San Diego Auto Repair

The summer solstice is one week away and temperatures outside just keep getting warmer. We decided that we should compile a top ten list of warm weather driving tips for any conscientious and safe driver (and that's you, right?). As summer is a time when many families embark on road trips in their car, truck, SUV or minivan we figured that the notion of staying safe on the road would be paramount. We know that when all our loved ones are in the car the last thing we want is a total mechanical breakdown with no functioning air conditioning. (Mainly we worry about the air conditioning, we won’t lie.) Keep Your Eye on Your Engine Temperature Gauge: When the temperatures rise outside the likelihood of the temperature rising in your engine compartment rises, too, and with that comes danger of a hefty repair ... read more

It’s finally starting to warm up all across this great country of ours meaning it is finally time to start thinking about summer road trip season. And since we have already explored some of the top summer road trip cars, now let’s look at some of the best road trip routes this summer. Some you may have heard of and some may be new to you, but we promise that none of these roads will disappoint. You may even get lucky and avoid cries of "are we there yet?" from the back seat. Tail of the Dragon—Located to the East in the Smoky Mountains along a stretch of US 129, this is considered the most challenging driving road in the United States thanks to 318 curves over the course of just 11 miles. Now, take this road at full speed and your passengers may get nauseous (and you may hit a tree...) so we recommend you try a few passes along ... read more

With summer fast approaching this time of year we start to see many overheating engine failures. The number one failure is coolant hoses and belts. This is because they're the most overlooked part under "recommended preventative maintenance" in today’s automobiles. Many drivers don't understand or believe how important they are. In this video, you see what a blown radiator looks like and what kind of damage it can do to a modern engine. From 1980-2000 our belts and hoses were made from neoprene compound (rubber). Over time as they heated up and cooled down they would naturally start to crack, making it easy to identify worn belts and hoses. When your car was being serviced the technician would point this out and recommend their replacement and many people would listen because they could see the wear. Flash forward to today. Sinc ... read more

Driving around in your speedy road machine is pure pleasure in the summer: you've got the air conditioner to keep you cool and your favorite tunes to keep you company. The only thing worse than running out of songs to play is having the AC break down on you. That comfortable drive quickly turns into an unhappy, sweaty ordeal. The best way to tell if your car air conditioner is not working well is when it doesn’t produce cabin temperatures that are 5 degrees Fahrenheit below the outdoor air temperature, but if it's not working at all temperatures within the car can reach staggering numbers. Even if your car air conditioner is working fine, it’s always best to have it serviced by an auto tech if you’re heading out for a long drive this summer and the forecast is sunny. A car’s air conditioning system - still one of the greatest improvements to cars in auto history - is complex, and there are a variety of reasons why i ... read more

Summer is here (well... maybe not officially but nobody told that to San Diego weather!) and we've got road trips on the mind. We looked at the 2013 models to determine which make the top 10 summer road trip cars and we think we've got a pretty useful list, if we do say so ourselves. We included vehicles that cater to the fuel efficiency and budget minded folk (road trips can get expensive, after all) but that doesn’t mean we didn't include cars with a little oomph! Besides, what's the point of having a new car if it offers so little fun that you would never consider a road trip in the first place? Now, we don’t care if you're just visiting relatives in Des Moines or if you decide it’s finally a good time to drive from sea to shining sea on our nation’s glorious potholed highways and byways. After all, you haven’t really lived until you've seen the world’s largest outdoor ball of twine in Cawker City, Kansas. (Yes, it’s ... read more

Keep your alloy wheels looking their best In recent years, many drivers and automakers have chosen to accent their vehicles with attractive alloy wheels. These designer wheels give cars a touch of class to an often neglected part of the vehicle, and the diverse selection of aftermarket wheels allows drivers to give their vehicles a custom look. Without maintenance, however, alloy wheels can lose their attractiveness and even fail to work properly. Fortunately a little care can keep your wheels attractive and functional for years. Wash Your Wheels Regularly Over time, harmful chemicals can accumulate on your wheels. Brake dust is a common contaminant that will build up through regular driving. If left alone, this corrosive dust can damage the protective coatings on your wheels and even eat through metal of the wheels themselves. In addition to marring the finish of your wheels, this etching can actually eat holes through your wheels ... read more

The automobile and cinema came of age technologically and in common society around the same time in this country and both are intrinsically linked in our minds as forms of personal entertainment. Nowhere is this notion seen more clearly than in the good old fashioned movie car chase or big screen car stunt much like you see in the very popular “Fast and the Furious” franchise which has yet another sequel coming soon to theatres this summer. With summer right around the corner and glorious action-packed car movies that follow, here is our list of ten of the best movie car chases and stunts.. We’ll wager you are familiar with more than one or two of these scenes. Now remember, these driving feats were performed by professionals often with the help of CGI image wizardry so don’t try this at home. Or during your morning commute. “Goldfinger”—(Aston Martin DB5 with machin ... read more

Motor oil has always been called the lifeblood of a car. Without it, cars do not run well - or at all - for any length of time. Any driver knows it’s essential that a car’s oil is changed on a regular basis to properly lubricate all of a car's valves and parts, and if a car’s oil is not changed on a regular basis, mechanical problems to the engine are inevitable. However, the traditional 3,000 miles oil change is history, for the most part. Oil chemistry and engine technology in new cars has improved to the point where the standard oil change is somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 miles.  Today, the two types of motor oil for cars are conventional motor oil and synthetic motor oil, and we'll go into detail on the difference between conventional and synthetic motor oil. Conventional motor oil is made from crude oil found beneath the ground. It is processed at refineries to maintain its base oil and additional products are ... read more

The type of car you drive has dictated a part of your status, personality and lifestyle since cars became mainstream in America, and car marketers know this. Cars are marketed to different lifestyles for exactly this reason, and just how marketers go about this task is a peek into the different lifestyles themselves. While there are many logical reasons behind the types of cars we buy, car buying is also highly emotional as few other things we buy say as much about us as our cars do. Car marketers do a great job of knowing their intended audience and tend to hit the nail on the head when it comes to presenting a specific car to a specific lifestyle. Here is how different types of cars are marketed to different lifestyles: Trucks: Ah, the truck. At least here in America, the truck will probably always be marketed towards the rugged, manly, git-r-done types. A huge part of this is because trucks are the workhorse of all vehicles, and those in those rugged, manly, git-r ... read more

There was a time when the family car was the preserve of only the family dog. Only he or she would be invited out to sanguine family picnics, trips to the park and the most exciting place of all—the local Pet Store Parking Lot! But now, thanks to many new restraint and safety apparatus for all types of family pets, you can take most any pet in the car, truck, SUV or even in a sport coupe safely. That is not, of course, to say that Fido has been left out of this equation. As follows are our ten choices for best pet friendly 2013 vehicles by category. Most Pet Friendly Sporty Car—2013 Hyundai Veloster/Veloster Turbo: The reason the Veloster sport coupe is so pet friendly comes down to one simple and unique engineering feature—its highly useful third, human sized door. No dog likes to hop into the back of any sport coupe and you try restraining a cat in the back of your Porsche 911 without throwing out your back. We ... read more