Car care notes
The questions people ask at the service window, answered once and properly. Written for Ottawa roads and Ottawa winters.
Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to noon
2595 Blackwell St, Unit 112, Ottawa
(613) 282-7077
Online booking never closes
4.9 on Google, 199 reviews
- When to put on winter tires in OttawaOntario does not require them, Quebec does, and your insurer has to offer a discount for them. Here is when to book the swap and what it costs.
- Why your car won't start in the coldA click, a slow crank, or nothing at all. What each one usually points to on a cold Ottawa morning, and what to check before you buy a battery.
- Check engine light, flashing vs solidThe same light means two very different things depending on whether it blinks. What to do with each, and why the code is where diagnosis starts.
- Ontario safety certificates under DriveONWhat a safety costs, how long it lasts, what changed when DriveON replaced the paper certificates, and why a safety is not the same as a used car check.
- ADAS calibration after a new windshieldThe camera behind your mirror reads the road through the glass. Change the glass and the camera has to be aimed again, or the driver assist systems guess.
- How much a car diagnostic costsWhat you are actually paying for when a garage charges for a diagnostic, how the time is billed on Blackwell Street, and what you should have in hand at the end.
- Why your car pulls after a potholeA hard hit in March can bend a rim, knock the alignment out or bend a steering part. How to tell which, and why the order of repairs matters.
- Road salt and your carSalt keeps the roads open and quietly eats the underside of every car in Ottawa. Where it does the damage, what slows it down, and what to check in April.
Book it tonight
Pick a time on the booking page whenever it suits you, describe what the car is doing and add a few photos. Drop it off on the day you picked, before 4pm.
