San Carlos & Valley Springs Auto Repair

Spark plugs generate the spark that ignites the fuel-air mixture which powers your vehicle. Over time they will fail and will need to be replaced. At Toole’s Garage in San Carlos we offer complete Toyota care, including spark plug replacement. Depending on the quality of the spark plug materials, they can last as little as 30,000 miles (copper spark plugs ) to as much as 90,000 miles (iridium spark plugs).  When we select the spark plugs for replacement, we follow Toyota recommendation for your particular model and year of production. When spark plugs start to fail, you may notice engine misfires, and the Toyota onboard computer will illuminate the check engine light. Whenever you see the check engine light “on”, bring your vehicle to Toole’s Garage in San Carlos for an inspection. Our nationally ASE certified technicians will inspect and diagnose your vehicle, and will also perform a free digital vehicle inspection, so you always know the overall conditi ... read more

Check engine light coming on is not a happy moment, but it does not necessarily mean major problems. Your Toyota’s onboard computer may illuminate the check engine light for one of hundreds of reasons – and many of them can be fairly benign. As long as the check engine light is not flashing, and you don’t feel any misfires, you have time to look for a “mechanic near me” and to bring your Toyota to a shop for check engine light diagnostics. While there are literally hundreds of reasons why the check engine light might come on, the most frequent ones include gas cap that does not hold pressure and worn out spark plugs. Either one of these conditions is easily corrected. Naturally there will be times when the check engine light requires in-depth diagnostics and expensive repairs, but you should not assume this at the outset. At Toole’s Garage in Valley Springs we can diagnose the check engine light and tell you exactly what’s necessary to fix ... read more

Regular brake service is vital to your safety. Your Hyundai will need multiple brake service visits during its lifetime. At Toole’s Garage in San Carlos we offer full range of Hyundai maintenance services and repairs, including Hyundai brake service. The most frequent brake service is brake pads replacement. Your vehicle slows down because calipers press the brake pads against rotors, creating friction that slows down the vehicle. Unfortunately, that friction not only slows down the car, but also wears out brake pads, and brake rotors as well. So brake pad replacement, and often rotors replacement will happen regularly throughout the lifetime of your Hyundai. Another regular service will involve brake fluid replacement. Over time brake fluid loses its protective chemical qualities ( due to age and high working temperatures) while at the same time absorbing moisture from the environment. As the water content of the brake fluid increases, it negatively impacts your vehicle&rsquo ... read more

Control arm replacement is an infrequent repair, but as we keep our cars longer and longer (national average is over 14 years), it becomes more likely that control arms may fail. After all, they help the vehicle to remain in full contact with the ground and help us to maintain control – but to do so, they get a workout every time we drive the car. When the control arms start to fail, you will likely hear popping noise when driving over bumps, and car might veer to the side when driving. Uneven tire wear is also one of the symptoms of control arms going bad. So if you notice any of these symptoms, bring  your vehicle to our Valley Springs auto garage, and our nationally ASE certified mechanics will inspect your vehicle and let you know what it will take to fix it. In most cases we can replace control arms the same day, so you will have your vehicle back soon, ready for the road. Toole’s Garage is a family owned and operated auto repair facility in Valley Springs, and ... read more

Toole’s Garage, the premier Valley Springs auto care facility, offers broad range of suspension services and repairs, including control arm bushing replacement. Control arm bushings play a vital role in connecting control arms to the frame. Without them the control arms would wear out fast and a ride would be a noisy one. So what are the signs of bushings needing replacement? If you hear suspension squeaking when going over bumps, or you hear knocking sound (that’s likely metal-to-metal contact – something bushings are supposed to prevent), there is a good chance control arm bushings are failing. When you bring your vehicle to our Valley Springs auto care shop, our nationally ASE certified technicians will inspect your vehicle and we will let you know the root cause of the problem. Bushings can usually be replaced the same day, so if you drop off the car in the morning, it will be waiting for you before the day is over. All repairs performed by our mechanics are cov ... read more

Living in the Bay Area we all have heard about catalytic converter thefts, as the Bay Area favorite, Toyota Prius, is the prime target of the thieves. Now Carfax, a company where repair shops report auto repair data, estimated that in 2022 over 153,000 vehicles were targeted. Insurance companies reported only 52,000 claims for stolen catalytic converters – so why the discrepancy? We thought about it and looking at the data at Toole’s Garage in San Carlos, we come to the conclusion that Carfax is right. We see a lot of vehicles with stolen catalytic converters that are older vehicles, without comprehensive insurance, so the owners pay out-of-pocket for the repairs – hence there is no report to the insurance company, but Carfax gets to count such cars in their statistics. If you take into account that catalytic converters are often on back-order, meaning one has to wait for the manufacturer to deliver new ones, it makes sense that the number of catalytic converter the ... read more