Monterey Collision & Auto Repair

Many of us take oil changes for granted. When money is tight, sometimes we push off the oil change until later. If you procrastinate with your oil changes, here is what happens to your poor vehicle: Sludge buildup -- When your oil gets dirty, stays dirty, and continues to run through your engine dirty, it leaves a nasty buildup of sludge. Sludge can gunk up your system, which leads to restriction of vital fluids destined for the engine parts they support. Contamination -- Think about it. When you cook bacon in a pan, you make grease, right? Imagine what would happen if you didn’t wash the pan the next time you cooked...and the next time...etc. If you kept cooking in the same pan without getting rid of the old oils and gunk, it’s disgusting. The same thing goes on in your vehicle when you don’t get fresh oil every so often. Contamination can create problems, especially when bits of gunk start blocking the pipes. Break down -- Now that you have a gunky, sludgy, contaminated engine ... read more

Today is April 22, 2013, and we wish you a Happy Earth Day. What are some of the things you can do with your car, truck, van, or SUV to be friendly to the environment? Here are six tips that you can use to help save fuel, keep our air cleaner, and help out Mother Nature: Reduce your carbon footprint by leaving your car at home twice a week. Leaving your car at home twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year. Work from home. You'll reduce air pollution and traffic congestion - and save money. Don’t let your vehicle idle. The exhaust from cars, buses, trucks, and work vehicles can pollute air in and around the vehicle, and can enter school buildings through air intakes, doors, and open windows. If you’re not already driving a hybrid, electric or biodiesel vehicle, consider looking into one. Green power produces less carbon emissions, reduces air pollution, and helps protect against future costs or scarcity of fossil fuels. Ride the MST Jazz bus around Monterey ... read more

Have you thought about Spring Cleaning your vehicle? If you do, not only will your car be cleaner, but it could become more fuel efficient, too. Here are some areas where your vehicle could benefit from some deep cleaning and a little bit of extra elbow grease. 1. Take out the trash. Do you really need all those empty water bottles and boxes of junk taking up trunk space and adding weight to the car? Do you really want your vehicle to be a rolling lab experiment with excess amounts of crumbs, dirt, and lost french fries on the floorboards? Get rid of the trash and vacuum that sucker out! 2. Check your tire pressure. As the seasons and temperatures change, so does your tire pressure. You’ll save money on gas if your tires are filled with the recommended levels of air. 3. Clean your windows. If you’re the type who doesn’t do windows, our detailing center will be happy to take care of that for you. When your windows are clean, inside and out, you will have be ... read more