Sacramento Auto Repair

Hands down, your brake system is one of the most important components of your vehicle, especially in regards to your safety. Without properly working brakes, you could imagine the type of situation you would end up; easily one of our worst nightmares. At the Auto Experts, we can’t emphasize the importance of brake maintenance enough, and with spring break coming up, take your free time from carpooling your kids to school, to bring your vehicle to our shop for an inspection. When you step on your brakes, it is important to pay attention to what you are feeling, hearing, or seeing. You may hear a squeaking, squealing, or grinding noise when you use your brakes. A squeaking or squealing noise could be an indication of friction with the brake lining. Under certain conditions and without proper attention, this could result in damaged pads, lining, brake drums, or rotors. A grinding noise could mean that your brake pads are worn. The only sounds you should hear from your brakes are s ... read more

It can be a challenge choosing the right tires for your vehicle. There seem to so many different options to choose from. Fortunately, the team at The Auto Experts in Sacramento is breaking it down for you: regular tires vs. run-flat tires? There are both benefits and advantages to run-flat tires, despite them becoming increasingly popular. If you are deciding between regular tires or run flat tires, we encourage you to consider these pros and cons of run-flat tires: Benefits: You can drive on a run-flat tire. The primary advantage of these tires is that they allow you to keep driving on this self-supporting tires for about 100 miles after all the air has gone. If you have a flat tire with a run-flat tire, your stability and handling will remain normal, meaning you can continue to drive safely until you arrive at a shop that can take care of your vehicle, such as The Auto Experts in Sacramento. Your vehicle will weigh much less with both the spare tire and tools eliminated, wh ... read more

Every vehicle owner knows how it challenging it can be to keep your vehicle organized, and the struggle intensifies even more if you have little ones. Because the team at the Auto Experts in Sacramento wants to make your life easier, we have put together a list of 10 organizational hacks for your car:   Utilize a shoe organizer by placing it behind the passenger seat and placing snacks, toys, or items in the pockets. You will see these pouches are a perfect size. Don’t want dirty cup holders? Try cupcake liners. They protect the interior of your vehicle by catching any dirt or grime. And the best part is that they are easy to remove and replace. If your little ones are coloring in your car, and you find wandering colored pencils throughout your vehicle, simply solve the problem by placing them an old DVD case. Have you ever seen a remote control pocket? Imagine using this contraption in your vehicle to hold anything from hand sanitizer to coloring books. Need some ... read more

The beauty of living in Sacramento is that if you want to experience snowy outdoor adventures, Lake Tahoe is only an hour away. But for many Californians, driving in the snow is a bit intimidating. To help make your drive to Tahoe a bit safer, here are some helpful winter driving tips. Pack a preparedness kit -- Be sure to include a first aid kit, gloves, blankets, water, snacks, flashlights, a shovel, flares, and tire chains. You’ll never know what Mother Nature has in store for you while on the road, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. Check your vehicle before the drive -- Are your tires optimally filled with air? Does your engine have enough oil? Got the right coolant mix as well? How about your belts, hoses, wiper blades, fluids, and brake pads? If your vehicle is making noises or not as powerful when it was newer, take it in for a service inspection to avoid a breakdown on your weekend getaway. Get to know your low gear -- If you are driving in the mountains a ... read more

When you hear Christmas music playing at the grocery store or catch one of the ubiquitous Christmas-related ads on TV or online, do you groan inwardly, or do you grin outwardly? If it’s the latter and you love the build-up to Christmas, do you enjoy taking yourself and your family on drives or walks to look at some of the beautiful and lavish Christmas light displays in and around Sacramento? But how do you know where to go to see the best displays, especially since the Sacramento area is so vast? Do we even need to say that everything is virtual these days? Of course, you can find beautiful Christmas light displays by driving around or by asking your friends and neighbors, but that sounds suspiciously like work to us! Here we’ve listed a few of our favorite websites you can use to track down the best neighborhoods for viewing Christmas light displays: California Christmas Lights We found a really cool site that shows you where to find the most beautiful Christmas light d ... read more

Now that winter is nearly here and the holiday season is looming, you might be planning to spend a lot of hours in your car driving from family reunions to work parties to friends’ get-togethers. And, of course, you often need to make extra trips to pick up supplies for cooking, decorating, and gift-wrapping. Add that to the time you already spend commuting, driving the kids to and from school and activities, and running the usual errands, and you might feel like pulling your hair out if you have to listen to more talk radio or--maybe even worse--sappy holiday music on the radio. We’d love to recommend some of our favorite audiobooks for your consideration: Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be By Rachel Hollis This book in the Health and Wellness/Self-Development genre is both witty and heartfelt. Author Rachel ... read more

Modern cars come with so many bells and whistles now--assisted parking, backup cameras, and lane-departure warnings, to name a few. Most people probably consider cruise control practically a mandatory feature since it’s been around and in use for over 100 years. Although speed-control mechanisms in automobiles go back as far as the beginning of the 20th century, modern control was invented in 1948 by the inventor and mechanical engineer Ralph Teetor. By the early 1970s it was becoming a very popular option on automatic transmission cars in the U.S. Today some form of cruise control comes standard or at least as an option on most vehicles sold in America. So, most people can probably name the plusses of cruise control: Cruise control can reduce driver fatigue and improve comfort on long drives on highways and relatively uncrowded roads. It helps drivers avoid driving over the speed limit. If used appropriately, cruise control can increase fuel efficiency ... read more

It goes without saying that our children are precious to us. We want to do everything we can to keep them safe. One of the most important things we can do for our babies and toddlers is put them in the absolute best, safest, highest-rated car seat--one that fits them and that is installed correctly. Obviously, the most important thing to worry about is how to find the safest car seat for your baby or toddler. It’s difficult to think of a more stressful or critical decision when you’re a new parent. Luckily, you can breathe at least a small sigh of relief, because all car seats on the market have been tested to make sure they meet the current safety standards of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). (Make sure to look for the JPMA stamp on the box to be certain it meets the standards for safety.) But keep in mind that safety technologies are constantly being improved, so never accept a used or hand-me-down car seat under any circumstances: give yourself peace ... read more

The earliest automobiles were modeled after horse-drawn buggies. They had open tops (and no windshields or doors). The first automobile design featuring a closed top was introduced in 1910. Vinyl or cloth roofs were typical in the 1920s, with steel mostly replacing the fabric roofs in the 1930s as automotive manufacturers worked to make cars sturdier and safer. But people missed the open-roof feeling of those early cars. The first manual retractable hardtop convertible was invented in 1922, although that design was never actually produced. In 1927, manufacturers like Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln, and Chrysler brought multiple convertible models to the eager American public. The first power-operated retractable hardtop came out in 1934. And the American love affair with the convertible was underway. Convertibles in California Culture Convertibles hold a special place in American culture, especially in California. Convertibles are glamorous, driven by movie spies ... read more

Are you planning to take some fun road trips this summer? Or do you prefer staying closer to home and hanging out with your friends and family? Either way, after a long day of driving, swimming, hiking, or dozing in a hammock, you might be in the mood to stream some great movies or documentaries…about cars! But…how do you choose? The Auto Experts has you covered with these recommendations for some of the best movies and documentaries about cars and car culture: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) Will Ferrell and company are hilarious in this over-the-top comedy about NASCAR racing. The Car (1977) This cult horror flick is so bad it’s good. An evil car terrorizes a small town. The dark side of the “driverless car.” The Great Race (1965) Set at the turn of the 20th Century, this comedy features a dashing hero, a beautiful suffragist journalist, and a black-clad, mustachioed villain. Also, a polar bear get ... read more