Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

The Road Ahead Graduates... Congratulations graduates of 2017. Whether it's High School or College, it's a milestone to be cherished for a lifetime. To High School grads, like my son Max it's the beginning of a journey into adulthood, self reflection and taking responsibility for ones actions and choices. For the College Grad it's embarking on a lifelong career path and relationships that lead to future building of family friends and community. The "Road" I speak of is not only paved with life centered challenges, adventures, mystery, fun and bumps but is literally offset by mundane events like a car not starting when racing to the birth of your first child. Like an alternator failing on a cold snowy night on a dark mountain road. This actually happened to a close friend upon returning from a ski weekend. Preparation and a proactive approach to car care or any life situation for that matter helps smooth out those bumps in the road. For the Graduating class of ... read more

What? No Spare Tire?       The TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) light came on the dash of my late model Chevy Volt, indicating loss of air pressure in the right rear tire. It turned out that a sharp blade cut a 3 inch gash in the tread causing a rapid loss of tire pressure and inadequate time to save the tire, which only had 10,000 miles on it. So naturally, I open my trunk, lift the floor covering to access the spare tire and jack, but to my surprise, I found neither. That's when it hit me. I'm driving a newer car engineered in Washington DC to be lighter, be green and emit fewer emissions. As a result, No Spare, No Jack. Just a Tire Fix-IT-Kit with a small air compressor and a container of sealant neatly packaged and secured in the trunk next to the battery. Unfortunately, given the extent of the tire damage, the Kit was useless. So If you're driving a late model vehicle, check your trunk and become familiar with the equipment prov ... read more