Gardena Auto Repair

California Smog Check How to Prepare Your Vehicle For the Test If you're a registered driver in Los Angeles, the California Emissions Program or SMOG Check is very strict compared to other states, customers often ask us how they can get their car ready to pass the smog inspection. Despite the fact California has some rules that are very questionable regarding this test, we're going to cover a few areas that we think will be the most useful. Testing Procedures: The state of CA there are 2 tests. One is called the BAR 97 which is performed for every vehicle that has a model year before 2000. BAR 97 requires the vehicle to be test on a dynamometer which is when you see the car on the rollers and the drive wheels spinning. They are testing the vehicles emission output at 15 MPH and then again at 25 MPH. In addition to the emissions test, the technicians are looking for anything tampered, broken, aftermarket parts, ignition timing, fuel cap test, fuel tank pressure test, and they will eve ... read more

The Importance of Maintaining Your Vehicle's Transmission Fluid Let's start with the basics to explain what the transmission does. The transmission is responsible for transferring the engine power to the wheels of the vehicle, while it is separate from the engine; the engine and transmission operate together to make your vehicle go forward or backwards. Automatic means the gears shift on their own and manual means the driver must manually select the proper gear at the proper speed for efficient movement. Transmissions are very complicated internally and have a lot of moving parts. In this post we will focus on automatic transmissions. Vehicle owners tend to fear transmission failure because they are very expensive to replace, however when properly maintained they usually have very few problems. The average well maintained transmission should be able to last 150,000 to 250,000 miles but due to different driver habits and commutes this is not always the case. A good example fo ... read more

Can You Trust Your Auto Repair Shop? A common question that seems to come up often in Google search and even comments on social media networks, consumers are talking about whether or not they can trust their auto repair shop. The automotive industry has a bad reputation when it comes to trust, with little to no regulation to govern how businesses are conducted, it is unfortunate that there are still people out there that will take advantage of customers with no shame. The best advice we can give you when choosing a mechanic is to do some thorough research so you have some values and expectations of how you should be treated. There are some really good automotive service and repair businesses and then there are ones that are not so good. There is a wide range and it all depends on what you are looking for. Here are the top qualifications that come to mind: 1.) Reputation is everything when it comes to automotive service and repair. A good reputation is key because our customer&rsquo ... read more

Last Winter Tip of 2019! Checking Your Tire Pressure Between Vehicle Services As we close out 2019 we thought a reminder of checking your tire pressure would be something you can add to your New Year's resolution list. Winter weather has taken it's full affect and recently wreaking havoc for California drivers headed up North during the Christmas holiday with road closures and issues driving through the snow. One thing we'd recommend for you to do not only before winter road trips but also in between your scheduled vehicle service appointments. Make 2020 the time you get in the habit of checking your tire pressure at recommended intervals in between your already scheduled tire pressure inspections and oil level inspections. Why do I have to check my tire pressure? Today’s modern vehicles are equipped with TPMS or Tire Pressure Monitoring System which alerts the driver that one or more of the tires are low on pressure. While this system is quite beneficial to have ... read more

Uber and Lyft Drivers End of Year Maintenance Tax Credit Reminder For all the ride share drivers out there I’d like to take this time to say 'thank you'. It’s probably a thankless job because people often take it for granted. Getting from point A to B has become convenient especially when driving yourself is a problem. It has been helpful for me on countless occasions. Ride share drivers should be recording their mileages and keeping all their vehicle fuel and maintenance records. We are just a few days away from the end of the year and thought this would be a good time to remind drivers, you can get a tax credit for fuel and maintenance as part of the cost of doing business. This can help you with your taxes and add a little money back into your pocket. Just a simple tip which can save you money. Keeping your vehicle in the best shape possible would be ideal if you are a ride share provider. Routine preventative maintenance can reduce overall vehicle cost throug ... read more