Rocklin and Sacramento Auto Repair

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Sacramento drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Sacramento drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Sacramento?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero California temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in California?Do you drive often in dusty Sacramento areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Sacramento?Do you drive in very hot or very cold California weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Sacramento on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Sacramento surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 mile ... read more

  Hello Sacramento, let's talk about brakes. But the mechanical aspects of the brakes themselves are just one issue. There's also the power brake pump and brake fluid. And then there are the tires, which are critical to the effectiveness of the brakes.Let's step back. A new vehicle or truck rolls off a local Sacramento showroom floor. It has brand new brakes with brand new brake pads. The brake lines and pump are filled with fresh fluid and are completely clean inside. And the tires are brand new, with full tread. It is ready to go.Naturally, braking power is at its peak performance. Now the miles/kilometers start to add up on the vehicle. Sacramento drivers tend to focus on the brake pads. In the automotive business, the pads and shoes on drum brakes are called the friction material. That's because they provide the friction used to stop the vehicle. The pads are designed to be effective throughout their useful life – it's not until they are worn so thin as to be out of 'sp ... read more

There's a segment of the Sacramento area population that's not committed to proper vehicle maintenance. Now, the ignition system in your vehicle is electronic and controlled by the engine management computer. Spark plugs rarely get fouled and will last for as much as 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers). So tune-ups used to force you in to Made In America Made In Japan for service, and while you were there you just took care of whatever else was on the list.Also, in recent years, a large percentage of new vehicles in Sacramento have been leased. These folks plan on turning the vehicle in after two or three years, so they haven't focused on the maintenance that helps a vehicle last longer.Given all that, what's the benefit to keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance? Well, your vehicle will perform better and return better fuel economy.Those benefits pay for themselves as they go along. The big plus is that major re ... read more

  Welcome to the Made In America Made In Japan automotive blog. Today, let's talk about the effect of tire wear. Let's focus on stopping in wet Sacramento conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can't move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.That's called hydroplaning. If it's really bad, Sacramento drivers can actually spin out of control - endangering themselves and the other drivers around them. At best, you won't stop as fast. So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your vehicle tire and you'll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They're designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new Made In America Made In Japan tire has very deep channels and can ... read more