San Carlos Auto Repair

With the cold days upon us, we wanted to share 4 easy and safe ways to remove ice off your window. Before you begin any of the below steps, do this: If your vehicle is parked in a well ventilated area, start the car, roll down your driver's side window (so you don't get locked out of the car), and turn the heater on to the defrost setting. Then turn the rear window defrost to the on position.  1. The Makeshift Ice Scraper Save an old credit card or gift card in your wallet. Place the longer edge against your glass starting from the top of the window and scrape the ice down. After you are done with the whole window, lift the wiper blades up and scrape the ice slush off the car. All done! 2. Water makes (Almost) everything Better With this method, be careful of two things... the outside temperature and the temperature of the water. If the outside temperature is too cold (32* F or below), you will build up more ice. If the water is too hot (anything ... read more

When do you need to change a hybrid battery? Let's explore the options on changing a Hybrid battery pack ​We were recently working on a Toyota Prius at our shop, A+ Japanese Auto Repair,  and it needed a hybrid battery pack replacement. We thought this would be a good time to share a few photos and tell you a little bit more about hybrid battery packs. A hybrid battery pack is made up of several batteries connected by a series of connections. The voltage at each cell can range from 9 volts and higher. The hybrid computer monitors two cells at a time and compares the voltages to all of the other paired cells. If there are a pair of batteries that are too far away from one another in the voltage category then the computer will set a trouble code in the hybrid battery computer. There are some companies that will remove the battery pack from the car and only replace the battery cells which&nbs ... read more

How To Change A Flat Tire   Each car has a different approach to change a spare tire. This is a general procedure to change a flat tire on most cars or trucks.   1.   Get your vehicle to a flat safe spot Find a location away from danger and fast moving traffic. It is okay to drive the vehicle for a short distance on a flat tire. Turn your hazard lights on, drive slow, and avoid sudden acceleration, turns, or braking.   2.   Find the location of the tools you need to change the spare hydraulic jack (to lift the vehicle) tools to remove the spare tire (if needed) tire wrench (to remove and tighten the lug nuts on the tire) 3.    Find the location of your spare tire and remove it Usually located in the trunk, under the rear of the vehicle, or in some mini vans the spare tire is located under the middle row seat.     4.    Set the parking brake and put the vehicle i ... read more

How far can I drive on a flat tire? The short answer for how long you can drive on a flat tire is... at a speed above 35mph, you could cause irreversible damage in under one mile of driving.    To properly answer the question "how far can I drive on a flat tire" depends two things: How flat is the tire (the psi) and what type of tire is on your car.   If you need to know how to change a spare tire, click here.   What is considered a flat tire?   A flat tire is considered anything under 20 psi (pressure per square inch). When you are running your tire under 20 psi, the sidewalls of the tire will get very hot, the rubber will breakdown, the tire could come off the rim on a sharp turn, and this will ultimately lead to a tire blowout.   ... read more

Typically, you can drive your car with the check engine light on as long as it's running smoothly. Even though an illuminated check engine light isn't a great sign, we want to help you understand if you can still drive your car, for how long, and what will happen if you keep driving with the check engine light on. Why the Check Engine Light Turns On  Your car or truck has many warning lights on its dash, and they all mean something different. Your check engine light should be easily identifiable as either an engine symbol, the words “service engine soon,” or the words “check engine.” The primary job of a check engine light is to let the driver know that one of the car's sensors is malfunctioning or that the car isn't running properly. The engine light can be solid or flashing. As a side note, the check engine light should always light up when you start your car, but it should turn off within six seconds of ignition. Is Your Check Engine ... read more

The Burlingame Hyundai Dealer Closed - Where do I take my Hyundai for Service? Burlingame Hyundai Auto Service and Repair Department is Closed.  Call 650-595-2277 for Hyundai Service & Repair.  Aug 31st 2015 employees and customers showed up to the doors for the Burlingame Hyundai dealership only to find that it had closed down. It came as a surprise even to the neighboring shops, "We had no news, no idea, and then we showed up to work on Monday morning and their lot was empty!" (local mechanic David K. at a neighboring auto repair shop.) So the next question is where can Hyundai customers take their vehicle for service and repair? A+ Japanese Auto Repair in San Carlos has been the Hyundai Dealer alternative for over 10 years. They have seen the evolution of Hyundai from a car struggling with quality and market share to a thriving automotive company who competes against the likes of Honda and Nissan. Contact ... read more

How far can I drive with my gas light on before running out of gas? When your gas light comes on, you have an average of 30-50 miles before you run out of gas. The type of vehicle, how hard you are accelerating, the speed, and load of the vehicle will all have an impact on how far you can drive with your gas light on. How much gas is left when the gas light comes on? Typically, cars have between 2-4 gallons of fuel remaining in the gas tank when the gas light illuminates on the dash. It is recommended to get to a gas station immediately especially if you are on a road trip, gas stations can be far away. How many miles can you get on empty? Most cars will drive another 30-50 miles after the gas light comes on. Hard acceleration, fast speed, and a heavy loaded vehicle will all decrease the distance until you run out of fuel. Also any heavy electrical loads like the head lights and air conditions can decrease fuel mileage as well. How do I conserve gas when the gas light comes on ... read more

What should the tire pressure be on my car? Question posted by Janet W. regarding her Lexus RX350. We are headed to tahoe for summer break and want to make sure our tires are properly inflated.  Can you tell us the easiest way to find out what is the recommended tire pressure is on our vehicle? Often times we get the question, what is my vehicles recommended tire pressure? The truth is that all cars require different tire pressure but we will give you the general rules below. Where do I find the recommended tire pressure for my vehicle? Most vehicle manufacturers require a tire pressure of 32psi to 36psi on cars, SUVs, and light trucks. If you want to find the exact tire pressure for your car, check the following places: Sticker/decal in the glove box Vehicle owners manual Sticker/Decal in the driver inner door edge/door jam Sticker/Decal in the passenger inner door edge/door jam Sticker/Decal inside the fu ... read more

How do I get the fog off my headlights? Question posted by Barry G. regarding his Acura MDX "How do I get the fog off my headlights?  The headlights on my MDX are getting foggier by the day.  I am concerned that it could cause a safety issue with my night time driving." Why are my headlights cloudy? Why are my headlights yellow, hazed, or cloudy? Is there something you can do to make them brighter? Headlights are not only a cosmetic concern but should be considered a safety issue. Let's start by explaining why your headlights look fogged or hazed.   About 20 years ago, vehicle manufacturers switched from glass headlamps to plastic headlight units. UV rays, road grime, and chemicals react with the plastic and cause the ugly fog, hazed, yellow looking headlights.How do I get the fog off my headlights? There are many different methods and compounds you can use to ... read more

Why does my air conditioner have a musty smell? "I am writing into your repair mechanics to find out what is causing my air conditioner odor?  My air conditioner has a musty smell that is typically noticeable for the first 60 seconds or A/C operation.  After that duration it dissipates." Why does my air conditioner smell musty? Your car air conditioning smells bad because you probably have mildew or bacteria in the air conditioning system. We deal with the air conditioner smell often and will explain why it happens, how to clean the air conditioner and how to avoid it.  This is not uncommon and has nothing to do with a leak in the A/C system but can cause you some discomfort from the smell and possible mold. How did my vehicles air conditioner get in this condition and start to smell?  As the air conditioner begins to cool down, there are metal fins (the air condi ... read more