San Diego Auto Repair

Put on your game face and Chargers jersey because it’s time for football! What’s a game without fans coming together for a tailgate beforehand? To make the most of this season, be sure to plan accordingly with the proper food, drinks and tailgating gear. Best Tailgating Accessories We’ve already talked about the 10 best cars for tailgating, so let’s start with tailgating gear necessities. Stock your cooler with a lot of beer, water, and other refreshments. When it comes to food, think barbecue style – hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chili, wings, chips and dip, fruits, condiments, desserts, etc. Also, don’t forget details such as ice, trash bags, paper towels, and disposable plates and utensils. Once you’ve arrived, set up your area to enjoy for the rest of the day. It’s best to have some sort of shade, so an umbrella or canopy will do the trick. For tailgating seating, function an ... read more

It’s officially football season again! This annual game-watching tradition includes barbecuing, drinking, and cheering on the team with fellow fans (Go Bolts!). An almost more important component to these time-honored festivities is the question of, “Which car are we taking?” To help narrow down your options, here is a list of the 10 best vehicles for tailgating this season. Top 10 Best Cars for Tailgating GMC Yukon Denali: The Yukon Denali is more than just a pretty face. This luxurious design is also equipped with a Bose Surround Sound System, a power rear lift gate, and can accommodate up to eight people. With this vehicle, just pack everyone in and go! Image from GMCHonda Ridgeline: Looks are deceiving when it comes to the Honda Ridgeline. Included under the truck bed is an 8.5 cubic foot trunk that can be use for storage or as a cooler. No ... read more

When making a decision to purchase a used vehicle, it should always be inspected by a third party before purchase. While there are many very reputable used car dealers in San Diego, we have found over the years that we are able to uncover many needs, neglected maintenance or concerns not addressed in the dealer’s multipoint inspection process. Most dealers use entry level technicians and mechanic’s helpers to perform their own multipoint inspection punch list. While it may look impressive, it generally is pretty surface level. On the flip side, when Convoy has a seasoned ASE certified technician inspect the vehicle, they use their years of experience and a "fine tooth comb" to inspect the vehicle. This is where we discover all of the skeletons in the closet. In this particular inspection, a Convoy customer brought in a Volvo they had just purchased from a very reputable dealer. After further inspection, we found an oil leak, and a possible transmission problem. Si ... read more

Your sedan engine really needs clean air to operate efficiently. Let’s go egghead for a minute. For every gallon of gas we burn driving, twenty pounds of carbon dioxide comes out the tailpipe. Question: how can a gallon of gas that weighs a little over six pounds produce twenty pounds of carbon dioxide? The answer is that the carbon comes from the gasoline, but the oxygen comes from the air. You see, it takes about twelve thousand gallons of air to burn a gallon of gas in your engine. Clearly, your sedan needs a lot of air to keep going in Tierrasanta. A lot of clean air is better. This is why you need to be vigilant about replacing your engine air filter. You’ve seen the pictures of the crowds in Asia wearing face masks. They want some kind of filter to keep unwanted pollution and germs out of their lungs. Well ... read more

People in San Diego have been hearing a lot about higher oil change intervals these days. Maybe you're wondering: What are the key issues? What is the harm in skipping an oil change? Some new vehicle manufacturers in San Diego are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more. This practice came under scrutiny when four of the largest new car manufacturers announced that owners like those in San Diego were experiencing engine damage resulting from these higher oil change intervals. The manufacturers' standard oil drain service for particular vehicles was scheduled at around 7,500 miles. People following these recommendations were experiencing engine damage. It turns out that oil sludge was building up. This caused small oil passages to clog and engine parts to fail. What causes oil sludge? It's a factor of time and mileage. There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off t ... read more

Want to stay up-to-date with news in the auto industry? You’re in luck! There are several blogs on the Internet dedicated to all things automobile related. Here is a list of our top 10 favorite auto blogs.   10 Great Blogs for Automotive Enthusiasts 1. Jalopnik Jalopnik is a website “obsessed with the cult of cars” and everything in the auto industry. The car coverage is not only informative, but given with a sense of humor and sarcasm included. 2. The Smoking Tire The Smoking Tire is a blog written by guys who love driving. Their approach is to provide genuine, cut to the chase information regarding car news and reviews. 3. Car and Driver Also an American automotive enthusiast magazine, this blog provides car news, tips, reviews, and an ... read more

Call Convoy Auto Repair to make an appointment to check your transmission in San Diego. 3909 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 858-560-9131 Do you have any plans around San Diego for the weekend? Maybe you and some friends and are taking the boat up to the lake. Maybe you'll be having a lot of fun water skiing and doing a little fishing. You got the boat all ready. It's all gassed up. You packed lots of snacks and the cooler's stocked – ready to go. How about your tow vehicle? It has plenty of gas and you've even vacuumed it out, but is your auto maintenance up to date? Stop and think. You'll have some heavy traffic on your way out of town. Hilly terrain as you get to the lake. Some dirt roads – and it may be hot weather. And all the time you're going to be towing around several thousand extra pounds. That all adds up a lot of severe strain on your engine, brakes and transmission. This is why transmiss ... read more

So, everyone in the San Diego area knows how great helium is – you know, party balloons, squeaky voices. But a lot of people around still haven't heard about the benefits of nitrogen in your tires, and how it can help your tires. Here's some great advice from AutoNetTV, brought to you by Convoy Auto Repair. Nitrogen has actually been around for a long time in the commercial sector, but it's just starting to catch on for private vehicles in the 92111 zip code area. Why nitrogen in your tires? Air is air, right? Actually, it turns out there is a difference. The heart of the matter is maintaining proper tire inflation. When your tires are properly inflated, they last longer, handle better and more safely, and save you money at the gas pump. The problem is that tires filled with regular air can lose a pound and a half of air pressure every month. This just happens as the oxygen in the tire seeps out. So if you don't check your pressure for a month o ... read more

Celebrities like to drop big bucks on luxury items, and they especially love to ride in style. Here are 5 of the most over-the-top (and expensive) celebrity cars that the rich and famous roll around in. 1. Kim Kardashian – Ferrari F430 Price: $186, 925 Kim Kardashian’s fame initially sparked from her reality show. Since then, she has branched out and made money from several endorsements. She put her earnings towards this popular Italian sports car. After 20% down, the payments average $3,800 per month. 2. Paris Hilton – Bentley GT Continental Price: $175,000, plus customization Although this car starts at a high price, Paris Hilton took it a step further. She customized this car to include a pink exterior, interior, wheels, and grill. In addition to her ultra-feminine car customizations, she ordered a $285,000 diamond-encrusted dashboard. Take that Barbie! 3. Jay Z – Maybach Exelero Price: $8,000,000 That’s right – Jay Z drives an $8 million car, al ... read more

When your car breaks down in the San Diego area, or just needs some routine service, it can make you a little nervous. Because your car’s so important to your life, you need to be back on the road as soon as possible. And, with the problem fixed right the first time. We’ve been checking into some of the training our technicians receive, and we’re very impressed. It’s amazing how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. So it’s not like when your uncle worked on his hot rod over weekend. Today there are four cylinder engines that make more power than the V-8’s in luxury cars 20 years ago. A new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket’s Ferrari in a race to 60 mph. Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up. And they’re so reliable. This is all due to engineering. But the advances come at the price of simplicity. Modern cars are so much more complex fro ... read more