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

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

Changing Your Oil vs. Buying a New Engine! Host: Robert, what should customers know about oil changes and oil filters, just generally speaking? Robert: Customers should mainly know to be regular on their oil changes. That’s the easiest thing that they can do. When you come into Doctor Motors and get an oil change, what we do is we schedule your next oil change and we pencil it in. You know, nobody knows what they’re doing in three months or five months. But the girls in the office, what they do is they will call you a week before your appointment is due, that way if it works for you, great, if it doesn’t, you can reschedule. But staying on track with those oil changes, I mean if you imagine, these engines, they cost you anywhere from $4,000 to $9,000 for an engine. Get your oil change done. It’s as simple as I can say. Host: Sounds wise. Robert: Get your oil change done. And the…watching you gauges, your lights, there’s usually a percentage. On some of these cars, the Nissan Altima, T ... read more

Living Mild Climate or Maintain a Battery Host: Robert, what issues come up with car batteries? We’re approaching winter. Right now, as we’re recording this, it’s mid-November, moving into the winter season. Is that a particularly tough time for batteries, or should people come in and start thinking about batteries? What do we find, based on your experience, people should do at this time of year? Robert: What people should do is, when they get their oil change, ask and make sure that they’re checking the battery. The reason why is because every, let’s say, fall, spring, those are the times where the temperature is moderate, let’s say, it’s not too hot, not too cold, batteries are gonna last a good long time. It’s the extreme temperatures in either direction that cause batteries to fail. Host: Heat of the summer, cold in the winter, both of those could trigger batteries to go bad? Robert: They prematurely wear them. So, if you had a temperature of 75 degrees and you left your battery c ... read more

Preventative maintenance is the best way to avoid big repairs, and to keep your favorite ride running for a long time. Robert, let’s talk about some basic preventative maintenance topics. Why is car maintenance important? You’ve touched on it before, but in a nutshell, why is it important for vehicle owners to regularly maintain their vehicles? What are the benefits? Robert: Well, the whole purpose of maintaining your vehicle is so that you get those small little maintenance items done so that the bigger repairs are kept farther at bay. Let’s say if you’re talking about a fluid, let’s say coolant, engine coolant, one of the reasons why you wanna keep that coolant as clean as possible is because any kind of dirt, or debris, or gunk that goes through the cooling system get’s clogged in the radiator. Radiators are expensive. You know, there’s no need to rep ... read more