San Diego Auto Repair

Car Care and the College Student Understanding the basics of auto care and auto repair is essential for any car owner to ensure they get the most out of their vehicle. For new college students, on their own for the first time and away from home, basic car maintenance skills and being able to recognize a serious problem in their vehicle can save both time and money. When it comes to maintenance, parents need to provide their fledgling car owner with information about how to check tire pressure and oil levels as well as issues relating to tire wear. Knowing When Service is Needed Students also need to know when they can’t fix a problem on their own. Make sure the car has its owner’s manual and that your young driver knows when it needs to be taken in for service and it is good idea to find a body shop that located near campus that can be used for both regular maintena ... read more

Buying a new car in San Diego is always a big financial decision. The allure of that new car smell is powerful, to be sure. But what if your current car is still in good shape? How do you decide?People in San Diego who've been used to driving a new car every three to five years may be having second thoughts in this economy. For many, the question is, how does the certainty of a new car payment stack up against uncertain repairs for a car that may be out of warranty?For purposes of our discussion, let's assume you live right here in San Diego and have a five year old vehicle. It's now paid off. If you keep it, you fear that there'll be some repairs over the next five years, but you really don't know what to expect. For help we turned to Edmunds.com.Edmunds.com has compiled maintenance and repair information for cars and trucks. With this data, they project likely service and repair ... read more

Your cooling system is very important. It circulates coolant through the radiator and your engine to protect your car from overheating. There are five main components to the cooling system: The water pump's like the heart of your cooling system, circulating the fluid throughout. It's a small pump that's driven by the engine; usually by belt, but sometimes by a chain or gear. The water pump only operates when the engine's running. Water pump failure is pretty routine. Some start failing at around 40,000 miles, but most fail by 100,000 miles. Consult your owners' manual or service technician to see what's recommended. Since a water pump either works or it doesn't, you need to change it when it fails. Water pumps fail in one of two ways: the bearings fail or they begin to leak. It's possible to have a leak from a cracked water pump, but it usually leaks at the gasket where it attaches to the engine. So how can you tell when the water pump is failing? If you can hear a low-pitched grindi ... read more

Every San Diego car owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told that their engine air filter's dirty. Here's what goes into the determination of when to change the filter: First, your sedan owner's manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter. Second, a visual inspection by your San Diego technician may determine that your filter it is visibly dirty and needs to be changed. Now, most air filters purchased in Tierrasanta, Kearny Mesa, or Mission Valley don't cost a lot to replace. It's just that CA people hate getting caught with an unexpected expense. On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at Convoy Auto Repair can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change in San Diego. Think about a dirty furnace filter in your Kearny Mesa home. When it's all clogged up, enough clean air can't get through. In your sedan, that means that your engine can't get as much air as it needs to b ... read more

August 20-28 is Brake Safety Awareness Week, and it's a great time to make sure that your brakes are still delivering the stopping power you need, when you need it. Summer is winding down, and it's a sure bet that brakes will start seeing more when fall and winter hit. That means it's better to be prepared with a proactive brake check and, if necessary, brake service, rather than risking life and limb on the roads. Brakes are one of the most hard-used parts of any vehicle, and everything from braking too hard to riding the brakes or the brand of car you drive can have an impact on brake life. Some signs that a brake repair may be required include loud squealing, grabbing, loss of stopping power or significant pulling to one side when you make a stop. If you haven't had a brake service and check recently, Brake Safety Awareness Week is the perfect time to get your brake lining, brake fluid, rotors and hoses look ... read more

Your car might have an alignment problem if: it drifts or pulls to one side, your steering wheel is off center, you have uneven tire wear or your car doesn't feel like it handles right. When all of a vehicle's wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Running into potholes, smacking a curb or other object are great ways to knock your car out of alignment. Then one or more of your wheels starts pulling in a slightly different direction and the problems begin. Driving for an extended time when you're out of alignment causes your tires to wear unevenly and excessively. This can be dangerous and expensive. You'll have to replace your tires sooner, but even worse - you may cause premature wear to your suspension system, which can be really expensive. The front wheel alignment is adjustable on all vehicles, and the back wheels are also adjustable on some cars. The adjustment can go three different ways. The first adju ... read more

August is coming to a close, which means school is about to start and summer will be officially over. We have a few more tricks up our sleeve, though, for a family fun weekend. This weekend is all about exploring nature, ball games, and exercising for more than just your health. Friday night, take the kids out to the Kumeyaay Lake Campground in Mission Trails Regional Park for “Owl Prowl”. This free event starts at 7:30pm and will last for approximately two hours. You will join a trial guide for a guided walk in search of local owls and other nighttime birds. Meet in the dirt parking lot on the corner of Bushy Hill Drive and Father Junipero Serra Trail, across from the Kumeyaay Lake Campground entrance. This Saturday, August 20th, come out to cheer for the ... read more

For any vehicle owner, the distinction between auto maintenance and auto repair is critical to ensuring a long and healthy life for their preferred method of transportation. Both are essential in the smooth operation of a vehicle, but the terms are often confused for one another, which can lead some owners to pay more than they should over time. Auto maintenance is a broad term that covers regular and preventative actions taken to help keep a car that is running properly stay running. This maintenance can include things such as oil changes, transmission flushes, as well as annual inspections and tire rotations. All of these services help to keep a car that is running smoothly stay that way, and help prevent the need for auto repair. Auto repair is what is necessary when a vehicle has a failure of some kind - be it a broken fan belt, failed spark plugs, steering issues or braking problems. In these cases, it is necessar ... read more

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your sedan engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected car driving down Tierrasanta, Kearny Mesa, and Mission Valley roads. Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the auto industry as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine.Although more complicated, direct injection technology promises greater power with improved fuel economy for gas-poor Tierrasanta, Kearny Mesa, and Mission Valley commuters. CA motorists can expect to see more of it in the future.High temperatures under your sedan hood and varia ... read more

Family fun, free concerts, and a celebration of local music are what it’s all about this week in San Diego. Summer may be winding down, but we aren’t running out of fun things for you and your family to do just yet! If you haven’t checked out the new exhibit, Boundless Energy, at the Birch Aquarium, now is the perfect time. You can receive a free child admission with a paid adult by using this coupon, which expires September 6th. Boundless Energy is an interactive exhibit that encourages you to use natural forces like the renewable energy of the wind, sun, and waves, to power your life. Enjoy live music in ... read more