Campbell Auto Repair

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash   It’s July, and we’re in our first summer where we can meet in public since COVID-19 hit the U.S. last March. It’s going to be a hectic summer for travel. Our customers are already preparing to take vacations by coming in for check-ups and fluid checks, and we’re gently preparing for more accident-related repairs to arrive in late summer.   Perhaps we haven’t all got the same idea to travel right now, though. Some may not have planned for an escape due to uncertainty or a lack of stability in the available travel options. New variants of COVID-19 have made some folks a bit timid to travel. Or maybe we’re keen to escape but can’t get relatives to agre ... read more

Photo by Karan Shiwalkar on Unsplash   Welcome to our June blog at Autotrend Auto Repair! Looks like summer is here at last, and that means summer trips with the family.   When you were younger, you probably learned the hard way about the importance of who controls the radio on a long trip. If it isn’t you, that means suffering through hours of someone else’s idea of a good time. And that can sure drag out an already-long car trip. Road trips can be a hard place to keep the entire family happy.   Now that you have a family, you have to consider what kind of music they like to enjoy songs with you. You can always just put each kid on a music player of their own, but then you miss the karaoke-like fun of grou ... read more

Photo by Nesha Torres on Unsplash   Welcome to our May blog! Spring is now sprung and is fully in session. With hot days coming to scorch our sitting cars, we’ve got to start preparing for another summertime soon.   Campbell is a great place to live, and to drive a car, too. The summer heat is livable in Campbell, and it’s not a bad spot to own a convertible. When the heat is at its worst, you can put on a fan or turn on the air conditioning and get right back to comfort.    But consider your poor vehicle. It waits for you everywhere you go in the summer heat with little respite when you take it on errands. For you, getting into a hot car is awful, but imagine how it is for the vehicle itself with in ... read more

Welcome to the April blog! With technology becoming cheaper and cheaper, more people are buying their partners home automobile diagnostic machines for their cars, for birthdays and Christmas presents. It’s a great gift for a car enthusiast who wants to go into a shop with some idea of an existing problem. But the trouble with a diagnostic device is that it doesn’t really offer the answers. It’s a part of the question, one that helps the mechanic work out where the issue is. But we frequently see people coming from parts stores who want a specific part changed. If that part is replaced and the problem still exists, that’s not the fault of the auto mechanic; that’s a shortcut that took the car owner twice as long and twice the price. Still, home computer diagnostics are not a bad thing. It’s important that the user understands it doesn’t have the full story on what’s wrong with your car, usually. That’s something that an experienced ... read more

Welcome to March! Spring will soon be sprung. We hope it’s a good season for you and yours and that you have the resources you need to see your way through the next month. The arrival of spring will bring with it certain other problems: the local fauna will wreak havoc on the sinuses of the unprepared. Particularly in dry seasons, the dusting of pollen all over our cars can make life difficult for the sensitive among us who react badly to pollens, whether tree, ragwood, or otherwise. Protecting your car and your passengers against pollen is important. We’d like to recommend a few each steps to helping you save your passengers (or yourself) during the allergy season: Consider your destination. If you’re going somewhere near a big field of flowers or where the parking will put you right where pollen will hit you, rethink your plans. Wash your car regularly. Get your car washed at regular intervals if the season is dry and the rain isn’t washing the pollen away ... read more

It’s Valentine’s Day in the midst of a pandemic! Health concerns will make it difficult to plan out romantic adventures with our sweethearts. It's impossible to predict, over a month away, what the climate for going outside will be. With a new, more contagious variant of Coronavirus on the loose, it is difficult to make any kind of plans right now.  It's also true that we need getaways. Our love relationships need cultivation and stimulation, or they become stagnant. We must do something to shake up norms and get the bonding experiences that keep us together. With the Downtown Campbell Farmers' Market closed due to COVID19 concerns, there's a little less to do in Campbell at the moment. While we'd all like to book a table at Elements Massage for an exciting spa day, the best we can do now is to purchase a gift certificate to help them get through the pandemic, too. There are, however, places where you can step out of your comfort zone and get a l ... read more

Welcome to a new year! As the pandemic carries on into 2021, we’ve had to adjust the way we do everything to keep ourselves and our kids safe. There’s a lot to do every time we go out the door now! Here are some ground rules we should all follow when venturing forth in our cars Know your route. We’re at a stage where we have to consider where we’re headed as where we may potentially break down. So check your route on a navigation device for any detours or obstructions. Be aware of when traffic slows on your way there and back, to avoid high traffic periods.  Keep your calm. This is hard, especially with kids around. Sometimes the kids can get excited or loud during a trip. And sometimes outside events can affect our calm: rude drivers, sudden stops, conflicts. It’s important to stay calm and remember that the objective isn’t winning a race when we drive, it’s to get safely to your next destination. And remember, other people may be tryi ... read more

Photo by Caique Silva Fotografo on Pixabay   At Autotrend, we know how easy it is to take driving for granted, to think of ourselves as invincible and impervious. But other drivers do this, too. To survive them, you need to be aware of their major sins.    These 9 New Year’s Driver Resolutions are about helping you be more aware and protected from bad driving on the road.   Focus on the drive - Sort out your distractions before you start your journey. Never drive sleepy, never drive after drinking, or under the influence of drugs (illegal and prescribed). Adjust your mirrors properly Before you take the car out of Park. Pull the vehicle over for an emotional conversation. Practice Defensive Driving - every time you get behind the wheel, be aware that someone else may be even more reckless than you are.  Don’t tailgate - Leave a bigger gap Obey traffic laws - Follow the speed limit. Use appropriate speed on the highway and come to a full sto ... read more

Did you know that this Thanksgiving marks the 400th anniversary of Thanksgiving? The first one actually happened on November 9th, 1620, on board the Mayflower. After 65 days in rough seas, the pilgrims finally made it to the shores of North America, just off Cape Cod. They read out Psalm 100 in unison to thank God for their safe arrival. This year, as we gather with our families where we can for Thanksgiving, there will likely be some hard feelings over differences of opinion on politics and science. It’s important that we talk to each other with a willingness to understand our differences as much as stake the claim to our own beliefs. We hope your family forgives their differences and is thankful to be alive and in each other’s company in a year of pandemic.  At Autotrend Auto Repair, we’re thankful for your patronage this past year. The continued support of the Campbell community kept us alive and our jobs intact. We hope you will be thankful for the common e ... read more

Your car takes a beating day in and day out, but as the seasons change and the weather starts to get colder and more harsh, now is the time to start thinking about getting your car ready for the winter weather. Keep reading to find out how to start that preparation! Though the Bay Area isn’t necessarily known for its harsh weather conditions, there’s no telling what this winter season will bring. With fire still raging all over California and the west coast, now’s the time to get fully prepped for the months that lie ahead. Take a look at some of the ways you can get prepped:   1. Engine There are a multitude of things that could go wrong with your engine during the winter, so now’s a good time to give everything a thorough once-over. Get an oil change, and have your fluid levels checked. This should include your antifreeze, oil, windshield washer fluid, radiator fluid, and more. Also take a look at all your belts and hoses, to see if any have abnormal ... read more