Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

You know, at AutoAid & Rescue 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 Van Nuys 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 Van Nuys 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 ... read more

Come in for a FREE code reading. Some check engine lights will indicate an inevitable and possible immediate failure and others will signal an emissions error in a sensor or circuit which may or may not be noticed in the way the vehicle runs

Took 11 year old son Max and Friend Ryan deep sea fishing Sunday and had a blast. Beautiful scenery, great weather and caught some fish too. Tried for Sushi, but just got fryable/bakable fillets

If it smells like mold, mildew or cat urine when you turn on your car's air conditioning, don't fear, there is a cure. Call AutoAid for help with this issue.  81

People in Van Nuys have been hearing a lot about higher oil change intervals these days. Maybe you're wondering: What are the key issues? Some new vehicle manufactruers in Van Nuys are now recommending much higher oil change intervals than they have in the past. As much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more. This practice came under scrutiny when four of the largest new car manufactruers announced that owners like those in Van Nuys were experiencing engine damage resulting from these higher oil change intervals. The manufactruers' standard oil drain service for particular vehicles was scheduled at around 7,500 miles. People following these recommendations were experiencing engine damage. It turns out that oil sludge was building up. This caused small oil passages to clog and engine parts to fail. What causes oil sludge? It's a factor of time and mileage. There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off that l ... read more

AutoAid wishes to THANK all of our customers for helping us achieve this unprecedented award from the Automobile Club of Southern California for outstanding service for an independent  Auto Repair shop two years in a row. AutoAid is a family owned, AAA approved, Certified Female Friendly by AskPatty.com and AngiesList Super Service Award winner for 2009. Located at 14526 Erwin Street in Van Nuys. 818-901-1113, www.autoaidrescue.com

Bad air quality while you're driving around Sherman Oaks is nothing to sneeze at. But seriously, more and more vehicles these days come equipped with a cabin air filter. Since they're fairly new on the scene, a lot of folks don't know about them yet. These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment, or cabin, of your car or truck. They do the same job as the furnace filter you have at home. They can filter out particles as small as thee microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns. So your cabin air filer can clean out dust, pollution, pollen and spores, to keep the air in your car nice and clean. And just like your furnace filter, they need to be replaced when they get dirty. Check your owner's manual, but they typically need to be replaced at around twelve to fifteen thousand miles. The filter is usually either under the hood or under the dashboard. Some are a little tricky to get to, so you'll want to have ... read more

Everyone in Van Nuys CA has blind spots – and no, I'm not talking about the fact that you really don't sing like Jessica Simpson. I mean the areas of the road that you can't see when you're driving around Van Nuys. First let's talk about our own blinds spots, and then we can talk about others... To begin, we can greatly reduce our blind spots by properly adjusting our mirrors to give the widest coverage possible. Make the adjustments in your sedan before you start to drive. First, adjust your rear view mirror to give the best possible view directly to the rear of your car. You don't need it to get a better view of either side of the car, the kids in the back seat or your dazzling smile. The rear view mirror should look to the rear. Next, lean your head until it almost touches the driver's side window. Adjust your side mirror so that you can just barely see the side of your car. Now, lean your head to the middle of the car and adjust the outside mirror so that you can barely see ... read more

We're going to be talking about the ethics of automotive repair. It seems like news outlets really like hit-and-run reporting; they hit everyone from groceries stores to retail to physicians. And the Van Nuys automotive service and repair industry hasn't been given a pass either. Unfortunately, every profession in Van Nuys has some bad actors that hurt the reputation of everyone else. On the automotive side, industry associations and professional licensing organizations are very committed to high ethical standards. Yet some people remain uncomfortable with Van Nuys automotive service and repair. It may start with the fact that our vehicles are a big investment and we rely on them for so much in our lives. That alone guarantees our attention. And how well we understand the recommendations really impacts our comfort level. If we understand what's recommended and the benefits of taking care of the work – and the pitfalls of putting it off ... read more

At AutoAid & Rescue 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 sulfur content – too high for ... read more