Los Altos Auto Repair

Keeping cool in summer is important but it is also important for your vehicle to stay COOL.  Hi Cayenne here and today we are barking about coolant service.

Los Altos residents' cars have to operate in a wide range of CA temperatures which requires our engine coolant to be able to perform 'no matter what'. Think for a moment about the environment where the coolant does its thing. Very hot, high pressure, corrosive...

And all the while, it has to protect the components of the cooling system from corrosion. These components are made from steel and aluminum, plastics and rubber. The coolant has to be formulated to protect against corrosion for all of these different materials. That's why vehicle manufacturer’s recommend different types of anti-freeze for our Los Altos, CA vehicles.

There are several different 'families' of anti-freeze available to us here in Los Altos. Your owners' manual will tell you what kind you should use. Of course, the automotive professionals at Allied Auto Works will know the right kind for your car.

It's important to stay on top of this because coolant system failure is the most common mechanical problem people have here in Los Altos, CA. Regular service needs to be done at Allied Auto Works to avoid failures and also to keep your warranty in place.

While the specifics of the service required may vary from vehicle to vehicle, your friendly and knowledgeable Allied Auto Works service advisor will know what to do. You'll be advised to replace the coolant at specified intervals.

Some recommend periodic coolant system flushes. A flush adds a cleaning step to the fluid replacement process. Again, check to see what your owner’s manual recommends.

Well I am ready to take a swim after barking about all this cool stuff ~ Cayenne  

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
650.968.7227
http://www.alliedautoworks.com

Duke here and sometimes we think we can take care and fix our own cars like our Dads when were kids but in todays advanced technology on cars and special diagnostic equipment needed it is virtually impossible.   Technicians need to take ongoing education to keep on the ever changing technology put in our vehicles so let's bark about Technician Training today.

Los Altos consumers are demanding. We want a safe, reliable vehicle that handles well and is comfortable to ride in. Oh, and we want good fuel economy, too. We also want car repairs that are cheap, fast and easy. Unfortunately, one usually comes at the cost of the other.

Today's vehicles have made significant improvements in reliability and performance over the last few decades. They also deliver more power to Los Altos drivers more efficiently than ever before. For example, some of today's 4 cylinder engines are equal to yesterday's V-8's. Our vehicles also offer an amazing range of features that make them more comfortable and convenient than ever before.

But all of that improvement has come at a price for Los Altos vehicle owners. Our vehicles are more complicated and difficult to repair than ever before. They have numerous mechanical and electrical systems. Fuel systems are so complex they have to be run by a computer. Our vehicles are covered with sensors and high-tech electronic equipment. Our dashboards rival the control panel of the first manned space flight.

With all that complicated equipment, it's no wonder we call mechanics service technicians these days. You can't learn to repair cars in the backyard with your dad anymore. Today's Allied Auto Works technicians have to go to school. School may come in the form of classroom instruction, on-line courses or both. Technicians are also trained on-site at the Los Altos service centers where they work (including Allied Auto Works) to keep them abreast of constant improvements in vehicle engineering, diagnostic equipment and repair techniques.

Today's technicians need to be certified to work on our vehicles. They can earn a variety of certifications in CA, but the highest of these is Master Technician. It's like a graduate degree in auto repair.

Vehicle repair at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos requires more than just training and certification, though. It also takes information and creative thought. Los Altos area auto service centers subscribe to data services, technical libraries and on-line repair communities in order to get the information they need to work on various makes and models of vehicles, to get recommended maintenance schedules, to learn about non-standard features, and even to locate hard-to-find parts in an unusual engine. They also use this information to help diagnose rare or difficult vehicle problems. Many auto repair problems also require a bit of creative thinking for the team at Allied Auto Works to solve. Los Altos service technicians at Allied Auto Works act much like doctors in these situations. They're given a set of symptoms, and they have to come up with a diagnosis and treatment that will fix the problem. This process becomes as much of an art as it is a science.

A proper diagnosis, even by a highly qualified technician, can take time. And a technician's time is going to cost us. It's just the price of progress.

Of course, the best car care for Los Altos vehicle owners is planned preventive auto maintenance. This is also the least way to keep your vehicle in good repair. Regular inspections and replacement of worn parts will prevent most repairs from ever being needed in the first place.

And with the amazing complexity of today's automobiles, isn't it good to know there's someone out there with the knowledge, training and skill to give us good auto advice? Whether we need preventive maintenance or repairs, the team of automotive professionals at Allied Auto Works can help us keep our vehicles on the road. We just can't do it on our own anymore. 

Duke

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
650.968.7227
http://www.alliedautoworks.com

Hi Cayenne here and it is a beautiful day in Los Altos.  Today we will bark about the Alternator and how important it is with the charging system.  Let's get started! 

Your vehicle alternator doesn't get enough credit. Though your battery gets your engine started, after that – it's all about the alternator. 

Driving around Los Altos is a lot of work for your alternator and as upgrades such as heated steering wheels, cooled seats, stability control and lane departure warning become more common, it will have to work even harder. Eventually this workhorse just wears out. When it does you have no choice but to order an alternator replacement because your vehicle won't run without one. 

Come see our friendly and professional service advisors Matt and Travis at Allied Auto Works to learn more.......and tell them Cayenne sent ya!

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
650.968.7227
http://www.alliedautoworks.com

Hey it is Duke and today we need to do some DEEP CLEANING for our fuel systems,

Having trouble with your fuel system? Bring your vehicle into Allied Auto Works for a check up.

In today's Allied Auto Works auto post, we're talking about fuel system cleaning. The first thing to know is how it is to have a clean fuel system. Los Altos residents need fuel to go, and the cleaner the fuel system, the more efficiently the fuel will burn. That means more power and better mileage .

A clean fuel system saves money for Los Altos drivers at CA gas stations. We guess you could say, it all starts and ends at the pump. One of the most important things Los Altos residents can do to keep their vehicle 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 in CA can actually be more expensive for Los Altos drivers in the long run. Now, most cars on CA roads are more than five or six years old. That means they've had time for some dirt and rust to start accumulating in the fuel tank. This junk needs to be filtered out of the fuel before it hits your vehicle engine. That's the fuel filter's job.

When the fuel filter is clogged, the dirty fuel will bypass the filter and go on up to the engine where it can clog fuel injectors and get into the cylinders. So Los Altos residents should have their fuel filter changed when recommended. Check your owner's manual or ask your friendly and knowledgeable Allied Auto Works service advisor if your fuel filter is due for replacement.

Well I do not know about you, but I am going to clean my DOGHOUSE,  till next week this DUKE!

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
650.968.7227
http://www.alliedautoworks.com