Auto Repair in Camarillo

Buying a new car in Camarillo is always a big financial decision. The allure of that new car smell is powerful, to be sure. But what if your current car is still in good shape? How do you decide? People in Camarillo who've been used to driving a new car every three to five years may be having second thoughts in this economy. For many, the question is, how does the certainty of a new car payment stack up against uncertain repairs for a car that may be out of warranty? For purposes of our discussion, let's assume you live right here in Camarillo and have a five year old vehicle. It's now paid off. If you keep it, you fear that there'll be some repairs over the next five years, but you really don't know what to expect. For help we turned to Edmunds.com. Edmunds.com has compiled maintenance and repair information for cars and trucks. With this data ... read more

Good brakes are obviously very important. If you've ever had your brakes go out while you're driving around the Thousand Oaks area, you'll know how terrifying it can be. Today we'll focus on how to tell when you have a brake problem, and how to make good repair choices. Often, the first indication that something's wrong with the brakes is an unusual sound. It could be a squeal, chatter or grinding sound. Some brake pads have a little piece of metal embedded in them that will make a squeal or chirping sound when the brake pads have been worn down to the point that they need to be replaced. It's an early warning indicator. When you hear that sound, schedule an appointment at Camarillo Car Care Center soon. Now a chattering sound is more urgent. That usually indicates that something is loose. It could be a brake pad or even the brake calipers. If one of those parts falls off, you could have so ... read more

One Camarillo automotive service issue that doesn't get much attention is driveline service. Drivelines don't get talked about very much around Camarillo, but they're very important. First let's define what the driveline is: Taking a small step back, the power plant is comprised of the engine and transmission. The driveline starts there and includes all of the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. That's not really a lot of components, but they handle the full force of the engine. Without the driveline you're not moving. So we need to take good care of it. The driveline components differ depending on whether your vehicle has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive or four wheel drive. For purposes of our discussion, we're going to have to over simplify a bit. Let's start with front wheel drive. The point where the transmission stops and the driveline begins is a little blurred with front wh ... read more

We're going to be talking about the ethics of automotive repair. It seems like news outlets really like hit-and-run reporting; they hit everyone from groceries stores to retail to physicians. And the Camarillo automotive service and repair industry hasn't been given a pass either. Unfortunately, every profession in Camarillo has some bad actors that hurt the reputation of everyone else. On the automotive side, industry associations and professional licensing organizations are very committed to high ethical standards. Yet some people remain uncomfortable with Camarillo automotive service and repair. It may start with the fact that our vehicles are a big investment and we rely on them for so much in our lives. That alone guarantees our attention. And how well we understand the recommendations really impacts our comfort level. If we understand what's recommended and the benefits of taking care of the work and the ... read more

Everyone in Camarillo CA has blind spots and no, I'm not talking about the fact that you really don't sing like Jessica Simpson. I mean the areas of the road that you can't see when you're driving around Camarillo. First let's talk about our own blinds spots, and then we can talk about others To begin, we can greatly reduce our blind spots by properly adjusting our mirrors to give the widest coverage possible. Make the adjustments in your SUV before you start to drive. First, adjust your rear view mirror to give the best possible view directly to the rear of your car. You don't need it to get a better view of either side of the car, the kids in the back seat or your dazzling smile. The rear view mirror should look to the rear. Next, lean your head until it almost touches the driver's side window. Adjust your side mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your car. Now, lean your head to the middle of the car and adjust the o ... read more

One might say the most challenging part of being an automotive service technician at Camarillo Car Care Center in Camarillo CA is diagnosing a problem before it can be fixed. Cars are made up of a bunch of complex systems. There usually could be a number of reasons for any given symptom. So it's challenging to track down the actual cause of the problem. And it can be frustrating for the vehicle owner because it can take time and money to get to the bottom of a problem. If it's not something obvious, it's easy for the customer to focus on the fixing and not the diagnosing. Let us introduce you to something we'll call Customer Detective Work that is helping your Camarillo CA technician find clues to what's wrong. We start with the detective basics: What, Where and When. Play along with me. You come in to Camarillo Car Care Center and your car is making a funny sound. Do you see where we're going? You're gather ... read more

Your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules. The regular schedule and the severe service schedule. It'd be wrong for us to tell you that everyone in Thousand Oaks always needs to follow the severe service schedule but its wishful thinking to say that the regular schedule is always good enough for your SUV. At Camarillo Car Care Center we'll give you the definitions and explain the issues, and you can be the judge. Most manufactures list the following as severe conditions: Most of your trips are less than four miles. Most of your trips are less than 10 miles 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. Driving in very hot or very cold weather. So think about your typical week. Do you live a block from a CA freeway on-ramp and enjoy a non ... read more

Do you ever shop for shoes in one of our Thousand Oaks area shoe stores? When buying a running shoe, is quality important? Does durability matter as long as the shoes look fabulous? Would you rather have one pair of long lasting shoes or two pair of lower quality shoes at the same price? Is the warranty important when buying tires? When you choose new tires in Camarillo, what's the most important factor for you? You know, buying tires in Camarillo is a big deal. It's a big ticket item so you know you'll be spending a lot. You're not only concerned about the price, but you want to know that it'll be a long time before you need to buy new tires again. And of course there's the safety aspect as well. The tires do a lot of work they carry the weight of the vehicle and you and your passengers. They need to be up to the task. You want to be sure they hold the road and provide good traction. If you carry heavy loads or tow a trailer ... read more

Hey Thousand Oaks, are your tires worn out? What is the standard for our CA streets? How can you tell on your SUV? While there may be legal requirements for the Thousand Oaks area, there are safety concerns that go beyond meeting minimum replacement mandates. 2/32 is the depth of the tire tread wear indicator bars that US law has required to be molded across all tires since August 1, 1968. When tires are worn so that this bar is visible, there's just 2/32 of an inch 1.6 millimeters of tread left. It's that level of wear that's been called into question recently. We're referring to the Consumer Reports call to consider replacing tires when tread reaches 4/32 of an inch, or 3.2 millimeters. And the recommendation is backed by some very compelling studies. The issue is braking on wet surfaces in and around Thousand Oaks. Most of us think of our br ... read more

Have you ever had an experience like this in Camarillo CA? You drive through the one of those automatic car washes. When you get to the end, where the dryer is blowing, your check engine light started flashing! You fear the worst, but within a block or two, the light stopped flashing, but stayed on. By the next day, the light was off. You wonder; “What was going on?” Well, it's actually a good lesson in how the Check Engine light works. Your air intake system has a sensor that measures how much air is coming through it. When you went under the high-speed dryer, all that air was blasting past the sensor. Your engine computer was saying, there shouldn't be that much air when the engine is just idling. Something's wrong. Whatever's wrong could cause some serious engine damage. Warning, warning! It flashes the check engine light, to alert you to take immediate action. It stopped flashing because once you we ... read more