Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

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Having trouble with your fuel system? Bring your sedan into AutoAid & Rescue for a check up. 14526 Erwin Street Van Nuys, CA 91411 818-901-1113 Today we're talking about fuel system cleaning. The first thing to know is how important it is to have a clean fuel system. You need fuel to go, and the cleaner your fuel system, the more efficiently the fuel will burn. That means more power and better fuel economy. A clean fuel system saves money at the pump. We guess you could say, it all starts and ends at the pump. One of the most important things you can do to keep your fuel system clean is to buy good quality gas. Major brands have detergents that keep gum and varnish from rapidly building up in the fuel system. So buying cheaper gas can actually cost you in the long run. Now, most cars on the road are more than five or six ... read more

David took the plunge last week and proposed marriage to Taryn. Congratulations Son

There was a man in Los Angeles who learned that most car accidents occur within a mile of home – so he moved. (Just Kidding!) When we think of defensive driving, we often focus on our local CA highway situations. The fact of the matter is we need to be just as careful close to home in Van Nuys, because that's where we do most of our driving. We can't let our familiar surroundings keep us from driving defensively. Defensive driving begins with the proper attitude. Have in mind that you won't let anyone take your safety away from you. You'll be aware of your surroundings, road conditions, other vehicles and hazards. And the first person to be concerned with is you: start with your own environment. Don't leave without securing all occupants including children and pets. Watch for loose items that can become projectiles during evasive maneuvers. Driving too fast or too slow increases the chance of an accident. Ne ... read more

Your vehicle manufactruer 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 Los Angeles always needs to follow the severe service schedule – but its wishful thinking to say that the regular schedule is always good enough for your sedan. At AutoAid & Rescue we’ll give you the definitions and explain the issues, and you can be the judge. Most manufactrues 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 temperatrues 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 wee ... read more

Have you ever had an experience like this in Van Nuys 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 were out from ... read more

Hey Los Angeles, are your tires worn out? What is the standard for our CA streets? How can you tell on your sedan? While there may be legal requirements for the Los Angeles 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 ... read more

When your car breaks down in the Van Nuys CA area, or just needs some routine service, it can make you a little nervous. Because your car’s so important to your life, you need to be back on the road as soon as possible. And, with the problem fixed right the first time. We’ve been checking into some of the training our Van Nuys CA technicians receive, and we’re very impressed. It’s amazing how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. So it’s not like when your uncle worked on his hot rod over weekend. Today there are four cylinder engines that make more power than the V-8’s in luxury cars 20 years ago. A new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket’s Ferrari in a race to 60 mph. Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up. And they’re so reliab ... read more

Make an appointment with AutoAid & Rescue to have your on board diagnostics analyzed. 14526 Erwin Street Van Nuys, CA 91411 818-901-1113 Today we're going to talk about on-board diagnostics and the questions we hear from folks around Van Nuys CA who need answers about diagnostic services. They want to know what diagnostics are, what's involved and what the benefits are. They really want to understand the value of diagnostic scans by a trained technician in Van Nuys CA. These are valid concerns. If you don't understand something it's really hard to know its value. Let's start with some history. Since 1996, all cars and light trucks in Van Nuys CA have been required to use a standardized diagnostic system to help repair technicians determine what's wrong with your vehicle. The diagnostic system works with the vehicle's Engine Control Module – the computer that controls many engine functi ... read more