Boulder Auto Repair

What is a cabin air filter? Is it: A filter for a house in the middle of the woods?A fresh, piney scent?A filter for the passenger compartment of your car? Clever you, it’s 3. A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment. It filters out dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, sparrows, exhaust gas and odors. These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns. Not all vehicles have cabin filters. They are fairly new on the scene. About forty percent of new vehicles come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year. Cabin air filters can make for a very nice driving environment or turn your car into a sealed environment that fogs up with a carload of friends. With a properly working Cabin Air Filter, very little dust and pollen will get in. However, the filter eventually gets clogged. When this happen ... read more

With high fuel prices in Boulder CO comes lots of gas saving advice. Some of it, like what you hear on AutoNetTV, is really great. Some is myth. And some is just designed to prey on Boulder CO people desperate to save some money on gas. When you get one of those e-mails that’s going around telling you how to save gas, try to think it through. Does it really make sense? Does it defy the laws of physics? Do some research on the internet or ask your Boulder CO service advisor at John’s Auto Care. There aren’t any magic pills you can drop in your gas tank and the government hasn’t suppressed a device you can clamp on your fuel line to make your car run on air. Not even in Boulder! So next time you get one of those e-mails, check it out with an automotive professional. You’ll get more bang for your buck with an oil cha ... read more

For most of us, it is hard to remember life without power steering – cranking those great big steering wheels was quite the workout.  Now with Power Steering standard in all vehicles, we have to go to the gym to tone our arms. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid that provides assist for steering. Most pumps are driven by a belt that is run by the engine – a few are electrically powered. A high-pressure hose passes fluid from the pump to the steering gear. A low pressure hose returns the fluid back to the pump. These hoses can develop leaks, so it is a good idea to inspect them at every oil change. Low or dirty Power Steering Fluid can damage the power steering pump. That is why a fluid level & inspection is always part always part of every oil change service we perform at John’s Auto Care. The fluid cleans, cools and ... read more

Every Boulder car owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told that their engine air filter’s dirty. Here’s what goes into the determination of when to change the filter: First, your family car owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter. Second, a visual inspection by your Eldorado Springs technician may determine that your filter it is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.Now, most air filters purchased in Lafayette, Louisville, or Boulder don’t cost a lot to replace. It’s just that CO people hate getting caught with an unexpected expense. On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at John’s Auto Care can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change in Eldorado Springs. Think about a dirty furnace filter in your Lou ... read more

The push for fuel economy has two benefits: using less gas, and fewer emissions. Boulder cars and trucks run cleaner than ever. Boulder people may not realize that the first federally mandated pollution control device came out almost fifty years ago. Boulder folks that were around in the early 60’s may remember that the PCV valve came out on 1964 model cars. PCV stand for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. The crankcase is the lower part of the engine where the crankshaft is housed and where the engine oil lives. The crankshaft is connected to the pistons that power the engine. When fuel is burned in the family car engine, it pushes the pistons down and the crankshaft rotates and sends power to the transmission. Some of the explosive gases from combustion squeeze past the pistons and down into the crankcase. Now this gas is about 70% unburned fuel. If it were allowed ... read more