If you drive a car, truck, or SUV with a manual transmission, the pressure plate is an integral part of your vehicle. From Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, here’s what you need to know.

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at Lake Ridge Automotive is here to help you out. It's simple in theory but does quite a lot of work for such a small piece of equipment. Your spark plug forces electricity to arc across a gap like a bolt of lightning at high voltage and fits into your engine's cylinder head, where it “sparks” to ignite the fuel and creates combustion within your engine. Without it, you wouldn't be able to drive your car or truck. 

Many cars, particularly models produced between the 1970s and the 1990s, utilize cable clutch designs instead of hydraulics to operate the clutch. Here’s a brief explanation of clutch cable systems, from Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge.

Do you hear a funny clicking sound when you turn the wheels of your vehicle? It could be your car or truck's CV or Drive Axle, and it may be in need of repair. Safety is the number one priority for our customers here at Lake Ridge Automotive, and it is our goal to keep your vehicle running smoothly. Driving around with a damaged CV Joint or Drive Axle problem can be extremely dangerous. The axle is a structural component that bears the weight of the vehicle, any cargo, and the acceleration forces between you and the ground. It is so important to have your vehicle inspected regularly by a trained automotive repair professional here at Lake Ridge Automotive to ensure its safety.

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, routine maintenance and repair isn’t the only thing we do. For custom parts installation, you can also count on us. Common modification enthusiasts do is swapping to a short-throw shifter; but what actually is a short-throw shifter, and what does it do?

“Transfer case” is a term you may have heard in discussions about transmissions. But what is it, and what does it do? Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge wants to keep you up to date and knowledgeable in your vehicle. Different aspects of your vehicle provide different issues and solutions.

You may occasionally hear the term “transaxle” used in place of “transmission” for your car or SUV. Is there a difference, and if so, what is it? Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge is here to help.

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, VA, we know buying a used car, truck, or SUV can be a gamble. While there are no guarantees, there are key points of inspection that tell us a lot about the condition of a vehicle and how it has been maintained. There are some important points of the inspection we verify when checking out a used vehicle.

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, we know that few problems are simultaneously as simple and confusing as a bad ground connection on your car, truck, or SUV. Here’s a look at some symptoms of a bad ground, and what you can do to correct it.

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, VA, we believe it’s important for you to know how different systems in your car, truck, or SUV operate. Whether you want to know what to watch out for, or you’re just curious about how things work, we’re here to supply the answers.

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, VA, we know how annoying a faulty fuel gauge can be. Never knowing how much gas you have in your car, truck, or SUV, and constantly running the risk of stranding yourself on the road somewhere, takes its toll after a while. Luckily, we can fix that.

We’ve all been there: You start your car in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. You hear an unusual noise coming from your car, and it sounds bad. How do you know if it's something you should bring in to us here at Lake Ridge Automotive to get looked at? 

It’s likely you’ve been exposed to conflicting opinions about having your transmission fluid replaced. You may have heard that cars over a certain mileage should not have the transmission fluid flushed and replaced, because it could damage the transmission, or you may have had someone tell you the first thing you should do at any sign of trouble is have your transmission flushed. At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, our expert mechanics have the answers you’re looking for.

Vehicle belts aren’t that different than the belts that hold up your trousers. They need to fit properly and stay in place, and if they break, sag, or wear out, you’ll probably wish you were wearing a different belt that day. The same goes for the belts in your car. Your engine compartment is a punishing environment, and while all auto belts are made of materials designed to be both flexible and tough, even the toughest materials will eventually wear out due to the extreme temperatures under the hood.

If you own or manage a fleet or commercial truck, you know what a headache it can be to take the same vehicle in for maintenance over and over, wasting valuable time. At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, VA, we have the technology, equipment and technicians necessary to get the job done fast, and get it done right.

Tire rotations are a part of vehicle maintenance. The purpose of rotating your tires is to make them last as long as possible, prevent your suspension from wearing out prematurely, and keep the drivability of your car in the best possible condition. So when should you get a tire rotation?

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, the history of cars is a huge topic of interest to us. Here’s an interesting piece of automotive trivia, from us to you.

Antifreeze is a fluid that’s just as important as oil to the engine in your car, truck, or SUV. You probably already know it’s essential to keeping your engine cool - but it’s important for more than one reason, and does require maintenance besides keeping it full. From Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, VA, here’s what you need to know about antifreeze.

When something goes wrong with your vehicle, it can be tempting to take the cheapest route. With eBay, Amazon, and the countless other sources for car and truck parts on the market today, many people decide to go that route to save some money. Here we choose only quality automotive parts for our Woodbridge, VA driver at Lake Ridge Automotive because we want to ensure their parts match our commitment to providing them high quality repairs.

At Lake Ridge Automotive in Woodbridge, we understand the importance of proper transmission maintenance. Commercial trucks are heavy, and they rack in a lot of miles. With this combination, it’s essential the transmissions in your trucks are always performing their best. Here’s a few things to watch out for: