The thermostat within your vehicle maintains the engine's temperature and ensures it's operating with a range that's specified in your vehicle's owner's manual. Thermostats serve two main functions, to heat the engine and keep it consistently at optimum temperature. As you drive, the thermostat gets older and worn. A worn thermostat can get stuck open or closed, leading to an array of problems. It may not be easy to determine whether the thermostat is the main problem culprit when issues occur. Below we provide a brief overview of signs to look out for that indicate the thermostat needs to be replaced.   There's cold air blowing through the heater vents. If the thermostat is stuck open, the temperature within the engine will decrease.  The engine is overheating. If the engine is smoking and overheating, the thermostat may be stuck closed. A thermostat that is stuck in the closed position wi ... read more

As winter approaches, those (on the mainland) who expect harmless little white flakes to fall from the sky, rush to winterize their cars. Those harmless little white flakes quickly gang up and wreak havoc on unprepared motorists! The roads become extremely slick and dangerous, snow and ice can even engulf their entire vehicle when they slide off the road! Snow chains, anti-freeze, ice picks, car heaters, snow tires and shovels become a few of the new automotive products they need to purchase. Thank goodness we don’t have to fight with Jack Frost! We are even happy we don’t see Frosty! Don’t visit us… we’ll visit you Mr. Frosty! But! We do have our own little Hawaiian Snow, RAIN! We love the water in Hawaii. We surf it, sail on it, swim in it, drink it…heck, we just like to sit and watch it sometimes. Hawaii drivers are legendary when it pertains to how well we deal with wet roads. Our driver’s like to react in extremes when it rains. We eit ... read more

Question: How do I know when I need a wheel alignment?Awesome Car Care Videos @ Lexbrodies.com Answer: When Honolulu drivers' wheels are properly aligned they all point in the same direction. When they are out of alignment, most HI drivers notice a couple of things. First the vehicle pulls to one side when driving. It could be slight or pretty severe. If your wheels have been out of alignment for a while, you'll also start to see uneven tire wear – the shoulder on either the outside or inside of the tire is worn down more than the other. A whole bunch of steering and suspension components are joined together. Everyday Honolulu driving can cause Honolulu drivers' wheels to go out of alignment over time just from the joints loosening up. That's why most recommend an alignment check every couple of years. Depending on where you live in HI or the conditions you drive in (off-road driving, harsh Honolulu winter conditions, poor pavement, etc.) ... read more