San Diego Auto Repair

One automotive service issue that doesn't get much attention is driveline service. Drivelines don't get talked about very much around San Diego, but they're very important. First let's define what the driveline is: Taking a small step back, the power plant is comprised of the engine and transmission. The driveline starts there and includes all of the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. That's not really a lot of components, but they handle the full force of the engine. Without the driveline you're not moving. So we need to take good care of it. The driveline components differ depending on whether your vehicle has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive or four wheel drive. For purposes of our discussion, we're going to have to over simplify a bit. Let's start with front wheel drive. The point where the transmission stops and the driveline begins is a little blurred with front wheel drive because the transaxle houses both t ... read more

A while back, the Cash for Clunkers program was all over the news. San Diego people could trade in their old vehicle for a new one that got better fuel economy and receive a government rebate. A lot of San Diego motorists had so-called clunkers that they wanted to keep. They're good commuters, grocery getters or toy haulers. They enjoy that fact that they're paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their sedans for 200,000 miles or more - as long as it's economical to do so. There are plenty of San Diego drivers whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles. We can learn from what they're doing to keep our own sedans on the road in CA. San Diego drivers of high-mileage cars often report a common denominator of never skipping an oil change.That may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it's really not. First off, oil is the life blood of your sedan's engine and ... read more

Whether you’re waiting for your car to be serviced at Convoy Auto Repair, or you just happen to be in the neighborhood, Kearny Mesa is a great spot to grab a burger in San Diego. Here are our personal favorites. Smashburger - Located at 3737 Murphy Canyon Rd. near the Escondido Freeway, “smash. sizzle. savor.” is their motto. They begin by literally smashing a chunk of 100% Angus Beef on the hot grill, searing it and seasoning it to perfection. The burger is then placed on a butter-toasted artisan bun and topping with the best quality cheeses, freshest produce, and your favorite condiments. You can select from one of their recipes or create your own personalized burger with their myriad of ingredients. The prices are affordable and your burger is served on a plate, not in a bag like some of those other, more famous “burger joints.” Check out their ... read more

There are a number of factors that contribute to the high nighttime accident rate in the greater San Diego area, things like drowsy driving and a higher rate of impaired driving. Without a doubt, visibility is a major contributor. Let's focus on visibility... It's said that 90 percent of our driving decisions are based on what we see. Nighttime driving has the effect of reducing 20/20 vision to the equivalent of 20/50 vision. What you could clearly see at 50 feet in daylight can't be seen until you are just 20 feet away at night. Too make sure your headlights are giving you the greatest visibility, visit us at Convoy Auto Repair. you'll find us located on 3909 Convoy St., San Diego, CA 92111. Please give us a call to make an appointment: 858-560-9131. Accident avoidance is dependent on reaction time. Reaction time deteriorates measurably in low light conditions. One thing we can do to improve visibility is to make sure our headlights ... read more

Welcome to the Convoy Auto Repair blog. Today, let's talk about the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, most of us drivers tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn't enough. Safe drivers need to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.Let's focus on stopping in wet conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can't move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water. That's called hydroplaning. If it's really bad, drivers can actually spin out of control. At best, you won't stop as fast. So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your sedan tire and you'll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across ... read more

Did you know that San Diego is now being called the craft beer capital of the world? Yes, it’s true, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. The craft beer scene has really taken off, especially in America’s Finest City, with breweries and brew pubs popping up all over the county. But you don’t have to travel to a trendy neighborhood like the Gaslamp District or La Jolla to enjoy great beer, there are craft beer establishments all over San Diego! Here are our favorite three spots to grab a beer (all nearby Convoy Auto Repair), in Kearny Mesa: O’Brien’s Pub - This spot is known as “the hoppiest place on Earth” for their great selection of bitter beers like IPA’s and Pale Ales. But don’t worry, if you aren’t a bitter beer fan, there are plenty of other varieties to choose from. O’Brien’s carries bee ... read more

If you've ever heard a squealing sound under your hood, chances are it was your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that's driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems in your sedan. Let's go over them. First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in San Diego.Next, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that's used by your sedan's electrical systems and also charges your car battery. Without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles. The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering (some are electric) and power brakes (some use vacuum boost). And, on most sedans, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to ke ... read more

Every car in San Diego CA is at risk for theft. So it's up to us to make our cars a less appealing target and more of a challenge - hopefully sending potential thieves to look elsewhere.The National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends a layered approach to protecting vehicles: Common sense Visible and audible devices Immobilizing devices Tracking devices Let's review each of these. First, common sense: you would be surprised how many vehicles are stolen from San Diego CA where the keys were left in the ignition with the doors unlocked. Always take your keys, and lock the doors. In fact, in some places it's against the law to leave a vehicle unattended with the keys in the ignition.And don't leave spare keys in the car or hide them outside - because a thief will find them. Try to park in well-lit areas that have a lot of foot traffic. If possible, park near the end of a row and near a light. Back your c ... read more

Convoy Auto Repair is proud to announce we are a member of the RepairPal Top Shop Auto Repair Network. RepairPal was founded in 2007 by a group of automobile enthusiasts to provide drivers with the most accurate, unbiased, and useful car ownership information available. The Top Shop Auto Repair Network is RepairPal’s newest service being offered to customers across the country. The Top Shop program is designed to help connect the best repair shops with customers who are looking for someone they can trust to work on their car. In order to qualify for the program, Convoy Auto Repair had to pass a rigorous quality assessment, which included an analysis of the shop's technical capabilities as well as a phone interview with at least 25 of our customers. Qualities of Top Shops like Convoy Auto Repair include: experienced and highly-trained technicians who are certified by the ASE, appropriate tools and equipment used ... read more

Make an appointment with Convoy Auto Repair to have your on board diagnostics analyzed.3909 Convoy St.San Diego, CA 92111858-560-9131 Today we're going to talk about on-board diagnostics and the questions we hear from folks around San Diego who need answers about diagnostic services. They want to know what diagnostics are, what's involved and what the benefits are. They really want to understand the value of diagnostic scans by a trained technician in San Diego. These are valid concerns. If you don't understand something it's really hard to know its value. Let's start with some history. Since 1996, all cars and light trucks have been required to use a standardized diagnostic system to help repair technicians determine what's wrong with your vehicle. The diagnostic system works with the vehicle's Engine Control Module - the computer that controls many engine functions. The computer monitors dozens of components and processes. Depending on what the sens ... read more