San Diego Auto Repair

It’s a heavy burden to bear when your job is to drive brand new cars supplied by manufacturers for a week – fully detailed and with a full tank of gas. No, really, it is. (Why does no one ever believe that?) Well, it can be when the vehicle delivered to you all shiny and new turns out to be a bit of a disappointment. It’s rare to road test a horrible new car, as most new models have plenty of things to recommend them even if they aren’t to your particular taste, and as an impartial journalist you should approach each vehicle in the mindset of a person who would be interested in such a car. It's not all doom and gloom. Often times you find yourself really enjoying driving a car you were sure you weren’t going to like. This was very much the case with a mint green 2015 Fiat 500 1957 Edition: thanks to an enjoyable 5-speed manual and handsome brown leather interior (only Italians could make that work), it was the car’s quirky demeanor which mad ... read more

This week, you've probably got turkey on the brain. You may also have certain Black Friday deals lurking in the back of your mind. We're stressed with finding the perfect gifts for our loved ones this time of year, as that magical combination of thoughtfulness, practicality, and generosity seems impossible to find. Allow us to suggest an alternative to waiting in line in the middle of the night this Friday to get a generic "big box" gift (or worse, patronizing businesses that are open on Thanksgiving Day): car parts. You may initially think that gifting car parts isn't interesting, or romantic, or even thoughtful. We disagree. Car parts make great gifts – yes, even for your wife. Not convinced? Read on! Gifts for Car Lovers New Battery Nothing says “I love you” quite as much as a new battery. Just imagine your loved one struggling to start their car on a dark and rainy night in a deserted ... read more

We're almost officially into the holiday shopping season, which means commercials for jewelry and perfume and various other things no one really needs are going to be stuffed on every viewing platform until December 25th. Among those are the commercials and advertisements that show a very happy recipient hugging a very pleased gift-giver standing in front of a shiny vehicle with a giant red bow on a snowy driveway. How could you not win gift-giver of the century with a car? Plus, a car is something the recipient probably actually needs (or is at least more practical than jewelry), so wouldn't a car make the perfect gift? The answer is no; you should never buy a car as a gift. There are many reasons why you should never buy a car as a gift. Car makers capitalize on the idea that we should get gifts we deserve. This notion is meaningless, because by definition a gift is something given without it being earned and without pa ... read more

Let’s get this out of the way right now: none of the following family sedans are anything like your father’s Oldsmobile. What’s more, in today’s new car marketplace these cars also represent a level of affordability, fun to drive verve, and fuel efficiency that you can’t find anywhere in a SUV or minivan. These family sedans may be the bread and butter of the auto industry and make up the largest slice of new car sales, but their driving characteristics now mirror those of sports sedans from a decade ago. Times have surely changed. We didn’t make our picks here by putting pictures of each car on a dart board or by making educated guesses. No, we have driven each of these five vehicles for a week of intensive testing putting hundreds of miles on their odometers, and in a few cases well over a thousand, simply because it was so enjoyable to drive. Not only did we drive a lot of family sedans, we also managed to drive them with most of their available p ... read more

It's official - school is back in session! If your teen turned 16 over the summer you've no doubt been asked when they're going to be presented with their first car. But while you may have had no troubles dismissing the question this summer, now that you're faced with driving your teen to school, extra curricular activities, and possibly work, you might start seeing the benefits of your teen having their own car. However, buying your teenager his or her own car has a unique set of challenges. You want to balance safety and reliability with inexpensive repairs and a coat of paint you won’t mind seeing dings on (because they'll happen). So what are the best car features for teens that most parents interested in? Image: Flickr Important Features in Cars for Teens Airbags Modern safety technology has come a lo ... read more

In a major victory for families and minivan lovers everywhere (and a surprise to absolutely no one) the cheapest vehicles to insure are mostly SUVs, crossovers, and minivans, which are rarely bought by single people looking to take them to race tracks come the weekend. Oh, did we mention there is also a station wagon in the top ten? Yes, the station wagon is still being made in 2014. But it was the fact that the station wagon proved to be the cheapest to insure that sort of shocked us. Same as for the most expensive cars to insure, we checked the rates using MSN Money's insurance comparison tool for California - you'll probably find cheaper rates in other states, but then you'd have to move. So for those who just can't get enough of our amazing California sunshine but still don't want to pay a fortune in car insurance, this list of the least expensive cars to insure will be your best start to finding your next ri ... read more

We've been talking a lot about value on the Convoy blog lately, so it might seem strange to suddenly be talking about expensive cars and their just-as-expensive insurance premiums. But there is still value in a luxury car - for those who can afford the upfront cost, a luxury car comes with certain features that other cars don't, such as included maintenance, higher quality (and longer lasting) parts, and a much higher resale value compared to your average family sedan. And for those who are in the market for a higher end vehicle do have their own value needs to consider - one of which is the higher cost of full coverage insurance. You might think that insuring your new $100,000 luxury car or SUV would be a relatively affordable car to insure, given that you are older, you own your home, you have established credit, and you have a near-perfect driving record (compared to a 21-year old in a Mustang flooring it at every stop light on his way to his job at Starbucks). After a ... read more

If we've learned nothing during the last two weeks, it's that Americans love to bring their pets with them no matter where they go. We've also learned that those who take their pets in the care are probably more than a little concerned about comfort, safety, and protecting the interior of your vehicle. We talked about the best cars for pets and the top safety devices for keeping your pets from being injured in an accident, but what about those products that will protect your car? After all, most of us eventually want to sell our cars one day, and that dog smell sure can linger. But rather than leaving your furry family members at home all day, here are some products that can help you keep you and your pets safe and your car in good shape so you can take Fido and Fluffy just about anywhere you go. Image ... read more

Parents always make sure their kids are either in an appropriate car seat or booster or are wearing their seat belts in the car, right? Of course; even if sometimes your kids get on your nerves you love them, and (most importantly) it’s the law. So why on Earth aren’t you putting your dog in a safety harness or restraint whenever he or she rides along with you? This is especially surprising since everyone knows the dog is the most loved member of the family. (Don’t deny it, they don’t talk back.) There are many ways to keep your pet safe in the car. The first is to always have them riding in the back of the car because a front airbag detonation would most likely prove deadly in a frontal impact. The second is to use an appropriate safety harness or carrier for your pet's size and weight. And if you're the type to hold your small dog, cat, or p ... read more

May is the official start of kitten and puppy season in San Diego, which means the shelters are full of adorable fuzzies that need homes. This would be the perfect time to consider fostering those who are too young to be adopted out, or even adding a new member to your family! Since we treat our pets like they're treasured members of the family, it's no surprise that we've spent more than $55 billion last year on our animals, nor that the pet safety industry is alive and well, and even thriving! Keeping Pets Safe On The Road Image: James Hamel Americans love to drive their animal friends with them about town. Now that dogs fit in purses, pigs act like dogs, and ... read more