San Diego Auto Repair

This week, you've probably got turkey on the brain. You may also have certain Black Friday deals lurking in the back of your mind. We're stressed with finding the perfect gifts for our loved ones this time of year, as that magical combination of thoughtfulness, practicality, and generosity seems impossible to find. Allow us to suggest an alternative to waiting in line in the middle of the night this Friday to get a generic "big box" gift (or worse, patronizing businesses that are open on Thanksgiving Day): car parts. You may initially think that gifting car parts isn't interesting, or romantic, or even thoughtful. We disagree. Car parts make great gifts – yes, even for your wife. Not convinced? Read on! Gifts for Car Lovers New Battery Nothing says “I love you” quite as much as a new battery. Just imagine your loved one struggling to start their car on a dark and rainy night in a deserted ... read more

We're almost officially into the holiday shopping season, which means commercials for jewelry and perfume and various other things no one really needs are going to be stuffed on every viewing platform until December 25th. Among those are the commercials and advertisements that show a very happy recipient hugging a very pleased gift-giver standing in front of a shiny vehicle with a giant red bow on a snowy driveway. How could you not win gift-giver of the century with a car? Plus, a car is something the recipient probably actually needs (or is at least more practical than jewelry), so wouldn't a car make the perfect gift? The answer is no; you should never buy a car as a gift. There are many reasons why you should never buy a car as a gift. Car makers capitalize on the idea that we should get gifts we deserve. This notion is meaningless, because by definition a gift is something given without it being earned and without pa ... read more

The holidays are the busiest travel season of the year, but not everyone is headed back home! The winter season can be the best time to take a little road trip with family or friends and enjoy some quality time together. Here are a few of our favorite holiday destinations!   Image: Flickr Holiday Vacations Palm Springs If you’re looking for swinging, happening place to spend the holidays, look no further than southern California’s own desert oasis. The ret ... read more

It’s been an odd summer for San Diego, and we’re supposed to have a wet winter. Are you ready for the slick roads and unexpected occurrences while driving? When the roads are wet, stopping times are increased because of a loss of friction on the roadway, and sometimes because of water on your brake rotors. Have you inspected your rotors and brake pads for signs of excessive wear? What you should look for: Brake pad wear Most brake pads have “wear detectors,” but sometimes those can be inaccurate or your pads might not have them. In a full brake system inspection, techs will take a look at the material left on your brake pads using a micrometer and making sure your pads will stop you in an emergency. Brake rotor wear Brake rotors not only wear down over time, but they can also warp. If you have had a serious emergency stop recently or forgot to take your parking brake off, you might want to have your rotors checked for warpage. If rotors are allowed to get ... read more

If you’ve ever seen the movie or read Stephen King’s novel Christine, you know how horrifying the idea of a haunted car can be. Between the self-locking doors and automatic driving, she was a killing machine. And she was limited to the technology available in a 1959 Plymouth! Just imagine what kind of horrors modern day haunted cars could pull off! Image: Flickr We’ve all felt at the mercy of our cars’ quirks before. Some door lock remotes need two or three presses to work, some alarms refuse to turn off, some automatic seats have minds of their own, but today’s cars make looking haunted easy. Here’s a spooky story about a modern car that looked haunted: Don’t Lock The Doors Once a customer had a unique problem. Her Mini Cooper had started acting up on a dark and rainy evening. She wen ... read more

Everyone has heard the urban legends and stories from friends of friends about finding live animals somewhere in the car. From kittens in engine bays to mice in the seats, nature vs. car is a tale nearly as old as automobiles themselves. Image: Flickr Did you see this one? The owner of a Mazda in Eureka, Montana came outside to see their car apparently mauled by a mountain lion! After some research and ... read more

Car Care Awareness Month is upon us again! October is a great time to think back about all the basic car maintenance you may have been neglecting for the rest of the year. From the roof to the tires, there are little things here and there to keep your car rolling strong until the next car care month! Plus, October in San Diego is the perfect sweet spot for maintenance due to our weather: we don't usually get the first rains quite yet but our minds are thinking of fall and preparing for the colder months, so we have time to get things taken care of now. But what, exactly, do you take care of in October? Image: Flickr Fluid check! October is the perfect time to look at all the fluids and top them off. For any readers who live in a colder climate, it’s important to make sure your antifreeze is topped off and not too ... read more

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Around the country, survivors and supporters are getting out into the community this month to take part in racing events, fundraising campaigns, educational tours, and much more. Even the NFL wears pink during the month of October to help raise awareness for the most common type of cancer in women. Convoy Auto Repair is taking part in helping to raise awareness, too. Throughout October, you can buy Autotex PINK windshield wiper blades at Convoy Auto Repair. We're selling the blades for $12.99 to $14.99 based on size (we install each blade for free). Autotex will then donate 10% of sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation – every month, not just in October! These windshield wiper blades are truly a purchase that will wipe out breast cancer and contr ... read more

Let’s get this out of the way right now: none of the following family sedans are anything like your father’s Oldsmobile. What’s more, in today’s new car marketplace these cars also represent a level of affordability, fun to drive verve, and fuel efficiency that you can’t find anywhere in a SUV or minivan. These family sedans may be the bread and butter of the auto industry and make up the largest slice of new car sales, but their driving characteristics now mirror those of sports sedans from a decade ago. Times have surely changed. We didn’t make our picks here by putting pictures of each car on a dart board or by making educated guesses. No, we have driven each of these five vehicles for a week of intensive testing putting hundreds of miles on their odometers, and in a few cases well over a thousand, simply because it was so enjoyable to drive. Not only did we drive a lot of family sedans, we also managed to drive them with most of their available p ... read more

The words "free" and "car" are almost never found within the same sentence, which makes this upcoming event even more spectacular! Have you been concerned about your car but don't want to pay for an inspection fee? Has it been a while since your car had a check-up? Do you want to know if there are any worrying issues your car might be hiding under the hood? Then you're in luck! On Saturday, October 25, 2014, the San Diego Auto Repair Care group will be hosting a completely FREE car care fair for all San Diego residents at Qualcomm Stadium. From 10am to 2pm, bring your car by the Convoy Auto Repair booth for a 100% free inspection by one of our Master Technicians. The free inspection covers most models and includes the following: Tire pressure and wear Lights Wipers Belts & Hoses Vital fluids The catch: we are limited to the first 600 vehicles in order to ensure we have the time to perform proper inspections. Please pre-register and come by early ... read more