Bodega Head, Bodega Bay

Image: Flickr

This beautiful scenic area is known to be a gorgeous place for long walks and during the winter and early spring months for whale watching. If you are looking for whales, you can find out their latest movements and where they are that day, by asking the local volunteers.

For those looking for long walks, this site certainly won’t disappoint at any time of the year.

Visit: Bodega Head

The Meritage Resort & Spa, Napa

North California is known for its many excellent spas. One of the best resorts to visit is the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa. It is located just on the outskirts of the city in the southern part of the Napa Valley. The local region is gorgeous and the facility is built in a large cave, under vineyards.

The resort offers day-spa services and great wine tasting at Trinitas. The local region is also a fantastic place for hikers and those looking to have some fun in the local city. To get there you can use the hotel’s shuttle service into town. The only problem with this resort is that if you stay there, it can be loud if your room is over the bowling alley.

Visit: The Meritage

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, Berkeley

Image: Flickr

This botanical garden is one of the best in the world. Set in 34 acres of grounds are plants from across the world, including rare and endangered plant species. This is a family friendly place with plenty of room for your youngest to roam and play.

Visit: Botanical Garden

Yosemite National Park

Image: Flickr

This national park is only a four-hour drive from San Francisco and is one of the most stunning natural beauties within the United States, if not the world. You can access the majority of the park by car and foot. There are also numerous lodges and campsites for you to rest at night and continue on with your drive the next day.

Visit: Yosemite National Park

The post 4 Great Northern California Weekend Trips appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

Here are five, what they do and basic maintenance.

Engine Oil

The first thing that most car owners learn about is how to check their vehicle’s engine oil. For most, you just need to open up the bonnet and find the oil dipstick. After you pull this out, wipe it down so it is clean. Then you need to replace the stick and pull it out again. This will give the oil level and it should be above the line on the stick.

You should check your oil level at least once a month, more frequently for older cars. Replacing the oil is only required when the level gets low, as determined by the dip stick.

Transmission Fluid

The gears of your vehicles are kept healthy with transmission fluid. The same process of checking your engine oil can be done for your transmission oil; though the engine should be running. This test needs to be done monthly.

The fluid should be red, if it is brown or smells burnt then you need to replace the fluid at a reputable mechanic’s.

Coolant

This is what keeps your vehicle cool and is vital. If you run out of coolant, your vehicle could overheat. To check this fluid you need to ensure the engine is cool and not running. Then open up the coolant cap and see the level of the fluid against the line. This should be done about every four to six months. If it is low, add some more, ensuring it is the same type that is already in the car.

Brake Fluid

Just like the transmission fluid, this is part of a closed system. Therefore, your car should never actually run low on it. Still, it is an important fluid to regularly check as leaks can occur or can become dirty and less effective.

Check the fluid by looking at the brake fluid reservoir on the driver’s side of your vehicle. The liquid should be a golden color. If it is brown, take it to a mechanic to be replaced.

Power Steering Fluid

When this fluid starts to get low you might hear a creaking, or other weird sounds. The reservoir to check the levels should be under the bonnet. If it gets low get your vehicle to a mechanic.

If you check these fluids regularly, you should be able to keep your car running smoothly and have cheaper repair costs.

The post The 5 Fluids That Keep Your Car Running Smoothly appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

Car Repair, The Common Issues

Here are the most frequent repairs according to the survey:

5. Replacing Spark Plugs

This is a small part that when faulty can result in huge problems for car owners. While changing the spark plugs on your own is a possibility, and can cost significantly less, a faulty spark plug can cause significant damage to your gas mileage and your catalytic converter. The latter of these car components is very expensive and therefore it is worth the small expense of the experienced mechanic to save on the potential costs of further repairs.

According to the survey, spark plugs were responsible for 3.71% of all repairs.

4. Replacing Mass Air Flow Sensor

This device measures how much air is supplied to the engine and then determines the amount of fuel that is required to keep it running. Nearly one in twenty repairs (4.36%) are because of a faulty mass air flow sensor; but this needn’t be the case. This repair is preventable if you replace your air filters on a regular basis. Replacing the air filters would cost you about $20-$30; a sensor repair can cost you approximately $200.

3. Catalytic Converter Replacement

The catalytic converter replacement takes up 6.4% of all repairs and the most expensive on this list. However, this repair is completely avoidable if you pay attention to other, less expensive, components of your car; for instance, your spark plugs and fuel injector. Ignoring these components for too long will result in a damaged catalytic converter and an expensive repair bill, often over $1000.

2. Loose Fuel Caps

Nearly one in ten repairs (9.28%) are because of loose fuel caps. While this repair is fairly cheap to correct, it can cause additional problems: mainly to the efficiency of your fuel usage. CarMD estimates that approximately 147 million gallons of gas is evaporated each year because of lost, damaged or missing fuel caps.

1. Oxygen Sensor Replacement

Only just being the top reason why cars end up in the repair shop, the oxygen sensor is an essential repair that needs to be done by a mechanic. The main reason for this is because the sensor that detects whether there is too much or too little gas in the tank is often hidden behind special covers that require specialist tools.

Conclusion

Many of the most frequent car repairs are fairly inexpensive. Those that are expensive are often the result of poor maintenance or smaller items not being repaired early enough. Ensure you don’t create a larger bill for yourself by having a preventative car maintenance schedule in place.

Actions you can take:

• Conduct regular car maintenance to check for potential problems before they become too serious.
• Change your air filters regularly.
• Speak to us about what preventative measures you can take to ensure your car is only in the repair shop when it is needed.

The post Common Car Repairs Worth Knowing About appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

When Should You Get a Timing Belt Change?

Because most cars have a timing belt installed, your car most likely has one too. If you are unsure if your car has a timing belt or chain, remember to check your owner’s manual and the scheduled maintenance section or just give us a quick call, we are happy to help you figure things out.

Timing belts should be replaced at scheduled service intervals. The timing for these changes can range from 60,000 to 110,000 miles; depending on your vehicle’s make, model, engine type and the year it was produced.

If you haven’t had a timing belt change for 72 months, even if you haven’t reached 110,000 miles, you should arrange for a new belt to be fitted anyway. This is strongly recommended by many car manufacturers, including Honda, as belts can degrade over time.

It is not safe to judge the condition of the timing belt by visual inspection alone. Some damage may be hidden and incorrectly assuming a belt is safe can be dangerous and expensive.

What Happens If Your Timing Belt Breaks

If you are unfortunate enough to have your timing belt break, your car will come to an immediate stop. Your car will need to be towed to the nearest repair shop and your engine may have suffered internal damage. Next to the timing belt change, this could result in your vehicle needing a new engine, which is very expensive and takes a significant amount of time to complete.

Change The Water Pump

Even on regular changes of your timing belt you should look to replace the water pump. Not doing so can cause more trouble for you later on, such as breaking the timing belt: which makes the original work pointless and add additional repairs.

Not having your vehicle can be very inconvenient. Therefore, ensure you aren’t making one of the most common car maintenance mistakes and ensure all the maintenance is undertaken at the same time. This will save you time, costs and be more convenient.

The post When Should You Get a Timing Belt Change? appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

There is no single error indicated by the light; it could be one (or more) from a host of various problems. So what should you do? How do you check what is wrong with your vehicle?

While the activation of the light does not necessarily mean you need to immediately end your journey and call for assistance, it does indicate there is a fault with your car. The most common causes for the indicator are a malfunction of the oxygen sensor, mass air flow sensor, spark plugs or wires.

Not getting the vehicle quickly enough to a mechanic could result in a higher repair bill later on when the fault worsens or causes further damage. Also, the longer you leave the maintenance check, the more money you are spending due to a decrease in fuel efficiency.

What To Do When Your Check Engine Light Comes On

If the check engine light starts flashing, you should immediately schedule a check for your vehicle. This is a sign that there is a major fault with your vehicle and this could be dangerous.

When your vehicle is in for a maintenance check, your OBDII trained and certified technician will use the best diagnostic tools to identify the cause of the fault. Then your technician should be able to advise you of the best course of action and what repairs are required to return your vehicle to its peak performance.

The post What To Do When Your Check Engine Light Comes On appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

Read why you should rotate your tires and what happens during a normal tire rotation service.

Why Should Tire Rotation Be Part of Your Vehicle Maintenance Schedule?

When we are talking about rotating the tires, we are not talking about the normal rotation of the tire when the vehicle is in motion. The term is used when tires are moved to another position on the car. For instance, the front left and right tires are swapped over.

Which of your tires are swapped is not specified nor should be the same each time. Any tire can be swapped with another during a rotation, it is only recommended that a system is put into place so no one tire is left out of the process or that tires are simply placed back to where they were once before.

This is because tires wear unevenly. The front tires will often show more wear than the back tires, especially on the outside edges, because the tires lean to the side when you turn a corner. The rear tires simply follow the front tires, so there is often an even distribution of wear on rear tires.

Should you leave the tires in the same place, you’ll find the wear on the front tires will happen much faster. Then you’ll have to replace them much sooner than you would should you have rotated your tires regularly. Therefore, over the long term it will save you money to have your tires rotated.

Tire rotation also helps you to have a smoother drive with better handling of the vehicle and is better for a safer journey. We recommend to all our customers that they make tire rotation part of their vehicle maintenance schedule.

What Happens During A Tire Rotation?

During a standard tire rotation, the following basic vehicle maintenance checks and processes are done:

• Each tire and wheel is removed from your vehicle and checked for wear.
• Tires and wheels still in good condition are moved to a new position on your vehicle.
• Tires that show too much wear are replaced.
• Air pressure is checked.
• Breaks are checked while there is easy access to them.

The post Why You Should Rotate Your Tires appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

However, this can cause a number of problems which can actually increase costs, rather than save them.

So what problems can occur by attempting to complete auto repairs yourself?

Invalidating Warranties

Warranties are there to protect consumers from paying for auto repairs when something has gone wrong before the lifetime of the part has expired. Attempting to repair the faulty parts yourself can mean you do further damage or adjust something that you are obliged not to do under the terms and conditions of the warranty.

Invalidating a warranty will mean you become responsible for all auto repair costs; instead of the manufacturer or the seller.

Inserting The Wrong Part

There are many different variances to parts and if you have no experience with auto repairs, you might replace a component with something similarly named, but incorrect. This can mean that your vehicle may suffer from poor performance or further damage.

Then you could end up spending more money on returning the vehicle to their expected performance level or repairing the damage caused by the erroneous part.

Using The Wrong Tools

Professional mechanics have access to tools and equipment recommended or designed for your vehicle. If you do the repairs yourself, it is likely you will not have these tools at your disposal. Using alternatives could further damage your vehicle or the parts you are replacing or inserting into your car.

How Can You Prevent Costly Auto Repairs?

Even though owner manuals and the internet can provide all the necessary information, there is no guarantee you’ll be able to successfully implement their instructions or receive the right equipment / replacement parts. This can lead to more damage to your vehicle and high auto repair costs.

In essence, there is no substitute to a professional auto repair mechanic. They are trained and experienced to identify faults, source the correct parts and repair your vehicle.

The post Auto Repair: How To Avoid These Costly Mistakes appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.

What happens during a car tune-up has changed significantly over the years as automotive technology has advanced and legislation has come into effect. You need to ensure certain tasks are carried out to be confident your vehicle is safe; but, the definition of a car tune-up is not the same everywhere.

So here is the car tune up checklist and what you can expect from you visit at RPM Auto Repair.

Car Tune Up Checklist at RPM Auto Repair

The first thing we do is a number of checks to see where problems may be. Our car tune-up checks include:

• Scan for faulty codes
• Battery voltage
• Tire pressure test
• Inspect spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor
• Replace spark plugs
• Check and adjust curb idle speed as required
• Clean fuel injectors
• Visual check of emission control related devices
• Exhaust emissions (this is a must to ensure your vehicle meets legal requirements)
• Verify idle speed
• Check and adjust ignition timing as required
• Hoses and belts for wear and tear
• Check all fluid levels
• Road test vehicle

About Repairs And Replacements

Next to the items on the car tune up checklist, you might want to consider replacing some parts depending on your mileage. These include the spark plugs, rotor cap, distributor cap, fuel and air filters, PCV valve, sensors and breather filter.

The spark plugs need to be changed periodically for safety. The electrodes wear every time the plugs fire; by the time that vehicle has travelled 45,000 miles the spark plugs would have fired approximately 60-80 million times. The wear on the spark plugs can cause the sharp edges to become smooth and rounded and the distance between the plugs is greater. This therefore requires more voltage for the ignition or the plug may misfire.

You should also ensure your O2 sensor is replaced periodically. EPA studies have found 70% of vehicles failing their emissions tests require a new oxygen sensor. A slightly worn O2 sensor will cause your vehicle to use more fuel. In theory, you should get a Check Engine or Malfunction Indicator Lamp warning when the O2 sensor begins to degrade; but there are many cases when a badly worn one will still function without the warning.

Conclusion

Using our car tune up checklist will help you get your car the tune up it deserves.

You can find RPM Auto Repair at 1025 Water Street in Santa Cruz, California or talk to your mechanic about their car tune up checklist and compare it against ours above.

RPM Auto Repair provides car tune-ups and other maintenance services to the Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Soquel & Aptos areas. Our expert mechanics are perfect for any maintenance or repair requirement you have.

Give us a call today and arrange for your car to be inspected!

The post Car Tune Up Checklist And Benefits appeared first on RPM Auto Repair.