San Carlos & Valley Springs Auto Repair

Hey fans!   I get many phone calls from potential clients that ask me if their shocks or struts really need to be replaced. They usually say, "my car does not seem bouncy" or " my car seems to handle very well". Those are both true statements. The downside to cars today is that they are built so well...........Did I just say that???? Yes, they are built very well, components last longer and the car feels fine with higher mileage. The concern with that is that the suspension components are moving a lot more than they would when things like the struts are worn, but you don't feel that as a driver. The manufacturer of struts says they should be replaced every 50,000 miles. The valving inside those struts move 75,000,000 times in 50k. 75 Million times, that is a lot. Not many things last that long.  When the valving wears down, it allows the strut (or shock absor ... read more

What's up everybody! Dave the Car Guy! Today, I'm going to let you know the best way to find your forever Auto Repair Shop Mechanic! This is a question that people ask a lot, and with good reason. There truly is some misconception out shops out there and some of it came from some poor actions of individuals owning a business. Many auto repair shops out there today have great integrity, are convenient, and do have your best interest in mind. There are many more of these type of shops than the ones that you have heard horror stories about. The great thing about being a consumer today, is that the internet has leveled the playing field. You can get a glimpse of any company in which you would like to do business with in the privacy of your own space, by searching them online. This is how we will start our search! Step 1:   Ask a friend, family member, or colleague if they LOVE the auto shop that they use. Whether they have great ... read more

Hi peeps!     The word Hybrid has been a very active word since year 2000. What does Hybrid mean? Well, when you say the word today, A car comes into mind, most likely, a Toyota Prius.   Hybrid essentially is the blending of different things. For example, have ever eaten a Pluot? It is a Hybrid of a plum and an apricot. Hybrid in a vehicle means that there are more than one mode of propulsion. There is an "Internal Combustion Engine" or ICE and a form of high voltage electric motor blended to work together. The high voltage motor requires electric current. This comes from stored energy or the HV Battery. Typically, the HV battery is made up of many small batteries together in series to create a large high voltage battery. The purpose of this technology is to allow high MPG. The HV system will produce torque to allow the ICE to not work as hard, this conserves fuel. One th ... read more

Hey Fellow Car Fans!   Today, I’m talking about wheel alignments. We have all heard the term. Some clients even come in because the car drifts or pulls and they think they might need one. The question is, how can you really tell? Here is the skinny on wheel alignments. Most of the time, pulls and drifts are not caused by an incorrect wheel alignment. The cause is usually tire related. A wheel alignment usually just aids in the proper wear of your tires. I will give you some terms or measurements associated with your suspension. The primary culprit for tire wear is a measurement called TOE. There is POSITIVE TOE, OR TOE IN. We describe this condition as Pigeon Toed, where the front of the tires are closer together than the rear. The next is NEGATIVE TOE, OR TOE OUT. We call this “Charlie Chaplin” where the front of the tires are further from each other than the rear of the tire. Thes ... read more

Hey fans and people who just want to be in the know! Have you ever had a shop tell say that you had an oil leak, but yet you never see any oil on your driveway or in your garage? It makes you wonder what they are looking at. If you are a client of Toole's Garage, you already know that we send pictures so you can see what we are looking at. Just because an engine or transmission has an oil leak doesn't necessarily mean it will travel and hit the ground.  Sometimes these pesky oil leaks will slowly seep down the sides of the engine or transmission and get enough dirt and debris stuck to it to where it just puts a coating on everything. The reason shops will recommend doing oil leak repairs is because when the oil gets on any rubber components, like control arm bushings, engine mounts, or strut bushings, it will cause the rubber to deteriorate. Most cars of todays oil sealing gaskets are made out of rubber. They do a fantastic job of keep ... read more

Hey all!    I often get asked the question "Do you replace tires at Toole's Garage?". Well, we absolutely do take care of our clients tires, we also align the vehicle as well. What you should know about tires however, is something that most tire places don't know, or won't mention. The reason why tires vary in price so much is mostly due to the quality of the tire, in some cases, the brand name actually will dictate some of the cost, just like anything else. But there are many ratings when it comes to tires. There is tread wear, temperature, and traction. Tread wear is listed as a number, it typically determines the composition of the rubber if it's either going to be a very hard rubber or a very soft rubber. The hard rubber tires will have a long tread life, but typically are not as grippy once warmed up. On the contrary most soft rubber tires are very grippy when wa ... read more

Hey All,      Yes, I am writing about an Oil Change. Why? I will tell you. This is me hopping on my soapbox. Engine oil is the life blood of your engine. Technology has changes, engines are getting more precision, lighter, physically smaller, etc. Oil has gotten better as well. Here is where the problem starts. Manufacturers are recommending oil changes due to driving styles, measured by analytics.This is not actually measuring the actual oil in the car. Many of you out there have changed your own oil, many of you have not. You will see that new oil looks lovely, like a nice olive oil. During its lifespan, it somehow turns into a dark staining black substance that seems thicker than it went in. How does that happen? Imagine a campfire, and you add a piece of wood that maybe had a little paint on it. It creates a nasty soot burning off of it. Inside your engine, the gasoline that is igniting is creating ... read more

Hey Fans and people who just want to know!    I get the question asked a lot about brake pads. There are so many brands and types out there, it feels just like walking down a grocery isle. "Hmm, do I go for the pads on the top shelf, or grab the cheap ones down below?" I usually will go with some sort of OEM brake pad that is Ceramic based.There are basically 3 types of pads now, an organic material, a semi-metallic material, and ceramic material.   Primarily, the organic gives you nice quiet brakes, low brake dust, but not the best feel when really needing to stop, meaning, the stopping power is the least effective.      Semi-metallic pads have the best stopping power, but are noisy and create a lot of brake dust. We have also found that the copper used in brake pads is causing some problems in the environment (no good).   Lastly, there is ceramic pads. They are a great combination of both o ... read more

Hey Fans!   I get this question asked a lot. What is a Timing Belt, and why do I have to change it? Simply put, the timing belt is a toothed belt that keeps the engine in sync, or as its name mentions, time. There are essentially 2 halves of an engine, an upper half and a lower half. The bottom side of the engine is the crankshaft, it is known as the rotating assembly because the pistons are connected to the crankshaft. As the explosions happen from the fuel ignition in the cylinder, the pistons are forced downward causing the crankshaft to rotate. The crankshaft has a toothed gear on the front that the timing belt rides on. This rotation causes the belt to move and spin the other half of the engine that contains the camshaft, or multiple camshafts. They also have a toothed gear attached. This camshaft pushes on the valves against the springs to make them open. This lets air and fuel ... read more

Why Do Most Drivers Distrust Auto Repair Shops? As a vehicle owner, you may have been in a situation at an auto repair shop where you felt cheated or doubted the honesty of the mechanics. For example, you may have taken your vehicle into an auto repair shop for an oil change and received a recommendation for new brake pads. However, you just had your brake pads replaced a month earlier. Realizing that the recommendation may be a scam to get more money out of you, you may have developed an overall distrust for auto repair shops - and you’re not alone. In a recent survey conducted by AAA, 2 out of 3 drivers reported that they did not trust auto repair shops. Most drivers were scared of shops recommending unnecessary services and repairs as their number one reason for distrust. Among the other reasons were overcharging for services, negative past experiences, and the fear of work not being completed correctly. Many drivers combat this distrust of auto repair shops by choosing a si ... read more