San Diego Auto Repair

Before the recession hit, the median age for cars in the San Diego was over nine years. And two-thirds had over 75,000 miles. At Convoy, we hear reports that those numbers continue to rise. Many people in San Diego are keeping their vehicles longer. The economy has influenced that, but the fact that modern sedans are more durable and reliable means that owning a high mileage vehicle doesn't have to be a painful experience. Local car owners in San Diego with over 100,000 miles on their vehicles often ask which service intervals they should follow. Let's start with the special needs of the older vehicle... The reality is that time and mileage will take its toll. The engine and transmission will have more sludge. The fuel, steering and brake systems will have gum and varnish built up. There will be more dirt and contaminants in the fuel tank. Corrosion and deposits in the cooling system. And seals and gaskets will start to dry out. All of this, plus normal wear and tear ... read more

This week is all about free music, fun, and food - what’s not to love!? Happening every Friday from May through September is the Concerts on the Green series in El Cajon. Attendees will enjoy several different genres of music through the 22 week series, along with dancing, food, and prize drawings. This week, check out a live performance by the Taildraggers, a bluegrass band. The free concerts are from 6-8pm at the Prescott Promenade across from the El Cajon Courthouse and City Hall. Click here for a full list of the bands playing throughout the summer. If you haven’t visited the Wild Willow Farm & Education Center to see the Tijuana Estuary plants yet, now is the perfect time. This Saturday, at 4p ... read more

Brake maintenance, including brake pad replacement, is something that needs to be done on any vehicle periodically in order to ensure that it's not only safe to drive, but also that it stops as smoothly as possible. Brakes should be monitored with each regular maintenance check that a car undergoes, since there are a number of brake issues that can arise. Often, the first indicator of a brake problem will be that the pedal goes down too far toward the floor before the car begins to slow down, which can be due to a number of issues, including low brake fluid level or contaminated brake fluid. If the pedal is too firm, you may have vacuum problems. Brake pad replacement can also be necessary, and signs that this is required will be quite obvious. If you your brakes begin to squeal when stopping, if your car pulls to one side, or if you have to pump the brake pedal to stop, a brake pad replacement is something to ... read more

There's not much we can do about the price of gas in San Diego, but we do quite a bit about how much we use as we're driving on our San Diego streets. Our driving habits can dramatically affect our fuel economy. The first thing we can do is watch the 'go-pedal'. Hard acceleration just sucks the gas. Gently leave stop lights and plan lane changes so you don't need to floor it. That can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Go a little slower on the freeway to San Diego. Once you're going more than sixty-five miles an hour your fuel economy starts to drop dramatically. Leave early so you don't need to rush to be on time. And cruise control is your friend – steady speed uses less gas. Plan errands ahead. Make fewer trips by combining errands. Hey at current gas prices, a lead-foot might as well be a gold foot

A lot of gas is wasted in by dirty fuel delivery systems. Let's start at the tank. The gas tank gathers dirt, rust and sediment over the years. That's why there's a fuel filter to clean the fuel after it leaves the tank. A dirty filter will rob the engine of the clean gas it needs to run efficiently. The fuel intake components get coated with gum and varnish over time. This results in fuel being delivered inefficiently and some of that gunk getting into the engine. A fuel system service at Convoy Auto Repair will leave your intake as clean as a whistle. The big fuel thief is dirty fuel injectors. They deliver fuel to the engine at a specified pressure and in a particular spray pattern. When they're clogged, the fuel doesn't get atomized the way it's supposed to and doesn't get burned as efficiently. See your owner's manual or ask your service advisor at Convoy Auto Repair when a fuel system cleaning is recommended

Every day we get customers phone shopping and asking, “How much do brakes cost?” 99% of the time, the brakes have yet to be inspected. When you call a mass merchandiser or an independent auto shop whose only concern is getting your car into their garage, they will often quote you the lowest possible “starting at” entry level pricing. Unfortunately, this can be very misleading. Even if they do replace brakes at their quoted lower cost, they are generally short cutting the proper process and/or using substandard parts. Many times, these brakes are lower in performance than the ones your vehicle originally came with, which leaves you with substandard brakes at best. Every year, shops install new brake pads and shoes and reuse the old hardware. We can’t begin to tell you how many of these “$99 brake jobs" we fix and correct annually. Neglecting to replace brake hardware when replacing brake pads or shoes could lead to premature wear and timely ret ... read more

Most people in the area are aware that automotive manufacturers have recommended service intervals. Following recommended service intervals is very important. The engineers that design our vehicles have tested the various systems and components to meet durability and safety standards. Some of these standards are self-imposed and others, like those for emissions components, are government mandated. The maintenance schedules are designed to achieve the standards. Think of the benefits of following recommended intervals as falling into three general categories: Protection, Efficiency and Safety.Protection. Let's start with motor oil. First of all, the engineers recommend a particular weight and type of motor oil for your sedan. All of their oil change recommendations assume using the proper motor oil. Motor oil contains detergents and other additives that clean the engine and provide corrosion resistance. Over time, the additives are depleted. The oil a ... read more

Some 2004-2005 Ford F-150 and 2005 F-Super Duty, Expedition, and Navigator vehicles with a 5.4L 3-valve engines may experience difficulty with plug removal. This may cause damage to the spark plug and leave part of the spark plug in the cylinder head, requiring an expensive extraction process, and in some cases, even cylinder head removal or replacement. [caption][/caption] There are special procedures Ford has recommended in a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that may reduce the number of broken plugs. Unfortunately in the real world, many still break because the spark plugs were not changed early enough. Ford, like many manufactu ... read more

We hope you enjoyed your Easter weekend in San Diego because we have a whole new week’s worth of fun activities for you and your family to enjoy together. Celebrate literature, Mexican culture, and good, old-fashioned family fun this week! Starting Monday, April 25th, and lasting through May 5th, is the 15th Annual Literary Arts Festival at Grossmont College. Enjoy 10 days of celebrating literature with: performances, readings, lectures, workshops, writing competitions, book signings and more, all sponsored by the Creative Writing Program and English Department of Grossmont College. This year, some of the visiting writers and guest performances are ... read more

This fuel saving tip is so simple, no one will believe it. It has to do with your gas cap. The first thing is to make sure it's screwed on tight. If it's loose, gas vapor will be constantly leaking out; wasted gas. And air will get in and that can cause your oxygen sensor to read incorrectly and the oxygen sensor will tell the engine management computer to adjust the fuel-air mix and, well, you get the picture; you'll be burning more gas around Kearny Mesa than you need to. This could cause the check engine light to come on as well. A worn gas cap can have the same effect. If you constantly smell gas when you walk by your tank, you might need a new gas cap. So, twist your cap until it clicks three times – that means it's on tight. Have your Kearny Mesa area auto repair shop at Convoy Auto Repair inspect the cap to see if it needs to be replaced. See, I told you it was simple. Don't fo ... read more