South San Francisco Auto Repair

Although the summer lets you enjoy the outdoors, the accompanying flurries of dirt and dust, high temperatures, and occasional rain may take a toll on your vehicle's systems. Luckily, preventative solutions are available to help keep your car in pristine condition and operating efficiently throughout the summer. Read on to find out more. Change the Oil If your vehicle still uses conventional oil, experts recommend that you change it after the 5,000-mile mark during the summer. For cars that use synthetic oil, the change should take place after around 7,500 miles. While you're at it, ensure you check the manufacturer's recommendations on oil change intervals as well as oil brand and weight. Check the Coolant Levels The coolant in your vehicle's radiator works overtime during the summer. Besides preventing the engine from overheating, it lubricates the water pump and sa ... read more

Wheel alignments are necessary for protecting your tire life and your vehicle safety. Read on to learn more about when it's the right time to head to our auto shop for a wheel alignment. When you experience any of the symptoms below, please take your car to Taylormade Automotive Inc for a wheel alignment. Steering Wheel Not Centered After you make a turn, your steering wheel should naturally fall back to the center position. If it can’t get the steering wheel to its original position, it means your wheels are misaligned. You may also notice that the steering wheel looks off when driving straight. Premature Tire Wear If your tires are wearing down too quickly, it is often a result of poor tire maintenance. If you notice unusual tread patterns or bald spots, it's likely time for a wheel alignment service. Car Pulling to One Side If your vehicle keeps pulling left or right when driving straight, it is a tell-tale sign that your alignment is off. This can be very danger ... read more

Besides the engine, the transmission system is one of the most important and expensive vehicles. If it wears down, a complete rebuild or replacement is necessary to restore its operation. However, if you catch red flags early on, you can bypass them with transmission repairs. Read on to learn about the early signs that indicate your transmission may need repairs. Sign #1 – Delayed Gear Shifts If you’re shifting from one gear to another, your automatic transmission should kick in swiftly. A transmission that is failing won’t engage right away. A similar response can occur in a manual transmission, although that can often be fixed by swapping out the clutch. Sign #2 - Transmission Fluid Leak A transmission fluid leak is one of the easiest to identify. It is the only liquid in your car that is red in color with a distinctive smell. If you see this under your parked car, you know that you have a transmission fluid leak. Neglecting this fluid puddle can lead to more ex ... read more

Pets and children mean things can get messy. When taking them in the car, it's inevitable that the car will be a mess with them. However, it is possible to keep the car organized if you have both pets and kids. Here are some tips for keeping your car clean when you're going for a ride with your pets and children. Keep pets in one spot While this may be easier said than done, if the pet is in one spot, there won't be a lot of pet hair to clean up. A restraint or crate can help with this. Pets that's allowed to move around in the vehicle not only spread hair etc. everywhere, but they can distract you while you drive. With that said, it's best to keep them in one spot to make cleaning easier. Have mats and seat covers Kids can be very messy, so having mats and seat covers will be a lifesaver. Most of them are liquid proof, and it'll make cleanup much easier. It'll also reduce the chance of any interior being ruined. The best mats for the car while riding wi ... read more

One thing that all drivers should learn how to properly is how to jumpstart their vehicle. While it may seem easy to grab the jumper cables and start connecting, they can be dangerous if you don't use them correctly. Here are some of the most common mistakes that people often make regarding jumper cables: Storing them incorrectly - Like the car battery, jumper cables can corrode in certain conditions. When they start to break down, you should throw them out instead of attempting to use them. Please remember to store these cables in a dry and closed area to preserve them. Failing to properly connect the clamps to their connection points - Making the wrong connections can lead to accidents like fires and explosions. In other words, you could damage your vehicle even more if you don't know what you're doing. Please remember to clamp the clips in the following order: Red to dead Red to donor Black to donor Black to bare metal Doing it with no gloves or protection for ... read more

If you've been a long-time California resident, you know that this state does not take emissions tests lightly. There are strict laws that require your vehicle to pass in order to be legal to drive. To be specific, if your automobile is more than 6 years old, you need to pass a smog test every two years, or biannually. Not only does this rule protect older vehicles from falling apart, but smog tests help to keep our air quality clean. If your vehicle didn't make the cut this time around with its annual emissions test, it can possibly be for the following reasons: Check engine light on Dirty air filter Leaking gas cap Old spark plugs, leading to an increase in hydrocarbon emissions Malfunctioning evaporative emission control system (EVAP) Problems with the catalytic converter You shouldn't freak out after failing this test because the test center will give you an outlined list of why your car didn't pass. Some test centers, like Taylormade Automotive, can make tho ... read more

The check engine light is every driver's worst nightmare. Not only does it mean that you need repairs, but it's very hard to narrow down the problem. You may have questions like, "What does it mean?" and "Is it something serious or an easy fix?" Below, we've listed the 5 most common reasons why a check engine light might come on. Loose Gas Cap A loose or missing gas cap is probably the first problem that you hope for when you see the check engine light because they are easy and inexpensive fixes. If the check engine light comes on immediately after you fill up, you should pull over to see if your gas cap is fastened.  Oxygen Sensor Failure The oxygen sensor, or O2 sensor, measures your exhaust's oxygen levels. If this part fails, your vehicle will continue to drive. However, your engine may overconsume gas, and the damages could end up spreading to your spark plugs or catalytic converter. Faulty Catalytic Converter The catalytic converter ... read more

The new year is always a great time to make resolutions for your car. How do you do so? You can follow the easy-to-understand resolutions you can make for your car below! New Year Resolutions for Every Car OwnerEliminate all distracted driving Distracted driving is one of the major causes of accidents. It can range from eating to even talking to someone. While it's impossible to be 100% focused, you can still try to eliminate a lot of habits that would distract you while you're driving. This means talking on the phone less, have everything you need where you want it Keeping your car clean If your car has always been on the messy side inside, now is a good time to clean it and try to keep it clean. This includes removing everything that you don't need in the car that contributed to the clutter. Learn basic maintenance It's so easy to just bring the car to a shop and let the professionals take car ... read more

San Francisco is remarkable and known for many things: the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and its curvy, steep, rolling hills. In fact, the city has the second-most hills in the world! As you can probably imagine, driving and parking in San Fran can be a challenge within itself. Today, we will refresh your knowledge on how to park on uphills and downhills properly. How to Park Uphill Parking on a hill may look intimidating, but it's an everyday activity for the locals of San Francisco, CA. When you need to park uphill against a curb, please remember to turn your wheels away from the curb and let your automobile roll back until it gently grazes the curb. Doing this will help prevent the vehicle from rolling forward or backward. Last but not least, you can't forget to set the parking brake.  How to Park Downhill If you intend to park on a downhill slope, remember to turn your wheels toward the curb or right shoulder. This will help prevent the vehicle from gliding towar ... read more

An automotive oxygen sensor, or O2 sensor, detects the presence of oxygen in your exhaust gases. They can be found in modern cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Its role is to maximize combustion engine efficiency and emission control. Once the sensor reads the amount of oxygen present, it can determine the appropriate amount of fuel to be delivered to the cylinders.   The O2 sensor prevents the so-called knocking from occurring, which can happen when an engine misfires or combusts too soon before it has finished burning both air and fuel.    You can find the oxygen sensors in the exhaust to monitor combustion efficiency in an engine. It can restore some of the air that burned during the combustion process with high-temperature oxygen gas. The sensor uses a heated filament wire or platinum wire as its heat source and emits a low-current electrical current in response to changes in temperature.   What Are the Signs of a Failing Oxygen Sensor? Driving with a malfunc ... read more