Walnut Creek Auto Repair

It's no mystery that regular oil changes are necessary to maintain your engine and vehicle health. While you've probably undergone an oil change before, you should make sure they're always on time. Unfortunately, some drivers lose track of their last change or ignore their oil reminders altogether. To be better with your vehicle maintenance, here are a few ways to tell whether it's time for you to schedule an oil change in Walnut Creek, CA.  The engine oil has become dark and gritty. As a responsible motorist, it's essential to check your engine oil every now and then to make sure it's at a healthy level and confirm you have no leaks. While the amount of motor oil is necessary to get the best performance, so is the quality of the solution. Healthy engine oil is almost always a light brown or amber and has a smooth fluid consistency. If it has become gritty and dark, it's time to come into Central Automotive for an oil change.  There are strange ... read more

Now that it's fall, there's specific car maintenance that you need to get done. Fall can bring rain showers, fog, and even ice. Also, the sun will set a lot sooner, meaning you'll need a good set of lights to see in the dark. With all these new obstacles, you need to fix up your vehicle to ensure you're driving safely. We've put together this list of 5 items that you should take care of this fall! #1: Tires Because of the weather changes, it is so imperative to have your tires checked out. Your tires need to have proper tread to be able to grip the road surface appropriately. Furthermore, they need to be at their correct tire pressure. #2: Fluids A key thing you should do every season is top off your essential fluids to ensure the proper function of your vehicle's systems. These vital fluids include engine oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering, windshield wiper fluid, etc. The technicians at Central Automotive can also help you check for leaks ... read more

Every car owners' worst nightmare involves the check engine light being on their dash. When you notice it, your first instinct may be to take your car to the repair shop to find out what's wrong. Life would be a lot simpler if cars could communicate with us exactly where the problem stems from.   Well - it sort of can. Our technicians at Central Automotive can get to the root of the problem using OBD scanners. These scanning devices plug into the OBD port in your vehicle to read data collected from the numerous sensors in your car. It will show a specific line of code that mechanics learned to read. If you had one of these OBD scanners, you'd be able to check it yourself, right? Well - yes and no. You have to have good knowledge of OBD scanners and error codes before you can interpret the data.   The acronym OBD stands for On-Board Diagnostics. It's a system in your automobile that monitors and records data from the Electronic Control Units (ECU), a collec ... read more

A head gasket is a portion of your engine that you can locate between the cylinder head and engine block. It is a barrier that helps stop engine fluids from being leaked into the cylinders. Due to its placement, a head gasket is often exposed to extremely high temperatures. The most common damage that can occur to the head gasket is a leak. The temperatures can cause marks on the gasket's surface, causing what's known as a blown gasket.   There are various signs and symptoms to look for if you suspect a head gasket leak. It may be as apparent as you may look for the leaks yourselves. You can also examine your exhaust fumes to trace them back to your head gasket. To do this, you should start your car. And if you notice a whitish-gray or blue vapor coming out of your exhaust, then it's probably a gasket leak. Any form of unusual smoke is never a good sign because it's also a common sign of engine overheating.    Another sign to look for is the discolora ... read more

Brakes are your primary line of defense against vehicle accidents or collisions on and off the road. If you're like most drivers here in Walnut Creek, CA, you probably only get your brakes inspected once you've noticed that something's wrong. You should have a professional check out your braking system from time to time to catch any issues before they start to make scary noises or fail. A simple way to remember is to get them inspected each time you go in for an oil or filter change at Central Automotive. Not maintaining your brakes is a danger to both you and other motorists on the road. Here are some of the most common symptoms of malfunctioning brakes that we see at our shop!   Grinding or Screeching Noises Whenever You Press On the Pedal Cause: Unusual sounds usually signal that your brake pads are worn down and need to be replaced pronto. Drivers should never take the grinding and screeching lightly. Neglecting to have your brake pads replaced will result in se ... read more