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Electrical problems can sometimes be difficult to recognize, as they're assumed to be caused by mechanical failure or damage. As your trusted Chevy dealer in Sterling, VA, we can easily trace and repair any problems with your car's electrical systems. These are some examples of problems we can fix for you if they occur. Weak Battery The battery is essential for your Chevy, as it provides the initial electrical charge that starts your car. A battery, unfortunately, has a relatively short lifespan of only three to five years. During this time, its capabilities can be further reduced by problems like a failing alternator, loose battery cables, and other issues. more If your battery develops a problem, the battery-shaped warning light on your dash will illuminate. Sensors connected to the battery register that it's providing less than the 12-volt output required of a healthy battery. These sensors inform your computer of the problem, and the computer illuminates the battery light in response. We'll investigate the cause of the problem and fix it. If your battery is failing due to age or damage, we can replace it for you. Failed Rectifier The rectifier is a tiny component inside the alternator. The alternator is responsible for generating all the electricity for your car. It does this by converting mechanical energy produced by the turning crankshaft into magnetic energy. The magnetic energy is then captured by the stator in the alternator and turned into AC. This electricity is then converted into DC by the rectifier. Your car's systems can only work on DC. If the rectifier fails, it won't convert AC to DC, and your car's systems will lose their power source. If this happens, the battery will temporarily take over and supply electricity for your car's systems. A battery has a limited storage capacity, and its electricity reserves will be exhausted in less than an hour. We can test the rectifier and either repair the problem or replace the rectifier. Worn Wiring Your Chevy has more than 1.5 miles of electrical wiring inside it. Modern cars have more wiring than ever before, as their advanced systems all depend on electricity to function. Wiring in your car is protected against dirt, heat, and grade by thick rubber and plastic insulation. Despite its excellent protection, wiring can still wear out and break due to age. Wires heat up as electricity passes through them, and over time this heat can damage the wire's structure. Older wiring becomes more brittle and can break. The first sign of broken wiring is usually an illuminated battery warning light due to a problem in the electrical system. Our technicians will test your wiring and replace any damaged wiring or insulation that we find. If you need any kind of car repair in sterling, our trained technicians can fix it. Call us today at Ted Britt Chevrolet or schedule a service appointment on our website!

Ted Britt Chevrolet is no stranger to scratches and dents. We sell new and sued vehicles to customers across Sterling, VA, and see Chevys in all conditions. As a leading Chevy dealer , we recommend bringing a dented vehicle in, but sometimes a little elbow grease goes a long way. It's important to us that our customers trust us. We maintain transparency by giving as much information as we can on vehicle maintenance. Here's the inside scoop on scratch removal for all you DIY lovers out there. You leave work after a busy day and your beloved Chevy has a scratch or dent on the tailgate. What do you do? Car scratches are easier to fix than car dents, but both are fixable. more Removing Car Dents Dent repair is a big job. We recommend bringing it into the shop for a professional finish. These are the steps to take to tackle it yourself. Clean the area on and around the dent Use sandpaper (24 grit to start and 80 grit to finish) to send the dent Lightly sand around the dent (feather the sandpaper outward to blend) Use wax remover and clean the dent again to lift paint debris Mix body filler until uniform in color and consistency Apply filler to the dented area (the first coat should be tight to the vehicle) Apply a second layer of filler to fill the dent Sand with 80 to 180 grit sandpaper to smooth Apply glaze Sand with 180 to 320 grit sandpaper Prime the area for paint Paint the area Primer and paint are applied with an electrostatic spray gun in a ventilated paint booth. Wear protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear for this process. Removing Car Scratches Minor scratches on the clear coat of a car are fixable with a little TLC. Major scratches cutting into the metal frame underneath need a professional. Try a few of these fixes for a minor scratch. Scratch remover: Products like Scratch Doctor and Meguiars remove light scratches and infuse glaze Paint pen: Paint pens come in stock colors and fill scratches with paint Touch-up kit: Sand the scratch with 180 grit sandpaper, apply sandable primer, and spray with automotive touch-up paint and clear coat Wear safety goggles and gloves while handling scratch repair materials. Visit Ted Britt Chevrolet We hope this blog has helped shed some light on DIY fixes for dents and scratches. Ted Britt Chevrolet services all makes and models of Chevys in Sterling. We can help if your Chevy has taken some damage and needs a professional touch. Our team is well-versed in dent repair and scratch removal, and use top-of-the-line automotive tools and paint products. Call us today at 703-835-9744 to learn more or schedule a service appointment with our Sterling auto repair team. Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Your engine needs to breathe just as much as we do. Without an uninterrupted flow of clean oxygen, the fuel-air mixture inside combustion chambers becomes unbalanced, leading to all kinds of engine issues. If your air filter gets clogged up, inhibiting the airflow, you'll notice the following five problems emerge. And it's time to visit your local Chevy dealer for a new car air filter. Diminished Acceleration When airflow is restricted by an aging air filter, all four combustion chambers struggle to combust as effectively as before. The engine rapidly loses power, which causes a loss of acceleration. more This can be rather perilous when you're trying to overtake another car or cross a busy intersection. If you notice you're not speeding up with as much gusto, pull over and check your air filter for excessive dirt or clogging. Sputtering While Idling An unbalanced mixture of fuel and air means not all the fuel is being burned away. This leftover unburned fuel begins to cake the spark plugs in a dirty residue, further inhibiting their ability to fire the cylinders. This downward spiral of misfiring chambers will cause your engine to jolt and sputter while idling. As the problem worsens, an oxygen-starved engine can stall and have trouble starting up again. Falling Fuel Efficiency Misfiring inevitably leads to dropping fuel efficiency. Your car will no longer be taking you quite so far for each gallon of gas. So if you find yourself stopping at gas stations more often, your air filters might be to blame. Black Smoke From Tailpipe With a clogged filter, a lot of the unburned fuel in the chambers will escape through the exhaust system. You might see this in your mirror as thick black smoke emerges from your tailpipe. Occasionally, the excess fuel will ignite, and you'll see flames in the smoke. Check Engine Light Blinking All these engine problems resulting from a clogged-up filter will soon trigger the check engine light on your instrument panel. This check engine light should never be ignored. It often helps drivers catch problems early before they cause serious trouble. Have Your Onboard Monitors Checked at a Chevy Dealer While the check engine light is a very useful tool for alerting drivers to developing problems, it doesn't specifically tell you what the problem is. If you see the light turn on, you can visually check your air filter yourself. You might also need a technician at your local auto repair shop in Sterling to interface with your onboard computers and diagnose the problem. Visit Ted Britt Chevrolet today to have your filter inspected or replaced. We have highly experienced technicians ready to help, and a broad range of over 500 new and used vehicles.

Your catalytic converter is designed to remove dangerous and toxic chemicals from the exhaust smoke. It does this through a conversion process involving pressure, heat, and chemical reactions. Over time your converter can become damaged or blocked. If this happens, your Chevy dealer can repair or replace it for you. These are some of the signs of a converter problem. You're Using More Gas As a driver, you have a good idea of the amount of gas you regularly use. If you see that you have to visit the gas station more often, you could have a converter problem. When your converter operates, some of the byproducts of combustion can be left behind and gradually block the converter. A partial blockage will force some of the engine gases back into your engine. more These gases will create a fuel-rich environment in the engine, and this affects combustion. In a fuel-rich engine, you have more fuel than air, but much of the fuel won't burn. The excess fuel is wasted and forced out of the exhaust. This wastage will decrease your fuel economy. Our technicians can easily clear a blocked converter, and your fuel economy will increase. Check Engine Light Comes On The check engine light always lights up when a problem is detected in your engine. The light connects to numerous sensors that monitor all the engine components for signs of trouble. If a problem is detected, the relevant sensor will inform your computer, and the light will come on. If you have a converter problem, this can trigger the light. A fuel-rich engine, as we saw above, uses more fuel. Your engine will also record a lower amount of oxygen in the exhaust gases. The combination of these two events suggests that there's a converter problem. We'll connect your car to our diagnostic system to find the cause of the problem. Once it's identified, we'll fix the problem. Rattling Noises If you hear the sounds of something rattling around, your converter could be damaged. The inside of the converter is a honeycomb structure. This structure is very efficient for conversion, as it provides a large surface area for conversion. If this honeycomb is damaged by wear or other engine problems, parts of the honeycomb can break off. Broken sections of the honeycomb can rattle around inside the converter. These parts will cause additional damage as they move. We can't repair the damage inside the converter, but we can install a replacement for you. If your converter shows signs of wear, call us right away at Ted Britt Chevrolet. Our Chevy-trained technicians can speedily repair your catalytic converter in Sterling at your convenience.

Tires are an essential part of your vehicle's performance and safety. The proper tires from your Chevy dealer provide traction and stability to your car or truck. Here are five signs that you need new tires. Tire Pressure Light A tire pressure light coming on can mean your tires are low on air, the sensor is malfunctioning, or there's a leak. But if you're seeing this light regularly, you probably need to replace your tires. more That's because when tires are worn out, they lose their ability to maintain proper pressure. When this happens, the pressure sensors in your car will alert you that something isn't right with your tires. Traction If you notice that your car is struggling to grip the road when you drive, it's time to take a look at your tires. The reason for this could be any number of things, but the main one is that they're worn down. Tires with uneven wear can also cause poor traction. If you're driving on worn-out tires, they won't be able to grip the road as well as they used to. This also means that it will be harder for your car to stop quickly, especially in poor weather. Bulges Some signs your tires are wearing out are pretty obvious, like bulges. If you notice that one of your tires is bulging, you need to get a new one as soon as possible. The problem with bulges is that they can lead to blowouts. Blowouts can happen anytime, and they're extremely dangerous for both you and other drivers on the road. Tire Cracks Cracks in the sidewalls are a sign that your tires are old and the rubber is starting to break apart. This breakdown happens over time due to chemicals, oils, and UV light. If the tire is not replaced eventually, it will split, leaving it useless. If you notice a crack in the car's tread, this is a potentially serious problem that should be addressed ASAP. Tire tread cracks may indicate dry rot, putting you at risk of a severe blowout. Your Treads Are Worn The penny test is the easiest way to tell if your tires are worn out. You can do it at home, and you only need a penny! Put a penny in the tread with Lincoln's head down. If you can see Abe's entire head, then it's time to replace your tires. If you don't have a penny handy and want to know whether or not your tires need replacing, try looking at the tread pattern instead. If there are no grooves left in the tread (or if they're very shallow), then it's time for some new rubber! It's always a good idea to regularly check the condition of your tires. If you notice your treads are worn, or your tire pressure is frequently low, it's usually time to replace your tires in Sterling. Stop by Ted Britt Chevrolet, and we'll be happy to provide any auto repair service you need! Image courtesy of Pixabay.com