Yearly Archives: 2012

Make sure your car lasts……

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 aiming for. As long as you stic ... read more

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Uncategorized

April is National Car Care Month

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

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Auto Maintenance

Willow Glen/San Jose Auto Repair

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

Coolant vs. Air Conditioning

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

Categories:

Auto Maintenance

The Importance of Fluid Exchanges

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