Diagnostics

  • ABS Lit On Your Dashboard, Here Is What That Means!

    At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ, we’ve got every answer to your transmission questions and needs, and answers to a lot of things that fall outside of that realm as well. Today, we’re talking about the ABS light - an issue that plagues many modern drivers at some point or another.

  • AC Diagnostics

    A/C - Heat Control Panel in Vehicle

    At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, we understand how important it is to have ice cold AC in your truck on a long, hot day. Whether you drive a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge diesel pickup, chances are you have a lot of cab to cool down, and a subpar AC just won’t cut it.

  • AC Diagnostics for Your Vehicle

    air conditioning in a car

    At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, we understand how important it is to have ice cold AC in your truck on a long, hot day. Whether you drive a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge diesel pickup, chances are you have a lot of cab to cool down, and a subpar AC just won’t cut it.

  • Bad Alignment on Your Diesel?

    alighnment computer view

    Your truck’s alignment is an essential aspect of its reliability and ride quality. From Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ, here’s what you should know about the alignment on your Chevrolet, Dodge, or Ford diesel pickup, from symptoms to keep an eye on, to how it affects your vehicle.

  • Dash Light On? We Can Fix It

    dash light on

    Diagnostics are an important aspect of modern vehicle maintenance and repair. Your car or SUV is equipped with an array of computers and sensors which monitor your engine activity, and flag anything that isn’t operating as it should. At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, we are experts in performance and luxury automobile repair - and when diagnosing the problem is sometimes the most difficult part of the process, an expert is what you need. For cars like Audi, Porsche, BMW, VW, MINI, and Subaru, selecting the right shop is key to correctly diagnosing and correcting any sort of malfunction.

  • Dash Warning Lights to Watch For!

    battery warning light

    It doesn't matter if you are driving a car or truck, jeep or SUV, a diesel 4x4 or a classic when those dash warning lights go off the first thing you do is think "how bad is it?" and "how much will it cost me?" followed quickly by "when was my last service visit?"!!  Driving your vehicle longer safely is all about getting it serviced based on what your vehicle manual recommends and these warning lights are alerting you to a situation that requires your attention. 

    While not all warning lights are a sign that disaster is imminent, no warning indicator light should ever be ignored!

  • Diagnosing a Bad Brake Master Cylinder

    mechanic working on brakes

    Your brake master cylinder is an integral part of your brake system. When one fails, some odd symptoms may arise, and it may be difficult to diagnose. Here’s some information to help you decide if yours has gone bad. At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ we want you to know what to look out for so that you can be safely on the road.

  • Diagnosing Issues with Your Vehicle

    mechanic sitting in vehicle working on a screen

    At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ, we understand the importance of being on top of the latest in automotive technology. That’s why we invest heavily in top-notch diagnostic and programming equipment, and why we have technicians that know how to use it.

  • Diagnosing Those Dash Lights

    check engine light

    Since the first automobile, vehicle electronics have become increasingly more complex with every passing era. In the modern-day, your car, truck, or SUV likely depends on an array of modules, sensors, and components that control every aspect of how your vehicle runs and drives. Here’s what you need to know about your vehicle’s electronics systems, from Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown.

  • Everything you need to know about transmission sensors!

    Diagnostic Tablet on engine transmission sensor

    Our Hackettstown drivers have been experiencing issues with their transmissions and there are a few things that we here at Hoff's Automotive, Inc. feel are important to know so that you are more comfortable and confident if you are, indeed experiencing a transmission problem of any kind. First, if you drive a vehicle manufactured in the past few decades, there’s a good chance your transmission has a variety of sensors attached to it which monitors all kinds of things - fluid pressure, vehicle speed, temperature, air intake at the engine, and so on.  The first thing to check is your Transmission Sensor, which is a much more affordable fix than replacing your transmission!

  • Have you checked your battery? If it looks like this - It's bad!

    corrosive battery in car image

    When you are having trouble with your car or truck starting and you open the hood up to take a peek to see this....you'll see what an overly corroded battery looks like. This happens naturally over time on vehicle battery terminals.  If you are like 99% of normal Hackettstown drivers, you don't check your oil or your battery so you don't keep an eye on the amount of corrosion that's building up on your car or truck battery.  Here at Hoff's Automotive, Inc., we do and there are solvents that we can use here in the shop during a battery maintenance service that will help slow the corrosion process but nothing that can prevent it 100%. Way before it gets to this point, we will be suggesting you consider replacing the battery. 

  • If you see steam, pull over!

    Woman checking out under the hood where steam is coming from

    Something will go wrong with your car, truck, or SUV eventually. The important thing is knowing what to do, and how to deal with it. Just knowing what to do in a situation often means the difference between a quick repair and thousands of dollars worth of work. If you see steam coming from under the hood, it’s important to deal with it appropriately and quickly. Here’s what’s going on, and what to do, from Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ.

  • Is it time to replace your engine?

    At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ, we know it isn’t always easy deciding what to do next when it comes to major engine repairs. Fortunately, that’s what we’re here for - to help you make the best decision for your situation.

  • Looks Like A Problem? YES!

    Lady with car hood up - steam rising

    Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs! 
    1.  You see steam rising from the engine!
    2.  The Check Engine Light is on!
    3.  The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
    4.  You hear grinding or thumping noises.

  • Noticing an Emergency on your Dashboard

    At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ, we have seen our fair share of preventable engine failures. Frequently, engine disaster could have been avoided if the driver had known beforehand what the warning lights or gauges on the dashboard indicated. While some dash lights are fairly benign, others indicate imminent trouble. This guide from Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ will prepare you for the next time your vehicle shows you a warning you shouldn’t ignore.

  • Recognizing Flood Damage When Buying A Vehicle

    Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by floodwaters at all or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood-damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.
  • Reduce Noise and Increase Fuel Mileage

    city of drivers with smog

    While your exhaust system helps reduce noise output from your vehicle, it also significantly reduces harmful emissions from being released into the air. When your muffler and exhaust system are functioning properly, it significantly reduces your vehicle's harmful impact on the environment. It also significantly improves the functionality of your vehicle and improve fuel mileage for your car, truck, SUV or Jeep.

    An exhaust system is made up of numerous parts that work together to rid your car of the exhaust gases that are created during the combustion cycle, as your engine burns fuel. Each part of your exhaust system has an important role to play in removing exhaust gases away from the engine as quickly as possible, allowing another cycle of combustion to begin. The more quickly and efficiently an exhaust system does this the more efficiently an engine can run. The main parts of an exhaust system are an exhaust manifold, catalytic converter, oxygen sensors, exhaust pipes, and the muffler.

  • Sometimes it is obvious, others we have to hunt for it!

    car wiring chewed up photo

    Here at Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown we often do diagnostics and sometimes the problem is obvious after hooking the car up to the computer and reading the codes.  However, sometimes it isn't obvious during a test drive or after hooking it up to all those computer programs!  You know there is a problem and a Check Engine Light is on with the fleet customer telling you the car has been having issues starting and the light has been going off and on depending on several factors.  No pattern, no simple answer but the problem becomes obvious when you start following the "threads of the issue" thanks to all that ASE Technician training.

  • Specifications of your vehicle for reliable performance

    Performance Car

    If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, you know that your precision engineered equipment demands precision tuning. At Hoff's Automotive, Inc. in Hackettstown, NJ, we specialize in high-end imports and performance vehicles and keeping them up to par.

  • Take care of it or high repair bills? Which do you prefer?

    Oil gunked up on an engine.

    We see this with our fleet customers, our regular Hackettstown car pool drivers and our diesel truck drivers so it isn't just one type of driver that ends up with a nightmare on their hands costing thousands of dollars to repair, asking about the costs of a JASPER replacement engine!  The fact is your driving habits and maintenance habits can easily avoid this issue!  6 EASY STEPS - Service, Tires, Don't Ignore Service Engine Lights, Keep it Clean & Stop Driving Crazy!

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Hoff's Automotive, Inc.

700 Grand Ave Suite A
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
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location small (908) 852-7272
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Weekdays:   Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Weekends: Closed

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