San Carlos & Valley Springs Auto Repair

Tune up used to be a ritual for most motorists. These days most cars are self-tuning, in many ways. Onboard sensors monitor various parameters and send the information to the computer which can adjust air intake, can vary the richness of air-fuel mixture, and based on that information, can calculate volume of exhaust, and thus monitor if various subsystems are working correctly. Yet, for all that computing power, there are still plenty of subsystems that need a human to verify that everything is ok. Belts and hoses need a professional to ascertain if they need to be replaced. Tire condition, tread depth, uneven wear, suspension, including shocks/struts, wheel alignment - these are crucial for fall and winter driving, yet they require an experienced professional and alignment equipment to verify that they are in good working order. That's why at Toole's Garage San Carlos we highly recommend Autumn tune-up, a thorough service and inspection, before the rains come.  In addit ... read more

Regular oil change is one of the simplest, yet one of the most important maintenance services that will keep you BMW humming through the years. Fresh engine oil not only has the correct chemical and mechanical properties, but it also carries away dirt and gunk that gets created when various moving parts of the engine work in close proximity. The longer the interval between oil changes, the greater the degradation of the oil’s chemical and mechanical properties due to age and heat, and also, the greater the amount of gunk and dirt that the engine oil circulates through the engine – because engine oil filter has a limited capacity to filter out all those impurities. That’s why with every oil change professional mechanics also provide a fresh oil filter, so the system can work as designed, and provide maximum lubrication and cleaning for the engine. The rule of thumb says that you should have your BMW go through an oil change every 5000 miles (if using 100% synthetic o ... read more

Even though we are having lovely, unseasonably warm days, in the evening you can feel the chill of the Autumn. This is a good time to get your car ready for the cold night, and rains. After the summer fun, it’s time to get your vehicle inspected and prepared for the harsher driving conditions. At Toole’s Garage in San Carlos we recommend that you have professionals look at various components and system of your vehicle: Lights As the days get shorter, you vehicle’s exterior lights gain in importance. All exterior lights should be checked to make sure they operate properly and provide you with visibility on the road. Do not forget signal lights - they are important for your safety. Windshield Wipers Faulty windshield wipers in the middle of a rainstorm are no fun – and during summer we rarely use them, so it’s doubly important to do a windshield wiper check before the winter rains. Summer heat and sunlight tend to damage ... read more

As the weather gets colder and wetter, there are a few things to consider to make sure your car or truck is safe and comfortable for winter driving. Tires The grooves, channels and slits in your tire’s tread are carefully engineered to keep a small section of rubber in close contact with the road and channel water away from that “contact patch.” In most passenger vehicles, the tread pattern is designed to give you predictable grip during cornering, braking and accelerating, reduce noise, and provide biting edges when traveling on icy or snowy roads.  These “all-season” tires make some compromises at the limit, but offer a comfortable, safe and long-wearing tire. Some performance cars, though, come equipped with summer tires, designed for maximum grip on dry roads and in temperate climates, but they aren’t as good in bad weather, and certainly not intended for a winter trip to Tahoe.  Take a look at the sidewall and you&rs ... read more

As the weather gets colder and wetter, there are a few things to consider to make sure your car or truck is safe and comfortable for winter driving. Brakes Wet and slick roads increase stopping distances significantly, so you need to brake sooner, react more quickly, maintain longer following distances, and avoid abrupt steering and braking that might induce a skid. Make sure your brake pads and shoes are in good shape, with even wear and adequate thickness, and that your rotors are smooth and sound. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, which accumulates and reduces braking performance at the limit (when it really matters), and increases corrosion of brake lines and other parts of your braking system. Be sure to change your brake fluid every two years, regardless of mileage, and keep the system in good working order. Air Conditioning Now that you’re using the heater again, you may not be thinking much about your A/C ... read more

As the weather gets colder and wetter, there are a few things to consider to make sure your car or truck is safe and comfortable for winter driving. Windshield Chips and Cracks If you have a rock chip or small crack in your windshield, you may be able to repair the damage before it grows into a long crack.  Many auto insurance companies waive your deductible and pay for most or all of the repair if you fix rather than replace the windshield, so act quickly when the damage occurs.  When the weather dips near freezing, then warms later in the day, chips and cracks are more likely to worsen. And if you toss a bucket of hot water on your ice-cold windshield to clear the ice or snow, you might see a crack form immediately, just as you are heading off to work or the slopes. Like many things in auto repair, fix things before they fail or at the first sign of failure and you’ll often save money over the life of your car. ... read more

    Air conditioning   Your air conditioning system relies on a closed system that circulates refrigerant through a compressor, an evaporator, a drier and one or more heat exchangers to pull heat out of your car and dump it outside, leaving you 20 degrees or so cooler inside than out. O-rings and gaskets seal the joints in this system and keep the refrigerant inside.  Your compressor moves refrigerant through the system, where it expands to a gas then returns to liquid to “condition” the air without being used up.  Refrigerant gases are environmental hazards if released into the air, so we use special machines to evacuate them from your A/C system and return them after repairs.  When your car sits unused, the tiny seals inside your climate-control system can shrink slightly and let refrigerant escape. Over time, you may lose just enough refrigerant that your vents blow coolish but not cold because you’re low on refrigerant. We’ve ... read more

  Hybrid powertrains Hybrid powertrains rely on liquid coolant to remove heat from the electric motors, batteries and inverters, which are often hidden behind the rear seats, under the floor or in the trunk area, and rely on carefully managed airflow combined with special coolant and radiators.  I remember a Honda Insight that lost this coolant due to a rock striking the grille area, setting a check engine light on the dash.  The owner ignored the warning and kept driving the car, until forced to stop on the side of the road.  That tiny pebble caused the hybrid power system to overheat and take out some other components - several thousand dollars in repairs.  Hybrid batteries use the car’s engine to turn an alternator or an electric motor to charge them, maintaining a complex balance of power to provide brisk acceleration or electric-only driving, then burning fuel to recharge the battery bank and extend driving range.  These cars and trucks are des ... read more

  Rodent damage While you’ve been sheltering in place, rodents may have sheltered under your hood.  In the last couple of months, we’ve seen five or six cars with wiring damage along with remnants of nesting, eating and “visiting the powder room.” Some cars have very complex wiring harnesses that must be replaced as entire assemblies - expensive parts and extensive labor.  Sometimes, the first evidence is a rough idle, a check-engine light, bits of plant material under the hood, or a telltale smell.  These cars usually require a thorough cleaning of the engine compartment, some diagnostic work, replacement or repair of wiring, and some preventive measures. We recommend wrapping wiring harnesses with capsaicin-impregnated tape (it’s spicy hot) to deter rodents from chewing.  Rodent repellents, containing odors rats don’t like such as mint, and fox-urine pheromones, can help a bit, and you can install under-hood strobe lights ... read more

  Catalytic-converter theft The catalytic converter is a component in your exhaust system that converts oxides of nitrogen (NOx) into less-polluting emissions, and they contain several valuable metals.  Toyota Prius cats have larger quantities of these metals, and pay higher prices at the metal recycler.  Thieves target these cars, in particular, for a quick “jack and hack” that’ll cost you a few thousand to repair, but nets them a couple hundred dollars or less. Every car is a potential target, and those parked unused for several days can attract the attention of the bad guys.  Your first clue is usually a car that sounds like the muffler fell off - the entire middle section of your exhaust system gets cut out with a power saw in a minute or two, often stealing or damaging the oxygen sensors, pre-cat and post-cat exhaust pipes, and sometimes even denting things with careless jack placement.  We can install catalytic-converter shields using ... read more