Mechanic near Orléans

The 174, the Split and Exit 112

From Orléans, take Highway 174 west to the Split, where it joins the 417, and stay on the Queensway for one exit. Get off at Exit 112 for Innes Road, and Sheffield Road and Blackwell Street are just south. The shop is Unit 112, 2595 Blackwell St, Ottawa, ON.

Outside rush hour that is about 13 minutes from Chapel Hill and 15 or 16 from Place d’Orléans or Convent Glen. Weekday mornings are another story, since the 174 westbound backs up well before the Split. You still sit through that part, but the shop is one exit past it, so you are off the highway before the 417 slows down again toward downtown. Going home, it is back onto the 417 at Innes and out to the 174.

What the highway does to a car

Orléans cars rack up highway kilometres fast. Every commute is a run on the 174, and in winter that means a steady spray of salt and slush thrown up by the car in front. Brake lines, rocker panels and the subframe take the worst of it, and a rinse underneath after a big thaw is worth the few dollars.

Highway driving is also where rock chips come from. A chip low on the windshield turns into a crack on the first cold snap, and the replacement glass is often where your driver assist camera lives. Highway speed also shows up a bad alignment that you never notice in town, as a pull you have to hold all the way home.

New windshield, then calibration

Most newer cars have a camera behind the windshield for lane keeping and automatic braking. After the glass is replaced, that camera needs to be aimed again, or the car may drift without warning or brake for nothing on the 174. ADAS calibration starts at $200, done with target boards in front of the car.

If the car also pulls, do the wheel alignment first. It starts at $125 and is done on a four post alignment lift in the same bay as the calibration station, so both jobs happen in one visit and the camera is set to the corrected angles.

Tire season on the 174

When the first snow is in the forecast, tire bookings across the east end fill up in the same week. Getting ahead of that matters more when your daily drive is highway. A seasonal swap of tires already on rims is $60, and mounting a new set onto rims starts at $120.

The tire change and installation page covers balancing and what gets checked while the wheels are off. Bring the wheel lock key, and if the swap is on the way to work, leave the other set in the trunk the night before.

Booking from Orléans

The shop is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, and Saturday from 9am to noon, and cars should be dropped off by 4pm. If you drive downtown, coming off at Exit 112 on the way in and back on at Innes on the way home is the easy version. Getting into the city once the car is dropped off means a cab or bus to Cyrville station on Line 1, about 4 km away.

For a warning light that comes on at highway speed, car diagnostics start at $150 with the scan included. Note in the booking whether it happens cold, at speed or under load, since that narrows down where to look. You can book online any time.