Monterey Collision & Auto Repair

There are many YouTube videos showing beginners how to drive a manual transmission. On the other end, you can take driving courses at the Skip Barber Driving School at Laguna Seca Raceway to drive a manual transmission like a pro. To help you drive a manual transmission in a way that is easy on your vehicle and gets you the best gas mileage, here are some tips for driving a stick. 1. If you are new to standard transmissions and need to learn how to drive the car, here is a helpful video: <iframe allowfullscreen></iframe> 2. Now that you know how to drive your standard transmission vehicle, begin driving as you normally would in an automatic. Avoid tailgating the vehicle in front of you so you have plenty of time to stop. 3. Shift a few hundred RPMs earlier than normal to save gas. By shifting early, you don't wind the engine up so much. 4. When you are at cruising speed, somewhere around 55 miles per hour, shift to the highest gear to achieve a higher to ... read more

For those of us who live year round on the Monterey Peninsula, snow and ice are not driving hazards we have to deal with on a regular basis. Especially this January, where it has been amazingly warm and sunny. However, for those of us who love to visit ski country, driving safely on snow and ice helps us get back safely to our coastal climate. Here are some helpful tips on how to drive safely through ice and snow: 1. Make sure your car has been serviced and is operating well before your ski trip. Breaking down on the side of a snow covered road is NOT fun. 2. Buy snow tires or add chains to your existing tires. 3. Practice driving on snow and ice before your road trip. If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with driving on icy roads, practice in a parking lot before you tackle the highways and byways. 4. Weigh your car down with sandbags directly over the rear axle if you have a rear wheel drive vehicle. These sandbags will serve as ballast and help prevent spinouts. 5. Double the ... read more

Some people forget to change their tires. Others are better about getting regular tire service. Here are the top five reasons to change your tires: Your tread is less than 1/16 inch or 1.6 millimeters thick. Your tires should always have more than a depth of 1/16 inch tread, ideally at a thickness of 1 inch of tread depth. If your tread wear indicator bars are exposed, your tires need to be replaced. Tread wear indicators are parallel bars that run perpendicular to the direction of the tread. Replace your tires if they have cracked and weathered side walls. Cracked and weathered side walls are bad news, showing that the strength of the tire is breaking down. Bulges and blisters on the tires are really bad news, for they indicate a potential blow out. Blow outs are a cause of some major accidents, so never let your tires get to the point of having bulges and blisters. If your tires have too much vibration, it is yet another sign that something isn’t quite right with your tires. At ... read more

Robert’s Auto Repair has developed a solid reputation along the Monterey Peninsula for premier workmanship and service. We go the extra mile in everything we do to make certain our clients receive 100% satisfaction. To help illustrate why we do what we do and how we do it, we thought it would be educational to show a behind the scenes viewpoint of how we do our workflow process on a simple task such as brake service and repair. The brakes on your vehicle are its most important safety feature, and brakes are not something that can be neglected, at all! Due to the braking system’s constant use, brakes may require maintenance after several thousand miles or when your vehicle appears to take longer than it should to come to a complete stop. To better understand our workflow process, here is a typical checklist we run through to provide the best brake system maintenance and brake repair: First, we test to see if the brakes work okay. Next, we determine how the brake system is doing based on ... read more

Editorial Note: We can’t help but run this note from your vehicle every year. It’s one of our annual traditions. Happy New Year from the entire Robert’s Auto Repair team! I, my human's vehicle, do solemnly swear to make the following New Year's Resolutions for 2014. I resolve to carry my humans and their precious cargo safely wherever they drive me. I resolve to stop as quickly as possible when faced with an emergency situation. I resolve to respond quickly when my gas pedal is pushed, my steering wheel is turned, my brakes are applied, and when my human is running late. I resolve to provide warmth when it's cold, air conditioning when it's hot, and shelter from the rain, wind, sleet, snow, and hail. I resolve to never hydroplane, slide, or lose control of myself on the road. I resolve to use gasoline efficiently, helping my human's money stretch as far as possible. I resolve to avoid all accidents, scratches, pot holes, and any damage that would harm me or make my insurance ... read more