Baltimore Auto Repair

Well it's that time of year again, snow & ice on the roads being treated with salt. The salt and cold combine to create potholes that we seem to find every time we go out to drive. Generally, it takes a couple of weeks for the potholes to be filled so until that time try to remember where they are. If you are unfortunate enough to hit a deep pothole and you notice your vehicle is not handling the same, get it checked out immediately. Small changes in your alignment can cause rapid tire wear. Sometimes damage to the tire and or wheel occurs that will cause shaking or pulling to one side or the other. At Framerite Auto Repair we have been correcting problems like these for over 67 years. Just give us a call and we will get you back to smooth driving again

I slid into a curb, now what do I do? If you have been unfortunate enough to slide into a curb, the first thing to check is the tire. You need to make sure it is safe to drive on. If you can drive your vehicle, see if there is a change in how it handles. Any change would indicate damage that needs to be checked by an ASE certified technician. Even slight damage will cause rapid tire wear and extremely poor handling, especially in wet conditions. A tire can wear so fast and cause a blowout, resulting in loss of control of your vehicle. When an alignment is performed, we make adjustments down to a 1/16th of an inch so any change can cause rapid tire wear. At Framerite Auto Repair we have been taking care of these situations for 67 years. Chances are we may have worked on your parents or grandparent’s car, as we hear this quite often. Give us a call and we will return your vehicle to safe and reliable driving again!  

Should I be worried about my suspension with the condition of the streets in Baltimore? The answer is yes! Anywhere you travel the system that connects your wheels to your vehicle is your suspension. Every time you hit a pothole, a bump or an object in the road your suspension has to absorb that punishment.  As you can imagine, the suspension on your vehicle has lots of joints, bushings and pivot points that allow your wheels to move up and down and allow you to turn and steer. These parts include ball joints, tie rod ends, pitman and idler arms as well as many bushings. They simply wear out over time or become damaged due to the harshness they have to endure. As they wear handling and steering develop a loose feel and may include strange noises. Sometimes a loose or worn suspension part can put stress on another part causing premature failure. Usually the first sign of suspension problems is you will notice that your tires are wearing irregularly. If you feel the handling on your ... read more

Why does your alignment cost more than the tire store? We receive many calls inquiring about the price of an alignment and how long does it take. When we answer what our price is and the length of time it takes to perform a proper alignment is we often hear "Well I can get that alignment for $49.95". If you can remember what the old saying is, “You get what you pay for!” Proper alignment is very important to the handling of the vehicle, making sure your tires wear to their rated design and for your best fuel mileage. Generally it takes 1-1 1/2  hours to perform an alignment correctly. The manufacturer gives us specifications that sometimes have a wide parameter. The best alignment is usually in the middle of the parameter of preferred settings. Experience has shown us that sometimes the manufacturers specifications are not the best for the vehicle. If you take your vehicle to have an alignment for the cheap price you are not going to get the be ... read more

Why did my tires wear out prematurely even though I had an alignment? We see this situation often. When checking the alignment we find that only one adjustment was made and that is toe-in. Frequently caster and camber, the other angles we measure, have not been adjusted. The type of vehicle determines whether the factory gives us a way to adjust these angles, or sometimes we have to install adjustments to correct a tire wear problem. We have many ways to correct an out of specification alignment thanks to adjustable aftermarket parts we can install. If your vehicle suffers from premature tire wear, Framerite AutoRepair is the place to go. We may have aligned your Grandfathers car since we have been here since 1954! Call us today and we will take care of you

“Do I need to replace my shocks and struts?” We hear this question a lot at Framerite Auto Repair. There are several ways that your car can tell you. First, are your tires wearing prematurely? Do you have excessive bouncing when going over bumps? You may feel like your front end dips when you stop. In general, worn shocks and struts make your vehicle more difficult to handle and just not as comfortable of a ride as before. Replacing them can restore your vehicle handling to like new conditions. Give our experienced and certified technicians a call and set up a time when you can have your questions answered, your shocks and struts replaced if needed and get up to $160 rebate

While April is National Car Care Month we are reminded of something that we can take for granted. We assume that our car is going to start AND take us from point A to point B when we want it to. In order for that to be the case, we need to take some maintenance and preventative actions, much like we do with our bodies. In general your oil levels need to be checked or changed if due and your hoses, brakes, battery and exhaust system should be inspected. Below is a chart that shows some general guidelines to follow in maintaining your vehicle. You should always check the factory recommended maintenance for your specific vehicle. As always, Framerite and our experienced mechanics are here to help

How much to fix my frame? We hear that often from a customer after they have tried to have an alignment performed at a tire store. The tire store can”t get the alignment angles to where they need to be and assume the problem is a bent frame. To give an accurate estimate of what it will take to get the vehicle back in alignment we need to diagnose the problem. First we take alignment measurements so they give us a idea of what is the concern and at what wheel(s). Then our technicians determine from the alignment measurements and futher examination of the suspension, frame and/or unibody what is bent, what can be straightened and what needs to be replaced. Occasionally we can perform an alignment with installing aftermarket products that allow for adjustment where the factory does not give us any. In either case we have been returning vehicles back into proper alignment for 64 years. Give u ... read more

Potholes are most certainly a nuisense but they can also cause damage to your car. Your vehicle's tires, wheels and suspension feel the brunt of hitting those potholes. The force of hitting a pothole can cause tire damage, a tread separation or even a flat tire. The wheel itself can become bent and result in the inability to get an airtight seal with the tire. Fortunately, these are issues that you should be able to see upon inspecting your vehicle. Damage to your suspension can also occur causing it to be out of alignment but these are not as easily seen. While you are not able to see this problem, there are warning signs. If you find that your steering wheel is off center, a vibration while driving, tires wearing unevenly, car pulling to one direction or experience the feeling of loose handling, your car's alignment needs to be checked. Obviously, the best offense is t ... read more

Winter is here again and so are hazardous driving conditions. Single digit temperatures and precipitation make for slippery roads to deal with. If you happen to be caught in the unfortunate situation of having to make your way in icy conditions please drive slowly and keep your distance. If you would lose control and slide into a curb and notice even a slight difference in the way your vehicle handles, it may have incurred damage. If you notice that the steering wheel position changed or a vibration has started, these are signs that something in the suspension or steering could be bent. For 64 years we have dealt with these situations. We can get your vehicle back on the road and handling like nothing ever happened