Los Altos Auto Repair

Cayenne has a question for Los Altos, CA motorists: How long have you been enjoying the romantic glow of your check engine light?

Hey, it's not there to create ambiance; it's a warning that something's wrong. (And, by the way, Homer Simpson's fix of covering it with tape is not a good idea.)

If your check engine light comes on, check your gas cap. A loose gas cap can cause a false sensor reading that'll make the check engine light turn on.

Many conditions that trigger the check engine light can hurt your fuel economy. A lot.

If your date's eyes are smoldering in the soft glow of the check engine light, try to think of all the gas money you'll save by getting it fixed. Give Allied Auto Works a call when you are ready: 650.968.7227 and tell them Cayenne sent you!

Cayenne here,

Some Los Altos drivers wonder why Allied Auto Works and other Los Altos auto repair shops charge a fee for diagnostic services.

Think about it: When you hire a local Los Altos HVAC technician to check out a problem with your air conditioner you’ll probably pay a diagnostic fee. When you visit your Cupertino doctor for a health problem, you pay the physician to diagnose the ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.

So receiving a diagnostic charge at Allied Auto Works for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Los Altos area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your sedan brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy CA interstate, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your sedan engine, however, Allied Auto Works diagnosis may be much more involved.

Much of the Los Altos auto owners’s confusion comes when the problem involves the check engine light. The check engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.

There’s a common misconception among Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Mt. View drivers that the trouble code tells the Allied Auto Works technician exactly what’s wrong. They wonder why there is a diagnostic charge - because the scanner quickly gave the diagnosis.

In reality, it is not that easy and straightforward. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that’s out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the check engine light.

The sedan computer's trouble code just tells the Allied Auto Works technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the malfunction.

There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for Allied Auto Works customers. The Allied Auto Works service advisor makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem. This takes time.

Los Altos service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for all the possible trouble codes. The databases outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented repair. These vital databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.

Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved, time-consuming, and difficult. Of course Allied Auto Works wants to figure out what’s wrong with your sedan and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

Well I hope that clears up any mystery about Diagnostic for today and until next time this is Cayenne your friendly dog blogger

Cayenne checking in with you,

Under-inflated tires waste gas for lots of folks in the Cupertino area. Think how hard it is to walk in sand – you just have to work harder because of the resistance. When your tires don't have enough air in them, their rolling resistance is dramatically increased and it simply takes more gas to get from Los Altos to Cupertino.

Always check your tire pressure when you gas up at one of our local Cupertino service stations. If they're low – even just a little bit – bring them up to proper pressure. There's a sticker on the inside of your driver's door that gives the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure.

And don't rely on your tire pressure monitoring system to alert you to when you need more air. The TPMS system is set to warn you when pressure drops twenty percent below recommendations. That's severely under inflated and you needed more air a long time ago. And if you have a slow leak – get it fixed right away at Allied Auto Works.

Get some air and save some gas.

 

Hi Cayenne here, today it is all about our techicians and their education and training.

Your car is important to you and keeping it running properly is vital to your Los Altos lifestyle. That's why you're smart to have it serviced regularly at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos. And even though it may just be routine maintenance, you want it done right by automotive professionals.

It's also very important to your Los Altos service center to keep you happy and on the road. You might be surprised at the amount of money our Los Altos auto service center spends annually to make sure our personal and trust service specialists are properly trained.

  Allied Auto Works offers a variety of automotive services for many kinds of vehicles. We need to be current on the latest techniques and parts so that we can give you quality service. Our Los Altos centers subscribe to data services that list the high quality parts and fluids recommended by your manufacturer.

And each service has a checklist of standard procedures. Allied Auto Works technicians follow these procedures so they can safely deliver a consistent level of high-quality service.

Some services at Allied Auto Works require the use of specialized equipment. Allied Auto Works technicians are trained extensively on this equipment so that they can service your car quickly and efficiently.

Classroom, video and hands-on training is provided by the company and outside trainers. It's not only important that personal and trust service specialists be able to perform a given task, they also need to be thoroughly trained in inspection and diagnostic techniques. One of the great services they perform is to detect potential problems before they become serious (and pricey).

The automotive service industry has standards for classifying and communicating problems to auto owners. For example, it's one thing to learn that your manufacturer recommends that you change your serpentine belt every 30,000 miles and another to learn that the belt is on the verge of failure. These standards help you understand the urgency of recommendations, letting you make better automotive service decisions.

CA folks may be interested to know that service technicians (including those at Allied Auto Works) are trained in compliance with federal and local Los Altos laws and regulations, including environmental regulations regarding the disposal of used parts and fluids.

It's the goal of Allied Auto Works to provide fast, courteous service. You should feel free to ask your personal and trusttechnician or one of the managers about your service or for more information about their recommendations.

At Allied Auto Works, well-trained service providers, established procedures, industry standards, and, of course, AutoNetTV, combine to give you the best auto service in Los Altos.