Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

AutoAid of Van Nuys is offering to repair or service your car today for payment when you receive your Tax Refund. Just show your proof of refund and credit card and get rolling. AAA approved, Female friendly certified and AngiesList Super Service award winner for

There are a surprising number of small, inexpensive parts that can lead to expensive engine damage when they fail. It doesn't seem right. Fortunately a lot of those things can be taken care of in routine maintenance. They may not be easy to remember, because it is a long list, but your service center at AutoAid & Rescue can help you know what's scheduled to be taken care of. Some of us in Van Nuys CA really don't look forward to going in for an oil change and then getting a list of the other things the manufactruer recommends. But automotive maintenance is all about prevention, and addressing small problems before they get big. Let's take the fuel filter for example. You may not know this but the median age for private vehicles on our Van Nuys CA roads is over nine years. When cars ... read more

Today we’re going to be talking about serpentine belts for our Van Nuys CA customers. Let’s start by talking about the accessories that are driven by the serpentine belt. First is the alternator. That’s the device that makes electricity to power the vehicle and recharge the battery. Then there’s the air conditioning compressor that makes cool air for you while you're driving around Van Nuys CA in the summer. The power steering and power brake pumps are driven by the serpentine belt in most vehicles. Those pumps make the pressure that assists your steering and braking. In many vehicles, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt. The water pump is what circulates the coolant that protects your engine. In some cars around Van Nuys CA, the water pump is driven by the timing belt. The radiator cooling fans on some vehicles are also driven by the serpentine belt. Some have separate electr ... read more

We get a lot of questions about servicing your car at AutoNetTV. One that we get asked the most is: Do you have to take your car to the nearest Van Nuys dealer for service and repair? We’ve all asked ourselves that at one time or another. Of course, any new car dealer in Van Nuys would like to have your service business, but there are a lot of reasons to turn to the automotive aftermarket for routine maintenance services as well as repairs. First, let’s get some terms straight. New car dealers and manufactruers are referred to as Original Equipment – or OE providers. Everybody else is in the automotive Aftermarket. That includes auto parts stores, quick lubes, tire and service, and repair centers. It’s important to know how the automotive industry works. Most car manufactruers don’t actually make their own parts and none of them make all of the p ... read more

We live in such a disposable society here in Van Nuys. It’s amazing all the stuff we throw away. New stuff comes out so fast, we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough – we had to do without. We couldn’t afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It’s a good thing that cars are more reliable these days. They just don’t break down as often. And the good news for us penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering’s there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the manufactruer’s recommended maintenance schedules. Is it really that bad to get off sched ... read more

Today we want to talk about timing belts. They’re something that many Van Nuys drivers don’t know much about and yet your vehicle won’t run if it’s broken – and it could cause many thousands of dollars damage if it does break. A broken timing belt is usually a tale of woe. Even though timing belt replacement is scheduled in the owner’s manual, it’s not the kind of thing that most Los Angeles car owners remember because it’s not well understood. Let’s review what a timing belt does. As you know, the engine’s power is generated in the cylinders. A piston rides up and down in the cylinder. During the first down stroke, an intake valve at the top of the cylinder opens and air and fuel is drawn into the cylinder. Then the piston returns to the top, compressing the fuel and air mix. At the top, the spark plug fires, igniting the fuel pushing the piston down in the power strok ... read more

You may know that all 2008 model year and newer cars, mini-vans and light trucks in Van Nuys come with a tire pressure monitoring system. Many slightly older vehicles around Van Nuys have these systems as well. A tire pressure monitoring system – called TPMS – consists of sensors on each wheel that measure tire pressure. If tire pressure drops 25 percent below the manufactruer’s recommended pressure, the sensor sends a signal to a monitoring unit that causes a warning to light up on the dashboard. When you see the warning light, you know it’s time to put some air in your tires. There are many benefits to driving with properly inflated tires around Van Nuys. First is cost savings. Running at the correct air pressure improves fuel economy. Driving on under-inflated tires is like driving through sand – it drags down your fuel economy. You’ll a ... read more

There are some things Los Angeles consumers should know about Van Nuys automotive service and repair. First and foremost, AutoAid & Rescue cares about you and your family’s safety. And we really appreciate your business. AutoAid & Rescue in Van Nuys wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come. Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix cars. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The technicians that work for AutoAid & Rescue need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right part ... read more

At AutoAid & Rescue we’ve had a lot of people asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that’s been building for several years. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles on them. It looks like it’s going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices a lot of folks are putting off buying a new car. Thanks to AutoNetTV, we can provide you with a video answer to this question. So let’s say you’re one of the average people in the Los Angeles area; you’ve got a nine year old car with 80,000 miles on the odometer. What can you to do make it last another year or two? Let’s start with the premise that there’s no reason that a modern car can’t run for 200,000 miles ... read more

Everyone in Van Nuys knows we're supposed to go to the dentist twice a year. We get our teeth cleaned and have a thorough dental inspection. Once a year, we get x-rays to look for problems that can’t be seen with the naked eye. When the dentist is done, he tells us what he’s found – “Everything’s fine, see you in six months.” Or “You’ve got a small cavity starting, let’s schedule an appointment to take care of it.” By the time you leave, you have a plan for addressing any necessary repairs. This system works so much better than waiting for a painful problem before going into the dentist. Small problems are fixed before they turn into big problems. And you avoid those huge bills. If we buy into this way of handling our dental care, why do we resist so much when facing the same system for our car care? Following the manufactruer’s recommended intervals can be confusing. First there are recommendations for so many things ... read more