Boulder Auto Repair

Brakes really aren’t optional equipment for Boulder drivers. And taking care of them isn’t optional either. A regular brake inspection is on every CO car’s maintenance schedule. At John’s Auto Care, our team will check your brake system and let you know if there are any important problems. Of course, if you’re having trouble with your brakes, get your car into your Boulder or Lafayette service center right away. And watch out for these problems:Low or spongy brake pedalHard brake pedalA brake warning light that stays onConstantly squealing or grinding brakesVibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakesThere are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that’s attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle. Drum brakes are more common on back wheels. Pads, called shoes, push against the inside of the drum to slow the vehicle. There are several things ... read more

Ever heard the sad tale of a staggeringly pricey repair bill from a broken timing belt? Bad news. Let’s Boulder car owners take a lesson from their woes and remember to think about our critical timing belt. First, let’s review what a timing belt does. The top part of the engine, over the cylinders is called the cylinder head. The head contains the valves. There’s at least one valve that lets the fresh air into the cylinder. This air, mixed with fuel, burns to create power. Then another valve or two open to allow the exhaust out of the engine. Each cylinder has 2 to 4 valves – that’s 12 to 24 valves for a V-6, up to 32 values on a V-8. The opening and closing of the valves is done by a camshaft. The timing belt uses the rotation of the engine to drive the camshaft which opens and close the valves. It’s called a timing belt because it has to be adjusted to rotate the camshaft to keep proper time with the engine so that everything’s in sy ... read more

There are a lot of things in life that Boulder residents have to do on a regular basis. We wash dishes every day, do our laundry and mow our lawns every week, and pay the bills every month. We should go to our Boulder dentist twice a year and see our doctor for a check-up once a year. When we don’t stay on schedule with these routines, it can lead to embarrassing, painful or expensive consequences.Scheduled maintenance is also part of good car care. Boulder drivers should take their family cars in regularly for a good check-up. But many Eldorado Springs folks struggle to remember, or actually even ignore, this auto advice. When it comes to our cars, we’re more likely to listen to “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” than “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Yet it is the second adage that is the more applicable one. Regular brushing treatments prevent cavities. Filling a cavity prevents a more painful and more expensive root ca ... read more

There are some things Boulder auto owners should know about Boulder car service and repair. First and foremost, John’s Auto Care cares about you and your family’s safety. And we really appreciate your business. John’s Auto Care in Boulder wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come. Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix cars. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The cheerful service specialists that work for John’s Auto Care need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networki ... read more