Automotive Industry News & Information - Sac Valley Diesel

Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by floodwaters at all or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood-damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, we understand all too well the importance of changing your oil regularly. Three to five thousand miles sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t really take that long to rack them up. The busier you are, the more you probably drive, and the more likely you are to forget it’s time to change your oil. Here are some reasons to pay attention to your oil changes, and help you better understand why oil changes are so important.

Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance here at Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, where we are good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off when it's been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

When a vehicle has trouble starting, many people initially blame the starter. What is the starter, and how do you know if yours has called it quits? At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we want to keep you informed, and telling you what to look for will prevent further damage when issues arise. The starter is essentially just an electric motor; a gear at the end of that electric motor engages the flywheel, which turns the engine over, allowing it to start. How do you know if yours is failing?

Checking the fluid level on your transmission is fairly easy, but a bit more complicated than checking your oil. Firstly, this only applies to automatic transmissions, and secondly, some modern vehicles don’t have dipsticks or dipstick tubes to check and add transmission fluid. With that in mind, here are some tips from Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA in regard to checking your transmission fluid.

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we know that fuel contamination is one of the priciest and most problematic issues that may plague a diesel engine. There are a variety of issues that cause contamination in fuel. Knowing these issues will help drivers become aware of fuel contamination and hopefully prevent these issues.

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we recommend always making it a priority to change your oil on time. Here’s a look into why it’s so important, and what happens if you don’t keep up with oil changes.

Sludge - If oil stays in an engine too long, sludge begins to build up anywhere oil can go. The oil absorbs tiny debris and contaminants, kind of like a liquid sponge - once it’s at capacity, that oil begins to stick, clog, and build up throughout the engine. Small veins that carry oil to components like actuators, turbos, and bearings will become blocked, starving critical components of oil and causing component or engine failure.

Transmissions, while generally durable, can be highly complicated devices. For this reason, they are also expensive to replace, and maintaining one will save you a lot of headache and money in the future. This article from Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA discusses how your driving habits affect your transmission. While automatic transmissions are by far the most common, there are still a considerable number of manual transmissions on the road, so this article covers both.