San Diego Auto Repair

Welcome to the Convoy Auto Repair blog. Today, let's talk about the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, most of us drivers tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn't enough. Safe drivers need to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.Let's focus on stopping in wet conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can't move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water. That's called hydroplaning. If it's really bad, drivers can actually spin out of control. At best, you won't stop as fast. So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your sedan tire and you'll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across ... read more

Did you know that San Diego is now being called the craft beer capital of the world? Yes, it’s true, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. The craft beer scene has really taken off, especially in America’s Finest City, with breweries and brew pubs popping up all over the county. But you don’t have to travel to a trendy neighborhood like the Gaslamp District or La Jolla to enjoy great beer, there are craft beer establishments all over San Diego! Here are our favorite three spots to grab a beer (all nearby Convoy Auto Repair), in Kearny Mesa: O’Brien’s Pub - This spot is known as “the hoppiest place on Earth” for their great selection of bitter beers like IPA’s and Pale Ales. But don’t worry, if you aren’t a bitter beer fan, there are plenty of other varieties to choose from. O’Brien’s carries bee ... read more

If you've ever heard a squealing sound under your hood, chances are it was your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that's driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems in your sedan. Let's go over them. First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in San Diego.Next, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that's used by your sedan's electrical systems and also charges your car battery. Without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles. The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering (some are electric) and power brakes (some use vacuum boost). And, on most sedans, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to ke ... read more

Every car in San Diego CA is at risk for theft. So it's up to us to make our cars a less appealing target and more of a challenge - hopefully sending potential thieves to look elsewhere.The National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends a layered approach to protecting vehicles: Common sense Visible and audible devices Immobilizing devices Tracking devices Let's review each of these. First, common sense: you would be surprised how many vehicles are stolen from San Diego CA where the keys were left in the ignition with the doors unlocked. Always take your keys, and lock the doors. In fact, in some places it's against the law to leave a vehicle unattended with the keys in the ignition.And don't leave spare keys in the car or hide them outside - because a thief will find them. Try to park in well-lit areas that have a lot of foot traffic. If possible, park near the end of a row and near a light. Back your c ... read more

Convoy Auto Repair is proud to announce we are a member of the RepairPal Top Shop Auto Repair Network. RepairPal was founded in 2007 by a group of automobile enthusiasts to provide drivers with the most accurate, unbiased, and useful car ownership information available. The Top Shop Auto Repair Network is RepairPal’s newest service being offered to customers across the country. The Top Shop program is designed to help connect the best repair shops with customers who are looking for someone they can trust to work on their car. In order to qualify for the program, Convoy Auto Repair had to pass a rigorous quality assessment, which included an analysis of the shop's technical capabilities as well as a phone interview with at least 25 of our customers. Qualities of Top Shops like Convoy Auto Repair include: experienced and highly-trained technicians who are certified by the ASE, appropriate tools and equipment used ... read more

Make an appointment with Convoy Auto Repair to have your on board diagnostics analyzed.3909 Convoy St.San Diego, CA 92111858-560-9131 Today we're going to talk about on-board diagnostics and the questions we hear from folks around San Diego who need answers about diagnostic services. They want to know what diagnostics are, what's involved and what the benefits are. They really want to understand the value of diagnostic scans by a trained technician in San Diego. These are valid concerns. If you don't understand something it's really hard to know its value. Let's start with some history. Since 1996, all cars and light trucks have been required to use a standardized diagnostic system to help repair technicians determine what's wrong with your vehicle. The diagnostic system works with the vehicle's Engine Control Module - the computer that controls many engine functions. The computer monitors dozens of components and processes. Depending on what the sens ... read more

Have you ever gone to listen to an orchestra? The musicians take the stage early and tune their instruments. Each individual instrument must be in tune, but the critical thing is for the entire orchestra to be in tune with each other. That's why they tune up together. Now this is no surprise; I'm going to relate the orchestra to your car. Your engine has many component systems that each need to be working properly. And the components need to be working in sync, all timed up together in order for the engine to work efficiently. We call this, (ta-da) a tune-up. When an orchestra's out of tune you get a bad concert. When your vehicle's out of tune you get bad performance and bad fuel economy. So check your owner's manual for recommended tune-up intervals. Or ask your San Diego service advisor at Convoy Auto Repair what he thinks. ...Just be careful not to say you want to make beautiful music together – that kinda makes u ... read more

Brakes really aren't optional equipment. And taking care of them isn't optional either. A regular brake inspection is on every car's maintenance schedule. An inspection will check your brake system and let you know if there are any problems. Of course, if you're having trouble with your brakes, get your car into a San Diego or Tierrasanta service center right away. And watch out for these problems: Low or spongy brake pedal Hard brake pedal A brake warning light that stays on Constantly squealing or grinding brakes Vibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakes There are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that's attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle. Drum brakes are more common on back wheels. Pads, called shoes, push against the inside of the drum to slow the vehicle. There are several things that need to be serviced on the brake system. First, the brake pads and shoes wear out with use, and ... read more

San Diego is a pretty great place to live. We have the beaches, the beautiful weather, and we have even been named one of the best cities in the U.S. for craft beer! But did you also know that we have a ton of awesome auto events throughout the year? Here is our list of the top 5 annual automotive events in San Diego. Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam - What’s better than watching huge trucks smash things? Watch as famous monster trucks like Grave Digger and Bad to the Bone face off in two different forms of competition - stadium racing and freestyle. As always, Monster Jam will be held at Qualcomm Stadium, and this year, it will on on Saturday, January 21st. Ticket prices range from $90 for a Total Access pass to $12 for the Super Value Seats. Big 3 Parts Exchange - This event has been going on for over 45 years now, celebrating ... read more

Most drivers wait for their air conditioning to fail before they service it at Convoy Auto Repair. That’s because many motorists don't really understand that automotive air conditioners need periodic service. Let me share some of the reasons why they fail. First, like every machine, the sedan air conditioner parts need lubrication. The lubricant is actually mixed in with the refrigerant (that’s the stuff that makes the air cool). So sometimes, even though the air conditioner is still making cool air, the oil that lubricates the parts has just been used up: and unlubricated parts can fail in all cars. The air conditioner actually removes some of the moisture in the air. So if you have trouble with fogging on your windshield during winters or during a rain storm, running the A/C on the defrost setting should help. Now on some cars you can’t run the A/C at the same time as the defroster. Don’t ask me wh ... read more