Elysian Auto Service

    Why is my brake pedal spongy? A “spongy” brake pedal can result from a few different things. You could have air in your brake line. Or you may have a leak in the brake line. If you have an air bubble in your brake line this can prevent the fluid from flowing down the brake line causing that spongy sensation. The other culprit, a leak in the brake line, can cause this spongy sensation, or your brake pedal may press all the way down to the floor. These are major symptoms and should not be ignored! In a disc brake vehicle, the process is simple to follow, every time you step on your brakes hydraulic brake fluid is sent down the brake line to an item called a caliper. The caliper then squeezes the brake pads against that shiny round silver disc called a rotor, which stops your vehicle. If you have any interruption in the process you have a major problem, and will lose braking power. If there is air in the line we perform a brake fluid service or brake bleed to get all the old ...

  When Should I Replace My Brakes? How often should brakes be replaced? When was the last time my brakes were replaced? You might find yourself wondering about the answer to these questions. There is no simple answer, it depends on where you are driving and your driving style. Someone who is frequently applying brakes (bumper-to-bumper traffic, only drives in the city) is going to need to replace their brakes more frequently than someone who mainly puts on highway miles, meaning they apply their brakes a lot less frequently. Brakes are crucial and should be checked out immediately if there are ever any concerns. Our Minnesota winters make brakes that much more important, can you imagine going into the winter without adequate brakes? There are a few telltale signs to be aware of that will help indicate it is time for new brakes.  Grinding brakes. This is a great indicator that your brake pads are worn down and need to be replaced. If your brakes start grinding, get them checked...

  What is Brakes For Breasts? Starting September 19th, 2022, Elysian Auto Service in Elysian, MN will join hundreds of Independent Auto Repair Shops across the US and Canada to raise funds for breast cancer vaccine research as part of the Brakes for Breast fundraiser. As part of the fundraiser, participating auto repair facilities will give away FREE (quality) brake pads . The customer simply pays for the labor and any other parts necessary to complete the brake job, and the shops then donate 10% of the brake job directly to Dr. Vincent Tuohy & the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. Brakes for Breasts fundraising efforts started in 2011 with 5 automotive repair shops in the Cleveland, Ohio area that raised $10,000 and has now evolved to incorporate hundreds of shops in the United States and Canada. Since then, these shops have collectively raised over $1,000,000, making Brakes for Breasts the largest third-party fundraising entity at the Cleveland Clinic. Mor...

  Do Brake Pads And Rotors Need To Be Replaced At The Same Time? Have you recently started to hear grinding when you press on the brake pedal? Or maybe your brake pedal has started to feel squishy? These are both telltale signs that it is time to have your brakes looked at. To answer the question on brake pads and rotors needing to be replaced at the same time, our answer is yes. What are brake pads? Brake pads are flat pieces of steel. On one side they are smooth and on the other side is a thick material that absorbs friction. When you press on your brake pedal, your brake pads make contact with your rotors which slows you and eventually brings you to a stop. Every time you brake, your pad loses a bit of the friction-absorbing material.  What are rotors? Rotors are a disk that oftentimes can be seen from your wheel well. Rotors are what absorb the high pressure from your brake pads. When you press the brake pedal, your pads make contact with the rotors. Rotors are subject to ...

  BG Products: What Are They? Elysian Auto Service proudly uses BG Products for various services we perform. BG Products help maintain high-quality maintenance on your vehicle. Their products can help with fuel efficiency, miles per gallon, and reliability long term. They offer products for fuel systems, transmissions, brakes, engines, cooling, power steering, climate control systems, and battery. Products are created and tested in their research and development lab located in Kansas. They also have an innovation center where they analyze products and try to solve vehicle drivability problems. We like BG Products because they do a lot of testing and research and are able to prove their products work and produce results.

Before we know it, winter will be upon us. For some that might be exciting, but for those who commute to work daily, it might not be. Making sure your vehicle is ready to take on the fierce Minnesota winter is very important, and might help give you some peace of mind the next time you have to hit the road. Here are a few things you can do to ensure that your vehicle is in top shape and ready for the ice and snow: 1. Check your tires, make sure they are in good condition and have a tread depth of at least 5/32". Buying a set of winter tires is another good option, they contain a specialized tread that can help with traction.  2. Check your tire pressure and make sure they are up to manufacture recommendations. The cold causes tire pressure to drop. 3. Test your battery, the cold is very tough on batteries. Especially pay attention to your cold-cranking amps, this is what will determine if your battery starts in cold temperatures. 4. Replace your windshield wipers. Visibility is cr...

Brake pads are more important than you might think, without them, you would not be able to properly bring your vehicle to a stop. There are two main components to braking, rotors and brake pads. Rotors are the shiny circle discs that you can sometimes see behind the wheel of your vehicle. When you apply pressure to your brake pedal, contact is made with the brake pad, which then makes contact with your brake rotors and brings you to a stop. There are a few different types of brake pads out there. Ceramic brake pads are what we usually recommend. They hold up well even after repeated use and hard stops. Worn pads usually make a squeaking noise or will sound like they are grindin g.