Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

Men at work at AutoAid

When a Check Engine light illuminates on your dash, unless there's an immediate and noticeable change in the way the car performs, Don't Panic. The emissions system is detecting a fault in the system which stores a code in the vehicle computer for the technician to read and decipher. This light may come on and turn off, come on and stay on or flash. If it flashes, it's a more urgent message to have it checked. If not, get it in to AutoAid as soon as practical. Some check engine lights may cause the vehicle to stall, mis-shift lose power while others may have no noticeable effect. Best practices: Have it checked for your peace of mind

When you think about your car's air filter, you probably think of something that's under your hood. Something that gets changed along with your regular scheduled service visits, and otherwise doesn't require much thought. Well, today we want to talk a little about the other air filter found in many of today’s newer cars, the cabin air filter. Ask the average driver on the road and they may not know that such a thing exists. Not only does it exist, it's also an essential part of a car's ventilation system! Your cabin air filter helps stop allergens and pollutants from reaching the inside of your car - and more importantly, from reaching the sensitive noses of drivers and passengers like you and your family. Why cabin air filters? If you're one of the millions of drivers who suffer from allergies, you probably drive with the windows up and the A/C on (weather permitting, of course), thinking you're safe from pollutants floating about in the air outside... well, you're wrong! You may be ... read more

Every sedan on CA highways has a differential, and it is essential to the proper operation of the vehicle, but most Van Nuys drivers don’t have a clue what it is. The differential compensates for differing wheel speeds. For example, when you turn, the inside tire on the turn travels a much shorter distance than the outside wheel. So the inside wheel of the sedan must move at a slower speed than the outside wheel. Without a differential, the wheels would hop and scrape while turning. Have you ever seen the large bugle-shaped object in the middle of the rear axle of a truck? That’s the differential. In a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the differential is located on the back axle. Four-wheel drive vehicles and SUV’s have differentials on both the front and the rear axle. You might expect that the differential is located on the front axle of a front-wheel drive vehicle. You’d be rig ... read more