MOUNTAIN VIEW AUTO REPAIR

If you have an older car that needs a lot of work to keep it running, you may be thinking about buying a new one. When that is not financially possible for you, a good alternative is to buy a newer, used vehicle. There is always a risk, however, that a used car may end up needing just as much work (or even more) than your current car. To reduce that risk, when you find a used car you want to buy, take it to a trusted repair shop and have it checked out. But before spending money on multiple vehicle inspections, you can do some inspecting on your own. Here are my recommendations: 1. It is usually better to buy a vehicle from a private party than from a car lot. Especially if the car is being sold by the original owner and they have records of the vehicle services that have been done. Vehicles that are sitting on used car lots generally were purchased at auction and will not have their service history with them. 2. Buying the vehicle from the owner also allows you to see/observe ho ... read more

A new customer recently called us whose friend had observed his vehicle’s tires bouncing “like basketballs” down the freeway! He wondered if this was dangerous. Yes, this could very well become a dangerous situation. If your vehicle’s tires are not staying in constant contact with the road, control of the vehicle is seriously compromised. What would cause something like this? Most likely, the bouncing tires indicate worn out or broken shock absorbers. Unfortunately, shock absorbers are one of the most overlooked wear items on vehicles, even though they are the next most important safety items after your brake system. The purpose for shock absorbers is not just to provide a more comfortable ride, but to serve to control the suspension movement so that you, the driver, have more control of your vehicle when braking or steering. Here’s what can happen if your shock absorbers need to be replaced: 1. Body roll (side to side movement) which adversely impacts handling and control ... read more