Auto Repair in Camarillo

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