San Diego Auto Repair

October is one of the most beautiful months in San Diego because it cools off just enough to let us stop sweating from the summer heat, but not so much that we're freezing. October also brings a month full of fun activities to be enjoyed by the whole family. Ocean Beach Oktoberfest is expanding to a two-day celebration this year, Friday, October 7th and Saturday the 8th. The festival will now feature entertainment both inside the beer garden and outside on the grassy area in front of the beach. On Friday, the Charger girls will be hanging out starting at 4:30 and from 4-7pm, you can enjoy the Beer Garden Band Slam and Happy Hour with six cover and tribute bands competing for the cash prize of $4,000. Other fun activities will include the sausage toss, the stein holding and bratwurst eating contest, and the fun run. The entire month of October has been deemed ... read more

So you love our job, and your family life is great: You have achieved balance. But can you the same for your wheels? You can tell if your tires are out of balance by vibrations at higher speeds. If one of the front tires is out, you feel the vibration in the steering wheel. If it's a back tire, you'll feel the vibration in your seat. Tires and wheels are pretty heavy. When a tire is mounted on a wheel, it is usually not perfectly balanced. So the tire technician will spin the tire on a machine to determine where it's too heavy. He will then place weights on the wheels in strategic locations to balance it out. When a tire is out of balance, it actually bounces down the road instead of rolling smoothly. Since the average size tire rotates at about 850 revolutions per minute at 60 MPH, it is actually slamming into the pavement 14 times a second. That's where you get your vibration. Most pe ... read more

If you've walked through the automotive fluids of an auto parts store, you'll know how overwhelming the sheer number of products available can be. How do you know what's right for your vehicle? As you know, these fluids all serve a function in making your car run as you drive around the area. Your vehicle manufacturer has specified a particular type of fluid for every system from the motor, to the cooling system, brake fluid and so on. When you realize that not every variation is applicable to your vehicle, the task becomes more manageable. First let's talk about why there are so many varieties. Starting with motor oil, we see that manufacturers match the properties of a particular weight or type of oil with the design needs of the engine. For example, engines with sophisticated valve trains often require a thinner weight of oil. Some vehicles come from the factory filled with synthetic oil and the recommendation to use it for life. The safe bet is to ... read more

The weather is cooling down in San Diego, but the events are heating up! This week is all about street fairs, philanthropy, and some good, old-fashioned, “horror” to get you in the mood for Halloween! The 30th annual Adams Avenue Street Fair is returning to San Diego this Saturday and Sunday, September 24th and 25th. This is Southern California’s largest free two-day music festival, featuring over 60 musical performances on six stages along Adams Avenue, Adams Avenue Park, and at Lestat's Coffee House. This year's headliners include El Vez, the Beat Farmers reunion, El Chicano, and Arthur Adams. Besides great live music, the festival will feature beer gardens, a micro brew tasting area, giant carnival rides and more than 200 food, arts and craft vendors. The Adams Avenue S ... read more

Everyone eventually replaces their tires, whether it's because they're worn out or they're just looking for something different. There are so many great tire choices, it can be difficult to sort them out. Let's group the broad spectrum into several categories that will help in the selection process. One category is often referred to as "summer tires". Summer tires are designed to be driven on the road when temperatures are generally above 45 degrees. Their tread design is optimized for traction on dry roads and they're also able to effectively displace water on rainy roads. Now the rubber compound gets a little hard and stiff as temperatures drop below 45 degrees as it occasionally does here in San Diego (like, maybe once every 5 years). And the tread which handles dry roads so well, can get packed with snow or mud - which provides very little traction in those conditions. So if you live where its summer all year round, these tires will work well for you. If you like ... read more

It seems Fall is arriving in San Diego with cooler temperatures and whole lot of fun activities for you and your family to enjoy together. Get some great home improvement ideas, learn about eco-friendly businesses in San Diego, and enjoy a wild performance by some crazy, blue dudes this week!All weekend long, September 16th, 17th, and 18th is the Fall Home and Garden Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. You can check out hundreds of exhibits of home-improvement products and remodeling ideas, along with hands-on demonstrations, and educational seminars. Regular admission tickets are $8 but you can purchase discount tickets online and there are also several coupon offers online as well. So, keep your eyes peeled! Saturday and Sunday is the 2011 Cardiff Surf Classic and Rerip ... read more

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