Gene’s Car Tips

The Concern With Obsolete Oil

Oil Change

The use of obsolete oil is not something consumers think about when they get an oil change, even if they change their own oil. Lately though, this concern has been brought to our attention.  Modern cars are designed with much tighter internal engine clearances than in years past so using the correct oil is critical.

If your starburst symbol oil label does not specify GF-5 SN it is not suitable for most cars newer than 2011. The labeling on the oil contains “obvious and unambiguous language” regarding its intended and appropriate use. I am sad to report many shops don’t understand the consequences of incorrect oil labeling.

ALL cars have specific oil that needs to be used or damage will occur! This is why some cars’ engines have 200,000, 300,000 or even 400,000 miles on them while others only get half that many miles. The use of incorrect oil can also dramatically lower fuel mileage and cause damage to systems that result in the increased emissions of toxic substances and damage to emission control systems, including catalytic converters and oxygen sensors. 

If you have heard the term “sludge” and I hope your never do in relation to your own car, it is caused by two things; waiting too long to change the engine oil or using incorrect oil for that specific application. Be warned also that European cars have even stricter additive packages that if not adhered to, will really wreak havoc on the internal parts of the engine.

I recommend knowing what oil is recommended for your car and asking questions when you arrive at your trusted automotive shop. AAA shops have to adhere to higher standards and are held accountable for their actions.  Be an informed consumer, not one with a broken car.

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions, and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Mechanical Failures That Can Cause Accidents

Maintenance is easy to schedule.  Breakdowns are not.

Brakes

Brake failure tops the list. Brake pads wear out, brake lines leak fluid and ABS systems can also be the cause of brake failure.

Tires

Bald tires can cause a car to “slip and slide” even on dry pavement. If there isn’t enough tread to hug the road you can be in serious trouble. Tire blowouts can also cause accidents.

Wipers

If you can’t see, you can’t drive! It is that simple!

Lights

More accidents happen at night and if your headlights, taillights, or brake lights, turn signal blinkers aren’t working…people can’t see you. Don’t be a road hazard!

Steering

Loss of fluid, tie rods, ball joints and other components that make up this system can cause mechanical failure and accidents.

Roadside Assistance Calls

AAA and other services are called mostly for:

  • Dead battery
  • Flat tires
  • Cars that run out of fuel
  • Locking keys inside the vehicle

Now…we can’t keep you from locking your keys in your car, or make sure you get to the gas station on time, but we can sure help with the mechanical issues. Don’t let these things happen to you…contact us today!

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Your Teen Driver And Their Safety

Maintenance is easy to schedule. Breakdowns are not.

What should parents look for in a car for their teen driver? Here is what the experts say.

  • Teens dream of the fancy souped-up sports car but that certainly isn’t the safe choice for young, inexperienced drivers.
  • Teen drivers, between the ages of 16 to 19 are far more likely to have a crash than any other group.
  • Teens tend to underestimate dangerous situations and they don’t always react to them appropriately.
  • It is hard for a mature, experienced driver to always make the right snap judgment call when behind the wheel to avoid an accident. Everything happens way too fast. When you are brand new at driving it gets worse.

Before you pick a car based on price or looks, think about reliability and safety first; then choose the safest car you can afford to buy. Airbags, stability control, and excellent tires are a good start. Large to mid-size cars are safer than small cars because they are heavier.

When you narrow down your choice of vehicle, check out the safety ratings on nhtsa.gov.

If you are buying a used car, please have it inspected carefully by your car care provider and let them know it is for a teen driver as they may be able to give you more insight into the safety of the vehicle. Check to make sure if the vehicle had any recalls and if they have been taken care of.

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Is It Hot Enough For You?

By Gene Morrill
Maintenance is easy to schedule. Breakdowns are not.

How many times do you hear that phrase in the course of the summer? We hear about the importance of taking care of ourselves during hot weather on the news and read about it in various publications. We are told to drink lots of water to keep hydrated, especially when exercising or doing physical labor.

Take a moment and think about your car…it gets hot too! We often take for granted just how hard it does work for us in all kinds of weather. When you see a car sitting on the side of the road with steam rising from the hood, that is an overheated vehicle!

Many things will cause a car to overheat… a hose, radiator, head gasket, thermostat, water pump or even the computer-controlled electric fans may not be functioning. With so many critical components that have to work together to keep the engine cool, we recommend an inspection every 3 to 4 months of these items.

I keep repeating this statement and here it is again, it is always less expensive to maintain your car versus waiting for it to break and then fixing it. Most newer cars have a warning system to alert you of a failure. Please don’t ignore these warnings. We have many customers who kept driving after a warning light came on and destroyed the engine.

If you think your car is overheating, get to the side of the road quickly and safely. Turn off your radio and air conditioner, then turn your heater on too high while keeping the engine idling. If no heat comes out, turn the car off as soon as possible, no heat means no coolant in the engine.

It is never wise to try to drive a car with a problem, unless safety is a concern. Most drivers have a roadside assistance program… if you don’t, ask us about our free assistance service with some purchases.

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Have A Smooth Ride? Thank Your Suspension System!

By Gene Morrill
Maintenance is easy to schedule. Breakdowns are not.

Most people don’t worry about their suspension system until it stops working properly. When this happens it is very obvious as you feel like your car has a mind of its own!

The system is a spring-like structure attached by the sides of the wheels and enables the frame to hold the weight of the body. It maximizes the friction between the tires and the road surface. This provides steering stability, good handling, and comfort. The average car is over one ton of metal driving at high speeds and even if a road surface looks smooth, without the suspension system it would be shaken to pieces.

The suspension system allows the body and frames to move undisturbed and at the same time lets the wheels follow the bumps along the roads’ surfaces. This allows the body of the vehicle to be undisturbed while traveling over rough and bumpy roads. It keeps the tires in contact with the road and due to the friction between the tires and the road allows for steering, acceleration, and braking capabilities. It also lets us corner while driving, transferring the weight of the car from the high side to the low side.

Here Is How It Works:

  • The frame acts as the load-bearing component that supports the car’s engine and body
  • The suspension system supports the weight, absorbs shock, and maintains tire contact with the road
  • The steering system enables the driver to guide the vehicle
  • The tires and wheels make a vehicle’s motion possible by enabling friction which enables the tires to grip the road
  • Springs compress and expand to absorb wheel motion
  • Dampers/shock absorbers keep your ride from being too bouncy from the springs. They adjust to road conditions and control unfavorable motions including bouncing, swaying, brake diving, and acceleration squat.
  • Dampers/anti-sway bars or struts are shock absorbers mounted inside a coiled spring. They provide the same function as the shock absorber, plus structural support for the vehicle suspension.

You can thank your suspension system for the smooth ride. If your ride isn’t as smooth as it should be, call your car care provider today.

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Warning Lights: After Repair Information

You may have recently had a warning light repaired in your car. This could be a check engine/service engine soon light (this is most common), a.b.s., s.r.s, battery or other warning light.

Our intention with this article is to try to answer any questions about your repair, give you a little insight to how the new car systems function, and avoid any misunderstanding or confusion if the light reappears in a short time.

In recent years cars have become more sophisticated, or electrically challenged as we say, and the computer monitors more systems than ever before. We’re talking about everything from knowing if the windows are rolling down to if the gas cap is tight enough, as well as all the major functions that make the car run.

A computer monitor is a complex sensor system that tests (monitors) certain components at specific times while you are driving the car and reports the findings back to the main computer. There is usually a minimum of 5 monitors on all cars, or can be as many as 20 monitors, all testing the car’s systems; it just depends on the system and type of car. Once a monitor is sensing a problem with your car, you guessed it, the warning light comes on.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky; the monitors check different systems at different times. For instance, an evaporative monitor for most cars has to have the gas tank fuel level between ¼ and ¾ then driven at a steady speed no lower than 45 m.p.h. and no more than 65 m.p.h. for one minute. The coolant temperature must be above 200 degrees and the air temperature above 75 degrees; this is a simple system. So, imagine a person who never drives on the freeway. It would be difficult for the computer to check this system.

There is a point, once a check engine light comes on, that it stops monitoring all systems until the broken one is fixed. What I’m trying to say is once a check engine light is repaired and the system starts its monitoring program again, the light may reoccur for a totally different system failure other than the one that was repaired. Depending on your driving habits, it could be a week or even a month before the computer checks all the monitoring systems. If a system fails, that’s right, another check engine light for another reason.

Certified Auto is committed to giving our customers the best service possible. If we have repaired a warning light and it comes back on, we will gladly recheck the codes at no charge to you.

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

The Basics Of A Healthy Car

Cars are built better than ever these days and give us miles of service. Keeping them healthy is important and extends their life.

  • Oil is their lifeblood. Dirty oil makes it harder for your engine to turn over and causes premature engine wear.
  • Belts and hoses are made of very durable material with relatively long lives, but they do deteriorate over time. We recommend an eight to ten-year replacement cycle.
  • Leaks are not normal except for condensation from your air conditioner. 11 different fluids keep your car running; brake fluid, antifreeze, engine oil, power steering fluid, air conditioner refrigerant, shock absorber fluid, battery electrolyte, windshield washer solvent, rear axle or CV boot lubricant and fuel. If any of these leak, they need to be fixed right away.
  • Tires need to be kept properly inflated to save gas and tire wear and rotated every six months.
  • Coolant, when neglected can corrode and leave sediment throughout your cooling system causing clogging that results in damaging hot spots that can harm your engine. Flushing every two years is recommended.
  • The battery needs to have the cables securely attached and free of corrosion in order to get power to the starter and accessories so the alternator receives a charge.

Keeping your car healthy means getting it serviced regularly. Remember, we are a full-service preventive maintenance and auto repair center. We work on all makes and models, import and domestic!

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Using Your Senses To Detect Car Trouble

We get calls all the time from customers that tell us their car “sounds like” or “smells like” this or that. Often customers feel self-conscious about doing this but it truly is helpful to us. Our vehicles are really good communicators. I know we have dash lights that illuminate to tell us many things but our senses are great at it too.

For example, if you notice a puddle under your car that is dark brown or black and oily looking in appearance, that is most likely engine oil. This tells us you might have a bad seal or a loose oil filter. If you see a red oily spot it is probably a transmission or power steering fluid leak. A clear puddle of fluid is most likely air conditioning condensation and is the only puddle you don’t need to be concerned about.

If you notice a smell of burnt toast it could be an electrical problem. The smell of burning sulfur usually indicates a catalytic converter or emission control system problem. An acrid odor could be burning oil or oil leaking onto a hot engine part. A chemical or resin-like odor might indicate a “dragging brake” or an emergency brake that’s been left on by mistake. A sickly-sweet smell and a fogged inside windshield are strong indicators of a heater core failure.

Hearing the following sounds definitely means your vehicle wants attention! A squealing or scraping sound when you apply the brakes, knocks or pings from the engine when you accelerate or climb a hill, your muffler making a rumbling or hissing sound, the thumping of a tire due to a flaw, the clicking of a worn CV joint when you make a tight turn, an engine that keeps chugging when you’ve turned off the ignition. All these noises indicate trouble!

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions, and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!