Los Altos Auto Repair

Hi, it's Brandy, and you know Los Altos area drivers and their dogs love their vehicles. And one of the most enjoyable things about them is taking a road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it's great! But there's nothing like vehicle trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt.  Today I will bark about getting your vehicle ready for a road trip because dogs love trips and you wouldn't want to disappoint us now.  So let's get barkin' and get this show on the road!!!!

Now Los Altos drivers can't always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. The first step is to look at your trip plan from your vehicle's perspective. What kind of roads will you be traveling – winding CA byways? Purple mountain majesties or fruited plains? What weather conditions are you likely to encounter? How far will you travel each day? How much weight will you be hauling – passengers and luggage? Pulling a trailer, a rooftop carrier, or ATVs? Will it be dusty?

Prepared with answers to these questions, you can schedule a trip inspection at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos to help you prepare your vehicle for your big adventure. Many of our Los Altos customers prefer to go through this exercise with their friendly, knowledgeable service advisor to get their input and ensure they haven't overlooked anything.

A great place for Los Altos drivers to start is with the tires. Inspect them for tread wear and proper inflation. Is it time to rotate your tires? Replace them? Are they up to the job? You wouldn't want to drive regular highway tires on a muddy off-road adventure on CA rock-crawling trails. 

Shocks and struts play a major role in both driving comfort and safety. If they need to be replaced, you'll really be glad you did once you hit the road. Is it time for a wheel alignment? Fighting a car that's pulling to one side all day can be tiring and dangerous. 

And don't forget your brakes. Any strange noises, grabbing, soft or hard pedal feel? If there is any doubt, get a brake inspection at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos before you leave.

Moving under the hood, have a belts-and-hoses inspection. If something is excessively worn or near failure, the stress of a long road trip might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Talk to your service advisor at Allied Auto Works.

Your engine air filter will be inspected. Your car's air filter processes 12,000 times as much air as the fuel the engine burns. If the filter needs to be changed, you'll notice improvements on your trip.

How close are you to your next oil change? Will you be able to complete your trip before it's due? If not, just get it taken care of before you go so that you don't need to interrupt your trip. In fact, a full-service oil change at Allied Auto Works is a great idea because they will top off all your fluids and check for any other maintenance items due, such as transmission or cooling system service.

Do you notice any unusual odors in your vehicle? If so, it could be as harmless as a dirty cabin air filter. But if it's an exhaust leak, it could be fatal for Los Altos drivers and their passengers on a long trip. Of course, you'll want to be comfortable, so get an air conditioning service if you aren't getting the cold air you’re used to. 

Are your wiper blades still working well? If not, that is a quick and inexpensive fix for Los Altos drivers. Headlamps are often overlooked when planning for a trip. If you haven't changed the bulb in six months or so, replacement bulbs will really light up the night on your trip and provide the necessary after-sundown visibility.

All the items mentioned are part of any good vehicle maintenance plan. These are things that you want to take care of anyway, but they all become more important as you plan for your trip.

They will always save you money in the long run and may prevent inconvenient stops and delays on your trip. After all, you wouldn't want to miss the world's largest ball of string, would you?  Me, I looking for the world's largest BONE!

BRANDY 

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

Hey, Duke here, and Richard Petty once told me, “You've gotta have good brakes. If you've got good brakes, you can keep yourself out of a lotta trouble.”  So today, we are going to put the pedal to the metal and bark about brakes!

 A regular brake inspection should be on every Los Altos driver's maintenance schedule. An inspection by your service advisor at Allied Auto Works will check your brake system and let you know if there are any problems.

Of course, if you're having trouble with your brakes, get your car into Allied Auto Works in Los Altos right away. Here are some symptoms for Los Altos drivers to watch for:

• Low or spongy brake pedal
• Hard brake pedal
• A brake warning light that stays on
• Constantly squealing or grinding brakes
• Vibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakes

If you are experiencing any of these, it's time to get your brakes checked. Talk to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Allied Auto Works .

There are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that's attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle.

Drum brakes are most common on the back wheels. Both types have pads or shoes that press against the brakes and slow the vehicle. Brake pads and shoes are made out of very tough material to withstand the heat and force generated when stopping your vehicle. Eventually, they wear out with use, become too thin, and need to be replaced at Allied Auto Works. 

If the brake pads wear away completely, you can damage the rotors. The calipers can grind grooves in the rotor. Then the rotor must either be resurfaced or replaced. That's not only expensive but also dangerous because your vehicle won't stop as quickly. Sometimes rotors warp or crack and must be replaced.

A brake service at Allied Auto Works will also include a check of your brake fluid. When the brakes are applied, the fluid pressure activates the brake pads or shoes. Not enough fluid means not enough pressure to brake properly. Also, water builds up in the brake fluid over time, leading to corrosion, leaks, and brake damage; with hard use, the brakes could severely fade or even fail. Los Altos  drivers should change the brake fluid when their vehicle manufacturer recommends it to avoid these problems.

Come in to Allied Auto Works for a brake inspection before damage occurs. You can schedule an appointment by calling 6509687227.

I leave you with a quote,

It is amazing how many drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down. ~Mario Andretti

Duke

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

Cayenne here today on this beautiful spring day!  The saying goes, if you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.  Some say the same things about their wheels.  Big is better, they say, or go home.  We will bark about big wheels today, so let's get rollin'!

A lot of us Los Altos drivers like our vehicles to reflect our personalities. We're picky about color and body style. We'll customize anything from floor mats to window tints to license plates. One popular way for CA motorists to customize a vehicle is to get new wheels.

Wheels come in thousands of designs. Custom wheels can add personality, style, or sass to a vehicle. Many of these customizations involve getting a bigger wheel.

Fifteen- or 16-inch wheels used to be the factory standard, but today, because many Los Altos drivers like the look of larger wheels, many vehicles are available with 17- or 18-inch wheels. Optional 20-inch or larger wheel packages are also available in Los Altos.

If you want to upsize the wheels on your current vehicle, however, you should know it's not a do-it-yourself project. There are factors to consider to ensure your wheel change doesn't jeopardize your vehicle's safety.

First, you need to understand rolling diameter. The rolling diameter is the overall height of a tire. If you increase the rolling diameter of your tires when you upsize your wheels, you may need to modify your suspension to ensure the larger tires fit within the space and don't rub in turns or over bumps. If that's more work than you're willing to do or pay for, then you need to maintain rolling diameter when you change your wheels.

It's not as hard as it sounds. Imagine a doughnut. That doughnut represents rolling diameter, so you can't make the doughnut bigger. However, you can increase the size of the doughnut hole. That gives you a bigger wheel. Tires with reduced sidewalls on larger wheels will preserve your rolling diameter.

Rolling diameter is important because your wheels and tires still need to fit inside the wheel well. Also, your speedometer, odometer and anti-lock brakes are all programmed to work with a specific rolling diameter. You'll throw off the readings on your speedometer and odometer if you change your rolling diameter. And for your anti-lock brakes to work properly, your rolling diameter must be within 3% of the factory recommendations. While some Los Altos drivers who upsize may not be concerned about meter readings, throwing off the brake system is a serious safety hazard.

Further, many vehicles in Los Altos are now equipped with electronically controlled suspensions. Changing the rolling diameter will negatively affect this system as well, which can lead to a less smooth ride and lower handling performance as well as safety concerns.

Your friendly and knowledgeable Allied Auto Works tire professional may be able to reprogram your vehicle's computer to adjust for a larger (or smaller) rolling diameter.

So to maintain rolling diameter, you'll need tires with a shorter sidewall. These tires will be designed to give the sidewalls the strength they need to maintain ride quality. Consider that doughnut again. As the wheel (the doughnut hole) gets bigger, the sidewall of the tire (the width of the remaining doughnut) gets shorter. That means the tire holds less air. The sidewalls have to be made stiffer to compensate for the decreased air capacity.

To improve their strength, the shorter tires will also be slightly wider than your previous tires. But this means you'll have a larger contact patch, or, in other words, a larger area of tire making contact with the road. This can actually increase your handling performance and decrease braking distances. Many CA auto buffs customize their wheels just for this reason—they want the improved performance rather than looks or style. If you drive a truck or an SUV around Los Altos, you might be interested in the extra control an upsized wheel can provide.

Now, that larger contact patch still has to fit inside your wheel well without rubbing when cornering or when bouncing over bumps or potholes on Los Altos roads. This is termed fitment, and you may need a few adjustments so your new wheels will fit properly. You may need spacers so that your brakes will fit inside the new wheels, as well.

Allied Auto Works tire professionals are experts at mounting, adjusting, and customizing wheels. They can give you a lot of good auto advice on wheels and tires, including how they affect driving performance and car care. They can help you select wheels and tires that will suit your driving needs and habits.

For example, if you drive off-road around Los Altos, you should consider a higher profile tire. This type of tire will protect your rims from damage while you're bouncing over rocks. Or, if you tow a trailer or haul heavy loads around CA, you'll want a tire with a load rating equal to your demands. Your friendly and knowledgeable Allied Auto Works tire professional can help you with these types of concerns.

Once you've got your new wheels, have your service advisor at Allied Auto Works see if you need an alignment. You don't want those new wheels and your higher performance compromised by poor alignment. Get the most out of your investment by getting the work done right at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos.

Last but not least, remember tire pressure. With larger wheels, your new tires will hold less air and they'll need slightly higher pressure. You'll need to stay on top of preventive maintenance and keep them properly inflated. Be sure to check their pressure at least once a week. If you don't keep your tires at their correct pressure, they will wear out really fast. It will also affect your braking and handling performance.

So smile and show off your vehicle around CA. Make it all yours. Bumper stickers, vanity license plates, custom wheels — strut your stuff!

Cayenne

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

Hello Brandy here and did you know that people near Los Altos, CA, often ask Allied Auto Works how often they should have a particular service done. It's a great thing to ask. You can look at your owner's manual or have your Los Altos, CA, service advisor at Allied Auto Works look up your vehicle in a service database. What you find is often a surprise to people – there are actually two service schedules. 

One is the regular schedule and the other is the severe service schedule. Service intervals are shorter on the severe service schedule. When asked, most folks in Los Altos will say that their driving is normal and that the 'regular' schedule probably applies to them. 'Severe service' sounds pretty extreme – 'I don't drive like that.'

Well, here is what the manufacturers say constitutes severe driving conditions; you can draw your own conclusions.

• Most of your trips are less than four miles (six and a half kilometers).
• Most of your trips are less than ten miles (16 km) and outside temperatures are below freezing.
• The engine is at low speed most of the time – not on the highway. You operate your vehicle in dusty areas.
• You regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads.
• You drive with a car-top carrier.
• You do a lot of stop-and-go driving.
• You drive in very hot or very cold weather.

If that's severe driving, what constitutes regular driving? Well, it would look something like this: I live somewhere with moderate temperatures all year round – I'm thinking San Diego here. And I live close to a freeway on-ramp. Everywhere I need to go is right off the freeway, at least 4 miles (6.5 km) from my home. I can drive at a steady 60 miles per hour (100 kph) when I'm on the freeway.

I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like my normal driving. It sounds more like ideal conditions. I live where it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I run short errands around Los Altos. Occasionally, we load up for family trips.

For me, normal driving includes elements of severe service driving. So here's what I tell people: think about how you drive, where you live, where you go, and what you expect to do with your vehicle in the near future.

Picture a line with 'regular' on one end and 'severe' on the other, and make a judgment on where you fall. If your regular oil change recommendation is 5,000 miles (8,000 km) and the severe service recommendation is 3,000 miles (5,000 km), when should you change your oil? For me, it's closer to 3,000 miles (5,000 km). For my wife, it's closer to 5,000 miles (8,000 km). Your Los Altos, CA auto service advisor at Allied Auto Works will be happy to discuss this with you and help you sort it out.

Just a quick word on why severe service intervals are shorter. One has to do with heat. That can either be external heat from the weather, engine and transmission heat from stop-and-go driving, or working extra hard, moving heavy loads, or towing. The heat causes fluids like oil and transmission fluid to break down more quickly, making them less effective.

Another factor is water. Moisture naturally collects in fluids as they cool. In your motor oil, for example, if you don't drive long enough for the oil to fully heat up, the water won't evaporate. Water in the oil can lead to the buildup of damaging sludge.

If you live where the air is dusty or polluted, fluids will become contaminated and filters will get dirtier more quickly.

So make an honest evaluation of your driving conditions. You've made the commitment to take care of your vehicles, so it only makes sense to follow the right schedule.

I leave you with this scheduling quote,

"What gets scheduled gets done." — Anonymous

Brandy

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