Auto Repair in Camarillo

There are a surprising number of small, inexpensive parts that can lead to expensive engine damage when they fail. It doesn't seem right. Fortunately a lot of those things can be taken care of in routine maintenance. They may not be easy to remember, because it is a long list, but your service center at Camarillo Car Care Center can help you know what's scheduled to be taken care of. Some of us in Camarillo CA really don't look forward to going in for an oil change and then getting a list of the other things the manufacturer recommends. But automotive maintenance is all about prevention, and addressing small problems before they get big. Let's take the fuel filter for example. You may not know this but the median age for private vehicles on our Camarillo CA roads is over nine years. When cars get older, five years or so, they've accumulated a lot of dirt and rust in their gas tanks. If ... read more

Lease? Or buy? It's always a tough question for residents in the Camarillo area. But here are a few ideas that'll make the choice more clear. Either option gives you a choice of how you might finance your car. If you buy, you'll pay the full cost of the car, with maybe an initial down payment, then monthly payments on the balance that pays down the loan principal, and the finance charge. If you lease, you're financing the portion of the cost of the car that's used up during the term of the lease. When the lease is up, you return the car to your local Camarillo area dealership. You'll pay some money upfront; fees, security deposit, first month's payment and maybe a capital reduction. The month payments include a depreciation cost and a finance charge. So how do you decide? First, how big a down payment can you make? A lease would require a smaller down. How much monthly payment can you afford? Again, lease payments will be much lo ... read more

How do you know if an odometer is telling the truth? Well, back in 86, Congress passed the Truth-in-Mileage Act to protect CA consumers against mileage fraud. It says a CA seller must certify the mileage reported is the Actual Mileage. To have your odometer checked in Camarillo CA, stop by Camarillo Car Care Center: If it isn't, the seller must say why; like maybe the odometer is past its mechanical limits. Some older odometers only go to 99,999 miles and then start over at 0. Or, the odometer has been tampered with, broken or replaced. If the seller tells you the mileage isn't accurate, there's not much chance of putting a good number to it; And there's the unscrupulous seller who claims the reading is true, but it's not so. What can you do? First, you can go to www.CarFax.com, where for a small fee, they'll give you a comprehensive vehicle history search on your SUV, showi ... read more

You may know that all 2008 model year and newer cars, mini-vans and light trucks in Camarillo come with a tire pressure monitoring system. Many slightly older vehicles around Camarillo have these systems as well. A tire pressure monitoring system called TPMS consists of sensors on each wheel that measure tire pressure. If tire pressure drops 25 percent below the manufacturer's recommended pressure, the sensor sends a signal to a monitoring unit that causes a warning to light up on the dashboard. When you see the warning light, you know it's time to put some air in your tires. There are many benefits to driving with properly inflated tires around Camarillo. First is cost savings. Running at the correct air pressure improves fuel economy. Driving on under-inflated tires is like driving through sand it drags down your fuel economy. You'll also see longer, more even tread wear so your tires'll last longer. Another important benefit of properly inflate ... read more

Purchase a NAPA Gold Air Filter or NAPA Cabin Air Filter along with your next NAPA Filter oil change and receive $20 via-mail-in rebate. Plus, we will extend an additonal instant $5 discount! $20 Mail-IN Rebate Offer: Purchase a NAPAGold Oil Filter with your next oil change service, then purchase either a NAPAGold Air Filter or NAPA EnvioShield Cabin Air Filter during the month of March 2010 and you will receive a $20 mail-in rebate coupon. Additionally, Camarillo Car Care will extend an instant $5 discount off your repair bill. Promotion runs between 3/1/10

With the recent focus in Ventura County on improving fuel economy, we've been told how important it is to maintain our tire pressure. Everyone in Ventura County knows that tires wear out, but we all want to make them last as long as possible because they're fairly expensive to replace. In addition to saving gas, properly inflated tires last longer. Under-inflated tires will wear out more quickly. Some people in Ventura County wonder if there is benefit to adding a few extra pounds of pressure when they fill up their tires. But actually, there isn't. In fact, there are very good reasons not to over-inflate your tires. For one, the middle of the tread will wear unevenly because the full tread is not contacting the road properly. That also adversely affects your handling. Every vehicle in the Ventura County area has a sticker on the driver's side door jamb that tells you the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure ... read more

At Camarillo Car Care Center we've had a lot of people asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that's been building for several years. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles on them. It looks like it's going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices a lot of folks are putting off buying a new car. Thanks to AutoNetTV, we can provide you with a video answer to this question. So let's say you're one of the average people in the Thousand Oaks area; you've got a nine year old car with 80,000 miles on the odometer. What can you to do make it last another year or two? Let's start with the premise that there's no reason that a modern car can't run for 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering and manufacturing quality is there ... read more

At Camarillo Car Care Center we hear from a lot of people who are excited about the new diesel engines that will soon be available in passenger cars and SUV's. But our CA friends are often curious about the preventive maintenance requirements. People may not know that diesel engines have long been used extensively in Europe and Asia. In fact, in some markets, there're nearly as many diesel powered passenger cars as there are gasoline. Here's who's announced or is expected to announce new diesels for North America: BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and Subaru. Of course, the US auto makers will be expanding their diesel offerings as well. Diesels will become a very big deal here in CA. You may ask, why has it taken so long getting to CA and North America? There are a bunch of reasons like fuel tax policies and such, but the biggest hurtle was that CA diesel fuel had a high s ... read more

You know, at Camarillo Car Care Center we get a lot of people asking about how to prepare their car for a trip. That's a big deal. You could be driving through mountains and deserts in some pretty lonely areas outside of Camarillo so you may be anxious to know that the car is up to the task and won't leave you stranded. You really do need to plan ahead for a major road trip there are a lot of things to get ready. Where should you start? You could start with the tires. Look them over for tread wear and check to see that they are properly inflated. Take a quick test drive around Camarillo to see if you can feel any vibrations: are the wheels are in balance? Is the car tracking straight? Is the alignment ok? The next thing is a full service oil change to make sure all of your fluids are topped off and you have fresh oil for the trip. And if your car has over 75,000 miles, you may consider putting in the high-mileage formulation to clean harmfu ... read more

Do you hear loud noises under the hood when you turn on your air conditioner? Do you only get cool air sporadically? If so, it is time to get your air conditioner checked. It's real easy to take your car's air conditioner for granted. Just push the right buttons and out comes cool, dry, clean air. But your air conditioning system needs attention from time to time to help it keep its cool. When most people hear the words “air conditioning problems”, it sends a shiver up their spine. That is because the air conditioning system is fairly complex. It has a lot of parts and when it's broken, it's expensive to repair. What things can we do to prevent air conditioning breakdowns? A common cause of air conditioning failure is leaks. Water and air can leak into the system. The system doesn't work as well with air in it. And water can cause rust that leads to damage of the A/C components. Also, refrigerant, the stuff that makes the air cold, can le ... read more