Venice Auto Repair

Why Is My Car Shaking When Idle?    Have you ever experienced a rough idle or lots of shaking while you are stopped at a stop light or maybe you are slowing down, and it just starts to shake out of nowhere? There could be a variety of different reasons for this, it's not something you want to ignore as it may be a big underlying issue!   We recently had a BMW X2 in the shop that was experiencing this symptom. Upon doing a full diagnosis to the vehicle, our technician found that this was coming from the Motor Mounts. After asking my Service Manager about this issue, he stated that Motor Mounts can have many names, and can be different depending on make and model of vehicle. For instance, trucks usually have Engine Mounts that are metal and rubber, whereas other vehicles like this BMW X2 have mounts that have rubber with liquid inside of them, also known as hydraulic fluid. For this vehicle, Chris our ASE Certified Master Import & Eur ... read more

Why Won't My Car Move in Drive?    Hey there friends! Thank you for stopping by today, whether you are just visiting our blog for content, or if you are looking for a new Auto Repair shop specializing in today's topic, we welcome you to give us a try!    The topic today is Why Won't my Car Move in Drive? Very frustrating, I am sure, since the car decided to start but won't go anywhere!  Get It Diagnosed!   Joey Reda, our ASE Certified Master Technician let me dive in with him to watch his process when repairing Transmission parts! This client came in with the complaint that their vehicle wouldn't move or shift into gear after it was put into drive. In this case, it is a Truck that is having this disruption. It was also stated that the engine revs up but will not budge ... read more

What is Carbon Build-up? How Does it Affect my Engine?  Carbon build-up can be found inside the engine. Over time carbon builds up inside the engine from exhaust and fuel combustion. As the engine burns fuel, the layers of carbon build up causing the valves to stick. This can impede the valves sealing correctly when disposing of exhaust or intaking air into the cylinder.  Carbon can also plug up your fuel injector nozzles resulting in poor fuel delivery.  For example, when there is a fire in the chimney you can see soot start to build up on the inside walls. This is exactly what is happening inside the engine!  Oil travels a long road before it winds up in your vehicle. Gasoline from oil refiners such as Shell, Chevron, etc. mix their gasoline with their own kind of detergents. These detergents are formulated to remove or prevent the carbon build up in the fuel injectors and intake valves. This may differ though with a direct injec ... read more

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