Auto Repair in Camarillo

No matter how well they're made, cars are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the manufacturer to issue a recall notice to Camarillo residents and to fix the car free of charge. The manufacturer then tries to contact everyone who owns that type of car in Camarillo and elsewhere until the work is done. These recalls always affect safety, so you need to take them seriously. It's really easy to find out if a vehicle is being recalled. For links to government sites, look in the AutoNetTV>/a> website. Other website include: carfax.com; autobytel.com; and dmv.org. All of these sites have free recall searches. Recalls are pretty serious and don ... read more

Everyone in Camarillo knows we're supposed to go to the dentist twice a year. We get our teeth cleaned and have a thorough dental inspection. Once a year, we get x-rays to look for problems that can't be seen with the naked eye. When the dentist is done, he tells us what he's found - "Everything's fine, see you in six months." Or "You've got a small cavity starting, let's schedule an appointment to take care of it." By the time you leave, you have a plan for addressing any necessary repairs. This system works so much better than waiting for a painful problem before going into the dentist. Small problems are fixed before they turn into big problems. And you avoid those huge bills. If we buy into this way of handling our dental care, why do we resist so much when facing the same system for our car care? Following the manufacturer's recommended intervals can be confusing. First there are recommendations for so many things: oil changes, transmission, coolant ... read more

Everyone in the Thousand Oaks area wants our tires to last as long as possible. Two ways to maximize tire life are wheel balancing and tire rotation. When wheels are out of balance, they wobble a bit. That makes the tires wear in a cupping pattern. And they vibrate. To fix this, your service technician at Camarillo Car Care Center puts weights on your wheels to balance them out. If a front wheel is out of balance you'll feel it in the steering wheel. If it's a rear wheel you'll feel it through your seat. That brings us to tire rotation. The front tires on a car wear out more quickly than the rear tires. As they push through turns from Camarillo to Ventura County, the shoulders of the front tires wear down. So rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate over the life of the tire. Proper tire inflation will also help your tires last longer. Under-inflated tire ... read more

Imagine this: You’re driving through the pouring rain, struggling to see where you’re going. Suddenly, your car feels as if it’s gliding above the road – and you realize you have no control over it. It’s called hydroplaning. A thin layer of water builds up under your tires and they lose contact with the road, causing your car to slide like a sled. It can be terrifying. Here are a few preventive steps to help avoid hydroplaning: Make sure your tires are properly inflated and that they have enough tread; that helps dissipate water and keeps the tire connected to the road. Slow down. Speeding is a major factor in hydroplaning. Drive in the middle lanes on multilane roads to avoid puddles, which can be deeper than they look. If you find yourself hydroplaning, take your foot off the gas, and gently turn the wheel in the direction of the skid. Try to glide until you feel the road again. If you must put on the brakes ... read more

If you've ever been driving around Camarillo and had a headlamp go out, you've probably just wanted to replace the bad bulb. If your car uses halogen headlamps, they dim over time. So if you just put in one, they won't have the same brightness which can be distracting and will affect your field of vision. To have your headlights inspected, visit us at Camarillo Car Care Center. We're at 2739 Daily Drive in Camarillo, CA 93010. Or give us a call Experts in Camarillo recommend replacing your halogen headlamps every year. It's easy to remember if you do it when daylight savings time changes in the fall. That way you'll have bright headlamps for those long Camarillo winter nights. There are other types of headlamps in addition to halogen. There are the old standard bulbs that have been around for decades. These are OK, but you can usually upgrade to halogen. They cost a little more but you can't believe the difference. If you ... read more