Seaside Auto Repair

It’s February, the month devoted to love. As we make a point to show those we care for a little more love, there is a love that we have had for generations. The love of cars. I grew up around cars. I remember getting to go to the race track to watch my dad race. It is an absolute incredible experience. There is the smell of fuel and exhaust as you watch the racers line up to take their turn at getting down the quarter mile faster than the car next to them. The excitement that builds as they prep their tires for maximum contact with the track with a burnout. The smell of the tires burning and the smoke rolling out from under them as they become sticky from the friction created. It’s the anticipation as the engines rev, waiting for the lights. Watching as the yellow lights illuminate one at a time until the green light flashes and they’re off!!! Launching off of the line and barreling down the track at speeds that many of us will never experience. As they zoom past you ... read more

Happy New Year and welcome to 2020! Mother Nature sure has graced us with an overabundance of water recently. With the amount of water on the roads, it’s important to remember to be extra cautious while behind the wheel. Here are the TOP 5 SAFETY items to check on your car. Be sure to keep your battery in good condition. No one wants to leave the house, run through the rain, jump in the car and have it not start. It’s a good idea to have your battery tested to make sure that the connections are clean and that it has the proper cold cranking amps. Cold weather can reduce a batteries cranking power. Here is a tip, if you battery is more than five years old, it may be time to replace it before it leaves you stranded. Worse case, be sure you know how to jump start your car. Living in “sunny” California, we tend to forget about our wiper blades until we really need them. The problem is, when we really need them is when we realize that we cannot see through streaked a ... read more

We live in a world where anything we want to find or anything we want to know are at our fingertips. Since there is so much information, both good and bad, shops are often asked if it is possible to install a part that a customer has purchased. Most of these parts are purchased online from one of the companies that spend a ton of money on advertising to get the average driver to go to their site. There are so many reasons why this is not a good idea but this month I wanted to write about one of the most important reasons. Warranty. Sure, there’s liability along with the possibility of getting the wrong part, but how much does your time mean to you? When a customer purchases their own parts, they are buying a do-it-yourself part. They are taking responsibility for that part. Let me give you an example of a situation that recently took place to better explain. A few weeks ago, a Jeep was dropped off with a clutch problem. The transmission had to be removed to access the clutch. T ... read more

It’s Spring! One of my most favorite seasons for so many reasons. Spring is the time of year that we are blessed with longer days and glorious sunrises. Spring brings a little more sunshine into our lives. I know we need rain but this year it seems as though we have had an over abundance of water falling from the sky. Spring gives us many holidays to spend time with our loved ones and it also brings Spring Break. With Spring Break comes travel and road trips! Well because of that, I thought it would be nice to share a few pre-travel safety tips. Recently I took a drive to Los Angeles with my daughter so that she and her friend could attend a book signing. Before we hit the road, I wanted to be sure that my car was safe. I know you are thinking, “Hello, you own and work at a repair shop!” Although this may be true, just like you, I have to schedule an appointment for my service and maintence. No special treatment here. So I made sure that I gave myself at least a week ... read more

It’s Monday. It’s raining. You have exactly enough time to make it to work (or school) on time. You grab your keys and jump in the car. Click. Click. Click. NO!!!! Almost everyone has experienced a scenario just like this. The culprit, your battery. Why is it that when a battery decides to give up, it’s always at that moment when you really need it to do it’s job? There are a few things that we can do to help to avoid, or at least limit, the possibility of this exact situation. Whether you drive an electric car, a hybrid car, or a fuel driven car, they all need a battery. All the desired accessories are dependent on power. Your clock, radio, seat settings, and the alarm all need power from the battery to keep from losing their memory. We can agree that those are all important. On the other hand, the power needed for the ignition to start your car is the most important. Now you must be thinking, what can I do to keep my battery from leaving me stranded? Without ... read more