San Diego Auto Repair

When I was a kid in San Diego, my dad always made sure he took the cars in for Spring and Fall checkups. I was telling a friend that it's about time to get into Convoy Auto Repair for my checkup and he said that he read on the internet that modern cars don't need seasonal car maintenance. My friend is (technically) right about some things, but from a practical standpoint, a seasonal check up still makes sense. Back when my dad was teaching me about how to take care of the family sedan, most cars used a different weight of oil in the winter and in the summer. But most of today's modern engines run the same oil year round. High-tech engines and high-tech motor oils are better able to handle the seasonal changes. Your owner's manual or San Diego service advisor at Convoy Auto Repair can tell you the right oil to use. Of course, you're concerned about the coolant or antifreeze. You don't want to overheat in the CA summer or freeze up in the w ... read more

If you've ever been driving around San Diego and had a headlamp go out, you've probably just wanted to replace the bad bulb. If your car uses halogen headlamps, they dim over time. So if you just put in one, they won't have the same brightness which can be distracting and will affect your field of vision. To replace car headlights or to have them inspected, visit us at Convoy Auto Repair. We're at 3909 Convoy St. in San Diego, CA 92111. Or give us a call. Experts in San Diego recommend replacing your halogen headlamps every year. It's easy to remember if you do it when daylight savings time changes in the fall. That way you'll have bright headlamps for those long San Diego winter nights. There are other types of headlamps in addition to halogen. There are the old standard bulbs that have been around for decades. These are OK, but you can usually upgrade to halogen. They cost a little more but you can't believe the difference. If ... read more

With front-wheel drive being so common these days in San Diego, CA, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most folks in San Diego, CA don't even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don't need to be serviced for years, so it's understandable that it's not something on the top of mind for our San Diego customers. So it's not uncommon for people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service. To better understand what a differential does, think about our local San Diego high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That's to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run. The differential compensates for the difference in speeds between the ins ... read more

We're going to be talking about the ethics of auto repair. It seems like news outlets really like hit-and-run reporting; they hit everyone from groceries stores to retail to physicians. And the San Diego automotive service and repair industry hasn't been given a pass either. Unfortunately, every profession in San Diego has some bad actors that hurt the reputation of everyone else. On the automotive side, industry associations and professional licensing organizations are very committed to high ethical standards. Yet some people remain uncomfortable with San Diego automotive service and repair. It may start with the fact that our vehicles are a big investment and we rely on them for so much in our lives. That alone guarantees our attention. And how well we understand the recommendations really impacts our comfort level. If we understand what's recommended and the benefits of taking care of the work – and the pitfalls of putting it off – we'll have more trust in the recommendation. So co ... read more