Encinitas Auto Repair

The world today looks a lot different than it did 6 months ago. Social distancing and limiting our interaction with others may have left your vehicle sitting untouched for days or even weeks at a time. While it may seem harmless to not use your vehicle, the truth is a car sitting without being driven isn't always a good thing. There are certain ways that you can both store your vehicle properly and take care of it while being idle that will prevent you from having to deal with a dead vehicle when you need it.  A car sitting idle starts to have issues after a few weeks if it remains untouched, with a few contributing factors considered. Ideally, you want to start up your car at least once a week and drive it around for a good 20 minutes to help recharge the battery and get the fluids running.  Let's look at some of the components that can suffer when your vehicle is left untouched for an extended period of time: A battery can slowly lose charge after a while, especi ... read more

Here in Encinitas, we are no stranger to the heat during the summer months. We are nearing the start of our official summer season, and you may be thinking about taking a road trip some time during the next couple months as our shelter in place orders begin to lift.  The hot summer weather definitely does take a toll on our vehicles, and doing what you can to prepare your car for summer will help you avoid summer car trouble. Here are some ways in which you can get your car ready for summer:  Test and clean your vehicle's battery; replace if it's nearing the end of its life (the heat can accelerate battery wear) Inspect all important fluids such as transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering and more. Fluids tend to evaporate faster in very hot climates.  Test your vehicle's A/C system and have it repaired or recharged if needed.   Check tires for correct tire pressure and excessive wear.  Having a cooling system inspection performed ... read more

Getting a flat tire while driving can be a scary occurrence, one which all of us want to avoid. A flat tire can happen because of a number of reasons, some which can be controlled and others which cannot, like driving over a nail. Luckily, there are some ways in which you can help prevent a flat tire from occurring. Correct Tire Pressure Ensuring that your vehicle's tires always have the proper tire pressure is vital to the safety of your vehicle. Driving with under inflated or overinflated tires puts you at risk for a tire blowout. Plus, driving with the wrong tire pressure decreases your overall fuel efficiency and can significantly wear down your tires. Most vehicles are equipped with a TPMS, or tire pressure monitoring system, which will alert you when your tire pressure is lower than 25%. However, we recommend a tire pressure check at least once a month.  Rotate Your Tires Proper tire rotation is another way to keep your tires in exce ... read more

The Governor of California has announced a mandate for all Californians to shelter in place and remain at home unless traveling to work or traveling to an essential store or establishment. Here at Complete Car Care Encinitas, we are still open during the COVID-19 outbreak. Auto repair is considered an essential business here in California, because auto care is needed for those who are still driving to get supplies or go to work.  While we understand that leaving your house and visiting a public place can be scary, we want you to have confidence that we are taking extra measures to ensure that our shop is clean and sanitized. We can service you by providing you your paper work outside in our parking lot, and take your keys from you without entering our lobby. Our new tentative operating hours are: Monday- Saturday From 08:00 AM to 03:00 PM Give us a all today to schedule your next service! It is our top priority to ensure that we are helping to prevent th ... read more

The cooling system in your vehicle is a very important group of working components. The job of this system is to essential keep your engine cool and working at an optimum temperature to protect your engine parts and ensure a smooth ride. In order to do this, the cooling system will circulate coolant throughout the engine to lubricate parts and act as a heat barrier to control the engine's temperature. If you've ever opened up your car's hood and stuck your hand in there, you've probably noticed just how dirty it is in there. You can imagine how much dirt and grime liquid flowing through the engine would pick up daily, and this is why a cooling system flush is an important service.  Over time, the coolant will become dirty which will affect its overall efficiency for both cleaning and lubricating parts. The engine can be costly repair, so protecting this major car part at all costs is vital to your safety and, lets face it, your wallet. A cooling system flush will ... read more

We've all been there - driving to a destination when you look down to your dashboard and see that your gas is on empty. You're faced with a dilemma, do you find a gas station immediately, or do you think you can make it to your destination? In turn comes the age old question, how far can you drive your vehicle while it is on an empty tank of gas? Many newer cars will actually let know you how many miles you have left. This is helpful, but not always 100% accurate. If your gas light is on, we recommend filling your tank as soon as you can. You never want to get stranded with no gas, especially when driving.  Driving with low fuel can actually cause damage to your vehicle. It can damage the fuel pump and cause problems with the catalytic converter. While driving with the gas tank light on once in a while is fine, doing this regularly can cause damage over time.  When the low fuel warning light is triggered, the amount of mileage your vehicle has until it completely s ... read more

The year has finally come to an end and many of us have exciting goals and expectations to look forward to in 2020. We want to thank all of our loyal customers here at Complete Car Care Encinitas who have made 2019 a wonderful year. We want to continue to work with our community to keep everyone's vehicles safe on the road and provide the excellent customer service that you deserve.  We know most people will be wondering what your New Year's resolutions will be as we jump into 2020. Whether you've thought about yours or not, we invite you to think about your car, too! Life gets busy and as car owners, it isn't always at the top of our list to have regular maintenance and service completed. However, we can change this moving into the new year.  Car maintenance and care is so important for a number of different reasons. First, it makes sure you and your family's safety on the road by avoiding unwanted breakdowns and car trouble that can lead to accide ... read more

Happy Holidays from all of us here at Complete Car Care Encinitas! The winter season is usually full of lots of traveling, and making sure that your vehicle is in excellent working condition is vital to guaranteeing its reliability on the road. If you're planning to visit relatives or friends near or far, a vehicle inspection here at Complete Car Care Encinitas before you hit the road will ensure your safety and give you peace of mind throughout your travels.  A pre-road trip inspection should include: Checking tires for proper air pressure, good tread, overall great condition, proper wheel alignment, and having a tire balance and rotation performed if necessary.  Inspect all fluids to ensure that that they are fresh and topped off Ensure that the spark plugs, starting and charging system, and battery are all in working order Check all exterior and interior lights If your windshield wipers are skipping or streaking, have the wipers replaced and ensure that the ... read more

It's that time of year for traveling to watch your favorite football or basketball team and with most sports events, tailgating is a tradition that brings us together for food and fun before the game starts. While we usually hear tailgating and think of it as only happening before a big game, tailgating is also becoming more popular to do with family and friends at home! So whether you're at your favorite team's game or you're BBQing with family and friends at a residence, remember these tailgating safety tips.  If you're driving around a tailgating area, be very cautious of your surroundings and drive carefully. This is especially important when pulling up to your team's game, especially because there will be hundreds if not thousands of other cars also tailgating. Watch for pedestrians and children.  Be sure to have a designated driver allotted to be sure that you are your passengers arrive home safely.  Make sure that you bring portable ... read more

Why are seatbelts in cars in the first place? Well, driving a vehicle is risky and can be dangerous at times. Think about it - on a highway, you're traveling at speeds of around 50-70 miles per hour. Getting into an accident at that speed can be catastophic, and a seatbelt can literally save your life. Let's put it this way: hitting a wall at a speed of 50 miles per hour is like falling from the balcony of a 5th story floor. Now imagine falling from that 5th story building with a parachute - this is kind of like getting into an accident but having your seatbelt on.  Seatbelts were created as a safety measure for vehicles because hitting another car or object at certain speeds can actually eject passengers from the vehicle. A seatbelt not only prevents you from being ejected, but it can help keep your from hitting your head on the roof of the vehicle and protects you in instances of your vehicle rolling or going upside down. Not wearing your seatbelt puts you in grave dang ... read more