Van Nuys Auto Repair & Service Center

Have you ever gone to Los Angeles to listen to an orchestra? The musicians take the stage early and tune their instruments. Each individual instrument must be in tune, but the critical thing is for the entire orchestra to be in tune with each other. That's why they tune up together. Now this is no surprise; I'm going to relate the orchestra to your car. Your engine has many component systems that each need to be working properly. And the components need to be working in sync, all timed up together in order for the engine to work efficiently. We call this, (ta-da) a tune-up. When an orchestra's out of tune you get a bad concert. When your vehicle's out of tune you get bad performance and bad fuel economy. So check your owner's manual for recommended tune-up intervals. Or ask your Van Nuys service advisor at ... read more

Ask Uncle Jack Questions on anything car related. There's a wealth of information in Video format on our website www.autoaidrescue.com in the VIDEO BLOG TAB. Search the right column on any mechanical aspect of your car or query. If you still need answers, Ask Uncle Jack 818-901-1113 or [email protected]

Here's a travel tip that'll I'll bet you didn't know, and, it might keep you safer... The average American commuter in CA spends two and a half hours daily in their car. The government says a hundred thousand auto accidents yearly are caused by drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. (Aggressive driving is the number one traffic safety concern.) So what does this have to do with how your car smells while you're driving around CA? Well, which scent did you think makes drivers more alert?It's C. Drivers are more alert and have less fatigue with pine scent in the car, according to AroMetrics. And, drivers were less angry with overall improved driving performance with strawberry and pine scents. And you thought they just smelled nice

Myths passed around our Van Nuys CA community start with a grain of evidence and are then built up with a lot of imagination and very elastic logic. And the internet is a breeding ground for automotive myths. Some bloggers recall the sedans of yesteryear and declare their modern decedents to be virtually maintenance free and that anyone who says otherwise is out to rip you off. Let's examine a couple of the more popular rants and look at the truth behind them. The first one is that the chassis no longer needs lubrication for suspension, steering and the driveline. They declare that anyone who has charged you for lubrication is a charlatan. The truth on which this myth is based is that many new cars come from the factory with sealed joints and cannot be greased. However, there are still some grease points on many cars around Van Nuys. A grease fitting may have been installed in conjunction with a repair. And most trucks and truck-based SUVs driving in ... read more

Though we may not see this experiment come to fruition for years, perhaps one of the most significant automotive technology breakthroughs this year has been Google's revelation that the company's self-driving cars have logged 140,000 miles on California roads with only one accident. And that was when one of the driverless vehicles was rear-ended by a dumb human. The same group at the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS) that is involved with Google's self-driving cars also helped develop the Audi TTS that drove up Pikes Peak on its own. While autonomous cars roaming the roads might sound like science fict ... read more

If you're gonna drive around the Los Angeles area, you've got to be able to see! So having a good pair of windshield wipers is extremely important. We've all experienced the frustration and fear of not being able to see clearly during a storm, or when our windshield is just dirty. It seems like your wiper blades are always at their worst when you need them the most. But windshield wipers are like most other vehicle parts– they require regular attention in order to work their best. You really ought to replace your wiper blades twice a year; in the spring and the fall. If it's going to be a particularly harsh winter in Van Nuys, you may even want to get special winter blades in the fall. Winter blades are designed to resist freezing. Speaking of winter and freezing conditions, if your car has been sitting for a long time and the windshield becomes frozen, don't use your wipers ... read more