San Diego Auto Repair

Photo by Lorenzo Hamers on Unsplash Do I Need To Go To A Mechanic For Every Dashboard Light? When you're driving, the last thing you want is to see a warning light flashing on your dashboard. It's natural to feel concerned and wonder if you must rush to the nearest auto shop. But the truth is, not every dashboard light requires immediate attention from a mechanic.    For most dashboard lights, you can look up what they mean in your manual and determine if going to a mechanic is necessary. You may need to inflate your tires or make a quick fix. Otherwise, it’s best to visit a mechanic for consultation.   Understanding the different types of lights and their significance can save you time, money, and unnecessary trips to the auto shop. This blog post will break down the most common dashboard lights and help you determine when to consult a mechanic. T ... read more

Photo by DK Photography on Unsplash How To Decide If You Need New Brakes If you drive a car, you know the importance of good brakes. Going may be the most important thing your vehicle does, but stopping is pretty essential, too. For being such an important thing, though, it’s not always easy to know when your brakes need to be replaced. This can lead to dangerous situations if you’re not careful. Here are a few tips to help you decide if you need to replace your brakes.  Warning Signs You Need New Brakes One of the best ways to know if you need new brakes is to be aware of the warning signs. Some of the most common signs that you need to replace your brakes are a grinding noise when you press the brake pedal, a squealing noise when you press the brake pedal, or a vibrating feeling when you press the brake pedal.   Additionally, you might just feel that someth ... read more

Did you know that every time you go in for an oil change and tire rotation that you should also be prepared for the possibility of brake maintenance, brake repair or other brake work? Well, as your tires come off every time they're rotated and your car is in the air having its oil changed it just makes sense for any sensible mechanic to check the brake pad life, look for fluid leaks and make sure the brake fluid reservoir is topped up with a dense looking brown fluid. That stuff helps you stop faster and is thus known as “brake fluid.” The one thing that is totally unpredictable from car to car and even from model to model in a brand’s lineup is how quickly your brake pads will wear out each time. Some drivers get fewer than 10,000 miles on a set of pads while others get well over 50,000 miles. That all depends on the quality of the materials selected by the manufacturer of ... read more

A day doesn't go by without clients bringing in their vehicles and describing some type of strange or new noise. We cannot begin to explain how important it is for us to diagnose these noises to properly identify the source. Just imagine getting into a car that you don't drive on a daily basis; you may have a hard time pinpointing the noise of concern. Many times, we have driven a vehicle and identified multiple noises that seem abnormal to me. only to find out the client's concern is just the "new" noise, and not the other previous noises. Then, we have the exceptions to the rule, like this case of the noisy Volkswagen. A brief call from the client explains that the brakes in the VW have been making some abnormal noises. Now the brake pedal feels low, and they feel it may be unsafe to drive, so they've made the decision to tow it in. A great decision, indeed! The vehicle arrived, and as stated, it not only had no brakes, but when the brakes were applied, the noise was so loud that it ... read more

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