Elysian Auto Service

  Is Your Vehicle Ready For The Holidays? Before we know it, Christmas and the New Year will be upon us! For a lot of us, that means extra miles on our vehicles.  Making sure your vehicle is ready to take on the fierce Minnesota winter and holiday travel 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 season: 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 manufacturer 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....

    What Are Winter Tires And Why Do I Need Them? Benefits of Winter Tires It is true that many all-season tires can handle light winter driving to a certain extent. In Minnesota, you might want to think twice about your all-season tires and consider switching over to a winter tire for the snowy months. Winter roads are very unpredictable, you might encounter black ice or heavy snowfall. You will want to be prepared for those situations and to have the best tires possible to help get you on your way.  Here are a few advantages you get with winter tires:  -Longevity: Buying a set of winter tires means you are able to put fewer miles on your regular season tires and they will last longer, and because you will only need winter tires for a few months you will get multiple seasons out of them as well.   -Tread Depth & Traction: Winter tires have a deeper tread depth which helps lessen snow buildup. The specialized tread design also pushes water away from the...

  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 ...

  Auto Repair Shop Near Me: Elysian Auto Service Did you know that Elysian Auto Service is a local family-owned business and has been around since 1984? Owners Carl and Susan Morsching can be found at the shop every day, taking pride in the business they created. We are located on 203 East Main St. in Elysian, Minnesota. We love our small town and supporting communities.  Our technicians are ASE-certified. And our shop is AAA-approved. No job is too big or small, we do it all. Everything from an oil change to a new motor. We also sell tires and offer alignments. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00-5:00.  Why choose Elysian Auto Service? We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction. Working with customers and making them happy is our main priority. We do everything possible to make your trip to Elysian Auto Service as convenient and quick as possible. We also offer unique amenities such as: -Free Loaner Cars -Free Shuttle Rides -Free Pick Up and Delivery -Digital Ve...

Tips For Traveling With Pets Most of us own a pet that we love like a family member. Approximately 78% of Americans travel with their pets. For some pet parents, this can seem like a daunting task, and for others, it is as easy as can be. Here are some tips to help make traveling with your pet easier.  -Invest in a harness or some type of restraint. This will ensure that your pet is secured in case of an accident. The back seat is the safest place for pets. The front seat has an airbag which could cause injury.    -Portable food dishes. These are usually lightweight and packable, which means they take up less space. -Make sure they have an ID tag with up-to-date information. Have you recently moved or changed phone numbers? If your pet has a microchip make sure to update your info in there as well.  -You never know what traveling might bring, be sure to have extra cleaning supplies and towels along.  -Bring familiar or comfort items. Traveling can be very stress...

  What Are Some Common Dash Warning Lights? We have all been there, driving down the road and minding our own business when a dash warning light suddenly pops on. You might have known the meaning, and maybe even the cause right away. Or if you are like me, you might have no idea! Dash warning lights can be scary, the last thing you want is to have your vehicle brake down. Being informed about what specific warning lights mean will help ease some stress and you will be more knowledgeable about what is going on with your vehicle.  Check Engine: This light could mean dozens of different things. It could be something as simple as a loose gas cap, or as serious as a major mechanical issue. The check engine light relates to the vehicle's emissions system and the motor. It is important to note when it came on, and if you noticed anything else out of the ordinary going on with your vehicle at the time. This can help your mechanic pinpoint what is going on.  Oil Pressure: This lig...

  Does My Vehicle Need an AC Recharge? Can you imagine a Minnesota summer with no AC? Me neither. If you feel like your vehicle is taking longer than usual to cool, or maybe it isn't cooling at all you might have an issue. These are just a few signs that your vehicle's AC needs a recharge.  Additional issues you might notice:  -Your AC is cooling on only one side of the vehicle. -The back is cooling more than the front, or vice versa. -You periodically have cool air which eventually turns warm. -You can see an oily residue on the vents or blowing from the vents.  An AC recharge is when refrigerant is added to the cooling system which will then allow it to resume blowing cold air. At Elysian Auto Service, we will remove all old refrigerant and replace it with new fluid. Some are still under the impression that you can just top off the AC yourself with some refrigerant every summer, which is not the case and can actually damage your cooling system. It is important you ...

  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 fluid a...

Vehicle Maintenance Tips: Summer The season to hit the open road is nearly upon us! Whether you are heading up north to the cabin for the weekend or loading up the family to take that big cross-country vacation. You need to be prepared, and so does your vehicle. Elysian Auto Service has a couple of tips and reminders to make your travels safer and give you peace of mind. Most of these things just take a few minutes but that does not mean they are not important so let us begin.  The first item on the agenda is your tires, check them for low tread, abnormal wear like less tread on the inside or outside of the tire, or incorrect inflation. We know most are not tire experts, but if it looks bad or odd you most likely have a problem. As far as inflation is concerned, on the inside door frame of the driver's side is a sticker with the correct inflation. Be sure to check your spare tire as well! Secondly, how are the fluids? You have coolant, transmission, brake, and power steering fluid ...

  Do my wheels need balancing? Have you ever had your wheels balanced? Many customers at some point will experience a serious vibration or shake while driving and assume they have an alignment or tire problem and that may be true, but often times your wheels are out of balance. Tires and wheels don’t have equal weight distribution, they will be heavier in spots. That is why the weight must be evenly distributed around the circumference of the wheel to make sure each tire rolls smoothly. Imagine one or a few of those weights getting worn down or falling off, which can happen over time. You can see how it can throw off the precise balance of the wheel very quickly.     When you bring your vehicle into Elysian Auto and we do find an imbalance we will mount the tire on a balancing machine and then the wheel is spun while vibration measurements are taken. This process will tell the technician how much weight to add to the wheel and where to add it. Wheel balancing work is...

  Can I Drive With Bad Struts?  Technically yes, you can drive a vehicle with bad struts. But Elysian Auto Service wants to remind you it is not a good idea to wait very long to have them replaced. Over time struts become worn and in some cases leak which means the stability of your vehicle is now compromised. Struts are a component unlike filters or tires where you can see the problem, they are much harder to see. When is the last time you looked under your vehicle? You will know when your struts have gone bad by some common symptoms including poor handling, excessive bounce, body roll, poor traction, and possibly a steering wheel wobble. If your struts are binding, which we do see on occasion, the ability to steer the vehicle can be affected causing other issues. The other area where bad struts have a major impact is your tires. The instability will cause abnormal tire wear which leads to handling issues and costly replacement. If you just put new tires on recently or are pl...

  What Does Brake Fluid Do? We install hundreds of sets of brakes during the year here at Elysian Auto Service, but not everyone is aware of the importance of brake fluid! Did you know that every time you step on the brakes it heats up that fluid and sends it through the system? When it cools, condensation is created and that moisture is absorbed into the fluid which will cause corrosion, especially in the calipers.  So to avoid a costly repair and to keep your brakes operating at peak efficiency we encourage everyone to have a BG brake fluid service at regular intervals to protect those components as you head down the road. Brake fluid should be a part of your regular maintenance schedule much like your coolant or transmission fluid. We like to see most fluids changed every 30,000 miles.  Contact Elysian Auto Service if you would like to set up an appointment or find out more about the benefits of this fluid service.

  Elysian Auto Service: Do I need a new battery for my vehicle? 5 Signs it is time to replace your battery It has been a frigid week here in Minnesota and it is no secret that our cars do not appreciate the cold! The freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on our batteries. What might surprise you is that it is actually the warm months that create our winter battery problems. The heat accelerates corrosion within the battery which then causes it to weaken. Here are some signs you should be looking for if you think you might need a new battery: 1. Your vehicle is sluggish to start. This is a good indicator that it may be time to replace your battery.  2. You hear a clicking sound when you turn the key. This happens because your battery is weak and sends a weak current to your starter which will cause the clicking noise.  3. You need to jump-start your battery. Keep in mind this is not a long-term fix and that you will need a battery replacement. 4. Have you noticed your ...