One of the things everyone who owns a car must do is maintain it.If you don’t make it a point to maintain your vehicle and neglect it, you will have expensive auto repair costs.If you make it a habit of neglecting it, you are in danger of failing even a smog test. With the consequences of failing a smog check also comes auto repair costs that will be expensive. Or you might face the possibility of not being allowed to drive your car.  So we are going to look at a couple of things you must do to make sure you don’t have these things happen to you.

First of all as stated earlier in the last paragraph you have to do a good job of maintaing your car.  All my clients of my auto repair San Diego shop I stress to them how important it is to bring their car in regularly.  Regular maintenance allows us to find problems before they get big.And just like practically all auto repair issues, the earlier you can fix something the less expensive it will be.

Another thing I try to make clear is that they need to have their oil changed regularly.  Failing to do that is sometimes the root cause of why my clients fail in my smog test San Diego service shop.  But if they consistently do this one simple thing their car will run smoother.On top of that, when you have an engine that is well oiled, it lasts longer.

Finally the part of the car that is overlooked a lot of the times are the brakes.This a part of the car that is used everyday, but is so easily overlooked.  Whenever a customer of mine brings in a car to my San Diego brake shop it is sometimes one of the most expensive repairs.  So I always make sure afterwards they know what to do to take care of it.Doing certain simple steps like making sure the fluids are at good levels.

So those are just some simple things you can do to help yourself in avoiding big expensive auto repairs.  Plus they will also help you make sure you pass your next smog test.


One of the most costly repairs on a car is the transmission.It is a repair that you do that you really don’t want to hear you have to do.  So of course most people want to know how to make it last longer.Or they are interested in knowing if it even can be done. Like anything it is possible.  You can make it last longer by making sure to take care of them.But here are some more things that are more specific in helping your transmission get more life.

First thing you have to do without fail is keep the proper levels of fluid.Just like most things in your vehicle you want to have your fluids at the right level.But in regards to your transmission it is imperative if you truly want it to last longer.  Whenever a client takes there car in to the Oceanside transmission repair shop I run I always check their fluids.I make sure to suggest to them to keep a watchful eye on their fluid levels.If they try to operate their car with low fluid levels they are going to ruin their transmission.  Or it won’t last as long as they want.

Second thing you have to know is that heat can hurt your transmission.  So what you want to do is make sure you keep your transmission cool.One of the ways that work best is by adding in some transmission cooler.  You can easily find it at most auto parts dealers.  Of course when clients come and bring their cars in to our Escondido auto repair shop we add it in also.  This helps let the transmission run cooler.

Finally here is a simple one.  Never shift gears until you come to a complete stop.You will be shocked at how many people do ruin their vehicles because they shifted the gear while the car was in motion.  I am not because we see it all the time in our Oceanside auto repair shop.People have their cars come in with transmissions ruined because they tried to shift while it was moving.


One of the most expensive auto repairs you can do is a transmission repair.It is a major part of your vehicle.Making sure to care for it is important.By making sure your car is taken care of you will save yourself a little bit of money.Since it is something you won’t be able to fix yourself, you still can do some checking at home.   By checking it at home you can make sure you need to take it in.

First off since I own a Escondido auto repair shop I know how expensive transmission repairs can be.  So I always tell my clients to check a couple of things first.  This way they can make sure they need to come in.First thing they can do is check the fluid.The fluid has to be clear.If the fluid is dark or black that is an indication of a problem and they have to bring their car in.

Another thing they can check is to see if the gear shifts normally.You can perform this by just shifting the gears from park to drive.Or you can shift it from park to reverse.What you are trying to see is if the gears do the shifting smoothly.  You don’t want any jerking motion.If you find that your car is jerking that is an indication of problems with your transmission.  In my Oceanside transmission repair shop this is one of the big signs of transmission problems.Quite a few cars that are brought in have this problem.

Finally you can check for any leaks of your transmission fluid.This is another thing you can do with your dipstick.  But you can’t tell if you don’t check it regularly.  I advise all my customers in my Oceanside auto repair shop to always check your fluids.People know how to check for oil.But they need to also look at their transmission fluid.This gives you the ability to tell if the fluid is leaking.

If you follow these tips you can make sure your car’s transmission stays good.


One of the things people don’t realize is how important maintaining your vehicle is.  We take for granted these cars that get us around wherever we want to go.  We don’t realize that our safety is on the line everytime we go out. Plus they don’t realize our car’s safety is on the line whenever we drive.  So here are the top 2 auto repair jobs for your car.

First off it is important for the overall health of your car to always do tuneups.  What I mean is to have a regular tune up schedule for your car.As talked about already, your car is really one of your big investments in life.If you don’t make an effort to care for it you are in danger of ruining it.  I have seen many clients ruin their vehicle and take it into my auto repair San Diego shop after the fact.I notice that if there was just some routine maintenance performed, a lot of the problems could have been avoided.

Another point to take in is the fact when you do regular tuneups you will also make your car run cleaner.  With so much emphasis falling on clean air and emmissions it is important.  Because if you don’t take care of your car it can run the risk of faiing a smog check.  I have seen older cars that when taken care of pass with flying colors in my smog test San Diego shop by doing regular tune ups.  I have seen the other way around as well.Cars that didn’t have regular care are usually the ones that will fail.

Finally one of the very critical parts of your car will be the brakes.But people don’t pay attention to it all the time.  By neglecting your brakes and not maintaining it you risk bigger repair costs.  In my San Diego brake service I see cars have expensive brake repair jobs because they didn’t do simple maintenance. By just monitoring their brakes.Or if regular maintenance and checks were done on it, that could have save them money.


As the down economy affects more people it also affects their buying habits. One big area that has been affected is the area of car buying.When times weren’t so bad peole would just go out and purchase a new car.Now if they are in need of another vehicle they have to buy it used.  That isn’t a bad thing since used cars do offer more value if you do it right.But if you don’t do it right it could end up costing you a lot of money.

One of the areas you can do wrong is the transmission.Even though they make transmissions more reliable they still can be expensive.  In other words it is easy to break and expensive to fix.  That is a bad combination and I have seen many of my clients suffer from this in my Vista transmission repair company.They go and purchase that used car but they end spending a lot more money.

One thing that is easily checked is the car’s history.  You want to ask the seller for any service records.  That way you can see if it was a rental.  Or you can see if it was in an accident.So what you are looking for are any transmission problems.  That is one thing I have all my clients of my La Costa transmission repair shop to do is check the vehicle’s records.

Another good thing for you to look over is to see if the transmission fluid level is good.  All you have to do is start the car and let it idle.  Then you just check the transmission dipstick.If you find the fluid low it could be a sign of a leak.  If the transmission fluid is dirty or black avoid buying that car.  It is a sign of transmission problems.  The last thing you want to do is buy a used car then end up having to bring it into my Vista auto repair shop to fix the transmission.  Do these things and you can save yourself a lot of money.