Click here to see the special we’re running on alignmments!

Sometimes customers are confused about wheel alignments. It’s an easy thing to be confused about- wheels are aligned to your car in three different ways and even people with more advanced automotive knowledge can get a little foggy about the three ways wheels are aligned.

So, what is a wheel alignment and what are the three ways wheels are aligned to your car? A wheel alignment, put simply, is making adjustments to the car’s wheels so the wheels are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. What are the three ways your wheels are aligned to your car? Here’s an explanation:

Camber: Camber is the angle of the wheel when viewed from the front of the car. If the top of the wheel is leaning away from the center of the car, that’s called positive camber. If it’s leaning toward the center of the car, that’s called negative camber.

Caster: Caster is the angle to which the steering pivot axis is tilted forward or rearward from vertical, as viewed from the side. Consider a shopping cart. Their wheels are on casters. If the casters do not align, what happens? The cart drives oddly and you spend a good 2 minutes considering whether it’s worth the time to go back to the cart area and get a new cart. Your car’s caster setting is similar to the shopping cart.

Toe: Toe refers to whether or not the tires are parallel to each other. If the tires point toward each other, it’s called “toe-in” and if they point away from each other, it’s called “toe-out.”

Caster and camber are not easily adjustable on most modern front wheel drive vehicles. Often if the caster or camber is seriously out of line, this means some part of the suspension is bent or broken and need to be replaced. Toe is the setting most commonly adjusted with a wheel alignment.

What a wheel alignment will do:

• If your car is pulling to one side, an alignment can normally fix that. Occasionally other problems cause your car to pull to one side, such as incorrect tire pressure adjustment, certain types of brake issues, and some suspension issues.
• It will help ensure you get the best amount of wear time on your tires. Improper wheel alignment can cause a multitude of tire issues, especially uneven wear and “spots”.

What a wheel alignment will not do:

• Fix a vibration in your car. Wheel balancing issues, tire wear, certain brake problems and certain suspension problems can cause vibrations in your car.

Making sure your wheels are in good alignment can make a major difference in how long your tires last. Tires are expensive- taking care of them is an essential way to save money. Come in today and get an alignment for your car!

Master Tech Automotive was recently awarded by the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal “Ruthie Awards” as the “Best Import Auto Repair” finalist for 2009.  Here is owner Michael Searcy and manager Jeff Ford smiling as they receive yet another Ruthie for outstanding customer service. After receiving the award Michael said, “After 14 years and numerous awards for customer service it still is humbling to receive this award. This is a testament to the people who work for me and our Christian principles that have guided us through the years. I must say, thank you to the people of Murfreesboro, my devoted employees, and God.”

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the great care that you show to all of us here at the bank, but especially for the exceptional service you provided to me on Friday! You really “over delivered” on Friday and I wanted you to know how much I/we appreciate you all! From flat tires, bad starters, leaky radiators and oil changes, you take care of it all!

Our husbands and boyfriends also “thank you” because they either don’t have the knowledge or aren’t ever around to be able to come to our rescue. Thank you ALL for coming to our rescue, taking care of our cars and taking the “worry” out of taking care of these vehicles.

We will continue to refer all of our friends and family to you! Great job!

Elizabeth and all the bank ladies at Regions

To: Michael Searcy

On Thursday, April 1, 2010 around 4:00 P.M., my husband and I were visiting your area. Our car’s brakes began to smoke and smell. We stopped at the State Farm office parking lot just down from your business, checked out the situation and asked the clerk for a local mechanic. She Googled the information and called your number. Jeff gave her directions and she sent us to Master Tech Automotive.

When we arrived and explained the situation, Jeff informed us there were many other customers ahead of us and that he may not be able to assist us. My husband asked for a reference and explained that we were from out of state, Wisconsin. Jeff then asked us to have a seat and he would be with us as soon as he could. Within fifteen minutes Johnny had taken our Jeep Liberty into an available stall and had determined the problem. Jeff thoroughly explained the problem and the need to order parts. Jeff then went on to look up motels in the area, explain which one was near a mall and restaurants and called so we could make a reservation for the night. He then arranged for a cab to pick us up.

On Friday, April 2, we received a call that Johnny would be picking us up. He arrived about noon with our vehicle completely repaired. On the drive back to the shop, he explained what he had done and other possible repairs that could be expected in the future. He was polite and very thorough.

Jeff presented us with the cost of the repairs. There were no surprises, Jeff had explained the work the day before and the bill was as he had stated.

What could have been a very stressful time on vacation turned into an opportunity to meet extremely nice, friendly and helpful people. Just thought you should know.

With much appreciation for great people and a job well done,

Louise C.

St. Germain, Wisconsin

Find us at:

1804 Memorial Blvd
Murfreesboro, TN 37129

Give us a call:

615-904-7700

Our operating hours are:

Monday-Friday 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Meet our owner and staff:

Michael
Jeff
Jon
Kevin
Johnny
Joe

See what our customers have to say about us.

Find out more about our warranty.

Find out our guiding principles.

Get coupons and internet-only specials!

Make an appointment online.

Our business profile at the Murfreesboro Post.

“Thank you so much for the two free oil change coupons! They went over very well at our silent auction! You should have some new customers coming your way! Plus me! Thank you again for everything you have done for me! It is very appreciated!”

~Amanda S.

“Just a short note to say thanks a million for the quality of work I’ve received thus far and thank you for being so kind and professional. This day and time it is hard to find affordable auto care. May God bless you all richly.”

~Miles C.

“Thanks for taking care of us! You do great work at Master Tech! Have a great day, you deserve it!”

~Tony & Martha H.

“Thank you so much for your generous donation to our silent auction at our annual Harvest Festival at Lascassas Baptist Church. Your donation of two oil changes helped us raise over $2,000 for our youth program. Thanks again and God bless!”

~Amy D.

“Jeff and Johnny are great. Very friendly and helpful!”

~William P.

“It’s great to have mechanics who are honest as well as knowledgable and competent!”

~Cynthia D.

“The service at this store is excellent. The manager is extremely kind and helpful.”

~Elizabeth R.

“Master Tech Owners: I would like to let you know how much I have appreciated the woderful person you have at your Murfreesboro store. Mr. Jeff Ford has been a pleasure to deal with on more than one occasion. The last visit I made to this business I observed him once again with the same great attitude to every person in the store (even children, that he gave candy to.)”

~Ann-Marie B.

Q: How often should you replace your battery? I’ve been left on the side of the road a few too many times with a dead battery, is there a certain amount of time that you should replace your battery?

A: I recommend being proactive instead of being reactive and replace your battery every 4 years. A battery may seem fine but could go out anytime due to things like the onboard computers which keep alive memory, phone chargers and or gps which might be charging all time and battery age.

Q: Do you have any tips for buying a battery?

A: When purchasing a battery always make sure it is the correct type of battery for your vehicle.Make sure the battery CCA- cold cranking amps- is enough for the vehicle. CCA is a measure of a battery’s ability to start a car in cold weather. In cold weather, fluids are thickened, and it makes the car harder to start. CCAs denote how much current the battery can deliver to the starter at 0° F.

Also, look at date code sticker on the side of a battery. The oval sticker will have a letter and number. Most codes start with the letter indicating the month: A for January, B for February, etc. The digit means what year it was made: 8 for 2008, for example. So B9 would be February, 2009. You don’t want to buy a battery that you are going to have to replace sooner since it has been sitting on a shelf for 1 year.

Q: Do batteries need any sort of maintenance?

A: You may notice heavy white or green buildup on battery terminals where battery cables mount.The corrosion can eat into battery cables causing your vehicle not to start and the corrosion can actually put a drain on the battery causing premature failure.If you see this on your car’s battery, I recommend you come see us. We can remove battery terminals, clean off the corrosion and spray on a wax-type protectant. It’s very inexpensive to have this done, only $12.90.
Q: How do I know if I have a bad battery?

A: There are several indicators that your battery is bad or might be going bad: The vehicle is slow to crank before it starts, the battery/charging system light might come on, when you try to start the car and lights are dim or not on, if your radio has reset to an AM station or clock has reset to 12:00, or if you try to start vehicle and just hear a click or nothing at all.

Do you have battery issues? Come on down to the shop and we’ll get you fixed up.

We’re also running an internet-only special- tell them Ivy sent you and get $25 off ANY service over $250. Time to get the timing belt changed? Do you need some major AC work? Save a cool $25 bucks just for telling them Ivy sent you.

Additionally, did you know we have free wifi at the shop for any customer? Whether you only have to wait a few minutes for an oil change or if you’re there for hours waiting on something more major, let the desk person know you need into the wifi conection and we’ll get you set up.

Or, you can come up to the shop and see it in person. It’s really beautiful, you should see the insides.

Pretty sweet, huh? In honor of the new car, here’s a video timeline of El Caminos from 1959 to 1987.