Manor Park car mechanic

The long way down St. Laurent

Manor Park is at the far end of St. Laurent from us, but the drive is simple. Take St. Laurent Boulevard south across Montreal Road, past the St. Laurent Shopping Centre, over the 417, and on to Russell Road and Sheffield Road. You will find us at Unit 112, 2595 Blackwell St, Ottawa, ON, under the red and white sign.

It is about 9 km and fourteen minutes outside rush hour, and from Rockcliffe or Lindenlea add a few minutes. The highway never comes into it, which is useful on a morning when the Queensway is stopped. The lights on St. Laurent are the only thing between you and the shop.

Cars that sit for days

Manor Park and Rockcliffe are walkable and close to downtown, so plenty of cars there sit for days between trips. Modern cars are never fully off. Their modules, alarm and keyless entry draw a small current all the time, and over a week that is enough to flatten a battery that is a few years old.

When one module fails to go to sleep, the drain gets bigger and the battery dies overnight. Finding it means measuring current at the fuses one circuit at a time. Auto electrical repair starts with a diagnostic from $150. Chewed wiring is worth mentioning too. Mice like a parked car in the fall, and a nest under the hood causes more electrical faults than people expect.

Driver assist after glass or body work

Newer cars with lane keeping cameras and radar cruise need those sensors aimed properly after a windshield replacement, a bumper repair or an alignment. A camera that is off by a degree or two can read the lane lines wrong, and radar that sits crooked in a repaired bumper may not see the car ahead when it should.

ADAS calibration starts at $200 and is done with target boards set up in front of the four post alignment lift. If you have had glass or body work done elsewhere and a driver assist warning has come on since, bring the paperwork from that shop.

Heat, A/C and foggy windows

Older streets with mature trees mean leaves and seeds piling up in the cowl at the base of the windshield. That is where the fresh air intake sits, and when it clogs, water gets into the cabin air filter and the windows fog up every wet morning.

Weak heat, a fan stuck on one speed, or air conditioning that blows warm in July all fall under heating and A/C repair. It starts with an inspection at $120 an hour, and the cause is found before parts are ordered.

Low kilometres, still due

A car that does a few thousand kilometres a year still needs its oil changed. Oil ages in the engine whether the car moves or not, and short trips leave water in it. Oil change and maintenance follows the time limits in your owner’s manual as well as the kilometre ones.

Drop offs are taken from 8am until 4pm, Monday to Friday, with pickup by 5pm. You can book online any time, and if the car has been sitting, mention how long when you describe the problem.