Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

The weather report's in – and it calls for party crazy skies with an unpredictable front moving in from the Pacific! Weather in Southern California, especially recently, seems to be able to swing from one extreme to another with little warning. In other parts of the country it's a little easier to know how to be prepared, in terms of your vehicle – if you're in the north, take cold weather precautions in the winter, and in the south, get ready for hot and steamy summers. Here? If you want to get through our winter months disaster-free, you'll need to be prepared for anything. With that in mind, we've put together a list of tips for “extreme weather” driving – follow these rules of thumb and you'll be prepared to face nearly anything mother natrue throws at you. Hot Weather: Take care of your battery!Steamy hot days can take a lot out of us, but they can take a lot out of your car battery, too. When the temperatrues ris ... read more

Welcome to the AutoAid & Rescue blog. Today, let’s talk about the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, most of us Tarzana drivers tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Safe Tarzana drivers need to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.Let’s focus on stopping in wet Tarzana conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water. That’s called hydroplaning. If it’s really bad, Tarzana drivers can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast. So how does a tire move water? It h ... read more