Willow Glen Auto Repair

You can save thousands of dollars over buying a new vehicle every few years, just by taking good care of the vehicle you currently own. Make your car last 200,000 miles or more! Sounds crazy, I know but if properly cared for its possible. Thanks to new products and the industry’s interest in the environment your cars maintenance and repair costs can be easiliy reduced and extend the life of your vehicle. There are advances in lubricants, engine technology, and rust proofing that make cars more reliable than ever before. To hang on to a car longer closely follow the maintenance schedule in the vehicle owner’s manual and follow the advice of someone who is knowledgeable and skilled – a specialist on the vehicle. If you think by skipping service on your vehicle you are saving money, think again. Missing even one auto service or repair can accelerate premature wear and cause damage, reducing the long-term reliability you were ... read more

You might be thinking, as I was when I first read this, what on earth!! This is just another gimmick devised by auto shops to market to the uninformed or gullible! (and I work for an auto shop!) So I started to read on and found out that yes, in actuality there is such a thing and it was (is) formed by an actual legitimate organization. A not-for-profit in fact! Their goal is car care awareness. So you might be thinking, “I’m aware! If my car starts everything is good, and when it doesn’t, well I’ll figure that out.” Don’t worry, I understand. Car care is about as high on my list as cleaning my refrigerator coils. Let’s face it I would much rather spend my money on a new pair of shoes than an oil change! However, I would also much rather go on a vacation than HAVE to spend that money, replacing my transmission! So there is a balance…. National Car Care Month is about that balance, learning preventative care for your vehicle so you can afford the shoes and the vacation. It’s allowing ... read more

Have you ever been to Willow Glen? If you have then you know its like an old-time community with all the appeal. It’s like a family. Well guess what, there are all types of members in this family and we at B&C Auto Center are one of them. First of all, two of our employees live in the Willow Glen Community, that makes them officially one of the family. Second, our auto repair shop has been located in Willow Glen for more than 3 decades. So from that stand point we are old timers-seen the changes and lived to tell. What does this tell you about us? We are here to stay! We aren’t going anywhere. We are going to make sure that we stay for another 3 decades. It also means more, we cater to you. If you live in the 95125 or 95124 zip code we will pick up your vehicle from your house and bring it in for service and then drop it back in your driveway. How’s that for family? We value relationship, and yours is important to us. So if you are looking for car repair in Willow Gle ... read more

With Warm weather FINALLY approaching us in Northern CA, ( I know we are big babies) its time to start thinking about Air Conditioning…. A common misunderstanding or mistake for a customer to make is that there is a connection between the air conditioning system and the coolant system. First of all, they are two separate systems. In simplest terms, the coolant system cools your vehicles engine and the air conditioning cools you. With that said – if your auto repair shop is checking your coolant do not assume they are checking your air conditioning or anything related to it. For the most part these systems are separate of each other. The Air Conditioning system uses a refridgerant most often referred to as freon to keep the air conditioning system cold. Most A/C repairs are best left to a repair shop. Recharging the refrigerant, in particular, requires special equipment that most people don’t own. On the other hand, adding coolant, or anti-freeze is simple enough to do on yo ... read more

Fluids are vital to a vehicle’s life. They are exposed to extreme pressures, temperatures, moisture, and contaminants. Most people are aware of the need to change their engine oil since it gets dirty as a byproduct of combustion. Other fluids will also become less effective at lubrication and corrosion protection as they oxidize and become saturated with contaminants. The longer they go the less they are able to lubricate and protect. Accelerated wear of internal components is the result. This would include manual and automatic transmissions, transfer cases, differentials, and power steering systems. Brake fluid by nature absorbs water from the air and as a result will corrode internal brake components like master cylinders and ABS units as well as lowering the boiling point of the fluid. Replacing the fluids on schedule removes the contaminants and refreshes their lubrication and corrosion abilities

Gas prices are going crazy! UP, UP and Up it seems and always before summer time, when we tend to travel more! So what can you do to get better mileage on a tank of gas? Well first of all keeping up with your car’s repair and maintenace. A tune-up, proper tire pressure and a clean air filter all help. But did you know that your driving habits can have as much or more of an affect on how much gas you burn? By changing your behavior behind the wheel, you can do the environment and your pocket-booka few favors. Accelerate more gradually. No more “Pedal to the Metal”! The harder you press the gas pedal the more juice you’re pouring down the hole. Anticipate stops. By keeping an eye ahead of you by half a block or so, you can see a light changing red and take your foot off the gas earlier. This does not mean you need to create a driving hazard but give yourself some time and don’t be in such a hurry. (its good for your heart too!) By coasting i ... read more

I didn’t think so….I mean its a whole lot of money, dough, mula, dinero. Transmission repair shops are making a fortune on the mere fact that people don’t know that they need to change, and replace their ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid). At elevated operating temperatures, ATF oxidizes, turns brown and takes on a smell like burnt toast. As heat destroys the fluid’s lubricating qualities and friction characteristics, varnish begins to form on internal parts (such as the valve body) which interferes with the operation of the transmission. If the temperature gets above 250 degrees F., rubber seals begin to harden, which leads to leaks and pressure losses. At higher temperatures the transmission begins to slip, which only aggravates overheating even more. Eventually the clutches burn out and the transmission calls it quits. The only way to repair the damage now is with an overhaul — a job which can easily run upwards of $2300 on a late model front-wheel drive car or minivan. A cos ... read more

How in the world do you know when you “need” or “have” to replace your tires. If you’re like me, you depend on your auto repair shop or mechanic to tell you “when”. Or if your like me, you don’t want to spend money on something so ugly (yet necessary) as tires! Well, good tires can save you money and your life. Hm mm, well I guess those are my two favorite reasons to do most things. So here’s the scoop….driving on worn-out or low-grade tires is dangerous. It is estimated by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration that more than 400,000 fatalities and 10,000 injuries occur each year due to tire failure. Although your own death would be horrible, the death of another due to your lack of attention is worse. If your tire blows out on the road and you spin out, in say 6 lanes of traffic…..Yikes! The damage to your car and/or others around you could be devastating. (you know those center divides are made of concrete) In addition, tires that have low tread and/o ... read more

If you live in San Jose or even the surrounding areas you know how large of a city it is. Its not just large in population, it is large in area or mile, 178 miles approximately. So how on earth does one choose an auto repair shop in this massive city? The first and probably most reliable way is to go by a recommendation of someone you trust. For most of us this is how we “search” for many new services. We ask our friends or family members. This allows us to ask questions of an unbiased nature and trust that we will receive honest answers. We generally know and trust the person recommending and therefore we have a back-ground on their views and standards. I believe this is one of the best ways to find an autorepair shop in San Jose. It takes a lot of the guess-work out of the scenario. Now if that is not enough of a lead you can take the search into your own hands. There are 4 other parameters you might look at in finding an auto maintenance and repair shop. One is locati ... read more

It has been said that location is everything. I believe it to be true, at least in my world. I won’t go out of my way for many things and if something is in my magic circle I am more likely to visit it. That being said, an auto repair shop anywhere but especially in San Jose is a lot to do with location. Is it conveniently located to me or my work, or my kids day care? Whatever is your “magic circle or miles” its important to you. In a valley of everything is better if it takes less time, auto repair isn’t one of them. Auto repair is an important thing to take time on and do it right the first time. So look for a shop in your are that meets your expectations of price and distance, or magic circle. If you live in the Willow Glen area we are that shop for you. We are located on Almaden Road between Malone and Willow Glen Way. We’ve been here for over 30 years, and even better we’ll give you a ride and wash your v ... read more