San Carlos Auto Repair

By Stockbakers The Importance of Choosing the Right Technician for your Toyota Vehicle  The engine is the heart of your car and choosing the right technician is key to having it running smoothly and efficiently. Like a doctor trains for years to master the complex network of anatomy in your body, trained automotive technicians do too.   Toyota vehicles have unique maintenance needs that require specific knowledge and training. That's why it's important to research technicians who are experienced in working on Toyotas and understand how they function. Moreover, selecting a trained and certified technician will guarantee that they know what they're doing when it comes to servicing or repairing your vehicle.  What are ASE-Certifications? ASE Certifications are a valuable way to recognize individuals for expertise in the automotive service industry. ASE stands for Automotive Service Excellence, and individuals must pass rigorous tests to earn each of the si ... read more

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

  Bay Area Living is Busy! Book your next auto repair appointment and use our free vehicle pick-up & delivery service. Our free vehicle pick-up & delivery service works from your home or work (within 7 miles of our store). We typically pick up vehicles between 9-11am and often return the vehicle the next day during the same time. If that time frame doesn't work, please ask our staff we can make an accommodation. Office - 650-946-1856 Lastly, if you need a car to use while we are servicing yours, we have that too. Our goal is to allow you the freedom to get through your day without the hassle of car repair ... read more

  You rarely get to know the man who works on your car. But we’d like you to get to know Miguel, the diagnostic technician for Honda service at A+ Japanese Automotive Repair.    Miguel has been a technician with A+ Japanese Auto Repair for over 6 years. He has over 11 years in the automotive industry with training from Wyotech and annual ongoing training to stay up to date on new vehicle technology. And he's the right technician to work on your Honda!   A+ Japanese Auto Service makes customer service an important part of every car we repair. You’re more than a transaction to us; you’re a friend who we want to see safely back on the road, and a customer who deserves the best we can offer. And when you bring your Honda into our location, Miguel will dive in and work diligently to solve your troubles.     That’s why when you choose A+ Japanese for car repairs, we go the extra mile. We pick up and drop off your vehicle. And w ... read more

Photo by Anthony Garcia on Unsplash   December is at hand, and this year's holiday season has begun! We hope 2021 has been good to you and the whole family; and that you've managed to keep ahead of things this year, despite a very rushed feeling after the slow torture that was 2021.   We also hope you remembered to take care of winter prep for your car; earlier if you have plans to go North or Northeast into the Rockies for skiing this year. Driving in colder areas means thinking practically about getting your car in the right condition for bad weather. If you haven't and don't intend to, we recommend you at least consider the security of hiring a rental car, one that is suited for winter driving in the ... 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

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

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