Chico Auto Repair

Radiator and Coolant Host: Okay, Robert, let’s talk about radiators, radiator flushing. I’ve always wondered about that. Flushing the radiator, what does that really mean exactly? When you say, “We’re going to flush the radiator,” what happens? Robert: Well, let’s imagine. In your radiator, or your cooling system, which is, imagine it’s the water that’s going through the engine and radiator to keep the engine regulated at a certain temperature. That’s why it’s not stagnant. It’s moving. It’s circulating. That water/coolant, it degrades. It degrades over time. And the purpose of that coolant is to stop it from boiling or stop it from freezing. It does both. After a while, it loses that ability to do that. Not only that, the pieces inside the engine, the metal and gaskets, they’ll start to wear and fall apart, so you’ll get a gunk buildup inside that radiator. Host: So, small particles coming off engine components, they end up in the coolant which flows through the radiator, as I unders ... read more

Comprehensive Auto Insurance and Mechanical Damage Host: Robert, I think what you were saying is a lot of people don’t realize that if their vehicle is damaged on the road, let’s say something is in the road, you run over it, it comes up into the engine compartment, damages the drive train, that is something that an auto repair shop can handle and the auto insurance company will pay for it. Can you talk more about that? Robert: Yeah. Mainly full coverage insurance. So, if you have your basic…can’t remember the term… Host: It’s all right. Robert: …your basic insurance isn’t going to cover it. But full coverage will. Host: Comprehensive. Robert: Comprehensive. So, if you have comprehensive insurance, what’s gonna happen, say you’re driving down the road, and you’re in a situation where you have a truck on the side of you, another truck, or a guardrail on the other side, and there is a bi ... read more

Warped Brake Rotors Host: Let’s go ahead and get into brakes. Robert, what are the issues around brakes and brakes service? What do people need to know about that? What are the problems you see? Robert: Problems that I see are rotors getting warped. Now, in your braking system, we have brake pads. And the brake pads squish the rotors, which are, imagine, a disk. Now, the pads squish the disk, which slows you down. Just to sum it up. Host: So the pads are on either side of the rotor, and they’re putting pressure on the rotor, and that’s what slows down the vehicle. Robert: Correct. It’s a very efficient way of working. It works very well. But when you are driving a 5000-pound vehicle and you go to slow down, that creates a lot of heat. And that heat can cause that metal rotor to literally change its shape. Host: It’s going to warp. Robert: Just a hair and that’s called “warping” it. And then you’ll have pulsations. You’ll go to step on your brake and you’ll feel a pulsation on the brak ... read more

Host: What can you tell us about automatic transmissions? So Doctor of Motors, obviously, works on transmissions, replaces them. Robert: We do. We repair, replace. Host: Repair, replace. Robert: We test any of those problems. When you have a Check Engine light, there’s also a Check Engine light for the transmission, which is, if you imagine your indicator, where it says, Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, there is usually a little light around that tells you what gear you’re in. Host: Yes. Robert: If that light starts to flash, that is your Check Engine light for the transmission. Host: That just happened to my wife’s vehicle. That’s what she saw on her Honda Odyssey. Robert: Yeah. And that’s the transmission computer saying, “Hey, we’re having a problem.” Host: “Something’s wrong.” Robert: “You need to get it checked out.” Full Service Auto Repair Shops Fix Transmissions Too Host: Okay. So Doctor of Motors is a full-service shop, tackles transmissions, as well. Robert: Yes, we do. Host ... read more

Host: You mentioned earlier this idea of auto repair technicians versus a mechanic and some history about that. Can you tell us about that? Robert: Yeah. Well, back years ago when my father was a mechanic and before him, your dad could almost do just as much as everything as the mechanic could. He just didn’t have the time, so, you know, it was easier to have the mechanic work on your car, replace the radiator, flush the cooling system, do a tune up. Those were little things that were easy enough to do. And if you even had a couple tools, you were able to rebuild your own engine. Host: But the cars must have been simpler back then. Robert: Very much simpler. So the reason why you hear automotive technician instead of mechanic, or automotive mechanic, is because these guys were called grease monkeys for years. Simple…that they’re doing just a simple job. Well these days you almost have to be an engineer. You go to years and years of schooling, and not only that, you have to get updates ... read more