San Diego Auto Repair

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

Teens and adult drivers alike are often plagued by the same temptation: checking your phone on the road. It seems harmless to peek down and check your text messages, or to type out a quick “OMW!” to your parents or your friends, but often times, it isn’t. Image: Flickr Did you know: 5 seconds is the average time you spend looking away from the road when you’re texting. That may not seem like much, but if you’re traveling at 55mph, 5 seconds is the amount of ... read more

When you’re finally old enough and have the budget to get your first car, it’s easy to get so excited or overwhelmed that you make mistakes. Some teens rush out and get the coolest looking cheap car they can find, only to later discover the hoses are held on by duct tape and the car is hugely unreliable. Some teens are lucky enough to get hand-me-down cars, or their parents are in on the new car hunt to offer valuable car-shopping advice. Either way, here are a few tips as you take your first steps to being an independent car owner.   Image ... read more

It's official - school is back in session! If your teen turned 16 over the summer you've no doubt been asked when they're going to be presented with their first car. But while you may have had no troubles dismissing the question this summer, now that you're faced with driving your teen to school, extra curricular activities, and possibly work, you might start seeing the benefits of your teen having their own car. However, buying your teenager his or her own car has a unique set of challenges. You want to balance safety and reliability with inexpensive repairs and a coat of paint you won’t mind seeing dings on (because they'll happen). So what are the best car features for teens that most parents interested in? Image: Flickr Important Features in Cars for Teens Airbags Modern safety technology has come a lo ... read more

As cars age, they are more likely to experience hiccups in their reliability and performance, despite your best maintenance and foresight. Here are a few emergency items to keep in your car or trunk for a quick fix on the side of the road or in your driveway, and some bonus items every driver should have with them. Image: Flickr If you have an older car, you may already know the value of having a few supplies with you in case something happens. As cars age, they are more likely to experienc ... read more

Sometimes our older cars give us little puzzles to figure out. Take this 2007 Chevy van, for example. Its owner had brought it in because it had been leaking water, even though there was no sign of a leakage when we got it up on our lift. In fact, the engine looked quite dry. Car engines have weep holes built in, which are designed to leak water slowly so you can tell when it's time to replace the water pump. But in this case, as soon as a little bit of pressure is applied to the engine, the water started gushing like a faucet. The video is actually pretty crazy to see – the water comes out so quickly and full, not to mention all of a sudden. Check out the video to see what we had to do to find the source of the issue for this customer, and how obvious it is that this van's water pump is totally broken. Transcript: Today we're looking at a 2007 Chevy van that came in with a water leak, and as we ... read more

The Golden Years: Keeping The Car Running As we here at Convoy are an automotive service and repair facility, it should come as no surprise that we believe routine maintenance is key to keeping your cherished ride running and looking its best. It also helps that this belief is corroborated by car experts everywhere, so there should be no surprise in this statement to anyone. But what, exactly, should owners of older cars in Southern California be doing whenever they have their car serviced? And what things that aren’t maintenance related can owners do on their own to ensure their car is running in tip top shape? Here are a few tips for anyone with a vehicle enjoying its “Golden Years.” Image: Wikipedia Check Your Tire Condition Yourself Regularly: When you bring your car to ... read more

Most San Diego schools only have a few weeks before classes start up again, and that makes August the perfect time to fit in some last minute road trips before you have to get back to the grind! But even if you aren't in school (or don't have kids who are), there's something about August that just screams road trip season - we think it has a lot to do with the heat! But in San Diego, the real heat doesn't begin until September. If you're looking to heat up the summer before it ends, you'll delight in taking a trip to a hot destination during the hottest season. The desert in the heat of summer offers a dramatic experience for the more determined traveler, and a stunning road trip from San Diego. And if you're looking for a hot summer road trip destination, we have some places in mind - in the most literal sense! Image ... read more

Ever since air conditioning became a standard feature on cars, there has been passionate debate about its effect on fuel consumption. Is it negligible? Is it worth the discomfort? What about rolling down the window? How much fuel does AC really use in a modern car? There are so many conflicting reports and rumors that’s almost impossible to determine a real answer. Here, we'll go over the basics of AC and driving with the windows down (hello physics!), but at the end of the day you may make your decision based on your personal preference on any particular day. (For example, no matter how much money your car might save by not using AC, no one is driving through the desert without it!) Does using the AC use more fuel? Of course. While the quantity can change depending on the aerodynamics of the car, using the AC does use more fuel than driving with the windows closed. This might be an obvious an ... read more