San Diego Auto Repair

No matter how well they're made, cars in San Diego will have design or manufacturing problems. And when the government thinks a problem is really serious for people in San Diego, they require the manufacturer to issue a recall notice and fix the car free of charge. The manufacturer then tries to contact everyone in San Diego who owns that type of car to get the recall work done. These recalls always affect safety, so take them seriously. It's easy to see if a vehicle's being recalled. The government has links on its websites, or just visit AutoNetTV for links. There are many websites with free recall information and searches. There's CarFax, AutoByTel and the DMV. Recalls are serious, but not all that common. But sometimes there are less significant issues, and for these, manufacturers issue a Technical ... read more

We hope you are enjoying this holiday season in San Diego and, as always, have a few suggestions on what to do in-between opening presents and stuffing your face full of gradma's pies. Have a safe and happy new year and ring in 2012 with these awesome events in San Diego. If you are interested in getting some pre-Christmas exercise in before you feast all weekend long, the Mission Trails Regional Park Trail Guides will be leading pre-dawn hikes at Cowles Mountain. Join them as they hike to the area of solstice observatory on Cowles Mountain, Friday, December 23rd at 6am. The solstice site is approximately one mile up the trail and the entire hike will last about two hours. Weather-permitting, you will enjoy the sunrise split by a peak on the eastern horizon. As you begin the hike, it will still be very dark out, so good shoes and flashlights are highly recommended. Hikers will meet at the Cowles Mountain Staging Area, which is loc ... read more

Today we're going to talk about power steering service in San Diego. If you took an informal poll, you'd probably find that most have never heard of power steering service. That's not surprising. Even though power steering is standard on every vehicle, most people aren't aware that it needs periodic service. If you're younger than a certain age, you've probably never driven a car or truck without power steering. To get an idea of the difference; if you've ever cut a board with a hand saw, you know it's a lot of work. Using a power saw is easy-peasy by comparison. Without power steering, your arms have to do all the work to steer the wheels, and that's hard, especially around downtown San Diego. That's why old cars had such big steering wheels; to get enough leverage to steer. Most vehicles have a hydraulic power steering system. The serpentine belt from the engine powers a pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid. This actuates a hydraulic cylinder that pro ... read more

The holidays are officially upon us and so is the wintery cold weather! We hope you are staying dry and warm in San Diego and have a few fun suggestions on how to spend your week. Whether you prefer to stroll outside in the brisk, cold air or sit in a warm and cozy theater, we have come fun holiday ideas for you and your family to enjoy together. Witness the San Diego Botanic Garden in Balboa Park transform into a shiny winter wonderland! From December 8th through the 23rd and the 26th through the 30th, from 5 to 9pm, the Botanic Garden becomes the Garden of Lights. The gardens are decorated with over 100,000 sparkling lights on the plants and trees. The Garden of Lights also features holiday crafts, horse-drawn wagon rides, marshmallow roasting, live entertainment, and visits with Santa, of course! If the ... read more

One topic that hits the news in San Diego on a regular basis is the price of gas. The answer for some people in San Diego is to buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. For the rest of use, we need to improve our fuel economy anyway we can. Following recommended service intervals by coming into Convoy Auto Repair is one of the best ways to keep your car running efficiently. That means better fuel economy. When you give it some thought, it only makes sense. Dirty oil or transmission fluid can't lubricate or clean. That means more drag which reduces fuel economy. Keeping up with scheduled oil changes and transmission services will save gas. Dirty engine air filters are another efficiency pirate. They rob your engine of enough air to effectively burn the fuel, so you need more gas to get the job done. Replacing a dirty air filter can pay for itself in fuel savings before the next oil change. You can imagine what dirty fuel injectors can do to your sedan as you drive around San ... read more

Life's full of surprises in San Diego, some of which cost money. A leaky roof, a broken tooth, or an unexpected car repair. Here's - how we can budget for proper vehicle care. Everyone does our best to budget for scheduled vehicle maintenance. What's hard is unexpected repairs. The truth is that our vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before with proper maintenance. That's because of improved vehicle design and manufacturing quality. But some of those same improvements also lead to higher repairs costs. Let's take the fuel pump. Previous generations were often stranded by the side of the road by vapor lock. This occurred when the gas vaporized between the gas tank and the fuel pump. Fuel just stopped flowing. You had to sit and wait until the car would start again. To alleviate the problem, fuel pumps are now located inside the gas tank. This is a great solution, but when the fuel pump fails, it's a much more expensive proposition to replace ... read more

People in San Diego CA often ask the question: "Will using premium gas make my car run better?" The answer is simple. But first, let's talk about what exactly premium gasoline is. Different grades of gasoline have different octane ratings. Regular gasoline has the lowest octane rating and premium the highest. Most gas stations around San Diego also carry a mid-grade that falls in between the two. The octane range for the different grades of gas varies by region due to altitude differences. Engines require different octane ratings because of design differences. For example, turbocharged engines usually require premium gas. There's a sticker on your gas tank filler lid that tells you the minimum octane rating your manufacturer recommends.Read your owner's manual carefully to see if it's acceptable to use lower grades. With some cars in San Diego CA it is; the engine control computer can adapt. You'll lose some performance, but won't do damage. With other engines, using a lower grade of ... read more

Now that you have successfully stuffed your face full of turkey and all the trimmings, it’s time to get out of the house and enjoy some family fun events around San Diego! Check out some of the hottest hot rods around, give Mother Earth a tiny face lift, and learn how to brew your own beer, just in time for the holidays! Don’t miss the first ever Goodguys Fall Del Mar Nationals happening this weekend, November 25, 26, and 27th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Sure, you’ve been to the huge car show they put on in the summer, but now they’re making it a semi-annual event with another weekend jam-packed with hot rods, customs, classics, muscle cars, and trucks on display. The GoodGuys & the Wounded Warriors of San Diego will also feature a “Toys For Tots” toy drop sponsored by the US Marine Corps. All ... read more

For advice on how to make your sedan last longer, visit us at Convoy Auto Repair 3909 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 These days many people in the San Diego area are really committed to making their cars last a long time. First thing: you've got to start with what you've got. It'd be ideal if people started with a brand new car, never missed a scheduled service item, paid attention to the severe service maintenance schedule and had regular inspections. But if you've had the vehicle for a while, or bought it used, its maintenance history is what it is; and that's where you start. Go through the maintenance schedule for your sedan and see what's been done and when. Have your San Diego service advisor at Convoy Auto Repair do an inspection and come up with a list of stuff that needs to be done. Review the list and prioritize the work, talk about budget and make a plan to get caught up. Making a plan is so important. Suppose you go in for an ... read more

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is really next week; it seems like just yesterday we were telling you about all the fun summer activities to be enjoyed in San Diego. Once you have done all the Thanksgiving dinner dishes, it will officially be “holiday season” in San Diego, (though, we’re sure you’ve noticed that several retailers have had their holiday decorations out since the day after Halloween!) We tried to hold off on our excited holiday posts, but we could only wait so long... Here is our first round of fun holiday activities to enjoy with your family in San Diego! Get your family in the holiday spirit with a live performance of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas at The Old Globe. The classic musical is based on Dr. Seuss’ timeless book and this year marks the ... read more