Auto Repair in Camarillo

What Really Happens to Your Vehicles in the Shop Auto repairs can not only be expensive, but they can also be stressful if you don’t trust the company performing them. Putting blind faith, along with your hard-earned dollars, into a service can be as risky as setting chips on a roulette table. You just don’t know how it’s going to turn out. As an owner of a long-standing reputable automotive repair shop, I’m going to share some facts about our industry that many of you might not know—the things that happen out of sight once your vehicles are pulled into their service bays. If certain procedures are not followed, the longevity of your auto repair or the safety of your vehicle can be jeopardized. As consumers, we hire professionals to help us in areas we cannot do alone. This hiring process happens daily—with doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, etc. We hire professionals because we assume they will do a good job. We expect a roofer to properly ... read more

Your automobile is equipped with several types of filters. Some are designed for liquids such as engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, or fuel. Others are designed to remove impurities from the air under the hood or within the cabin. Although each filter is created to perform in a specific way, the purpose of every filter is to prevent dirt, debris, or other foreign objects from entering places they don’t belong. Your car has four to five main filters that often require periodic replacements to properly maintain the vehicle’s operation. To understand the importance of these filters and the basics of replacing them, follow the guide below. Engine Oil Filter —The job of the engine oil filter is to catch impurities or debris that forms in your engine oil. Your engine is composed of many metal pieces rotating against each other and causing friction. Though engine oil protects these components from exces ... read more

Consumer Reports found that even tires with half of their remaining tread intact can still lose their footing, especially in foul-weather. Naturally, tires lose their ability to grip the road in wet weather as the rubber wears away. The lower the thickness of rubber, the more likely they are to lose their footing. However, tests are finding that tread can give up a significant amount of grip even when it’s still at its halfway point. Half-worn tires can be treacherous on wet roads, as their grooves may not be deep enough to disperse water out from under the tread. The consequence is hydroplaning where the water becomes a barrier between the tire and the road making steering unresponsive. The faster you drive, the greater the risk of hydroplaning, since higher speeds allow less time for water to escape through the tread grooves.  During the Consumer Reports testing, half-tread tires began to skim over the water’s surface at as slow as 40 mph ... read more

The light indicates a low air pressure in one or more (including your spare) of your tires. Recently temperatures have dropped at night causing the air in your tires to contract, lowering the tire pressure. If the pressure lowers enough, it will trigger the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) to turn on the light alerting you to have them checked. Make sure you’re driving on the safest tires regardless of any temperature changes by letting Camarillo Car Care perform a fast, convenient inspection if your tire pressure light is coming on. Most of the time it’s due to the chilly weather, but when it comes to vehicle safety it’s better to be safe than sorry

Slow Down: Back to School Means Sharing the Road School days bring congestion: Yellow school buses are picking up their charges, kids on bikes are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings, harried parents are trying to drop their kids off before work. It's never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present – especially before and after school. If You're Dropping Off Schools often have very specific drop-off procedures for the school year. Make sure you know them for the safety of all kids. More children are hit by cars near schools than at any other location, according to the National Safe Routes to School program. The following apply to all school zones: Don't double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles Don't load or unload children across the stre ... read more

What Three Automobile Services Do Most Motorists Know They Need to Keep Their Vehicles on the Road? You guessed correctly if you said Oil Changes, Brakes, and Tires. Of course, there are a slew of other systems that need inspections and servicing throughout your vehicle’s life. However, these three services are what most drivers know their vehicles will definitely need. What about all of that other maintenance services your vehicle might need – the stuff that most of us don’t really know about, or don't want to deal with knowing about? That’s where Camarillo Car Care can help! We’ve committed our staff to the concept of understanding your vehicle’s needs. Those needs be ... read more

Blurred vision from worn wiper blades. Whether or not you use them frequently, you should be replacing wiper blades with some regularity. Over time the blade wears down, making it less effective at clearing your windshield leaving those undesired streaks right where you need to see out the most. It’s important to remember that effective windshield wipers are a vital safety component: so we recommend taking the maintenance of them as seriously as you would your tires or brakes. How Long Is Too Long? Some people will go years between a new set of blades, but that’s far too long. Wiper blades can wear out in as few as three months. And most will not last longer than 12-15, even if you shell out big bucks for a high-end pair. Get in the habit of looking at your blades every few months. If you are seeing any clues suggesting they are wearing out, it’s b ... read more

All Indications are Pointing to an El Nino Year of Heavy Rain! Camarillo has already seen a our first rain of the season and Forecasters are predicting much more to come. This increase of rain can be quite an issue for our freeways and streets due to a long drought. Water wants to run off or create puddles instead of soaking into the soil. Our storm drains will quickly fill up with debris and they won't be able to drain efficiently. These issues can make a simple drive across town much more treacherous than normal. We've put together a Wet Weather Safety Inspection for your vehicle that will help insure a safe drive season. Click here for special: Wet Weather Safety Inspection

One of Camarillo Car Care Center’sTechnicians performing a brake inspection. Just as your gas mileage will vary depending on where and how you drive, so it goes with the life of brake pads. Brake pads or linings are the friction material that is pressed against a metal disc or drum to stop your vehicle. If you drive only 8,000 miles a year mainly in a crowded urban area, such as Los Angeles, you will need to replace brake pads more often than someone who drives 28,000 miles a year across the flatlands of Nebraska. You use your brakes a lot more in urban driving than on a rural highway. Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut schedule that tells you when it's time to replace the brakes. You need to rely on your ears and the advice of an experienced automotive technician. A good time to have brakes inspected is during a routine tire rotation which for mo ... read more

Why do I need and Alignment? A vehicle having an Alignmentperformed at Camarillo Car Care Center. We all know what causes our bodies to get worn down. Stress, heavy impact activities and poor posture can all lead to a visit to the chiropractor. Your vehicle also endures daily situations that lead to stress on the bolts and nuts, which keep it aligned and rolling down the road. Every day wear and tear, such as hard stops and starts, road conditions, abrupt turns, potholes and curb checks can all lead to subtle movements in your vehicle’s alignment settings over time. A simple Computerized Wheel Alignment may be the one, which is necessary to correct these specifications and have your vehicle rolling down the road straight. What does a proper alignment do? The alignment settings on you ... read more