Ringgold Service Center

05/22/2026

Please feel free to use our parking lot for 1890’s Days. We just ask that you please DO NOT BLOCK our garage bay doors. Thanks and have a great weekend.

05/15/2026

With the heatwave that’s coming next week it’s a good time to discuss AC system services and repairs.

The AC system is a fairly simple system by design that can have some complexities through vehicle design and fitment.

It works of of a pressurized refrigerant that is circulated through a closed System by the AC compressor, the refrigerant changes temperature with pressure, normally when it’s under 30psi of pressure in a system it’s at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, when it’s at 200psi it’s at 200F.

There is a pressure differential created by the compressor circulating the fluid through the expansion valve. As the fluid goes through the expansion valve its temperature drops as it goes from Liquid under high pressure to a v***r under lower pressure. This gives the fluid the capacity to absorb the heat from the Ev***rator core mounted under the dash and drop the temperature of the air passing through the ev***rator core on its way to the AC vents.
The fluid is then pumped by the compressor to the Condenser where it is under high pressure because the compressor is pushing it against a restriction created be the expansion valve, while under high pressure it has the ability to shed heat as it moves through the condenser and warm the air passing through the condenser. Simply exchanging cold air for warm air while warming the atmosphere so the inside of your car is nice and cool.

Most of the time AC issues are caused by a leak in the system, a restriction in the system or a Compressor that is no longer pumping as it should.

Step one when you bring it in for service is we will put it on the appropriate AC machine for the Refrigerant that’s in the vehicle, verify pressure levels and see if the compressor is creating a pressure differential. If the system is partially working and just not as cold as it should be we will recover the Freon from the system, the machine will tell us how much it recovered from the system, we will look the system over for any signs of leaks, recharge the system with the proper amount of Freon and add UV dye so any leaks can be seen. If the system is completely empty we will pressurize it to check for obvious large leaks, verify compressor operation and there are no abnormal noises. If the system passes that basic test and there are no large leaks that can be seen as a pressure drop on the gauges or heard, we will evacuate the system to remove all excess air from the system, charge the system with the appropriate amount of Freon for that vehicle( most current vehicles hold a relatively small amount of Freon so a couple of ounces can make a large difference), add UV dye so any leaks can be seen with a black light and verify operation.

Cost for this, On a R134 system which is still the majority of the cars that come in is 134.98 labor plus the cost of the Freon we use. If your car holds one pound and we recover .5 pounds from it, we charge you for the .5 lbs we added at a cost of $18 a pound. Plus whatever dye is added. The dye is right at $3 an ounce and most systems get 2-4 ounces added to them.
So a typical R134 service is $160-180 if no leaks are found. Some vehicles have very small leaks and need this service every couple of years. Others have larger leaks and will loose their Freon in a short period of time. The dye enables us to locate the leak and verify it is an issue. Replacement of needed part goes outside of the basic maintenance and will be priced to you before work is performed if it is any significant amount. If it’s a service port or o ring or something inexpensive it will be done at the time of service.

If it is a newer vehicle Using R1234YF Freon it costs a bit more for service on that system. The Labor is $195 because the machine runs a little slower, and performs a few extra steps. The Refrigerant is much more expensive at .22$ a gram. As with the other system, we only charge for what we use. Most of the time you’re looking at $230-280 to service those systems.

About 70% of the time there is a very small leaks on the system and it will need service after a year or two.

Sometimes there are other issues that must be dealt with for the system to continue operating as it should. Replacing leaking condensers, hoses or other parts once the dye reveals a leak are not included in the basic service. We will not recommend or replace components without verifying an issue.

04/06/2026

Diagnostics….
What do you charge for Diagnostics is a question we get daily.
The true answer is, well it depends.
Many times there is no extra charge for diagnostics. Many problems are common problems we see weekly. We don’t charge anything to pull trouble codes and get an idea what’s going on. Most times with misfire codes it’s as simple as swapping a coil and a set of plugs if they are overdue.
If that’s the case I will typically give you a price for the repair and preface it that if it turns out being more I will give you a call and tell you. I don’t feel like charging you $75 on top of the repair in that scenario is a reasonable way to do business. Nine times out of ten that resolves the issue and our process was as simple as swapping a coil from one cylinder to the next and see if the problem followed it, or there was a visible issue with the parts.
Other times we must charge for diagnostics, when it’s not the common problems we see daily. When we have to break out Lab scopes, wiring diagrams and pinout charts to see what is truly going on. At that point it involves our solitary focus that time must be charged for.
End of the day we are selling time, if it doesn’t take any time to isolate the known issue for your car, we don’t charge for it. Our goal is to solve your vehicles problems in the most reasonable way possible that provides a lasting repair and keeps it in service.
We aren’t in business to sell work. We are in the business of repairing vehicles in the most efficient way possible.

03/23/2026

This Tundra is overdue for its Timing Belt, is yours?
This could have been terminal on this vehicle as these engines suffer severe engine damage when a belt fails. Don’t let your get to this point.

03/11/2026

Brake Prices

Typical brake job front OR rear. Includes refinishing rotors with a non directional finish, replacing pads with a high quality aftermarket pad, lubricating all slide pins and cleaning all mounting areas.
Total out the door is 213.53 tax included.

If it needs Rotors replaced it ends up
Being just under $315 on most cars per axle. Most trucks are $345 with current rotor pricing. SUV’s can be either depending on which rotors it takes.

03/11/2026

Oil Change prices

We are changing to Wix oil filters which is going to add an about $4 to oil change prices. New prices are as follows for most cars. There are a few exceptions where the filter a bit more expensive.
Prices are Tax included OTD prices.

4 Qt Oil Change 78.83
5 Qt Oil Change 86.33
6 Qt Oil Change 94.28
7 Qt Oil Change 102.23
8 Qt Oil Change 110.18

That is for Valvoline Full Synthetic oil, Labor and Wix oil filter. That includes any exterior bulbs that need replacing excluding headlights or Integrated LED bulbs, inspecting the vehicle for brake condition, inspecting the engine air filter and Cabin air filter, adjusting tire pressure and a general inspection to advise of any upcoming issues.
As an included service to our customers this includes bulb replacements and tire inflation between services also. Free of charge.

We believe the change to Wix will improve the value of our services to our customers. The Wix Filters provide better filtering and a little more reserve if oil change intervals are exceeded.

12/20/2025

https://youtu.be/fwzLY62_uIE?si=FDqPpciI8_Fdfcf1

Excellent information here on why oil should be changed regularly and name brand fuels should be used.

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