Automotive News & Information - Tom Quirk Automotive

In the diesel world, "blow-by" is a term you’re bound to run across at some point if your line of work involves diesel-powered vehicles of any kind. What is blow-by, what causes it, and how concerned should you be? At Tom Quirk Automotive in Albuquerque, NM, our fleet maintenance and diesel technicians see it on a regular basis. Here we’ll take a quick look at blow-by, correcting it, and preventing it.

At Tom Quirk Automotive in Albuquerque, we know how much efficiency matters. When it comes to your truck, it’s equally important. Obviously, a huge chunk of your operating cost is fuel consumption, which is largely dependent on the truck's design. Fortunately, there are ways to greatly increase the efficiency of your truck, regardless of shape or size.

If your vehicle breaks down and you have to be towed make sure you are aware of proper steps to protect your vehicle's transmission. The vehicle’s configuration determines how it should be properly towed to avoid transmission damage. Specifically, it matters if your vehicle is front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive and whether it’s an automatic or a manual. From the professionals at Tom Quirk Automotive in Albuquerque, NM, here’s how to tow your vehicle:

We’ve all been here: You start up your vehicle in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. Before your hand reaches the volume dial on the stereo to crank up your favorite morning radio duo, you hear a noise coming from your car. A vehicle shouldn’t make that noise, yet yours is. And it sounds bad. But is it?

At Tom Quirk Automotive, we have earned our reputation as the top diesel repair center in Albuquerque, NM. A major aspect of that reputation is our team of expert mechanics, and another is our versatility. Our technicians have the knowledge, equipment, and ability to repair or maintain any type of diesel engine, big or small.

Cars driving on road with wipers and headlights on

True safety starts with being able to see where you are driving. Your lights and wipers play a major role in safe driving and the chance of an accident increases if you can't see or be seen. No matter what time of year, it's important to make sure your vehicle's lights and wipers are working properly so your visibility is not compromised and you can be seen by others. From the driver's seat, you may not notice a light that isn't working, but when a big rain comes it becomes easier to see what you are missing! When wet weather hits your roads is not the time for you to discover limited visibility problems. Here at Tom Quirk Automotive we take our Albuquerque drivers' safety seriously and inspect their vehicles when they come in for service.

Most commercial diesel engines these days are turbocharged. Turbos dramatically increase power and efficiency, particularly on diesel engines, which makes them a must-have item on engines that rely heavily on both. However, sometimes issues arise in turbo systems; at Tom Quirk Automotive in Albuquerque, we can fix that.

If you operate a fleet of vehicles, you’ve probably listened to a vehicle and thought “that doesn’t sound right” at least once or twice. Strange noises are an indicator that something isn’t working right, and typically means something is wearing out a lot faster than it should, or is about to fail. At Tom Quirk Automotive in Albuquerque, NM, we can tell a lot about the condition of a vehicle just by listening to it. Specific noises and where they come from are often all you need to diagnose an issue and the severity of the problem. Here are some signs to listen out for.