Boulder Auto Repair

One Boulder automotive service issue that doesn’t get much attention is driveline service. Drivelines don’t get talked about very much around Boulder, but they’re very important. First let’s define what the driveline is: Taking a small step back, the power plant is comprised of the engine and transmission. The driveline starts there and includes all of the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. That’s not really a lot of components, but they handle the full force of the engine. Without the driveline you’re not moving. So we need to take good care of it. The driveline components differ depending on whether your vehicle has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive or four wheel drive. For purposes of our discussion, we’re going to have to over simplify a bit.Let’s start with front wheel drive. The point where the tran ... read more

Boulder car owners know that under-inflated tires wear out more quickly. Under-inflation is also a major cause of tire failure for CO auto owners. More flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances are all results of under-inflated tires. It’s hard for many Boulder drivers to tell when a radial tire is under-inflated. If your vehicle manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your tire is considered significantly under-inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds. Uncle Sam to the rescue! A recent federal law required car makers to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System – or TPMS system – in all vehicles. The system is a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25 % below the automobile manufacturer’s pressure recommendations. The law covers all passenger cars, SUVs, mini vans and pick-up trucks ... read more

No matter how well they’re made, cars are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. Think of all the moving parts. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the vehicle manufacturer to issue recall notices to Boulder residents and to fix the affected cars free of charge. The auto manufacturer then tries to contact all Boulder drivers who own that type of car so they can have it taken care of at their Boulder service center.These recalls always affect safety, so Boulder motorists would be wise to take them seriously. It’s really easy to find out if a vehicle is being recalled. For links to government sites, look in the AutoNetTV website. Other website include: carfax.com; autobytel.com; and dmv ... read more

As Boulder consumers, we live in a disposable society. It’s amazing all the stuff we throw away. New stuff comes out so fast, and much of it is fairly cheap, so we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids in Eldorado Springs, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff – especially parents who grew up in the Depression. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough, we had to do without. Boulder auto owners couldn’t afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It’s a good thing that cars are more reliable these days. They just don’t break down as often. And the good news for us Boulder penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering’s there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the ... read more

Most Eldorado Springs motorists don’t even think about their car air conditioning system unless it fails. That’s because many Boulder and Louisville motorists don’t really understand that automotive air conditioners need periodic service. Let me share some of the reasons why they fail. First, like every machine, the family car air conditioner parts need – you guessed it – lubrication. The lubricant is actually mixed in with the refrigerant (that’s the stuff that makes the air cool). Remember that even if the air conditioner is still blowing out cool air, the oil that lubricates the parts may be used up: and unlubricated parts can fail in all CO cars.The air conditioner actually removes some of the moisture in the air. So if you have trouble with fogging on your windshield during CO winters or during ... read more