Five Star Automotive

We had to replace a blend door and actuator. It was broken and the temperatures wouldn’t change. Had to remove the dash to get to the AC/heater box. We do big jobs too!

It’s going to get hot out there! Take advantage of this great deal!

We hope your Halloween is full of treats instead of tricks. We are wishing all of the families a safe night of fun!

Regular oil changes are an important part of maintaining your vehicle. Changing the oil regularly will help improve your engine performance, reduce harmful emissions, raise your gas mileage, and extend the engine life of your vehicle. Depending on the type of vehicle and oil type, oil changes should be done every 3,000 – 5,000 miles. Keep in mind, regular oil changes are much more cost effective than needing an engine replaced due to lack of maintenance. Mention this post and receive $10 off your next oil change at Five Star Automotive!

A diagnostic thermal imager is a tool that is used to show heat caused by friction, electrical resistance, and pressure changes. In this instance, this was used to diagnose a faulty catalytic converter on a vehicle that failed smog.

A catalytic converter creates heat inside when working properly. The outlet temperature should be significantly hotter than the inlet. With this image you can see the inside of the converter reading 228°F. With this image, we’re able to diagnose this catalytic converter as being defective.

With gas prices rising again – Here are 6 things you can do to help improve your gas mileage:

Scheduled Maintenance – A healthy engine is an efficient engine. It’s important not to delay scheduled maintenance to keep your MPG up.

Check Engine Light – A check engine light will come on any time a failure occurs in the system. Often times, these failures can correlate to your vehicle’s fuel economy.

Properly Inflated Tires – When tires are under inflated they become wider. Wider tires have more contact area with the road than skinny tires do. More contact area means more traction, more rolling resistance, and less miles per gallon.

Air Conditioning – Any time the A/C compressor is running it places an additional load on your engine, lowering your fuel economy.

Decrease Vehicle Weight – A lighter weight vehicle will get better MPG than a heavier vehicle bogged down by excess weight.

Driving Habits – Idling for long periods of time, heavy acceleration, driving at a high rate of speed, and frequent braking will lower your MPG.

As we head into fall and toward the winter season it is important to remember to have your tires checked. Driving with bald tires carries a range of risks from hydroplaning, higher chances of punctures, an increased risk of blowouts, among many other things. Check out our friends for tire maintenance needs.

Catalytic converters – Why do they get stolen? Thieves target catalytic converters because they contain platinum, rhodium, and palladium. These metals are expensive and thieves can get up to several hundred dollars at a scrap yard depending on the size and current value of the metals inside of it. California has very strict regulations on catalytic converters. It is important to ensure your repairs are completed with a reputable mechanic to ensure the repairs meet California regulations when the vehicle is due for a smog check.

We hope you have a nice a safe holiday week! We will be closed Thursday-Friday but are open today and tomorrow! If you need that tune-up before a trip, come and see us.