San Diego Auto Repair

Let's talk about deciphering the auto service menu board. San Diego service centers like Convoy Auto Repair have a board that lists the routine services they provide. But some people don't know what these services really are unless they ask. Let's go down a typical list, in alphabetical order, starting with air conditioning service. First remember that all of these services are recommended by vehicle manufacturers. They set how often or at how many miles the service should be done. Air conditioning service involves purging the old refrigerant and capturing it for proper disposal. Then fresh refrigerant is installed. The fresh refrigerant will lubricate the system and will also help it cool better. Alignment. Service centers like Convoy Auto Repair make sure all four wheels are lined up and track with each other. This reduces tire and suspension wear and improves safety and ... read more

This Monday is Memorial Day in San Diego, which means the unofficial start of summer and we have a whole week’s worth of fun to kick off your summer the right way! On Monday, May 30th, get your shopping on at the Memorial Day Sidewalk Sale at Las Americas Premium Outlets. San Diego’s largest fashion outlet center is in San Ysidro, just 20 minutes from downtown. Enjoy huge savings on designer fashions and accessories at over 125 stores including Adidas, Banana Republic Factory Store, BCBG Max Azria, BCBGirls, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, Calvin Klein, Coach, Gap Outlet, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Nike Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store and so many more. The stores will be open from 10am-9pm on Monday. Also happening Memorial Day Weekend, is the debut of ... read more

Let's talk about alternative fuel vehicles. In their quest to reduce the use of fossil fuels and harmful exhaust emissions to our environment, automakers will have a number of alternatives for us very soon. For instance, Flex Fuel vehicles are already available in the San Diego area. Flex Fuel vehicles can run on gasoline or on E85 fuel. E85 is a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The ethanol is made from corn. The benefits are in using less petroleum and reduced pollution. The drawbacks are that E85 gets lower fuel economy and that when gas prices are low, E85 can be more expensive than straight gasoline. You should only use E85 if you have a Flex Fuel compatible engine. Flex Fuel vehicles have special seals and gaskets that can stand up to the high alcohol content of E85. Using E85 in a regular engine can lead to gas leaks and fires. Diesel engines have been for a long, long time. Mo ... read more

For any business that has multiple vehicles on its books, fleet repair can be an essential part of not only keeping vehicles running, but also keeping a business on the move. Many companies have more than one vehicle, even those who do not specialize in the transportation of goods. Fleet repair services are those offered by an auto body shop to include repairs to all of a company's vehicles, and typically include such maintenance options as oil changes, tire rotations and yearly examinations. These fleet repair packages are often available at a discounted rate from regular services, depending on the number of vehicles that a company is looking to have taken care of. The benefits of a reliable fleet repair program are apparent the first time a vehicle breaks down. With a dedicated auto body shop to use, the vehicle can simply be dropped off and repairs performed, allowing a company to get on with their business rather than worrying about where to ... read more

Before the recession hit, the median age for cars in the San Diego was over nine years. And two-thirds had over 75,000 miles. At Convoy, we hear reports that those numbers continue to rise. Many people in San Diego are keeping their vehicles longer. The economy has influenced that, but the fact that modern sedans are more durable and reliable means that owning a high mileage vehicle doesn't have to be a painful experience. Local car owners in San Diego with over 100,000 miles on their vehicles often ask which service intervals they should follow. Let's start with the special needs of the older vehicle... The reality is that time and mileage will take its toll. The engine and transmission will have more sludge. The fuel, steering and brake systems will have gum and varnish built up. There will be more dirt and contaminants in the fuel tank. Corrosion and deposits in the cooling system. And seals and gaskets will start to dry out. All of this, plus normal wear and tear ... read more

This week is all about free music, fun, and food - what’s not to love!? Happening every Friday from May through September is the Concerts on the Green series in El Cajon. Attendees will enjoy several different genres of music through the 22 week series, along with dancing, food, and prize drawings. This week, check out a live performance by the Taildraggers, a bluegrass band. The free concerts are from 6-8pm at the Prescott Promenade across from the El Cajon Courthouse and City Hall. Click here for a full list of the bands playing throughout the summer. If you haven’t visited the Wild Willow Farm & Education Center to see the Tijuana Estuary plants yet, now is the perfect time. This Saturday, at 4p ... read more

Brake maintenance, including brake pad replacement, is something that needs to be done on any vehicle periodically in order to ensure that it's not only safe to drive, but also that it stops as smoothly as possible. Brakes should be monitored with each regular maintenance check that a car undergoes, since there are a number of brake issues that can arise. Often, the first indicator of a brake problem will be that the pedal goes down too far toward the floor before the car begins to slow down, which can be due to a number of issues, including low brake fluid level or contaminated brake fluid. If the pedal is too firm, you may have vacuum problems. Brake pad replacement can also be necessary, and signs that this is required will be quite obvious. If you your brakes begin to squeal when stopping, if your car pulls to one side, or if you have to pump the brake pedal to stop, a brake pad replacement is something to ... read more

There's not much we can do about the price of gas in San Diego, but we do quite a bit about how much we use as we're driving on our San Diego streets. Our driving habits can dramatically affect our fuel economy. The first thing we can do is watch the 'go-pedal'. Hard acceleration just sucks the gas. Gently leave stop lights and plan lane changes so you don't need to floor it. That can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Go a little slower on the freeway to San Diego. Once you're going more than sixty-five miles an hour your fuel economy starts to drop dramatically. Leave early so you don't need to rush to be on time. And cruise control is your friend – steady speed uses less gas. Plan errands ahead. Make fewer trips by combining errands. Hey at current gas prices, a lead-foot might as well be a gold foot

A lot of gas is wasted in by dirty fuel delivery systems. Let's start at the tank. The gas tank gathers dirt, rust and sediment over the years. That's why there's a fuel filter to clean the fuel after it leaves the tank. A dirty filter will rob the engine of the clean gas it needs to run efficiently. The fuel intake components get coated with gum and varnish over time. This results in fuel being delivered inefficiently and some of that gunk getting into the engine. A fuel system service at Convoy Auto Repair will leave your intake as clean as a whistle. The big fuel thief is dirty fuel injectors. They deliver fuel to the engine at a specified pressure and in a particular spray pattern. When they're clogged, the fuel doesn't get atomized the way it's supposed to and doesn't get burned as efficiently. See your owner's manual or ask your service advisor at Convoy Auto Repair when a fuel system cleaning is recommended

Every day we get customers phone shopping and asking, “How much do brakes cost?” 99% of the time, the brakes have yet to be inspected. When you call a mass merchandiser or an independent auto shop whose only concern is getting your car into their garage, they will often quote you the lowest possible “starting at” entry level pricing. Unfortunately, this can be very misleading. Even if they do replace brakes at their quoted lower cost, they are generally short cutting the proper process and/or using substandard parts. Many times, these brakes are lower in performance than the ones your vehicle originally came with, which leaves you with substandard brakes at best. Every year, shops install new brake pads and shoes and reuse the old hardware. We can’t begin to tell you how many of these “$99 brake jobs" we fix and correct annually. Neglecting to replace brake hardware when replacing brake pads or shoes could lead to premature wear and timely ret ... read more