San Diego Auto Repair

There was a man who learned that most car accidents occur within a mile of home – so he moved. (Just Kidding!) When we think of defensive driving, we often focus on our local highway situations. The fact of the matter is we need to be just as careful close to home in San Diego, because that's where we do most of our driving. We can't let our familiar surroundings keep us from driving defensively. Defensive driving begins with the proper attitude. Have in mind that you won't let anyone take your safety away from you. You'll be aware of your surroundings, road conditions, other vehicles and hazards. And the first person to be concerned with is you: start with your own environment. Don't leave without securing all occupants including children and pets. Watch for loose items that can become projectiles during evasive maneuvers. Driving too fast or too slow increases the chance of an accident. Never drive impaired: Alcohol is a factor in half of all fatal crashes. Never dr ... read more

Regular auto maintenance is a key component in keeping a car running as well as possible for the longest period of time. One of the most important, routine auto maintenance services that an auto body shop can provide is a basic tune-up. A basic tune-up involves a number of procedures that are all aimed at preventing more serious problems from occurring. During a tune-up, the air filter in a vehicle should be checked and replaced if needed in order to ensure that adequate air is getting to the fuel supply for it to function properly; the spark plugs, rotor and distributor cap should all be inspected; and the fuel filter, spark plug wires and oxygen sensor all examined. In addition, a basic tune-up may include a radiator or coolant flush as well as topping off fluid levels for both windshield wipers and power steering. By performing regular auto maintenance and having a tune-up done at least once a year, a car owner can ... read more

The price of gas has got everyone talking. It seems that people who need a bigger vehicle to carry family and gear, or provide four wheel drive, are especially hit hard. That is why we thought it would be good to review some things that anyone can do to improve fuel economy. First let's start with how we drive. People may not realize that they can really save on gas by just changing a few driving habits. One of the biggest is jackrabbit starts - you know, flooring the gas as soon as the light turns green. That really wastes a lot of fuel. Building up your speed at a slower pace uses less fuel and is easier on your engine and drive train. And don't drive with one foot on the brake. That's also a drag on fuel economy, and it wears out your brakes faster too. Another thing is to drive slower - but only when it's safe. Sometimes on the highway we drive an extra five ... ten . . . twenty ... over the speed limit. We do it to save time, but it only sav ... read more

Love is in the air this week and we thought you might like to celebrate it with some of our favorite things: gondola rides, cheese and the sea. Check it out ! Take your love to Venice tonight for Valentine’s Day... or at least make them feel like they’re in Venice without ever leaving San Diego! The Gondola Company: Sunset Valentino Cruise is the ultimate romantic date night. Cruise in a private gondola with your sweetie through the beautiful canals of the Coronado Cays during the twilight hours. All you have to bring is your Valentine and a bottle of your favorite wine or champagne. Chocolate dipped strawberries, souvenir wine glasses, blankets, an ice bucket, and wine openers are all provided. The cruise lasts approximately one hour and you can also choose to upgrade and have a professional violin or mandolin player accompany you. Get in touch with them ... read more

All new passenger vehicles on our San Diego roads now have tire pressure monitoring systems – TPMS for short. They are designed to alert you if your tires are under inflated. Since they are fairly new, a lot of people have questions about TPMS. First off, the most important thing is that you still need to check your tire pressure every week – or at least every time you gas up. The TPMS system alert comes in when your tire is twenty percent below the factory recommendation. So if the recommended pressure is thirty five pounds per square inch, the TPMS warning won't come on until the pressure is at twenty eight pounds. That's significantly under-inflated. Enough to raise safety concerns. The worst is tire failure. A severely under inflated tire can overheat and fail. Also, handling degrades to the point that you may not be able to steer out of trouble. Also under-inflated tires wear out faster and they waste fuel. So it's costly to not stay on top of proper inflation ... read more

Vehicle alignment is key in maximizing fuel efficiency, lowering maintenance costs, and providing a smoother overall ride for everyone in the car. Often, drivers will go for hundreds of miles without knowing their wheels are out of alignment, leading to repair costs that could have been easily avoided. Here are a few simple tips on how to spot a vehicle alignment issue before it becomes a problem: Try driving straight. If the car pulls to either side without the driver turning the wheel, chances are the wheels are out of alignment. The same is true if the wheel needs to be kept at an angle in order to drive straight. Check the tires. If one tire is showing significantly more wear than another, it may be time to have the alignment checked. Watch out for shaky turns. If a vehicle's steering wheel doesn't come easily back to its starting positi ... read more

Today’s report from Convoy Auto Repair is on car batteries, why they die and what we can do to lengthen their life. Most of us have had a dead battery at one time or another. In fact, it would be very unusual if you hadn’t. You may be surprised to learn that only 30 percent of vehicle batteries last for 48 months. Now that’s an average. How long a battery lasts depends on many factors. You may not know that one of the biggest factors is the temperature where you live and drive around San Diego. You might suppose that cold weather was harder on batteries because it takes more power to crank a cold engine, but the opposite is actually true. Batteries in very cold climates have a life expectancy of 51 months as opposed to 30 months in very warm climates. The reason is simple: batteries are chemically more active when they’re hot than when they’re cold. A car battery will actually start to discharge on its own within 24 hours in hot weather. It takes se ... read more

February is a great month for events in San Diego, from movie festivals and museum exhibits to whale watching tours getting underway – read on to find out more. A by-women, for-women film festival, LUNAFEST is coming to Carlsbad for one night only on Feb 1, 2011 at the La Costa Resort & Spa. The festival was established in 2000 by the creators of LUNA bars to simultaneously promote women filmmakers, raise awareness for women’s issues, and support worthy non-profit organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. For additional details and email reminders about the event, check out the calendar. In case you hadn't noticed, San Diego is chock full of incredible museums. Starting February 1st, you can exp ... read more

In 1982, the California state government implemented their emissions program in order to come into compliance with Federal law, a program often referred to as the “smog check.” Vehicles are required to undergo a mandatory smog check at certified smog check stations in order to determine if their emissions currently meet the standard. If they do not, a technician can diagnose and solve any problems that a car may have. Many drivers wonder why they must undergo a check each year. It is, in large part, required to ensure that their vehicle's emissions have not changed over the course of the last 12 months. Roadway debris and weather can significantly affect a car, and so the state government mandates testing. Smog check stations must be certified in order to operate. Once certified, these stations can grant a California Emissions Certificate, which permits a car to be on the road. Stations are equipped with the technology to analyze exhaust f ... read more

New car dealerships are happy to leave you with the impression that you should have all of your scheduled car maintenance performed at the dealership during the warranty period. Some go so far as to imply that your warranty protection depends on it. In fact, nothing is further from the truth. Federal laws in both the United States and Canada specify that you do not have to have your vehicle serviced at a dealership to maintain warranty protection. The laws further state that a vehicle manufacturer cannot mandate that you use their particular brand of replacement parts or fluids. This certainly means you have many more service options, but what about quality? First off, it is important to know that vehicle manufacturers do not make all of their own parts. They look to thousands of independent suppliers to manufacture the parts that go into your car or truck. Many of these same manufacturers that make the parts that are original equipment for a new vehicle ... read more