Services
Brakes
If Guaranteed Brakes finds and fixes just one problem now, it can prevent more expensive repairs and possibly even an accident later. Because when your brakes begin failing, you risk the safety of your passengers–and those in the car ahead of you.
When you come to Guaranteed Brakes, we’ll do a complete inspection of your brake system. Some problems are quite obvious. But a thorough check of the entire brake system could reveal other problems that will only surface sooner or later. When we’re finished, Guaranteed Brakes has your vehicle’s brakes feeling and operating like brand new.
Do I Have a Brake Problem?
Here are the most common warning signs that you need to get your brakes fixed ASAP:
- Hear a high-pitched squeak when you push on the brakes
- Hear a grinding or scratching sound when braking, or even when not braking
- Feel a shaking or vibration when braking
- Needing to push further down on the brake pedal to stop, more than normal
- See a light come on your dash–-a brake light or an ABS light
Comprehensive Brake Repair
For brakes to perform at their best, every individual component of the system must be fully functional and work harmoniously with all other components. Guaranteed Brakes does an extensive exam and repair of all system parts which includes:
- Brake pads or shoes replacement
- Floating or fixed brake caliper replacement
- Brake rotors replacement or resurfaced
- Drum and rotor service
- Brake fluid exchange
- Hydraulic system
Shock, Struts & Suspension
The suspension provides more stability as you drive over any variety of road surfaces, or blemishes. There are many key components in a vehicle’s suspension system, the most critical being shock absorbers or the strut-based system typical in many front-wheel-drive cars.
If you are hearing clunks or rattling from your wheel areas when hitting bumps and your starting to feel every little bump on the road, it’s a good indication that your shocks or struts need to be checked. Bad shocks will cause additional fatigue on all the other components of your vehicle’s suspension system and in particular extra wear on your tires.
How do I know if I need new shocks or struts?
Shock absorbers on a vehicle can generally last up to 50,000 miles, while struts can go up to 80,000 miles. That life expectancy is based on the quality of the shock or strut as well as where you drive and how you drive. Here are some telling signs if your shock or strut needs to be replaced.
- Push down on the front or rear of your car. A good shock or strut will absorb the bounce and quickly level the car. If your car continues to bounce up and down, the shock or strut is likely wearing out. You’ll probably notice that while driving as well.
- Shocks are charged with oil which absorbs bounce and energy when hitting a pothole or crossing over uneven surfaces. Seals keep the oil in place. But over time the seals dry up and become dislodged. Oil will start seeping past the seal and leak out onto the exterior of the shock or strut. That visible oil is a sign of the shock losing its ability to perform as needed
- Over time the components of a shock or strut wear out and break. It could be the spring around the strut that breaks along the coil. Or, the mounts where shock or strut meets the chassis will weaken. Another issue is when the piston within the shock or strut rusts, preventing it from moving freely. When these types of breakdowns happen you will begin hearing a clunking or rattling sound when driving over bumps.
- If your car, truck, van, or SUV dips forward when braking or dips inward while making a sharp turn, that could be caused by worn shocks or struts
Complete Suspension Inspection and Repair
When you bring your vehicle to Guaranteed Brakes we’ll thoroughly examine your suspension system and find out what’s causing those clunks, rattles, bumps, and dripping fluids. Our detailed assessment includes:
- Shock absorbers
- Struts
- Springs–coil or leaf
- Control arms
- Ball joints
Control Arms & Ball Joints
In automotive suspension, the control arm is what holds it all together. It’s a hinged suspension link between the chassis and the hub that carries the wheel. Most control arms have a rubber bushing or ball joint that allows the bar to rotate up and down without binding up. The common reason control arms go bad and need replacing is because the bushing or the ball joint becomes worn out. The ball joint is a critical part serving as the pivot between the wheels and the suspension of the vehicle.
Alignment
When your vehicle is correctly aligned, you get the benefit of reduced tire wear, better fuel mileage, and smoother driving. Over time driving on Midwestern roads, any car, truck, van, or SUV will get out of alignment. When you notice it, don’t delay bringing your vehicle to Guaranteed Brakes to be accurately aligned again.
How do I know if my vehicle needs wheel alignment?
Rough roads and accidents will get your vehicle out of alignment. The longer it stays out of alignment adds stress to both your tires and your vehicle’s suspension system. Here are the signs:
- When driving down the road your car or truck pulls or veers to one side
- When driving straight the steering wheel isn’t straight but some variation of crooked
- You see your tires wearing unevenly or excessively on one side
Guaranteed Brakes is an alignment specialist
Guaranteed Brakes have technicians with the right skills, experience, and equipment to accurately align your vehicle back to factory specifications. Proper alignment means bringing your front and back wheels parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. With computerized alignment, the technicians are able to set the wheels to the correct calibration set by your vehicle’s manufacturer standards.
Drivetrain
Whether front-wheel, rear-wheel, or even all-wheel drive, the drivetrain takes the torque coming from the transmission, produced by the engine, and delivers it to the driving wheels. While the concept seems simple, the process is complex involving a system of gears, joints, and other parts.
Depend on our drivetrain experts
It takes an experienced powertrain professional to detect exactly the source of problems you may be experiencing driving, shifting gears, or encountering at different speeds. When you bring your car to Guaranteed Brakes we’ll do a thorough diagnosis of the drivetrain including the key components:
- Drive axle
- Differential
- CV joints
- Transfer case
- U-joints
Transmission
Your vehicle’s transmission is a complex mechanical system that transfers the power from the engine to the driveshaft. It’s what gets your car going forward and backward at many speeds. As a result of doing its job, the transmission experiences a lot of wear and tear over time from heat and friction produced by its many moving and interacting parts.
Faithfully following the recommended maintenance schedule will prevent problems, but if you notice a problem with your transmission it’s best to address right away!
How do I know if my transmission is in trouble?
If you’re experiencing just one of these syndromes, better to get your vehicle to Guaranteed Brakes immediately–before you start experiencing the next warning symptoms.
- Your car hesitates or even refuses to go into gear
- Your manual transmission is making a grinding noise when shifting gears
- You hear a new whining, humming, and clunking noise while driving that’s coming from the transmission
- There is a red fluid dripping under your transmission
- Your car is shaking and jerking while shifting gears
- There is a burning smell, different from a radiator overheating
- Your “Check Engine” light or “Transmission” light comes on
- The transmission sounds noisy even in neutral or at a stop
- Your transmission spontaneously slips in an out of gear or pops into neutral
We're Transmission Experts
Remanufactured transmissions installed at Guaranteed Brakes come with a 3-year/50,000 mile warranty. For 4-Wheel (4X4) vehicles, Guaranteed Brakes will reseal or rebuild transfer cases.
To be sure we fix the right problems in your transmission Guaranteed Brakes will do a complete inspection involving external survey, fluid check, driving test, and computer diagnostic.
For automatic transmissions Guaranteed Brakes will perform:
- Replacement of the transmission assembly
- Fluid flush along with filter replacement
- Install new sensor or solenoid
Manual transmission work at Guaranteed Brakes includes:
- Clutch Replacement
- Reconditioning flywheel
- Replacing master or slave cylinder
- Replacement of the transmission assembly
Steering
You take your ability to steer for granted until you have problems. When that happens, don’t jeopardize your safety with a compromised capacity to maneuver your vehicle. Bring your vehicle car, truck or SUV in to Guaranteed Brakes as soon as possible to inspect and repair your steering.
What are symptoms of steering problems?
- It’s hard to turn your steering wheel, especially at slow speeds.
- You hear a rubbing sound or feel a vibration when turning the steering wheel.
- While turning your steering wheel there is a noticeable noise coming from the engine area–your power steering pump.
- Your steering wheel is very loose and it’s difficult to drive straight.
We can reliably repair your vehicle’s steering system.
When you bring your vehicle to Guaranteed Brakes we’ll inspect the entire steering system to diagnose the real causes of your problem. Guaranteed Brakes works on both rack-and-pinion and recirculating-ball steering systems. Key components Guaranteed Brakes can inspect, repair or replace in your vehicle’s steering system include:
- Steering box
- Constant velocity joint
- Vehicle speed sensor
- Power steering pump, hoses, and fluid
- Tie rods, boots, and joints
Exhaust
You may think the purpose of an exhaust system is to keep your car running quietly. That is largely true–especially when you think of the word “muffler”. At the same time, your exhaust system is also responsible for reducing the engine’s harmful emissions from going into our air. A properly functioning exhaust system makes your vehicle sound better, run efficiently, and be cleaner for the environment. So if your exhaust system is failing you should not delay getting it to Guaranteed Brakes for repair.
Signs my exhaust system is in trouble!
- Your car sounds like a monster truck with a deep or loud rumbling sound.
- The catalytic converter is gone (likely stolen) and your vehicle sounds loud while running choppy.
- You smell engine exhaust fumes inside your vehicle.
- You’re losing fuel efficiency and going back to the gas station much sooner
Complete Exhaust Repair
When you bring your exhaust problem to Guaranteed Brakes you’ll get a full diagnosis and repair that restores your exhaust to brand new condition. The extensive exhaust system repair includes:
- Catalytic converter replacement
- Center exhaust section replacement
- Downpipe replacement
- Muffler replacement
- Manifold replacement