Los Altos Auto Repair

Hi Cayenne here and today I am going to share my Smart Car Care Video about rotor problems.

The brake rotor, or disc, is attached to your wheel. The brake pads rub on the rotor to slow your automobile.

Rotors can warp, crack or become misaligned. They can also be damaged by worn out brake pads that scratch grooves into the surface. These conditions result in less contact surface for the brake pads, leaving you with reduced braking power.

Over time and miles, rotors can also wear down below safe specifications. It is essential for Los Altos drivers to know that simply replacing brake pads on a wheel with a bad rotor will not solve the issue. Depending on their condition, rotors may be resurfaced or replaced.

Brake noise or a pulsation in the brake pedal are signs of potential brake problems that should be addressed right away. If you have any brake concerns, please have your personal and trust Allied Auto Works tech carry out a thorough inspection.

Give us a call and tell them Cayenne sent you!

Allied Auto Works
650.968.7227
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024

Duke here and it is the week before Thanksgiving and alot of us will be traveling with our cars so wheel alignment is on the venue today.

Most Los Altos folks worry about running out of gas or having a breakdown on the side of the road. That is why we practice preventive maintenance on our vehicles — that and to keep our repair bills down. But one important part of preventive maintenance that may get overlooked by Los Altos drivers is a periodic alignment inspection.

Poor alignment causes tires to wear rapidly, unevenly or both. This means they will have to be replaced early, and new tires are more pricey than an alignment check in Los Altos. Bad alignment can also cause damage to suspension and steering systems, which can be expensive to repair in Los Altos.

Tire wear on misaligned wheels can also lead to blowouts, which are dangerous, can lead to serious accidents, and can seriously damage your sedan. Also, poor alignment itself can be the cause of an accident, since the sedan may not steer properly.

One or more wheels on your sedan can be knocked out of alignment by running over a curb or a pothole on a bumpy Los Altos street. An accident, even a minor one, that involves a wheel on your car can lead to misalignment. The small bumps and bangs of everyday Mt. View driving can also gradually put your wheels out of alignment.

If you have had wheel damage to your sedan, or if you suspect that your wheels are out of alignment, you should get your alignment checked NOW. Any Allied Auto Works service specialist will give you that piece of auto advice. But good car care suggests that you also get your alignment inspected on a regular basis. At Allied Auto Works in Los Altos, we can take care of that for you.

Your owner’s manual or Allied Auto Works service professional can give you a suggestion on how often your alignment should be checked. If it doesn’t, then once a year is a good rule of thumb. However, if you drive a lot and especially if you drive on rough surfaces a lot, then you may want to consider an inspection more often. Ask your personal and trust technician for a recommendation.

If your sedan is out of alignment, one or more of the wheels is not tracking correctly and will “pull” against the others. Thus, one sign of poor alignment is that your sedan pulls to one side when you drive around Los Altos. Also, if you are driving a straight path and your steering wheel is off-center, that usually indicates an alignment problem.

Los Altos motorists should also check the wear on their tires. If they seem to be wearing out too quickly, or if you notice that a tire is wearing on one side more than the other, you should get your alignment checked.

When you get a diagnostic examination, your vehicle will be put on a rack and all the parts of the steering and suspension systems will be inspected for wear or damage. The alignment of the tires will be charted and compared to the original factory settings. If no repairs are needed on the steering or suspension systems, the wheels will then be adjusted to bring them back into alignment.

This may seem like a lot of bother for Sunnyvale motorists, but it’s a lot less trouble than a blowout or an accident. The old adage is good auto advice for all Los Altos residents: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

So keep on driving, and keep all four tires on the road.

Safe travels,

Duke

Take a ride on the train, the drive train!

Hi Cayenne here and today we will learn about drive train service.

The drive train in your vehicle includes all the essential components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. Those components differ depending on what type of vehicle you drive, namely, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The preventive maintenance your driveshaft needs will also differ by what type of vehicle you drive.

Let’s start with front-wheel drive. In this vehicle, the transmission and the differential are combined in one component, known as the transaxle. The transaxle is connected to two half-shafts (axles), which are then connected to the wheels with a constant velocity (or CV) joint, which is protected by an airtight rubber boot.

Allied Auto Works service for this type of driveline includes servicing the transaxle and inspecting the CV boot. If the boot is damaged, the CV joint will need to be inspected, and the boot will need to be replaced. If you hear a clicking noise in your wheel wells when you turn, you may have a damaged CV joint. A damaged CV joint should be replaced.

Rear-wheel drive vehicles generally have a transmission in the front of the car and the differential in the back. A driveshaft (it looks like a long tube) connects the transmission to the differential. Some vehicles may have a two-piece driveshaft, which are connected to the differential with universal joints or U-joints. Again, the differential is connected to two half-shafts that go out to the wheels.

Allied Auto Works service on the drive train on a rear-wheel drive vehicle starts with servicing the differential. It will need its fluid drained and replaced regularly. The seals on the axles should also be inspected for wear or leaks. Leaking or damaged seals may mean the axle needs to be serviced as well. Also, U-joints can wear out. If you hear clunking or feel a jolt when you shift into drive or into reverse, it could indicate a driveline problem.

All-wheel drive sedans provide power from the transmission to all of the wheels, instead of just to the front or rear. The advantage is that the vehicle can adapt to different driving conditions and transfer more power to the front or back wheels as needed. The disadvantages are that the driveline is more complicated, and the vehicle weighs slightly more.

Many all-wheel drive vehicles are based on a front-wheel drive set-up. They also have a differential in the rear and one in the center of the vehicle that allows power to transfer to the front and rear. A shaft runs from the transfer case to the center differential, and another from the center differential to the rear differential.

Servicing an all-wheel drive at Allied Auto Works involves servicing ALL of the differentials and inspecting the joints and seals for wear, leaks or damage.

Four-wheel drive vehicles are rear-wheel drive vehicles that have an option to transfer power to the front wheels. In other words, they can be driven as either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles. These vehicles are specifically designed for the harsh driving conditions Los Altos drivers encounter off-road. The driveline in a four-wheel drive vehicle is similar to that of an all-wheel drive vehicle. The center differential, however, is a transfer case. Maintenance requires servicing both of the differentials and the transfer case, as well as an inspection of the joints and seals.

Los Altos car owners would be wise to check with their owner’s manual for recommendations on how often to service their sedan drive train. It’s also good auto advice to check with your personal and trust Allied Auto Works tech as well. You may live in an area in CA where weather or driving conditions require more frequent servicing of the drive train.

If you drive off-road, it is important to service your driveline more often frequently than the typical recommendation. Conditions encountered off-road around the Los Altos area are particularly hard on your driveline.

Good car care at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos always includes taking care of your driveline. Without it, your sedan becomes a very large paperweight.

Allied Auto Works is located at 2073 Grant Road in Los Altos. We provide comprehensive auto repair and maintenance services for residents of Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Mt. View, Cupertino and Los Altos.

Thanks again for letting me bark at you! 

Cayenne