Repair
• Alignment
• Electric Repair

Wensel's Automotive Care

At any of the four Wensel's automotive locations you will receive comprehensive care no matter the type of vehicle you may be operating. Whether it is a daily car you need for everyday use or a company fleet, Wensel's professionals offer comprehensive care to ensure your vehicle runs the way it should. 

The professionals at Wensel's Automotive not only have years of experiencing working with cars and other vehicles, they are also trained to remain up to date on the newest technologies that are added to modern cars. With nearly every part of today's cars being controlled by on-board computers, it is important for this training so diagnosis can be determined the first time you bring your vehicle in. Here are just a few services that are offered for automotive care.

• Engine Light, Anti-Lock Brakes, and Transmission Services
• Battery, Alternator, and Starter Services
• Quick Lube Oil Change
• Brake Services
• Steering and Suspension Services
• Wheel & Tire Services
• Automobile Towing
• Wheel Alignment

Wensel's automotive is a family owned business that strives to offer honest and professional automotive service and repair in "All We Do." All service and repairs made at Wensel's Service Centers are backed by our Napa Auto Care 12,000 miles/ 12 month nationwide warranty.  All professionals at any Wensel's location are trained and qualified to diagnose your vehicle's problem and work with the most sophisticated technology to get you back on the road quickly and safely. 

Stop by any of the four Wensel's automotive care Southeaster Pennsylvania locations at Spring City, Hamburg, Reading, and West Chester today!

Signs It's Time for a Brake Inspection

When you are in your car driving along without a care in the world, you do not consider that when you are moving at 65 miles per hour you are actually moving quite fast. If for some reason you had to slam on your brakes suddenly, it would easily take over 100 yards for you to come to a complete stop. This is if the brakes on your vehicle are in great working order. That is why having regular on time brake checks is crucial to the performance of your car and to your well being.

There are obvious signs your truck or car is due for a break inspection. When the brake light on your dashboard appears or it is clearly obvious it is taking you longer to come to a complete stop than normal, it is time to see someone about your brakes. However, do you know the less subtle signs its time to get your brakes checked?

Brake Pad Thickness

More than likely your vehicle uses disc brakes. This means when you press on the brake pedal inside your car a hydraulic system that is triggered using brake fluid will cause cause calipers or padded clamps to squeeze together on a disc called a rotor. This is what causes your car to stop moving.

Over time the friction from the calipers squeezing the rotor will cause the pads on the ends of the calipers to wear down. Normally, the brake pads should be at least one quarter of an inch thick. If they become thinner than this, a brake pad change is a good idea.

To tell if it may be time to change your brake pads look between the spokes or bars on your tire to see the rotor. The caliper should be along the outer edge of the rotor. If you are not able to see them this way, you will probably have to remove the tire to see the state of your brake pads.

Sounds

When your brakes need changing they will tend to let you know with noise. There are different sounds to alert which stage your brakes are at – squealing, grinding, and squeaking.

Squeaking is the sound heard when applying the brake to stop the vehicle. This sound does not actually indicate that your brakes are wearing, but rather they were not put on correctly.

Next, is a squealing sound. This is what you will hear thanks to brake manufactures to warn you that your brake pads are on the verge of needing to be changed. You should hear this sound when driving your car without applying the brake.

Finally, if you let your brakes progress to the point that not only are your brake pads completely worn, but now the caliper is grinding into the rotor, that is exactly what you will hear – grinding. Once this sound starts, you are already spending way more for a brake change than if it were just the pads because now you need new rotors, too. If you let this go on for two to three days after first hearing it, you might also need to change the calipers because of excessive friction wear.

Pulling

When your car starts to pull to one side of the road, this can be one of a few problems, but several of those problems could be brake related.

1. Stuck Caliper – This will cause friction on one side of the car, and consequently, the car will start to pull in this direction.
2. Collapsed Brake Hose – This will cause the calipers to move unevenly when you apply the brakes.
3. Uneven Brake Pads – This will apply different pressure on the different wheels.

Vibrating

When you apply your brakes under normal or circumstances or rather no emergency or quick stops, you should not experience any shaking, pulsing, or vibrating from the brake pedal. If you do, this could be an indication that you have warped rotors. The feeling you will notice is the uneven rotors thrumming against the brake pads and sending the vibrations through the brake pads.

Pedal Pressure

The pressure you feel on your brake pedal can say a lot about the condition of your brakes. Brake pedal conditions to be on the lookout for are mushy pedals and touchy pedals.

If you are experiencing mushy pedals, when you apply the brake your foot will go either almost to the floorboard or feel as if you might go through it. This could be a sign of worn brake pads or a hydraulic system problem such as air in the brake lines, an air leak, or a brake fluid leak. A brake line obstruction or vacuum system problem could be the problem if you feel as if your foot might end up putting a hole in your floorboard.

Touchy pedals are the exact opposite and require you to barely touch the brake pedal before coming to an unpleasant jerky stop. This could also be the result of several problems including an unevenly worn rotor, dirty brake fluid, or fluid contamination from moisture.

Source: How Stuff Works, Angie's List