San Diego Auto Repair

Knowing when a car battery replacement is called for can not only keep your car on the road, but also save you the time and money of having it towed and serviced after the fact.  Most car batteries are rated to last approximately five years. Absolute values on how long they are effective vary, as battery tests can only show the condition of the battery at the exact moment of the test, and not the entire chemical composition and its state of decay. It is safe to say, however, that after five years you should have your battery checked regularly to know when a car battery replacement is necessary. Signs that you may need a car battery replacement include the battery light illuminating on the dashboard, electrical systems like air conditioning, radio or headlights performing poorly, or your car not starting at all. If there are any indications that your battery is starting to have problems, it is a good idea to have it immediately checked. When a batt ... read more

Nowadays, everyone in San Diego is paying more at the gas pump. For some families in the area, it adds up to several hundred dollars every month. That's got to come out of the budget somewhere. Throughout North America, people are putting off buying a new car. They plan on keeping their old vehicle for a year or two longer than before. Even now, 2/3 of the personal vehicles on our local roads have over 75,000 miles on them. The average age of vehicles is over nine years. And most people in San Diego can't afford to be stranded or inconvenienced by a break down. So following a regular maintenance schedule, like our personal diet and exercise plans, is actually critical to preserving your investment. Knowing what to do for a higher-mileage vehicle can be challenging because many owners' manuals don't publish service intervals after 60,000 miles. It just means that you need to be better at keeping records and planning your preventive maintenance. You can start by figuring that services w ... read more

The Dustball Rally is gearing up for its 2,000-mile car race/scavenger hunt run across the American Southwest, and its on-the-road blogger, Dustball Dave, is getting ready for his epic Dustball 2000 Project. Dave will be riding each day with one of the teams, coordinating live tweets and videos, blogging, and then creating a multimedia presentation based on his experiences. Dustball Dave can’t do it alone – he’s got his lodging and airfare covered for the Dustball 2000 project, but needs help to finance a budget for his technology, food, and other expenses so that he can deliver the best virtual experience possible. To help Dave post photos, videos and timely vignettes from the road, he’s putting out the call for donations onlin ... read more

The fourth of July has come and gone in San Diego, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t more summer fun to be had! We have a weekend’s worth of family fun to keep you busy and entertained for hours! Friday, July 8th, take the kids to see “Jemima Puddle-Duck” at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. There will be two performances, one at 2:30pm and one at 7pm. The Hudson Vagabond Puppets will bring this tale by Beatrix Potter to life with “larger-than-life puppets who dance and act in narrated ballets to this beloved children's story." Your kids will even be invited onstage towards the end of the show to dance with the puppet performers. Ticket prices range from $12-15. Click ... read more

No matter how well they’re made, cars are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the manufacturer to issue a recall notice to residents and to fix the car free of charge. The manufacturer then tries to contact everyone who owns that type of car in San Diego and elsewhere until the work is done. These recalls always affect safety, so you need to take them seriously. It’s really easy to find out if a vehicle is being recalled. Other website include: carfax.com; autobytel.com; and dmv.org. All of these sites have free recall searches. Recalls are pretty serious and don’t happen all that often. But sometimes cars have less serious problems that you still might want to know about. In this case, manufacturers issue what is known as a Tech ... read more

A recent report stated that over 80 percent of the vehicles on our roads have one or more service or repair that's needed, but hasn't been taken care of. Now that's a lot of undone service. That translates into something over 160 million vehicles in the U.S. alone. Some of the neglected items are minor. Others are serious safety concerns. There are several reasons why we hesitate to take care of recommended services; especially services that our automotive advisor recommends when we're in for something else, like an oil change. The first issue boils down to comfort with car care. We don't always feel we know enough to make good decisions. Some of that can be attributed to the fact that vehicles are so reliable these days. They almost become an appliance. Of course you love your sedan, but if you don't have to worry about it breaking down all the time, you're not forced to thi ... read more

We hope you're ready to start enjoying your summer because, this week, we have nothing but fun planned for you! What do you get when you mix beer, pirates, and a chili cook-off? We're not sure, but that's what this week has in store for you. Check out our recommendations for how to spend your free time this week! Saturday, June 25th, is the Pirate Faire and Festival in San Diego. From 10am-6pm, the Four Points by Sheraton San Diego will be over-run with scurvy sea dogs. Enjoy hundreds of costumed re-enactors, live music and entertainment, educational programs, and, of course, battles! This festival is full of fun and even throws in a little history lesson now and then, so bring the whole family. Ticket prices range from $17 for adults to fr ... read more

So you have some exciting plans for the CA weekend. You're going to take some of your friends out on the boat for some water skiing. Of course, you've gotten the boat all ready. And you haven't forgotten about your tow vehicle. You've gassed it up and even vacuumed it out. But you want to make sure that your sedan maintenance is up to date. Think about it - heavy traffic on the way out of San Diego. There's hilly terrain as you get to the lake. Some dirt roads - and its going to be pretty hot in San Diego this weekend. And all the time you'll be towing around several thousand extra pounds. That all adds up a lot of severe strain on your engine, brakes and transmission. Let's just consider the transmission. It's going to be working overtime, spending more time in lower gears. The internal transmission temperature is going to be much higher than normal. What's a fun little blast to the local CA lake for you is really severe duty for your transmission. It's important to have enough trans ... read more

Summer must be here, because this week’s events are all about laughter, outdoor fun, and good beer! Check out our suggestions below: This Friday, June 17th, catch Dana Carvey performing comedy for one night only at Sycuan Casino. What is your favorite Carvey bit? Is it his prissy “Church Lady” or “Grumpy Old Man”? Maybe it’s his impersonations of Bob Dylan, George Bush and so many others? Or is it the heavy-metal fan, Garth Algar, of Wayne’s World? Regardless of which skit is your favorite, we’re sure Dana will tickle your funny bone one way or another this Friday. The show starts at 8pm and ticket prices range from $45-$55; you can buy them ... read more

People from San Diego love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than a CA road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it's great! But there's nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt. Now you can't always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. Let's look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip and what you might do to avoid them. It all starts with a thorough trip inspection by your service professionals at Convoy Auto Repair. Let's talk about some of the items on the trip inspection checklist. The most common vehicle component to fail is the tires. Of course, you can't always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance-connected tire problems. A good tire inspection will start with looki ... read more