Frequently-Asked Questions

Regular oil changes are generally considered the most important maintenance service for your car. To avoid severe engine damage, this simple and inexpensive service should be regularly scheduled.

Brakes will usually give you a bit of warning before they go. Here's what you may notice:

• Noise while braking – whether it's a squeal or a grind, noise means the brake system needs some attention. Most noises are due to a problem with the brake pads. Pads are the surface of the brake, and they wear down over time. Some are designed to make noise when they get worn. If you wait too long, the brake pads wear through, and then the rotors or discs will be worn, too. This is why we are giving you a brake inspection; so we can give you a good idea of when your brakes will need replacement. 
• Spongy feeling – if you have to press the brake pedal further or harder than usual to stop, there could be a problem. It might be worn brake pads, or it could be something else, like a leak in the lines. Bring your vehicle into us to get your brakes inspected as soon as you can in this case.
• Brake warning light – many people ignore this light if they can't hear or feel anything wrong. This can be very dangerous, especially in newer model vehicles with computer-controlled braking systems. When the brake warning light stays on, there's a problem in the brake system that you may not notice otherwise. This could be a faulty sensor — or a possible brake system failure. 
• Other signs – if your steering pulls to one side when you brake, or you are low on brake fluid, there may also be a problem. Don't wait to get brake service. The cost of a brake repair service is a whole lot less than the cost of failing to stop when you need to!

Please contact us immediately if you are experiencing any of these problems. We'll get your vehicle in for an inspection and tell you what the issue is, give you a firm quote and do the brake repair you need to get back on the road safely, as fast as possible. And while you're here, we'll check the air in your tires and fill them for FREE. We want to see you safe.

Whether you drive a car, truck or a minivan, vehicle maintenance is important. Without it, your otherwise smooth ride could end up being a bit bumpy. From oil changes to alignments, your car needs to be serviced regularly. Not to be forgotten is having the front end of your vehicle inspected and aligned. Having your vehicle inspected by a Selkirk Diesel Repair technician on a regular basis is a great way to ensure that your front end is in good shape and keeping you safe behind the wheel.

Picture yourself cruising down the most beautiful road in the world. Now imagine driving down that same road with your wheels pointing the wrong way. Not the most beautiful road in the world anymore.

Alignment is a really complex topic covering a variety of terms and a smorgasbord of parts. When your wheels are out of alignment, your tires aren’t pointing in the right direction. This will affect your steering and suspension, but more importantly, it could affect your safety and the durability of your tires and all the parts controlling them

It doesn’t take much, that’s for sure. There are many ways for your car to lose its alignment. You’ll be familiar with most of the causes, but what you probably didn’t think was that each one could do quite a number on your vehicle’s alignment.

Wheel alignment can be thrown off by:

• Potholes
• Hitting the curb
• Bumping into concrete parking stalls
• Normal wear and tear — as vehicles age, rubber components start cracking or lose their elasticity and ball and socket joints develop looseness. They start to give a little more, progressively getting slightly worse over time.

Alignment angles are measured in tenths and hundredths of degrees or inches. Over time, a slight misalignment can cause a lot of uneven or premature tire wear.

We cringe just thinking of someone never having an alignment performed on his or her vehicle. What will ultimately end up happening you ask? You’ll throw a lot of money down the drain on tires because, without proper alignment, tires wear down a LOT faster. Simple as that. And you’ll most likely notice something’s wrong while you’re driving; your vehicle will probably not handle as well as it should and, in the most extreme cases, you could have a pretty difficult time maintaining control of your ride altogether. All this bad news is, fortunately for you, easily preventable by having your wheels aligned when needed.

Did you know? The smartest move is to have your alignment checked every other oil change. Doing so will make your tires last longer.

Did you know? We use a special computerized alignment machine pre-loaded with every vehicle’s alignment specifications. Once the vehicle type is determined, the high-tech and precise measuring begins. Upon completion, you’ll receive a printout displaying the vehicle manufacturer’s alignment angle specifications, what your angles are before adjustments were made and where it stands after adjustments are made. At Selkirk Diesel Repair, we provide alignments for most any vehicle using this special equipment.

Rotating the tires on a regular basis will significantly extend their lifespan. The car's four tires wear out differently. If one tire wears out more than the others, the car will start pulling in the direction of the newer tires. For example, if you let go of the steering wheel when driving, (only for a moment!), the car should continue to go in a straight line. If the tires have worn out differently, the car will not travel in a straight line. It will drift in the direction of the better tire. This is also the reason why when you buy new tires, it is best to buy them in pairs. Rotating your tires will help even out tire wear by allowing each tire to serve in as many of the vehicles wheel positions as possible.

During the rotation, the front tires are moved straight back and the rear tires are moved diagonally to the front. This will ensure that every tire will see each corner of the car. Our technicians will inspect for abnormal wear, which may be a sign of other problems.

Keep in mind:

• If the tire treading is lower than 1/16th of an inch (or lower than the factory recommendation), the tires are worn out and need to be replaced.
• Rotating worn-out tires is of no use since the purpose of tire rotation is to extend the life of tires. If this is the case, our technician will not rotate the tires and we will provide you with an estimate for new tires. Of course. we hope you will purchase your tires from us as we have a state of the art tire changer as well as a balancer to make sure that your tires are going to last as long as possible, but you are in no way obligated to do so.

How it's done:

• We inspect for tire wear and damage
• We inspect the tread on the tires
• We remove and rotate tires

Our recommendation:

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and rotate the tires as advised. Rotating the tire once a year is a good idea.

• Uneven tire wear, car pulling to one side
• Cupping on the tires
• Tire rotation is performed as part of normal maintenance

As you accumulate miles on your vehicle, each of the four tires will wear at different speeds, and in different places. This is because front tires wear differently than rear tires, and right tires wear differently than left tires. If you allow these tires to stay in one position for too long, the wear will and tear will become so abnormal that the car will begin to drift in one direction or another. By constantly rotating the tires you allow all four tires to be subject to the same wear and tear, which keeps their lifespans relatively equal. A car with tires that are wearing evenly should drive more smoothly and in a straight line.

All-season tires reflect a compromise between long tread life, ride quality, fuel economy and traction. But tires that grip the road in summer heat don’t offer the same traction when the weather turns cold. In fact, the tread compound used in all-season tires offers little cold weather traction and becomes hard, losing pliability and traction in freezing temperatures.

Winter (snow) tires, however, are designed to help deliver safety and control in snow, slush, rain, ice and cold weather. A good analogy of the difference between all-season and winter tires is to compare athletic shoes to snow boots. While it’s possible to walk down a slick, snow-covered sidewalk wearing athletic shoes, it's generally easier and safer to do so with snow boots.

Winter Tire Technology Winter tires have a soft rubber compound that remains flexible as temperatures drop to better conform to the road for more controlled handling. They also have unique tread patterns with wider grooves to enhance traction on snow and ice by providing channels to drain water and expel snow. Typically, they have deep sipes, which are small slits in the tread that help cut through water and slush, avoiding hydroplaning and improving grip. Grip is critical, not just to avoid getting stuck, but to help ensure that the car can stop and steer. The superior traction that winter tires deliver, as much as a 25 to 50 percent more than all-season tires, can very well be the safety margin needed to stop in time or turn to avoid trouble.

Four is Better Than Two Always install winter tires in a matching set of four to help maintain balanced and controlled handling in winter driving conditions. Using just two winter tires on a vehicle creates a traction mismatch that can have serious handling consequences. With front-wheel-drive, putting snow tires on the front only will result in the back wheels not having as much grip as the front wheels. This will make the car much more likely to spin out (oversteer) while braking or cornering. With snow tires on the just back wheels of a rear-wheel-drive car, the front wheels won't grip as well as those that provide the power, so the car may not respond when the steering wheel is turned -- it will simply plow straight ahead (understeer).

Referenced from All State Insurance Company: https://www.allstate.com/resources/allstate/attach...

The shocks and/or struts on your vehicle are part of the suspension. Their purpose is to help maintain stability throughout your driving, whether in urban or rural conditions, at low or high speeds. The idea behind the suspension is to keep your vehicle on the road, literally. When shocks are worn the balance of weight on your vehicle is no longer evenly distributed and begins to shift toward the front of the vehicle. With more weight in the front braking becomes more difficult for your vehicle shortening the life of your braking system. Tires will also age much quicker when the shocks are worn because of the uneven weight distribution, causing what we like to call the “basketball effect,” named after the cupping appearance of the tire caused by bouncing on the road.

Replacement of shocks and/or struts is suggested around every 80,000km. It is usually at this mile marker that we begin to see the valving and oil inside the shock wearing out. The shock will also lose oil because of the way the shaft moves passed the seal.

We include this complimentary inspection today because we know how important safety is when you’re driving. Click here to see the Complimentary vehicle inspection we provide.

Most of the parts that we install here at Selkirk Diesel Repair have an amazing warranty called the “Peace of Mind Warranty”.
It covers the following:

• 1 year (365 day) labour warranty
• 3 years on parts – if the part fails within the province Manitoba
• 5 years on parts – if the part fails outside 40 kilometres from Selkirk Diesel Repair