Trail Tire Auto Centers: Your Partner in Expert Car Repair and Maintenance

All trails to superior car care lead to Trail Tire Auto Centers.

Do you find yourself typing “car mechanic near me” on search engines every time you’re having car trouble? Not anymore. Trail Tire has 50+ locations across Canada—and we’re your one-stop source for reliable car repair and maintenance services. Since 1972, we’ve been providing unparalleled care for vehicles—and their owners are treated to a customer service experience that’s just as top-tier.

Whether it’s AC/heating woes, brake issues, tire misalignments, suspension problems, vehicle diagnostics, and more—there’s nothing that can escape from our eagle-eyed experts’ line of sight.

Discover our ultimate guide to car repair and maintenance below:

Table of Contents:

1. The Importance of Regular Car Inspections
2. The Importance of Seasonal Maintenance for Cars
3. Car Maintenance Tips Between Service Visits
4. Auto Services Offered by Trail Tire
5. Where Trail Tire Auto Centers are Available
6. How To Book an Appointment for Auto Services Online
7. You Can’t Spell “Care” Without “Car”

The Importance of Regular Car Inspections

A car inspection is not just a formality—your vehicle’s overall safety and longevity heavily depend on it.

By taking the time to bring it in for regular inspections, you can catch potential issues that could:

• put you and others at risk on the road;
• escalate into major problems that could cause significant damage to your car;
• result in much more costly repairs in the long run;
• negatively impact the overall value of your vehicle; and
• go against the set rules and regulations for care safety in your area.

When you bring your car in to have it checked by a professional auto mechanic, they will thoroughly examine various components of your vehicle. These inspections will help you ensure that everything is functioning as it should and that your car’s optimal performance will be maintained for years to come.

Ultimately, choosing only reliable car repair shops to check on your vehicle makes all the difference. At Trail Tire, no issues can escape the keen eye of our professionals.

The Most Common Issues Discovered During Inspections

While it varies depending on the vehicle, here are the components that are typically found to have issues during a car inspection:

• Brakes
• Tires
• Suspension and steering
• Lighting and signal
• Electrical system
• Exhaust system

The Importance of Seasonal Maintenance for Cars

Seasons come and go—and yet your car is always there to shield you from the elements. When the seasons start to change, that’s when you know that your approach to caring for your car should shift as well.

Take a look at how colder and warmer temperatures affect your vehicle:

How Colder Temperatures Affect Your Car

Condensation within Car Batteries

As you bundle up for the cold, it’s likely that your car wishes it could do the same. Icy temperatures affect the chemical processes within the battery, which may lead to corrosion or short circuit issues.

Thickened Engine Oil, Transmission Fluid, and Anti-Freeze

When it gets too cold outside, your car’s engine oil could thicken. This increases friction in the starter motor and forces it to work even harder than usual.

Cracking Alternator Belt

Extremely cold weather can cause an alternator belt to crack.

Underinflated Tires

When the air in the tires gets colder, the pressure within them decreases—which leads to underinflated tires.

How Warmer Temperatures Affect Your Car

Improper Fuel Circulation

Have you ever had trouble starting your car on days with extremely hot weather? That’s because when the engine gets too hot, fuel can’t circulate properly. Just like how you need plenty of hydration on summer days, keeping your coolants in check will help prevent an engine from overheating and emergency visits to your auto mechanic. 

Increased Tire Pressure

As the temperatures increase, so does the pressure in your vehicle’s tires. Did you know that every time the air temperature climbs by 10 degrees, your tire pressure increases by 1 PSI? If the heat gets too severe, it could cause tires to explode—so make sure to keep an eye on your wheels when the weather gets too hot to bear. That’s not the type of explosive summer you’d want.

Problematic Battery Operation

While your battery is a crucial component in firing up your car so it performs optimally, the battery itself doesn’t enjoy being fired up. Here’s how the heat impacts this component:

1. hindered chemical processes within, which can make it hard for it to hold a charge and produce sufficient power
2. the fluid inside evaporates faster than normal

A Struggling Air Conditioner

You guessed it—your air conditioner dislikes extreme heat as much as you do. When the temperatures outside rise, your AC’s refrigerant won’t be able to cool down like it usually does. That’s why you might notice warmer air coming out of your vents during the summer months.

On the other hand, broken cooling fans could also be the culprit behind those sauna temperatures.

Car Maintenance Tips Between Service Visits

1. Keep your car’s interiors and exteriors spotless

Cleaning your car regularly prevents the build-up of sand, dust, and dirt, which may interfere with the circulation of fresh air within your vehicle’s cabin. These elements can also clog the air filter and reduce airflow to the engine. The result? Overheating, internal damage to your car, and an unplanned visit to your nearest auto mechanic. 

2. Inspect Your Tires

Safety should always come first—so make it a habit to check your tires before you hit the road. Ensuring your tires are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure will help prevent them from wearing out prematurely or even blowing out.

Also, it’s important to keep in mind that under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance, causing your engine to work harder than it should to move the vehicle.

3. Check the Oil and Fluids

At least once a month, take some time to check the levels of your vehicle’s oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and coolant. Consistently maintaining them at optimal levels will help prevent major issues from arising.

Auto Services Offered by Trail Tire

Trail Tire is your one-stop source for reliable car repair and maintenance. All you have to do is sit back and relax as our expert auto mechanics restore your car back to its optimal condition.

Air Conditioning & Heating

Avoid the stresses of your car feeling like a sauna in the summer—or like a freezer during winter. Ensure your AC/heating is always up and running and ready to provide comfortable temperatures with the experts at Trail Tire.

Our AC & heating services offered:

• Visual examination of A/C parts
• Performance testing, including “state of charge” and system control tests
• Leak test utilizing a certified electronic leak detector
• A/C upgrade (including examination and conversion of the system to a contemporary refrigerant)

Seasonal Vehicle Maintenance

Fall, winter, summer, and spring all impact your car in different ways. When the flowers start to bloom or the leaves start to fall, that’s your neon sign that it’s time to take your pick from the nearest Trail Tire car repair shops and have your vehicle checked by the pros. Seasonal vehicle maintenance—rather than waiting for issues to prevent themselves unannounced—is the key to keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape.

Oil Change

Every time you hit a new 5,000 km on your mileage, schedule your car for an oil change, which is the recommended timeframe for most vehicles. Don’t wait for it to make strange noises (that’s likely your engine screaming for help) before you bring it in for an oil change.

Failing to do this on time could lead to the following:

• engine rusting
• overheating
• excessive gas consumption
• engine noise, screaming, knocking, etc.
• bearings, gears, and other mechanical components wearing out early

Full-Service Wheel Alignments

A full-service wheel alignment involves correcting the angles of your vehicle’s tires and an adjustment of the suspension. From potholes and gravel driveways to even minor collisions, there are plenty of factors that can cause misalignments.

If you notice any of the following:

• After changing direction, the steering wheel jerks or vibrates and does not return to its original position;
• Uneven tire tread wear;
• Tires screeching during turning;
• Severe shoulder rib wear on the internal or exterior shoulder of a tire (indicating camber setting problems);
• wheels are slanting inwards or outwards even when you’ve pointed them forward

Then, take your car to the nearest car repair and maintenance expert. Shrugging such problems off could lead to:

• aggressive wear, which reduces the number of kilometers your wheels can cover;
• flat tires;
• poor fuel economy; and
• potentially dangerous incidents.

At Trail Tire Auto Centers, our certified experts leverage cutting-edge technology and equipment to provide the most reliable alignment maintenance for your vehicle. Keeping your car in its best shape so it keeps you safe on the road is our priority.

Full-Service Tire Rotations

A tire rotation involves removing each tire and wheel from your vehicle and moving it to a different position. Here’s why it’s important to bring your car in for this service:

• ensures all tires wear evenly and last longer
• helps correctly align your tires
• lowers emissions
• leads to better gas mileage

Brakes

From screeching and grinding to spongy brake pedals and shaky steering, there are many warning signs that your brakes need a check-up by an auto-mechanic.

At Trail Tires, our brake repair and maintenance services include:

• Cleaning the brake friction compounds, sliding spots, and caliper lifter
• Inspecting the parking/emergency stopping system and replacing the fluid
• Looking for apparent deterioration or leaks in hoses & cables
• Inspecting rotors and drums for corrosion or pitting
• Checking on your ABS to ensure the information systems report is accurate

Batteries

Without batteries, your car’s engine and electronic systems simply won’t work. It’s the heart of your vehicle—so you’ll need to provide it with some “cardio” care from time to time.

Our Trail Tire car repair shops provide the following services:

• Battery issues diagnosis
• Battery Installation
• Battery replacement (This includes cleaning and servicing of battery cables and battery hold down. The removal of components required for access is included as well.)
• AVR Test Electrical System (This includes a load test on the battery, a starter draw test, and an alternator output test. A visual inspection of battery cable connections and the belt will be carried out as well.)
• Inspection, removal, and cleaning of the battery’s cables with specialized corrosion pads.

Suspension

When your vehicle’s suspension isn’t in optimal condition, going on a tough road trip will feel like quite a bumpy ride. That’s because the suspension is in charge of reducing the number of uncomfortable jerks on the road.

Our auto mechanics will make sure the suspension and all its components will keep you comfy whenever you drive over irregular surfaces.

Vehicle Diagnostics

Eliminate the guessing game—get reliable answers and diagnostics from our car repair and maintenance experts.

We’ll evaluate your vehicle and quickly discover the reason for any faults it may have. To get accurate outcomes, our skilled mechanics employ tools such as the scad2 scanner and obd2 scanner—no issue will go undetected with these cutting-edge technologies.

Preventative Vehicle Maintenance

Prevention is better than cure—and your car would definitely honk in agreement.

With preventative maintenance services, you get to reduce the probability of a vehicle breaking down unexpectedly and prevent the pile-up of expensive repairs. These check-ups are typically scheduled depending on time, usage, or condition to mitigate age-related malfunctions.

Parts & Accessories

Experience car repair and maintenance at its most convenient. Not only will we be able to provide a reliable diagnosis on the necessary fixes, but as a one-stop source, we’ll also make it a point to provide the parts and accessories needed to keep your care in shape. Finding the necessary parts is easier than ever with Trail Tire car repair shops. 

Where Trail Tire Auto Centers are Available

The search for “car mechanic near me” on Google stops right here. Simply visit us at any of our 50+ locations to start giving your vehicle the expert care it deserves.

How To Book an Appointment for Auto Services

Because we understand that your time is valuable and your convenience should be a priority, our appointment booking system is as seamless as all our other services

Booking a visit online reduces the amount of time you need to spend filling up forms on-site or telling our auto mechanics exactly what’s going on. The moment you arrive at our car repair shops, we’ll be completely aware of what type of assistance you need. 

Step 1: Select the specific branch you’ll be taking your car to

Step 2: Input your vehicle’s details, including its brand, model, and year

Step 3: Tick the boxes of the particular services you’re looking for.

Step 4: Share a short background on the symptoms your vehicle’s been exhibiting. You can also add up to three photos to give a clearer photo of the issue. 

Step 5: Choose whether you’ll be bringing in the vehicle and waiting, only dropping off your car, or if you’ll be opting for our key drop services. 

Step 6: Select a time and date for your appointment. From the drop-down box, you can also input what time you’ll need your vehicle to be ready. 

Step 7: Indicate your name, preferred method of contact, email address, phone number, address, and any additional notes you think would be important for us to know.

And it’s that convenient to set up an appointment with Trail Tire car repair shops. Click here to book your appointment with us now. 

You Can’t Spell “Care” without “Car”

Because you can’t spell “care” without “car,” that’s how you know these two go hand-in-hand. 

Your car cares for you while you’re on the road—and you surely want to give it the greatest care in return as well courtesy of reliable auto mechanics. Since 1972, Trail Tire has been redefining what it means to provide unparalleled car repair and maintenance.

No matter where you go, all trails to top-notch car care lead to Trail Tire. 

Visit us at any of our 50+ car repair shops or book an appointment today.