San Carlos Auto Repair

Photo by Joshua Naidoo on Unsplash   Cracking the Code: Toyota's Codes Have you received diagnostic readers as gifts recently?    These tiny devices attach to your vehicle’s diagnostic system, allowing you to get the service codes behind warning lights on your dashboard. While they don’t have the range and depth of the sophisticated diagnostics we use at A+ Japanese Auto Repair, they can give a clue about what’s going wrong in your vehicle and where to proceed.    Understanding the problem is the beginning of finding an answer   It’s not enough to have the code. You will also need to understand what parts the code corresponds to and how the different codes in play wo ... read more

  Do you own a Lexus? If so, what are you doing to maintain it? Do you pay attention to the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance schedule, or do you wait for your Lexus to tell you it’s in trouble?   Some cars and vehicles are so reliable and smooth that we forget they are a complex system of moving parts capable of breaking down at the slightest provocation. Sooner or later, your Lexus will give you the dreaded dashboard signal, to let you know that the time has come to get it serviced.    A yellow light on the dash doesn’t need to be a scary thing. While an urgent blinking light does indicate a desperate problem, your Lexus also knows to flag you down for repair at specific intervals with a gentle light. This is not meant to drive you into a dealership… the light is just a reminder that you need to schedule different services to safely maintain your Lexus.   When you bring your vehicle to A+ Japanese Auto Repair, a prepared Se ... read more

    Bringing your Honda in for service is decidedly not the same at every repair shop. An individual shop has its unique method and focus. At A+ Japanese, our focus is strong on customer service.   A Honda dealership, for instance, has its way of handling your needs. You may characterize that experience as a friendly counter person relaying, over the phone or in the lobby, what they’ve discovered about your car as they reach each discovery.     At a small independent shop with smaller resources, you might find a mechanic who will take you to your Honda and, over the open engine, try to bring you up to speed with what’s troubling your Honda. In a calm tone, they will convey to you what they will need to put your vehicle right, explaining the situation as best as possible and pointing out issues to you.   At A+ Japanese Auto, we provide the best of both of these things— and more. Our service advisor Seamus Connors will ask all t ... read more

  Hondas: Fairly Reliable, Even at High Mileage counts! At A+ Japanese Auto Repair, we specialize in Honda service and repair and all other Japanese makes and models. Hondas have long been known for their reliability. Given their reputation, when you purchase a pre-owned Honda, that Honda should last you a very long time -- provided that you take proper care of it, based on the factory recommended services.   Honda recommends having their vehicles serviced every 5,000 miles. The services included in regularly scheduled maintenance range from an oil change and tire rotation to air and cabin filter timing belts, replacing spark plugs, draining and filling certain fluids, and flushing certain fluids. How Many More Years Does This Honda Have? If the car has any history of service, that can be useful to determine how fit the car is. Knowing that it has received the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance is a good indicator of the Honda model’s long-term health. Co ... read more

  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