May 20, 2018
Sometimes busy Elgin residents dream about going back to the “simpler” days of our grandparents. But if you could travel back in time and take a road trip around Illinois in a Model T, you might change your mind. The improved designs and quality of today's automobiles have significantly reduced the amount of time Elgin residents spend at the side of the road during breakdowns. With proper maintenance, today's vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before.
Some of those improvements, however, have led to higher repair costs. For example, older cars often broke down from vapor lock. Gas vaporized while traveling from the gas tank to the fuel pump. No gas, no power. The car quits going. The solution was simple — you just sat by the road until the car would start up again. Today's Elgin drivers would hardly tolerate that kind of inconvenience, and it's likely that yesterday's Elgin drivers didn't care much for it, either. So on today's vehicles, the fuel pump is actually located inside the gas tank. Problem solved. No more vapor lock. The downside is that now it costs a lot more to repair or replace a fuel pump at Elgin area auto service centers.
Elgin drivers certainly should be grateful for the improvements in auto design that keep us off the side of the road, but it comes at a price. Vehicle care in Illinois simply costs more than it used to. So if you think about it, Elgin drivers can avoid many vehicle repairs by preventive maintenance. If we plan for maintenance, we can avoid a lot of costly repairs.
Just a bit of auto advice from Tuffy Auto Service Center Elgin: If you like new vehicles and can afford them, then buy them. But if you are buying a new vehicle every few years because you're afraid of the higher repair costs for older vehicles, then you ought to take a second look at the numbers. You can save a lot of money on car payments and Illinois auto insurance with an older vehicle and preventive auto maintenance can help you avoid most car repair bills. And if you budget for preventive maintenance you have done at Tuffy Auto Service Center Elgin, it can become as routine as a car payment — only a whole lot less!
Tuffy Auto Service Center Elgin
395 S. Randall Rd
Elgin, Illinois 60123
847-717-4682

April 15, 2026
Buying a new car in Elgin is always a big financial decision. The allure of that new car smell is powerful, to be sure. But what if your current car is still in good shape? How do you decide?People in Elgin who've been used to driving a new car every three to five years may be having second tho... More

April 14, 2026
Name someone you know who enjoys spending a lot of money on gasoline. Yeah, me neither. Thats because it costs quite a bit to keep fueling your vehicle. One way to save money on gas is to get good fuel economy, and most of todays vehicles are designed to maximize your mileage. But you might f... More

March 29, 2026
Few of us ever drive somewhere without encountering some pretty rough roads, and it's amazing how well our vehicles are able to smooth out the ride. Thank your shocks and struts. The two parts are similar. Some cars have shocks in the rear, and struts in the front. Others have struts all around... More