Building Long Lasting Relationships With Quality Service and Trust Since 1980

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM

We Gladly Service Your Asian and Domestic Vehicles

Alpine Auto Service, Inc.

Why Alpine Auto Service?

© 2012 Alpine Auto Service, Inc. | 7120 East Furnace Branch Road | Glen Burnie MD  21060 | 410-787-0550

We honor extended warranties.

24 Hour Emergency Towing Available  (Click Here)

Close By

At 7120 East Furnace Branch Rd. 1/2 block east of Ritchie Highway

 

Fast

Most work completed in one day.

 

Honest

Do only work that is necessary.

 

Professional

ASE certified Master Technicians.

 

FREE Financing

0% Financing for 6 months!

 

Priced Right

Highly competitive pricing for the most respected service in town.

 

Choice Of Parts

High quality or economy parts saves  you money.

 

Convenient

FREE local shuttle service.

Early drop-off / Late  pick-up.

 

No Surprises

All prices must be approved by you before any work is done.

 

Incredible Warranty

18 months or 18,000 miles on parts and labor.

 

Work Done Right

The first time, on time. Serving our clients since 1980.

 

Customer Rewards Program

Free gas for your referrals.

 

100% Customer Satisfaction

Our most important goal.

Insurance work accepted.

    At Alpine Auto Service, we will retrieve your trouble codes for no charge, and based on the findings, present you with an estimate for an accurate diagnosis.

 

    Remember, those parts stores offering this free service have no technicians who can diagnose the problem.  A trouble code is not a diagnosis, but a starting place. Today’s computerized vehicles have computers that are much more sophisticated than the 8-bit computers that put the first men on the moon. As such, they have the ability to analyze input signals from various sensors throughout the vehicle, and make some logical "assumptions" about those signals. When something looks illogical to the computer, it will set a Diagnostic Trouble Code, or DTC, which tells you which circuit was affected. It does not tell you WHY the problem happened.

 

    The computer uses logic and input from other sensors to test the validity of the data from a given sensor. For a simple example, if the vehicle speed sensor shows the car rapidly decelerating, the manifold vacuum is high, but the brake switch does not show that the brake pedal is depressed, there are two possible scenarios: The brake switch circuit has a problem, or you just ran into a brick wall and never hit the brakes. Here again, the computer can tell us that it should have seen that the brake pedal was depressed and it did not receive that information. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the switch is bad. Yes, it could be a bad switch. It could also be a blown fuse, a poor connection, or a shorted wire. But you can bet the "free service" store will sell you a switch.

 

    Please be aware that there is no magic machine that you hook up to a car and immediately get the answer to the car's problem.  A diagnostic code does not tell you what part needs to be replaced. Computerized diagnostic equipment will supply a skilled technician with the information he or she needs to diagnose the problem.  But the machine does not provide the answer in and of itself.

     Think of it this way: An MRI or X-ray machine is a great diagnostic tool ... but the information it provides is only useful to a skilled doctor or surgeon.  The ability to understand and interpret the data that these machines gather is crucial to the correct diagnosis and "repair" of your body.  Likewise, a skilled technician will utilize the data gathered from advanced diagnostic equipment along with their knowledge and technical repair information and schematics to accurately diagnose and repair your vehicle.  There are three important elements to a successful repair, and the equation looks like this:

 

Skilled Technician + Proper Equipment + Accurate Repair Information = Fixed Vehicle

 

    Here’s a good example of why a “pull-the-code-only diagnosis” can cause you to spend money on parts needlessly. A DTC P0171 means that the engine appears to be running lean (not enough fuel) as the oxygen sensor voltage is low. The first thing most do-it-yourselfers do is replace the oxygen sensor. Guess what? The problem may not be gone. This code means that the system is adding more fuel to the air/fuel mixture based on a low voltage from the oxygen sensor. It does not mean the sensor is defective, it means the engine is lean. Or is it? The fact is, the engine may be running normally, but the oxygen sensor is reporting the wrong information. OR, it could mean that the engine really is lean. It could be a vacuum leak, low fuel pressure, a dirty mass airflow sensor or none of these. That’s right. It could be that the "program" code in the computer is wrong. Just like your home PC needs updated files occasionally to keep it running right, so do some car computers. This is known as "flashing" the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) computer with new program code. In this case, replacing all the sensors on the car won’t fix the problem.

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