Mission Viejo Auto Repair

Welcome to the April blog! We hope spring has treated you well. With vaccinations being planned so that every American will have theirs by the 4th of July, we’re finally turning the corner on the pandemic.   Many vacations had to be put off this year, with COVID-19 still an issue. So if you didn’t get your Spring Break and need an escape that’s close enough for safety’s sake, we’re happy to provide you with our top 5 Daytripping Destination in Mission Viejo!   5.    Holy Jim Falls Trail, Live Oak Canyon Rd - This gorgeous hiking path includes a modest waterfall. It's been described as beautiful and a nice day trip.   4.     Oso Creek Trail, 29932 Veterans Way - running along the Oso Creek, this 3.2-mile paved hiking/biking tr ... read more

The automotive industry is continually changing, and new technologies are continually being developed. Currently, Panasonic Automotive has just revealed an augmented-reality HUD that displays livetime lane edges, objects on the road, and other important information to drivers.  What exactly is augmented reality (AR)? Augmented reality is used to place digital information on top of reality. For example, Mercedes-Benz’s navigation system has floating arrows that inform you where to turn. This feature isn’t just helpful but is a safer alternative because it reduces your need to look at the road.  Panasonic Automotive has gone one step further and uses artificial intelligence to let the driver know about foreign objects, other vehicles, pedestrians, or other cyclists on the road. It even goes as far as to share the height of an underpass.  Panasonic Automotive’s system tracks the driver’s eye movements, but regardless of where the driver is looking ... read more

Welcome to February! With Valentine's Day in just two weeks, we're thinking about love in our lives-- not in our spouses and partners, but with our cars, and what it takes to love those cars that can no longer perform once the warranty has run out and we've stopped getting regularly scheduled service. Love can take many forms. The hot, passionate love is amoré, and that's the honeymoon phase kind of love that we want to keep alive forever. But there's also agape, the Platonic love and affection of a sibling or a friend. We can lose each other as we move through the cycles of our life and grow in and out of love with each other. It's easy to let go of your love for an underperforming car in need of help. One of the hardest things to accept is our own responsibility in a vehicle's decline. And if you're on a budget, switching to a new car might not be a possibility. There's a time to decide to punt or go for a first down. Sometimes, damage and ... read more

Welcome to 2021! We hope this year is your best ever, and we hope we can continue to be the service shop you turn to for all your automotive needs. In January’s blog, I’ll be covering the importance of having an ASE-certified technician working on your car. You may have heard the term, “ASE-certified” or “Master Technician” before and wondered what exactly it referred to? It stands for Automotive Sevice Excellence, the national organization that uses 50 tests to evaluate applicants in their role as mechanics. These are done in several different banks, covering different types of vehicles: Automotive, Medium/Heavy Truck, Collision Repair, School Bus Technician, Transit Bus Technician, and so on.  When a technician is certified in a specific bank, having certifications in all of the independent skill sets needed to work on these machines, they can achieve the rank of Master Technician. When you hear someone referred to as a Master Technician, it ... read more

It’s December! One more month left in 2020. Soon, we’ll begin 2021 together. While we want to be optimistic in December, the realities of 2020 are still with us, and we are going into 2021 with many worries. There’s the likelihood of another recession, the as-yet-still-unconceded Presidential election, and of course, the worry of COVID19 becoming a permanent spectre in the United States until a working vaccine has reached all corners of society. As we plan ahead for 2021, we should not fear making plans. We need to get on with our lives. But we also need to make our plans scalable and thoughtful about our current uncertainties, with room to pivot where we need to.  For instance: this is a terrible year to have a wedding. Big family gatherings are death traps for the vulnerable. But there are bound to be terrible losses to people who plan big events and then have to cancel them due to legal concerns of COVID19.  And not everyone can stall a wedding for a ... read more

Thanksgiving approaches once again, and this year, we’re facing it at a time when we have to consider whether or not to congregate with our vulnerable family during a time of COVID-19. It’s a safe bet that many of the old traditions-- the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the football games, and the rush of Black Friday will be lessened this year… but will still be there, in some form or another. When you gather around this year, whether it’s the full traditional meal with the entire bloodline or just a pizza party with the family, it’s important to remember the tradition of giving thanks. November 9th will be the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower pilgrims spotting the Cape Cod shore after a dangerous and horrible 65-day voyage. They gathered on the deck and read Psalm 100 in unison to give thanks for their safe arrival. This year, don’t forget to give thanks to a member of the family that was probably overlooked despite being dependable most ... read more

Usually, when you bring up Ford and Chevy in the same breath, you are invoking the longtime feud between truck owners over which General Motors ‘make’ is the better of the two. Even ion their sports cars, there is a longstanding rivalry that evokes the Hatfields and McCoys-- and often from the same quarters. Instead of stoking the fire of that feud, today, we’re looking at the virtues of both. At Larry’s Independent Service in Mission Viejo, California, we see plenty of Fords and Chevys for repair. And although we service all manner of cars at our shop, we haven’t seen a significant factor to claim one type is better than the other, nor can we say if they are better (or worse) than the Japanese, Asian, or European models we also service. All cars have their virtues and failings… we’re here to extol the virtues of Ford and Chevy! These cars are so similar though-- dark mirrors of each other-- that it’s hard not to compare and contrast t ... read more

Do you know the anatomy of your brakes? Do you know how your brakes work so they can stop your car? Without getting too technical, the Larry’s Independent Service team in Mission Viejo, CA wants to share information about your braking system and why it is so important to keep them in good repair. First, let’s list all of the brake parts: Brake pedal Brake booster Master cylinder Brake lines and hoses Brake fluid Brake calipers and pistons Brake pads or brake shoes Brake rotors or disc drums ABS (anti-lock brake system) control module Wheel speed sensors Second, let’s show how all of these brake parts work together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H7nwlT_qNY&t=187s <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6H7nwlT_qNY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Third, let’s explain ... read more

When you think of your car as a machine, you may or may not realize how many fluids it requires for it to operate. However, when you think of your vehicle like a human body and how that body has a number of fluids that make it operate, it’s easier to connect the dots and understand your car’s needs. That is why in this month’s blog, Larry’s Independent Service in Mission Viejo wants to discuss your car’s top five fluids. Your vehicle has six major fluids that it requires in order to operate: Oil -- The engine oil pumps through the system, reducing friction, and carrying away debris. This fluid needs to be changed on a regular basis for the engine to perform optimally. Coolant -- This radiator fluid helps to keep the engine at the optimal temperature and prevents it from overheating. This fluid needs to be changed on a regular basis for the radiator to perform well during all weather seasons. Brake Fluid -- Without brake fluid, the hydraulics in your br ... read more

Asian vehicles are known for their reliability, fuel efficiency, and holding their value over long periods of time. The two dominant brands in the Asian car market are Toyota and Honda, and rightly so. Both car brands have a long history and in this month’s blog, we want to illustrate why most owners of Asian vehicles drive a Toyota or Honda. Just ask any Honda or Toyota owner. They love how reliable and fuel efficient their vehicles are. Yes, both brands are similar, but they each have a loyal fan base. It’s like rooting for your favorite sports team. It is more uncommon to see the two brands living under one roof. But each brand has its pluses and minuses. Hondas are known for their performance, their interiors, their safety, their small cars, their small SUVs, and their minivans. Toyotas are known for their pricing, reliability, mid-sized sedans, mid-sized SUVs, hybrids, pickup trucks, and their overall vehicle line up of choices.  Both Hondas and Toyotas are te ... read more