San Carlos Auto Repair

  Honda is big at A+ Japanese Auto Repair We deal in ten different Japanese brands at A+ Japanese Auto Repair. One of the most loved brands is Honda! We find them to be very reliable cars if you keep up with the proper maintenance, which is why we recommend them to first-time Japanese car buyers.       What do the Honda Service Codes mean? Honda’s manufacturer-suggested maintenance is for every 5,000 miles. There are plenty of engine codes to learn surrounding the engine messages of a Honda. Here’s what the service recommendations mean:   Service A is the simple act of replacing the engine oil. Just draining and refilling, nothing more.   Service B is all the little things that can cause trouble when left unchecked: replacing the oil filter, a brake inspection, and anything else your owner’s manual deems to be significant at 5,000 miles.    Service 1 means rotating the tires and verifying the tire pressure and the con ... read more

Photo by vishal bonthapally on Unsplash   A+ Japanese knows, services, and loves Japanese cars. Most people will know by our name alone that A+ Japanese Auto Repair can service your Toyota. But did you know that we also specialize in the Toyota brand?    Our shop has long earned a reputation in San Carlos for Toyota service. Many times, San Carlos has voted our shop the #1 Independent Toyota auto repair and service facility. We have ASE-Certified technicians that specialize in Toyota and know it exceptionally well. We happen to love to work on Toyotas, and it’s a treat for us when we can work on something a little unusual to the domestic ones we see.   Our brand new client Jon recently brought in his JDM ... read more

Photo by A+ Japanese Auto Repair   As we get closer to school being back in session, some of us will see first-time drivers emerging from our own homes. High school seniors will be driving to school for the first time, and some of us will be sending our kids out of the nest and off to a university or a college.    Our kids are young. Some are inexperienced drivers who will be going back to school while our even younger children may be walking or bicycling to school-- sometimes on the same roads. It’s crucial that we send our kids out in safe and reliable cars.   Here are the ten car repairs you shouldn’t put off before school starts:   Check the Brakes - Brakes are number one for a reason. Kids will dart in and out of the road on their way to and from school. Drivers, young and old, need all the reaction time they can get.     Check the Battery - People often forget that batteries have water or a gel solution in them. After a ... read more

Winter is coming! With winter almost here, many of us will bring out the warmer jackets and scarves as we prepare for those chilly temperatures. Many of us don’t realize that it is important to prepare our vehicles for winter too. The process is called winterizing your vehicle.  We recognize that there is so much to do during the winter months, especially during the holiday season. At A+ Japanese Auto Repair, we want you to be able to rely on your vehicle during these busy times. To make sure you can depend on your vehicle during winter, bring your vehicle to A+ Japanese Auto Repair. To make sure your vehicle is ready for winter, our technicians will examine these components, along with others:  Oil change: An oil change is a quintessential example of preventative maintenance, but you would be surprised to learn how many people forget about this service. When the weather drops, the cold will cause your oil to thicken. When your oil is too thick, it can’t lubricat ... read more

Free Vehicle Check Up - During 2020 / 2021 Covid A+ Japanese Auto Repair in San Carlos is now offering a free, drive up, no-touch, vehicle pit stop service! What Is The Free Pit Stop Service? Our free pit stop service involves a technician performing an underhood fluid check, tire pressure inspection/reset, he will check all of your exterior lights and cleans off your underhood cowl/air intake. Video explaining The Pit Stop service. How Do I Take Advantage Of The Free Pit Stop Service? We created this free pit stop service for our clients to allow them to have their vehicles looked after between services. We recognize that vehicles may be driven less during the COVID shutdowns but that doesn't mean your vehicle should go too long without being checked out. Do I Have To Get Out Of My Vehicle?  If you are an A ... read more

What should I inspect when buying a used car? A vehicle pre-purchase inspection could save you thousands of dollars either by helping you negotiate the purchase price of a used vehicle or by avoiding the purchase altogether.  Below is a list of items that we recommend you inspect before buying a used vehicle: Inspect The Used Car On The Outside 1. Does the odometer mileage make sense for the year, make, model, and the story that comes with the vehicle? (Note: Typically vehicles are driven between 10,000-15,000 miles a year.) 2. Inspect the exterior door jams, truck jam, and hood jams for proper spacing between the panels. Especially, look at the gaps where these body panels move and pivot. If the gaps are too small, large, or don't look like the other gaps on the vehicle, there may have been some bodywork done on the vehicle. Bodywork isn't necessarily a bad thing, you just want to understand the extent of the work and confirm that the bodywork doesn't a ... read more

California is experiencing a record number of wildfires across the state, and these fires lead to a vast amount of smoke and ash. The team at A+ Japanese Auto Repair would like to thank all the firefighters working so diligently to keep our communities safe and sound. Next, we hope each one of our customers is safe and healthy during this troubling time. The influx of smoke and ash in the atmosphere can also negatively affect our vehicles, specifically your cabin air filter.  Your cabin air filter keeps particles, including dust, dirt, pollen, bacteria, and ash, from entering your cabin. The state of your cabin air filter is directly related to the quality of the air you and your passengers breathe in your cabin. A new cabin air filter will be sparkling white, but you might find the air filter blackened with ash and other debris after a relentless fire season. If your cabin air filter is filled with dirt and grime, your risk of breathing contaminated air rises significantly.  ... read more

You have a busy day ahead of you -- you get in your vehicle, ready to run to the grocery store for some supplies and then make it back in time for your morning meeting when you notice your check engine light flashing incessantly on your dashboard. You decide you will get it checked tomorrow; you are just too busy today. But a few days go by, the light stays on, and you finally remember that your check engine light needs to be looked at.  When you see that check engine light illuminated on your dashboard, we recommend reacting right away and scheduling an appointment with the technicians at A+ Japanese Auto Repair for an appointment. When the light appears on your dash, you might only have a short period to bring your vehicle to qualified technicians to prevent more extensive problems. Here are five reasons why you shouldn't ignore your check engine light ... read more

School is just around the corner. Some of us might have little ones that aren’t so little anymore and need a vehicle. This is a big decision for any parent, as you need a safe, secure, and affordable vehicle. The team at A+ Japanese Auto Repair is here to help you evaluate the vehicle right for you and your son or daughter. Of course, safety always comes first.    The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently changed its system for its Top Safety Picks and Top Safety Pick Plus winners, making it a lot harder for vehicles to make the cut.  The safest cars are in the Top Safety Pick Plus category -- they need to earn a Good rating in all crash tests, get Advanced or Superior scores for front crash prevention, and come with Acceptable or Good rated headlights. Before this system change, automakers could install higher rated headlights on various models and still make the cut. However, this year, they have to ... read more

You are driving down the road with your family. Each of you is hugely excited for the day at the beach, enjoying the warm summer, when your engine starts to smoke. You immediately pull over amid the confused and concerned comments of your passengers. Do you know what to do next, specifically do you know how to handle an overheating vehicle?    If you ever find yourself dealing with an overheated vehicle, we want you to be prepared. Most likely, heat isn’t able to escape the engine, which can be caused by a cooling system leak, damaged radiator fan, broken water pump, or even a clogged coolant hose.  A few things to note before checking your vehicle's cooling system. Navigate your vehicle to a safe place before getting out of the vehicle. Freeways and city streets can be very dangerous. If you find yourself stuck in the middle of a freeway, it has been advised not to get out of the vehicle. Call for help and wait for assistance.  B ... read more