Auto repair in Gloucester

A Gloucester shop, by Exit 112

Gloucester was its own city until Ottawa amalgamated in 2001, and plenty of people still use the name. SA Auto Repair is right in it, in the Cyrville industrial area at the K1B end of old Gloucester. The address is Unit 1, 1541 Star Top Road, Ottawa, ON.

There are three easy ways in: Innes Road, Blair Road or the 417. From Highway 417 in either direction, get off at Exit 112 (Innes Road), turn right on Innes, and right on Star Top Road. Unit 1 is about 350 m up on the right. From Blair Road, follow it south past Gloucester Centre and Blair station to the 174 and take the ramp for the 417 East. Coming along Innes from the east, Star Top Road is the right turn just past the highway ramps.

Engine trouble, diagnosed before anything comes apart

Engine work is where a guess gets expensive. A misfire can be a worn spark plug or a head gasket, and an oil leak on the driveway can come from a valve cover, an oil pan or a rear main seal. The fix for each is very different.

Engine repair starts with finding the cause: scanning the codes, testing the coils and injectors on a misfire, a pressure test on the cooling system for overheating, and cleaning and dyeing a leak to see where it really starts. You get the quote once we know, and nothing is pulled apart until you say go. If a light is on, the computer diagnostic at $50 is the first step.

Exhaust that has seen a few winters

Old Gloucester has a lot of everything: highway commuters, short trippers in Blackburn Hamlet and the old neighbourhoods off Ogilvie Road, and work trucks in the industrial parks. All of them end up with exhaust trouble eventually, because salt eats the pipes and clamps from outside while condensation eats the muffler from inside.

A rattle under the car is usually a heat shield or a broken hanger. A louder rumble is a hole. Muffler and exhaust repair is quoted per car once it is up and we can see what is solid and what has rusted through. A leak near the engine can let fumes into the cabin, so it is worth fixing promptly.

Suspension and potholes

Every spring, the freeze thaw cycle opens potholes on Innes Road, Blair Road and the ramps to the 417. Hitting them wears out sway bar links, ball joints, tie rod ends and strut mounts. The signs are clunks, wandering on the highway, and tires wearing unevenly.

Shocks, struts and suspension work is checked by hand with the car up and quoted per car. After steering or suspension parts are replaced, the car needs an alignment, which we don’t do in house, so plan for one elsewhere.

Brakes and oil, the regular visits

Brake repair is measured and quoted before anything is replaced, with the parts price depending on the car and on standard or performance parts. A regular oil change is $55 and synthetic starts at $100. Both are easy to fit around a workday, with drop off until 2pm and Cyrville O-Train station about 1.4 km away by road.