San Antonio and Boerne Auto Repair

  The Check Engine light. Always friendly, rarely truly useful to the driver, and always seems to turn on at the worst possible time. An unnecessary stressor on an already unreasonable Monday, you head to your local auto parts store advertising Free Check Engine Light Diagnostic. “Ah! Here's your problem!” P0171 “Thanks detective, that's helpful” you think to yourself. You go home and Google the code. P0171 System Too Lean (Bank 1). Cryptic, and with a laundry list of contradicting solutions. Your question has been answered with more questions. We understand it can be frustrating. In many situations you wouldn't even know anything was wrong if the light hadn't come on, but paying attention to it can prevent expensive repairs later.   So what is a trouble code and how does it help? Well, it's only half of the story, but it's a start. Diagnostic codes help to narrow down what isn't wron ... read more

Keeping Your Car Clean Protects Your Vehicle's Value One of the easiest ways to help maintain your vehicle's resale or trade-in value is to simply keep it clean, inside and out. The non-profit Car Care Council offers these simple steps to keep your vehicle clean and protect it from the elements. Declutter: We've all got some junk in our cars, be it trash, clothes, junk mail, or otherwise. Removing excess clutter from the inside of your vehicle can not only make it look (and smell) nice, but it removes distractions and potentially dangerous situations. Road accidents due to debris finding its way under the gas or brake pedal happen all the time. Obviously an accident isn't going to do much to maximize your vehicle's value. Remember to check your trunk for accumulated items as well. This can add extra weight and reduce fuel efficiency. Clean the Interior: Thoroughly cleaning the interior is important as well. Dirt can get ground in ... read more

Fall is upon us and winter is right around the corner. Before it really starts to get cold, think about some winterization for your vehicle. We're not just talking about your heating system, though that's really important too. Here's a list of things to keep in mind this time of year.   • Your radiator doesn't just keep your engine cool. It regulates the engine temperature, regardless of how hot or cold it is outside. No doubt you're familiar with the words coolant and antifreeze. They're interchangeable, the fluid is known as both things because it does both things. It can lose potency after a while, and this is a great time of the year to go ahead and get it refreshed by having a BG Coolant Service performed on your vehicle. • Extreme temperatures and batteries aren't the best of friends. Routinely check your battery for rust or corrosion on the terminals. Older batteries should be tested before it gets colder, and replaced ... read more

No one expects their vehicle to overheat during their daily commute. It can happen at any time for a variety of reasons, but there are things you can do to effectively handle the situation and stay safe in the process. If your vehicle's engine is overheating, it's important to pull over as soon as it's safe to do so. Many times, the driver will not have the resources to do anything about it. In this situation, you should turn off your vehicle and make the call to have your vehicle towed to a reputable repair shop. Even one instance of an engine overheating may be severe enough to cause permanent engine damage. While we do not recommend it, you may be able to buy some time to get off the road by turning on the cabin heater, as this feature pulls its heat directly from the engine. This is a very short term and commonly known solution. Unfortunately, this is not always the solution to the current issue, as there are some overheating problems that are not mitigated by doing t ... read more

When it comes to maintaining the safety of your vehicle, the brake system should be high priority. It is important to understand the signs of potential brake failure so that you can have the system checked out and repaired immediately. The safety of you and your passengers is something we take very seriously. Brakes functioning as designed means the difference between a serious accident and driving away unscathed. Here are some signs to look for that indicate your vehicle needs brake service. Squealing Your brakes are designed to emit a squealing or screeching sound to let you know that they need replacing. This is often the first sign of brake failure. This is the time to bring your vehicle to a qualified technician for brake system inspection, maintenance, and repair. Vibration Shaking, vibration or other abnormal motion from your steering wheel or vehicle as a whole when brakes are applied is a sign of possible warped rotors. Rotors are directly ... read more