Los Altos Auto Repair

Hey, it's Brandy, and you know we dogs love ROAD TRIPS!  Maybe you've been cooped up for a while and are yearning for a change of scenery.  Or maybe you need to visit a relative who lives far away.  You choose not to fork out the big bucks for airline tickets, so it's time for a road trip.  Make sure you're road-ready by having your vehicle professionally inspected before the big drive.

One of our technicians can check several of your vehicle's most important systems so you can be more confident you'll make it the distance without a breakdown.  Here are a few things a trip inspection may include:

Your vehicle stops with brakes that, in turn, stop the tires.  They must both be in sound condition. The technician can check your tire tread, the condition of the sidewalls, and the tires' age.  Brakes have pads and rotors that should meet certain specs, so an expert inspection is important, too.

A technician can check other vital fluids such as engine coolant, power steering, transmission, and windshield washer fluid. Your wipers must be in good condition so you can see, and they're often one of the most neglected parts of a vehicle. 

Your headlights must work correctly and be aimed properly so you can see and don't blind oncoming drivers. They're powered by your battery, and a technician will check how old yours is and how well it holds a charge, all important for reliable starting. 

For cabin comfort, your climate control system needs to work properly, including both heat and air conditioning.  If repairs are needed, doing them before the trip is much more convenient than trying to do them while you're traveling.

The technician can inspect hoses and belts, two things that frequently fail on a long trip.  The big advantage of having a pro look over your vehicle is that they not only know what to look for but can also make the repairs the right way.  Now that'sthe ticket to being road-ready.

I leave you with my road trip quote,

It's not the destination, it's the journey." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Brandy

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

Hello, Cayenne here this week, and we're starting to see temperature changes as summer winds down and fall approaches. You know your body temperature is supposed to be 98.6 degrees F, 37 degrees C.  Your vehicle has a normal temperature, too, and paying attention to it can save you big headaches down the road.  So without being too hot or too cold, let's get barkin' on what our temperature gauge means in our vehicles. 

Many vehicles have a temperature gauge on the dash that reads the engine's coolant temperature.  Some have a thermometer symbol, some read C-H (cold to hot). Many have a red zone that shows when water temperature is entering the danger zone.  Others are digital and have a red warning light that signals overheating.  Some vehicles also have a light that comes on when the engine temperature is outside the normal range.

If your vehicle has a gauge, pay attention to it.  If you need help locating it, ask one of our Allied Auto Works experts for a quick explanation.  Chances are, when the vehicle has been running for 15 minutes or more, the temperature gauge will settle into its own "normal" zone, often just below the midway point.  If you have a digital readout, remember what that "normal" temperature is.  Here's why.

At any point when you're driving, the temperature gauge is the quickest way to get a sense that the engine is running the way it should, a quick health checkup, as it were. Say you're on a 3-hour trip, glance at that gauge every hour or so.  It should always be in the same spot.  If it starts to move one way or the other, you may catch a problem before it gets serious.

Pay special attention to it moving into the hot zone.  The needle on the gauge is the easiest and least distracting way to see an engine heating up, but on a digital gauge, start paying attention if the temperature reaches 240ºF/115ºC or more.

Remember, though, that just because the gauge reads "hot" doesn't mean your engine is on the verge of burning up.  It could be a bad sensor and the engine will be at a normal temperature.  But it also could be a failing water pump, coolant leak or thermostat.  By pulling off the road and observing your engine, it will give you a pretty good idea if it's running hot or not.

If the gauge is too "cold," it could be a broken gauge or thermostat sticking open.  Usually being in the cold range isn't as worrisome, but you should have it checked out since other systems may be affected.

Heat is one of a vehicle's worst enemies, especially when it comes from within.  Know your vehicle's normal temperature and keep an eye on it.

For this week I leave you this from a famous fairytale about hot & cold

In the fairy tale, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Goldilocks tastes three bowls of porridge and finds that Papa Bear's is too hot, Mama Bear's is too cold, and Baby Bear's is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right.

Cayenne

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

Hello it is Duke here today!  We all get tired especially after a long day at work dealing with the kids or for me my long walks and looking for lizards and squirrels.  I just want to take a nap.  So we all get tired and so do your tires.  They get tired and worn out.  So today will bark about worn and tired tires and well what to do.

Tires are so reliable these days that few drivers pay much attention to them.  But tires wear out.  They have a tough job since they are the only point of contact between your vehicle and the road.  They have to get your vehicle going from a stop keep it going make sure it is headed in the direction you want it to go and –importantly – slow and stop it.  

Many drivers only think about their tires when there's a problem such as a flat.  Or they may lose control when they find their vehicle isn't stopping or steering like it used to.  One major safety organization estimates that 1 out of every 11 crashes involves a tire issue.  

Many of those problems come from worn tire tread.  Friction wears the rubber off after hours and hours on the road.  Your tires can also get damaged when they hit curbs potholes or other debris. Plus rubber ages as time passes.  We recommend you let us inspect your tires periodically so we can spot potential problems before it's too late.  

When it's time to replace your tires it's important to know which type fits your driving habits and the environments your tires usually encounter.  The most common tires are called all-season. As the name says they are pretty good in every season and their tread lasts a long time.  In other words they're good all-purpose all-around tires.

Another option is a performance all-season tire which has a little more grip but won't last as long. Then there are ultra-high-performance tires (UHP) which offer great grip and handling but a shorter lifespan. They also aren't the greatest in slippery conditions.

For those in more extreme climates especially where there is a lot of snow winter tires are worth considering because their performance in cold snowy conditions can make a huge difference in traction steering and stopping.  Some places require winter tires during certain periods of winter.

Don't underestimate how much of a difference tires can make on your vehicle.  Sure you probably don't pay much attention to them but they are one of the most important investments you can make and they can pay valuable dividends when you need them to come through for you.

I leave you with my tired quote

"I am not tired. I am just saving energy by keeping my eyes closed."

Duke

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

AHHHH....take a deep breath and smell the air!  Hi, Brandy here today. When I go for walks or take a car ride, I love to smell the air.  I learn a lot about what is going on around me.  All of us want the air we breathe to be clean and free of pollution.  So today, we will bark about keeping the air clean with our vehicles.  Let's take a deep breath and start barkin'!

So, back in the 1970s, automakers started equipping vehicles with a device that reduces harmful emissions before they even go out the tailpipe.  They’re called catalytic converters, and while they will likely last you years on your vehicle, they do wear out and eventually need to be replaced.  Catalytic converters are used not only in gasoline engines but also in many diesel vehicles.  

But how do you know when your catalytic converter is having problems? One sign is an odor coming out of your tailpipe that smells like rotten eggs (that’s sulfur).  You may see your exhaust smoke is darker than you remember.  A failing catalytic converter can also reduce your engine’s power, causing sluggish acceleration and lousy fuel economy.  You may hear rattles coming from under your vehicle.  Another sign is that your Check Engine light may come on.

If you notice one or more of those symptoms, bring it in so we can have a technician go through your exhaust system. The first thing they’ll check is that it’s not something else causing the problem, such as faulty oxygen sensors, coolant leaks, or a fuel mixture that's too rich. There are computer codes we can check that will also help confirm whether the catalytic converter is the culprit.

Often, older exhaust systems are rusty, and sometimes removing the old converter may require cutting and welding tools.  It’s also important to remove oxygen sensors so they’re not damaged.

When the old converter’s out, a replacement will be installed using new hardware and gaskets.  Then, the old oxygen sensors will be put back in and the technician will test the system for leaks, noises and warning lights.  

We’ll also check to make sure your failed catalytic converter wasn’t caused by bad spark plugs or burning oil.  Otherwise, your new converter might fail prematurely.  Once you’re back on the road, you should have the performance, fuel efficiency, and cleaner exhaust you used to have.

I leave you with my air quote,
"Fresh air is good if you do not take too much of it; most of the achievements and pleasures of life are in bad air." — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Brandy

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

Hey it's the Duke and from time to time I can get a little squirrely chasing after squirrels.  Off-center that is but if I keep my focus and a straight line I usually catch them in the end.....lol  But seriously Los Altos drivers may have an alignment problem if their car drifts or pulls to one side the steering wheel's off center they notice uneven tire wear or the car doesn't feel like it handles right as they drive down Los Altos CA streets and roads. So today we will bark about wheel alignment and making it straight down the road!

When all of a vehicle's wheels are lined up exactly with each other your wheels are in alignment. Running into potholes smacking a curb or other objects around Los Altos are great ways to knock a car out of alignment. Then one or more of your wheels start pulling in a slightly different direction and the problems begin.

The team at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos wants you to know that driving for an extended time when your car is out of alignment causes your tires to wear unevenly and excessively. Sometimes the tire can be worn so badly that it will fail.

At the very least  those who drive with wheels out of alignment will have to replace their tires sooner. You could end up with premature wear to your suspension system which can be expensive. The front wheel alignment is adjustable on all vehicles and the back wheels are also adjustable on some cars.

Now let's discuss some alignment basics. Wheels are adjustable for toe caster and camber. The ideal alignment for your car was designed by its engineers.

So what is involved in an alignment check at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos? First there's an inspection of the steering and suspension to see if anything is bent or broken. Tire condition will also be evaluated.  Next the vehicle is put on an alignment rack and we take an initial alignment reading.

If all four wheels are adjustable they are lined up perfectly parallel with the vehicle's centerline. If the back wheels aren't adjustable the direction they push is determined and the front wheels are aligned to match.

Like most things vehicle manufacturers have recommended a mileage interval for having alignment checked. But if you run into a curb pothole or something else that's given you a big jolt pay attention to whether your vehicle is pulling to one side when you drive around the Los Altos area. Vehicle owners should have their alignment checked before waiting to see if there is uneven tire tread wear; by then the damage is done.

Getting your alignment checked at Allied Auto Works when necessary is a great way to extend the life of your tires and suspension parts. It also makes sure that your tires meet the road properly for maximum performance and safety in CA.

Come see us at for more information about your tire alignment. We look forward to serving you.

I leave you with this thought for the week

"If everything comes your way you are in the wrong lane."

Duke

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

I love fresh air blowing in my face when I go for a car ride be it cold or hot.  Hi Cayenne here and I know you humans like to feel comfortable inside your vehicles.  So what do you do when there is no air flowing out of your air vents?  Well let's flow into the answer and start barkin'!

You climb inside your vehicle start the ignition and reach for the fan control for the heating or air conditioning.  But when you try to crank it up no air comes out of the vents. It can make for a very uncomfortable trip whether it’s hot or cold outside.

It’s important for the comfort of you and your passengers to regulate the temperature in your vehicle’s cabin.  Not having air coming through the vents can also be a safety issue when you’re trying to defrost the windshield and front windows when they fog up and your visibility is affected.  

There can be many reasons why the air isn’t blowing through your vents.  The blower motor may have failed or the switch that controls it may have worn out.  It could be as simple as a blown fuse or perhaps an electrical component that regulates the fan speed may have stopped working. One of the ducts that direct the air from the outside to the cabin may have broken.  Or the air intake where the outside air is collected may be clogged up with leaves or other debris.

If your vents aren’t blowing air it’s time to bring in your vehicle to have one of our technicians diagnose and repair it.  They will examine the electrical and mechanical components to see where the problem is.  The remedy can be something simple or it may involve a more extensive repair.  

Keeping the cabin temperature temperate and having good airflow are vital to your comfort especially when the weather outside is extremely hot or cold. 

My air quote for this week and look him if you do not know who Evel is

"I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair."  ~Evel Knievel

Cayenne

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

Hi Brandy here and with the price of fuel here in California ($5.25 per gallon-regular as of July 14) I thought we would bark about how to save on fuel. 

Weight is the enemy of fuel economy. Everyone from Los Altos knows this makes sense.  

Some of us in the Los Altos area carry a bunch of unnecessary weight and I'm not talkin' what you see in the mirror.

Guys: sports equipment and tools. Ladies: well just take a look around the passenger compartment and trunk. I think my car has about 45 pounds of French fries on the floor.

All that extra weight wastes gas as you drive between here and there and everywhere else.

Lose the junk and save some money.

...And you really only need one of those spare tires.

I leave you with this thought 

"Beer is now cheaper than gas. Drink. Don't drive."

Brandy

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

Duke here on this beautiful summer day!  Today we will bark about getting in some sticky situations. We've all been there.  You park your vehicle on a steeper-than-usual hill and worry about it rolling down while you're running your errands.  So you decide you'll use the parking brake.  When you get back you release the parking brake hit the ignition put it in gear and—uh oh—you can feel the parking brake is still on.  It's stuck.  What do you do now?

Welcome to the world of infrequently-used parking brakes.  Yes, they do stick for several reasons. It's common for components to corrode and get locked up.  Sometimes if you have applied it extra hard, it can jam.  Could be a rusty cable, or it could be a spring that doesn't return the brake to its disengaged position.  Some pieces just break when they're stressed for the first time in a while. A caliper or the pivot arm it's on can also stick.

There are a few things you can try to unstick it.  Carefully rock your vehicle by putting it first in drive and then reverse.  You have to be careful doing that, though, because sometimes you can damage the transmission.  You can try working the parking brake control a few times to see if that will loosen the corrosion.  If you can't unstick it, you can try driving slowly a short distance to a repair facility near you.  Sometimes it won't cause damage to the brakes, but it depends on how tightly the parking brake was applied and what was stuck.  You may also have to have your vehicle towed to a repair facility.

In any case, once you've seen these symptoms, have your vehicle's brakes looked at by a professional who can fix the root of the problem.  Better yet, don't let your vehicle get in this condition; regular maintenance and inspections by a trained technician should prevent you from getting in a jam somewhere thanks to a stuck parking brake.  You could use a "brake" like that.

I leave you with this sticky situation quote "If you find yourself in a hole  the first thing to do is stop digging."-- Will Rogers

Duke

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

A dog's nose can find anything; I mean look at my schnoz. I could find anything with this.....lol.  Hi Cayenne here and today we are going to do some detective work for automotive diagnosing.  So let's get barkin and get out our magnifying glass to do some sleuthing.

There's a reason we use the word “diagnose” when we talk about fixing cars in Los Altos. Figuring out what's wrong with your vehicle has a lot of similarities to figuring out what's wrong with someone who is ill. Vehicles are a mass of complex systems that can produce a variety of symptoms when something goes wrong. As with human diagnoses, a single symptom may indicate a number of problems, and determining the exact cause requires training and experience.

Sometimes the diagnosis of your vehicle's trouble comes down to trial and error. This can be frustrating for Los Altos drivers because time and money are on the line. You may feel you should only be paying for repair work. Of course, you only want to pay for the right repair – and a proper diagnosis is part of getting it right. Like at the doctor's office — some of what you pay for is the doctor's time and effort to figure out what's wrong with you, not for the actual cure.

The good news is that Los Altos drivers can do a lot to help their friendly and knowledgeable service advisors at Allied Auto Works figure out what's wrong with their vehicle. Again, the medical office is a good analogy. The more information you can give your doctor about where it hurts, when it hurts and how it hurts, the more quickly he will be able to help you. In the same way, the more you can tell your Allied Auto Works service technician about when the problem occurs, what is sounds like, how often it occurs, where it occurs, etc., the more efficiently he will be able to get you back on the road.

Good preventive maintenance goes a long way toward keeping your car out of a Los Altos repair shop, but if you need to take it there, good communication will get you back on the road quickly.

I leave you with this thought on being a detective 

"When you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains however improbable must be the truth." ~ Sherlock Holmes

Cayenne

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com

Hello Los Altos - let's talk differentials. Brandy here and if you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle your differential is on the back axle. With front-wheel drive cars the differential is up front. All-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive vehicles have three differentials - front rear and in the middle. So you see you've got a differential (or two or three) and it needs service now and then.  Let's get barkin'!!!

What does your vehicle's differential do? Well, it compensates for the speed difference between your outer and inner wheels during a turn. Using the dimensions of a typical car, let's compare the distance the wheels travel from the start of a turn to its completion.

The inside wheel travels about 12.6 feet/3.8 meters. How much farther does the outside wheel travel? About 18.8 feet/5.7 meters – over 6 feet/1.9 meters more. This means the outer tire has to rotate 9 times in the same amount of time that the inner tire rotates only 6 times, so the outer tire has to spin faster to keep up. The differential makes this possible.

The gears in the differential are cooled and lubricated by differential fluid. It's this fluid that needs to be serviced. Small bits of the gears break off and are suspended in the differential fluid. The dirtier the fluid, the faster the gears wear.

So your Allied Auto Works technician drains the old fluid out and replaces it with fresh fluid. Some differentials also require a special additive to be added at this time.

So, when should you have your vehicle's differential serviced? Intervals vary from vehicle to vehicle – and may be as short as 15,000 miles/24,000 km – so check your vehicle owner's manual or ask us at Allied Auto Works. If you frequently drive with heavy loads, tow a trailer or drive in hot CA conditions, you may need to change differential fluid more often. Servicing your differential on schedule at Allied Auto Works can save a pricey replacement down the road.

Now that Summer is officially here I leave you with this quote 

"If you're not barefoot then you're overdressed." ~ unknown

Brandy

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
alliedautoworks.com