San Diego Auto Repair

Car maintenance costs are rarely taken into consideration with new cars, and only slightly more with used cars. Car buying sites like Edmunds.com and Kelly Blue Book provide 5-year estimates of the cost of ownership of a selected vehicle, including insurance costs, fuel spend, and dealer recommended maintenance (at dealership rates), but even those estimates don’t tell the whole story. Often, drivers don’t realize this until they’ve already bought the car (or have owned a similar car in the past). While these needs don’t always result in massive maintenance costs, it is a good idea to be fully prepared before buying your next ride. Regardless of how old or new your car is, or what type of powertrain it has, you can usually save money on maintenance and repairs by taking it to an independent auto shop (like Convoy Auto Repair) rather than the dealership. It’s not just our friendly mechanics and personalized attention that keeps our customers coming back, af ... read more

San Diego might have the most desirable weather in the United States. With an average of 70-degree temperatures all year, and rare days of rain, it’s practically an oasis. For those of us who live here, the steady, reliable weather is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, 70 and sunny is great, but what about some variety? Luckily, we have our local mountains to experience real seasons just a short drive away from home, and there’s always visiting friends and relatives in other states. Unluckily, we don't have much experience driving in inclement weather. Image ... read more

San Diego may not have much of a winter, but when we do have rain and snow in our county borders, we’re at a loss for how to handle it. Lucky for us, car manufacturers have been making safer cars with more life-saving technology, a boon in winter weather! Taking a long weekend drive to Mammoth or Big Bear are no longer transportation unknowns. Here are our top 10 all wheel drive cars for winter: Image: Flickr1. Subaru Outback ... read more

Have you ever had a car that ran low on coolant? Or perhaps a car that overheated without warning? Coolant leaks are an indicator of a serious problem in any car. In this video, we see a 2002 Jeep Liberty that was constantly running low on coolant. The owners never saw any leaking on the ground, so they were stumped. They brought the Jeep into Convoy Auto Repair to see what the problem was, and we discovered there was indeed a leak - just not where they thought! Coolant works together with the car's radiator to make sure the engine doesn't get too hot. Overheating can damage an engine to the point that's it's unusable, especially if you keep driving when it's overheating. The water pump, fan, and serpentine belts are crucial components of your engine that allow it to function properly in rough terrain (such as going up the mountains on ... read more

If you’ve paid any attention to the news in the last month, you’ve likely seen some coverage of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Manufacturers bring their latest and greatest concepts and newly announced models to this annual event, and it’s often a great way to see what directions automakers are headed with their designs and technologies. Here are some of our 2015 car predictions! Image: Flickr More Electric Between Tesla’s upcoming Model X and the new Chevy Volt, the full-electric car is getting some serious contenders in the marketplace. Mileage limits are expanding and batteries are getting better, allowing both full electrics and hybrids to really push the envelope when it comes to conserving fuel. Hyundai also announced a new plug-in hybrid that can go a whopping 22 miles before it even starts ... read more

If you haven't had one yet, you will eventually: the dreaded flat tire. You’re driving along, probably to work, and the car pulls to one side or loses momentum as the air escapes. Some cars have a tire pressure monitoring system that flashes, letting you know which wheel to check, or just turning on a light. So what now? Image: FlickrTurn on your hazards and pull off the road as quickly and safely as your are able. The shoulders on the highways were invented just for this kind of thing! (Make sure you don’t try to drive too far on a flat tire, you could do serious damage to your wheel or your drivetrain, turning a flat tire into a costly repair.) Safely exit the car and identify which tire is flat. Hopefully you already know where your spare tire is and know that it’s full of air, but if you don’t, check your owners manual for the loc ... read more

If you’re interested in customizing the wheels and tires on your sedan, there are a few things you should know first. Read on for The Convoy Auto Repair guide to custom wheels! Most importantly, the wheels you buy need to fit your vehicle. Not all wheels are created equal. Too many San Diego auto owners have bought a set of wheels that caught their eye, then, after going to the work of mounting them, have found that the wheels don’t fit right and the tires rub against the sedan when they turn or go over a bump. To ensure a proper fit, you can consult with your Convoy Auto Repair tire professional. He/she can also help you find tires that are suited to your driving habits as well as your sedan. You may find their auto advice invaluable, and you’ll probably be happier with your new wheels once you purchase them. But if you just have to have that set of wheels, and you’re willing to pay for t ... read more

2015 is here and it’s time to reflect on the previous 12 months and take a moment to think about self-improvement. For some of us that means a new exercise routine or a promise to learn a new skill. For others, that means sticking to a firm cleaning schedule or working toward a specific goal. But what about your car? New Years can be the perfect time to make a calendar for you and your car to make sure your ride is in tip-top shape. Start by taking a look at your manual and see what services your car is due for in the next 10,000 miles. If you have a higher mileage car and aren’t sure about the upcoming service requirements, schedule an appointment and we’ll be happy to set you up with a service schedule and recommend any other repairs your individual car may need. Starting off your year with an inspection can also set you off on the right foot for saving up for essentials or major repairs. New tires, major services, and unexpec ... read more

Considering the Ford Escape for your next new ride? Why not? It's one of the least expensive cars to insure, comes with a very sweet parking assist feature (the car literally parallel parks itself), and comes fully loaded for under $35,000 (under $30K for the base model). Our friends at Why This Ride? have a video review to share after having the vehicle for a week. The highlights of the Ford Escape are the surprising styling inside and out, the 2.0 litre, 240 horsepower/270 lbs. feet of torque Ecoboost 4-cylinder, and the affordability of the car fully loaded. This is a great car for a daily commuter for the whole family, and it looks pretty great, too! Check out the video for the full review! Image ... read more

When shopping for a car, we're hoping to strike that golden combination of a car that's affordable to care for, meets our needs, and won't leave us stranded on the side of the road (or worse). New cars are getting better and better about going the distance, but it sometimes seems that the older technology (pre-computer) can last forever. While it's impossible to know yet how long a car made in the last few years is going to last, all we can do is look at a manufacturer's track record to make an educated guess. But what about those cars that rarely break down, and get 100,000, 200,000 or more miles on them and still keep on truckin'?   That's what this Reddit discussion wanted to know. Here at Convoy Auto Repair, we see just about everything at one point or another ... read more