Los Altos Auto Repair

It's Thanksgiving week, and the delicious smell of turkey is awaiting me. Hi, Cayenne here and you know I love the smell of turkey coming out of the oven, but have you ever had an awful smell coming from inside your car? Rotten egg smell, yuk, and today, we will bark about what that horrible odor is.  

The pungent smell of rotten eggs can send people running for the hills, so when that odor is inside your vehicle, yikes! Yolks! The good news is that a trained service technician can locate the source of that smell and stanch the stench… that comes from another word that begins with S.  Sulfur.

Fuel contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, but they're enough to stink up a vehicle when it's not properly burned.  You may know that the smell of rotten eggs often signals a catalytic converter that isn't working as it should.  That could be due to age, damage or an abundance of oil clogging it up. 

If a sensor in charge of managing the fuel fails, the engine can run with a fuel mixture that is too rich.  That can overload the catalytic converter and allow some byproducts to escape without interruption from the chemical reaction that prevents them from going out of the tailpipe.

There's another possibility, but it's usually only found in stick-shift vehicles. That's leaking old transmission fluid.

Catalytic converter repairs are best left to a professional. Technicians at your vehicle service facility have equipment and training that can help them pinpoint the cause of this funky fragrance. Once the cause is found, repairs are made, and/or parts are replaced, and the smell should go away fairly rapidly.

Now, let's start talking about the smells I do love: turkey, pumpkin pie, and sausage stuffing......I can go on

Happy Thanksgiving,

Cayenne

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
http://alliedautoworks.com

Brrrr, it's cold this morning in California. The seasons are definitely changing. Duke here and when I am in the car for a ride, I sometimes look in the rearview mirror and notice objects appear to be close. You may remember a song that went, "Objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are." While that was a song about life's lessons, there are a few things we should all know about how important rearview mirrors are to safe driving.  So let's open our eyes and start barkin'!

While new electronic devices are helping drivers be aware of surrounding traffic in high-tech ways, the good old rearview mirror is still a dependable way of letting you know what's around you.  There are usually 3 on each vehicle, 1 attached to the windshield inside and 2 attached outside on each of the front doors.

It's important that they be adjusted properly before you start driving (not while you're driving). Experts say the windshield rearview mirror should cover the area behind the vehicle while the outside mirrors should not simply duplicate that view but extend it to the sides, where blind spots normally are.

Your rearview mirrors must be able to hold the positions they're adjusted in; it there's play in them or they move around, you'll never be sure they're pointed in the direction that will let you see where traffic is.  The one on the windshield must be firmly attached.  If it won't stay where you want it, head to your service facility, where they can tighten it or replace any parts necessary to let the mirror maintain its aim. A technician can reattach it with the proper adhesives or fasteners if it has fallen off the windshield completely.  There may be electronics that need to be properly connected as well.

The outside mirrors cover your blind spots and they must be able to hold their adjustments, too.  Many adjust electronically; switches and motors can fail, electrical connections can detach or become corroded and the reflective glass can crack, discolor or develop a hazy fog.  A technician can diagnose and repair those problems and recommend any replacement parts you might need.  Mirrors that are adjusted manually should also be restored to proper working order for you to maintain this essential rear visibility.

Drivers don't think about their rearview mirrors all that much.  On reflection, don't they deserve respect and care for the important job they do?

"Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting"

Duke

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
http://alliedautoworks.com

Put on the brakes! Cayenne here and today I want you to give me a brake.....brake light that is. If that little brake warning light pops up on your dash, do you know what it means? Well, if you said no, you wouldn't be alone. You know it has something to do with your brakes, but exactly what? You're not sure. One of the reasons is that it could mean many different things.

It could be something simple, like putting your parking brake on and forgetting to take it off. It's an easy fix, and you'll be on the road in seconds.

Or, it could mean there's something wrong with your anti-lock brake system. That is a pretty complex symphony of speed sensors, computers and wiring, and sometimes things get a little out of whack. You could have a defective sensor or some wiring may have gotten damaged or come loose. A trained technician with special equipment at Allied Auto Works can sort it all out.

It's also possible you have low brake fluid. Several things could cause that. One simple reason is that your brake pads have worn down. Replacing them could solve the problem. Another possibility is that you have a leak in your brake system. That could be serious. If your brake fluid level gets really low, your stopping power goes down along with it, and a vehicle that can't stop is a safety hazard to you and others on the road.

Of all the warning lights on your instrument panel, pay attention to the brake warning light. If it comes on, come on over to Allied Auto Works very, very soon. A vehicle is great when it's moving. But if it can't stop, well, that is a disaster waiting to happen.

We’d love to hear from you. Let us know if you have any questions.

And remember, give this old hound a brake....lol

Cayenne

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
http://alliedautoworks.com

Hello Duke here and I have a questions for you. What part of your vehicle has little metal balls inside that are lubricated and allow you to cruise on down the road?  Answer: They are wheel bearings, and automotive designers might argue they are human beings' second greatest invention of all time (the first is, of course, the wheel!).  So today we will bark about how important this little piece of metal is.  So let's get barkin' and meet the metal.

You have a wheel bearing at each wheel.  They allow your wheels to turn freely, minimizing friction that would ordinarily slow you down when metal meets metal.  When one of your wheel bearings starts to go bad, it lets you know. A wheel bearing does its work quietly when it's in good health but starts getting noisy when it isn't.  People describe the noise differently.  Sometimes it sounds like road noise, a pulsating, rhythmic, sound.  That pulse speeds up when your vehicle speeds up. 

Here's what's happening when you hear that sound.  As mentioned, the bearing has these little metal balls inside a ring.  They have a lubricant inside to reduce friction between the balls; modern wheel bearings are sealed and they're intended to do their job without any maintenance. 

Wheel bearings take a beating; you hit some rough potholes or go over some uneven railroad tracks. Sometimes water can get into a bearing and reduce the ability of the lubricant to do its job.  Time starts to take its toll, too. When the lubricant isn't reducing friction like it should, the bearing can heat up. One of those little balls can start shedding pieces of metal and soon those shards start grinding up the other balls.  Friction takes over and soon your wheel isn't turning smoothly. That's what's causing the sound.  If a wheel bearing is not fixed, it could eventually seize up completely, and you can be stranded.

It's a lot easier if you heed the early warning signals, that pulsating noise.  Now, sometimes a similar noise can be caused by a bad tire, but in either case, it's important to have it checked out. Our Allied Auto Works technicians will be able to tell you fairly quickly what the problem is and offer a solution.

Wheel bearings generally don't fail often and usually last from 85,000-100,000 miles/140,000km to 160,000km. But consider them a long-term maintenance item that, once fixed, will keep you heading smoothly to the next destination.

I leave with my quote of the week, metal related of course,

"Strength through adversity. The strongest steel is forged by the hottest fires" ~ Pleasanton Express

Duke

Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
6509687227
http://alliedautoworks.com