Venice Auto Repair

Do I Have to Replace my Timing Belt?    The simple answer is yes. Some vehicles have a Timing Belt, and others have a timing chain. These are necessary to keep the engine working properly and "in time". A Timing Belt is what keeps the engine valves and pistons "in time" with each other so that they don't collide. It is part of the internal engine system that creates a synchrony of movement between the Camshaft and Crankshaft to ensure that these engine valves open and close in unison during the Cylinder's in/out strokes.    The Timing Belt is rubber, so it does not last forever. In most cases, your manufacturer will recommend replacing as part of routine maintenance. This is about 70,000 miles, but every manufacturer is different. You can consult your owner's manual or come to our shop with trained professionals to ensure you are ... read more

What Happens When An A/C Actuator Goes Bad?   You might be thinking to yourself, what is an Actuator? We have had a few vehicles come in with this issue, that can range from a quite difficult job, to one not so intricate. Depending on your vehicle make and model this might be an extensive repair, in other cases, it could be a quick fix.    An Actuator or Blend Door Actuator, is a small electric motor in your vehicle that runs in forward and reverse motion to move the Blend Door/ Air Mix Door between fresh air and re-circulation modes, hot and cold air flow, and floor/defrost modes. The Actuator is what actually went out with one of these vehicles. So, the Blend Door was not swinging back and forth, causing the hot/cold airflow to be minimal. In another vehicle, we diagnosed a similar issue but the Actuator was working correctly. The ... read more

  Why is my Car A/C Not Blowing Enough Air? Why is my Car Air Conditioning Air Flow Weak?   Recently, we discussed what might be the cause of your vehicle's A/C not blowing cool air. But, let us talk about what the cause might be from your vehicle not blowing enough air!    One of our client's recently came in with this complaint. One that could be coming from a multitude of places of the Air Conditioning system. This problem happened to be coming from the A/C Evaporator. The A/C Evaporator is commonly called a "mini radiator". The Evaporator is part of the Air Conditioning system in your vehicle that works alongside with the blower fan and compressor. A dirty Evaporator is a common cause for weak air flow into your vehicle.    In this case you should run the A/C on recirculation, so it is not inhaling the air from the outside. If you live or work in a more agricultural area, th ... read more

Why do you have to change your Oil?Why does Oil need to be changed?  After discussing what regular maintenance your vehicle needs, and the recommended amount of time in between each. We can now dive into the importance of changing your vehicles oil regularly, and what effects it has on your vehicle’s engine. Here at our shop, we call it anL-O-F service, or Lube, Oil, Filter.  Changing your vehicle’s oil filter is equally important as changing the oil, in fact you most always do both together, otherwise it defeats the purpose of putting in clean oil.  The filter is what collects those dirt particles from entering the engine unit. We have two filter examples we use at our shop. Both do the same job; just depends on what kind your vehicle needs.    There are a lot of components to ensuring you stay on top of your vehicle’s maintenance, oil change ranging to be one of the tops, and most importa ... read more

What Regular Maintenance does my Vehicle need? You might be wondering where your vehicle is at with all its maintenance needs. At American Import Auto, Inc. we keep a detailed report of your vehicle’s maintenance history. By keeping on top of your vehicle’s maintenance schedule you can prevent any major repairs from occurring ahead of time. Every vehicle manufacturer maintenance recommendations are different. Every environment our driver’s live in is different. We have a lot of seasonal visitors with vehicles that accompany them. Even clients that live by the beach in the same city as another who lives more inland, still have different maintenance needs. Our client’s driving habits are all different as well, which is another factor that must be taken into consideration for vehicle maintenance. For example, someone who drives a long distance to work every day, would have different maintenance recommendations versus someone w ... read more