Hamburg Auto Repair

Welcome to 2021! We hope you and your family have managed to cope in the past year. 2021 will likely have challenges of its own, but here’s to positivity and grace in the New Year. Speaking of the New Year: have you made any resolutions yet for 2021? We’ve compiled a short list of the sins we think need the most addressing to keep the roads safe… small commitments you can make to improve the driving around Hamburg. Paying attention: There’s so many distractions in a car these days. Phones, chatty passengers, kids… it’s important to get our distractions sorted before you begin driving. Set your phone up as hands free, ask your passenger to let you concentrate on the road, and remind the kids to be on their best behavior until you reach your destination. And be sure to know the route you are taking before you start the journey, so there’s no fiddling with a navigation app in the middle of your trip! Defensive Driving ... read more

At last, 2020 is finally ending! It’s been quite a rough year: a pandemic, a hotly-contested election, and  it’s good to see the end of it at last. Like many auto shops, we are grateful to our core customers for keeping us open and surviving through the pandemic. Unfortunately 2021 has as much uncertainty to it as 2020 did. We’re still in the middle of a contested election, the COVID19 vaccine hasn’t been distributed yet, we don’t have any assurances that COVID19 won’t still be dragging our businesses well into 2021, and we’re on the brink of a recession. We’re entering this new year with a lot of negatives still trailing us. Because of the issues with COVID19 and the economy, this is a really bad year to plan weddings and family gatherings. We’d like to recommend a few simple ideas towards cutting down on the danger of events that can’t be cancelled (but must be): Do it, smaller. Take vacations, because you need to ha ... read more

Despite everything 2020 has thrown at us, we’ve managed to make it to November. It’s time to meet up with our families and to give thanks for everyone who made it through a very rough year. At Schultz Auto & Truck Repair, we couldn’t have lasted without your patronage and support during this summer. It’s you that we’re most thankful for. We hope you’ll roast a turkey and raise a glass to everyone you love. To the uncles and cousins you may disagree with politically but still love. To the friends and neighbors who helped you and looked out for your family when toilet paper was at a premium. To the loved ones who can’t come to the feast because they are vulnerable and worried about gathering in groups, still.  As we give thanks for all we have this year and for each other, one forgotten entity you rely on daily deserves your recognition and respect. I am of course talking about your vehicle. What else will brave the weather for you, al ... read more

At Schultz Auto & Truck Repair in Hamburg, New York, we’re more than just your local service shop. We’re a NAPA Auto Care center as well. You might wonder, “what does that mean for me?” Let us explain it for you! When you bring your car or truck into Schultz Auto & Truck Repair for service, all qualifying labor and parts are covered with the nationwide NAPA AutoCare Peace of Mind Warranty, protecting you for 36,000 miles, or 36 months (3 calendar years).  That warranty is honored at more than 14,000 locations nationwide, protecting you wherever you roam. That’s more than any other automotive repair brand warranty. And it comes standard with all our labor and our parts.  Here’s what included with the NAPA AutoCare Peace of Mind Warranty: FREE with your qualifying repair or service work Covers parts and labor on qualifying repairs and services for 36 months/36,000 miles Honored nationwide by over 14,000 NAPA AutoCare Center loca ... read more

Computer diagnostics are an important part of auto repair and maintenance service. Why? To put it simply, it is a testing system that allows our mechanics to find the root cause of why your Check Engine light is on, or why your car is having issues.  In this month’s blog, we thought it would be a great idea to share information with you about the ins and outs of computer diagnostics. To begin, let’s talk about the high-tech, computer modulated system that runs your automobile. Your car is essentially a sophisticated computer network on wheels, and because of the many computers, it is not easy for a DIY mechanic to pinpoint any issues without the specialized computer diagnostics testing equipment. Gone are the days when the mechanical aspects of a Domestic, Asian, or European vehicle are deemed simple. Because of the many computers that monitor pressure, speed, airflow, temperature, cameras, erratic driving, and more, your vehicle needs the attention of technicians w ... read more

Digital Visual Inspections are a service we provide here at Schultz Auto & Truck Repair in Hamburg, NY. Why do we do this? Because digital inspections rock! Digital Inspections are the reports that our team sends you via email, text, or print that explain all that is good and not so good with your vehicle. Call us a little biased, but we really like providing digital visual inspections to our clients. To illustrate our point, let’s talk about what life was like before digital inspections were available to independent auto repair shops like ours. Back in the “old” days, a visual inspection report included a manual checklist of your vehicle. For example, we offered a 30-point visual inspection that involved a paper checklist, a pencil, and a full walk-around of your vehicle’s interior and exterior to report any issues. We would denote green, yellow, or red to let you know of things like your brakes, your oil level, your filters, and systems were good, needed ... read more

Ever since the onset of COVID-19, our plans for summertime road trips have been dicey. Though many of our travel plans have gone by the wayside, there is still a silver lining. That silver lining has to do with more quality time with family, staying close to home, saving money, and taking shorter trips around the region.  We choose to believe that there has to be some good that is borne out of challenges. As a result, we would like to share some of our favorite family-friendly summertime activities for 2020 that will allow you to have fun while maintaining social distancing. Woodlawn Beach State Park. We are fortunate to have this beautiful state park so close by on the shore of Lake Erie. You and the family can walk, collect rocks, search for seashells, and enjoy the wide open spaces.  Tifft Nature Preserve. With plenty of hiking and scenery, you and the family can enjoy Mother Nature’s splendor. Walk along the miles of trails, watc ... read more

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, some families spent little time together. So many fathers and their children were crazy busy with work, with school, with church commitments, and hobbies. After Shelter-In-Place orders, the world, as you know, got a whole lot quieter. Yes, it’s been hard, but the time spent at home with loved ones has also been a blessing. It has given us time together, but in an unhurried and less-chaotic sense.  That is why for our June blog, we want to celebrate our Fathers by listing five ways to bond with the father figures in your life for Father’s Day. Fathers are important, and we found a touching TED Talk that brings that point home: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eu22Wgu98VE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Did you shed a tear watching the video? Yes, so d ... read more

There are many ways you can show your Mother's love on Mother's day; here are a few ideas to help make her day special. The gift of a clean car is one kind and generous act that your mom or the Mother of your children won't soon forget. Something as simple as a vacuum, wipe down, and a new air freshener is a wonderful gesture to show how much you care. To take it one step further, scheduling a detail is over the top exciting, and the feeling your mom will get when she climbs into her rejuvenated car will keep her feeling special for a long time to come.  Another idea is to buy her a car wash pass. Even though this might not seem like a romantic gift, it will help her take the time for the carwash. This will give her the feeling of being thought of and loved for many months to come. This is a very thoughtful gesture and is a gift that keeps on giving!  Tinting her windows is an excellent gift. Not only does it help block out the heat and UV rays, tinted windows g ... read more

When it comes to a change in the weather, we often think of longer days and warmer weather, looking forward to trips to the beach and other road trip adventures. If adventures like this are on your to-do list, then it might be a good time to think about your tires. Did you put on winter tires this fall? If so, it is time to go back to an all-season tire. Unfortunately, driving on the same tires year-round can cause all sorts of issues, which is why it is important to change out your tires seasonally.  First of all, if you have studded tires or winter tires, the studs will cause reduced fuel economy and damage the roadway in addition to wearing down the metal studs, rendering them less likely to make it through another season. Each type of tire is made with different rubber compounds. Winter tires are softer, which means they will wear much faster than an all-season, that is engineered with a rubber compound that will hold up to hotter temperatures on the road. If you really think ... read more