Temecula Auto Repair

We often have clients bring their Land Rover in becasue the tilt function of their steering column is not longer working. The steering wheel is now in their lap. Below is a series of pictures of what breaks in the Land Rover's steering column. Unfortunately Land Rover only sells the column as a complete unit and it sells for several thousands of dollars. It is also common for the anti-theft module to fail in the column and the key and or steering wheel will lock. The anti-theft module is also an inegral part of the column assembly. So, when ever we have to replace a column for a failing anti-theft module we strip the commonly failing potmetal tilt cams off and use them for repairs on other clients vehicles. The pictures below show us replacng a broken tilt cam salvaged from a column with a failing anit-theft module. If you are experiencing a steerin ... read more

An engine's hot intake valves are magnets for the carbon molecules splitting from fuel and oil vapors that waft up from the oil pan through the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. Over time, the carbon bakes in place, interfering with air flow and preventing the valves from sealing properly. There is an issue with the proliferation of direct injected engines that is slowly creeping up in more and more discussions on message boards these days. Because these engines inject fuel directly into the cylinders, there is no fuel washing over the intake valves. There are detergents in most gasolines that help keep the intake valves clean. With Direct Injection, those detergents are essentially useless. As such carbon builds up on the intake valves and causes problems with Missfires, Check Engine Light and Rough Idle. It's not limited to one manufacturer either. I have seen it ... read more

Does you Mini Cooper set a miss fire code or have a flashing check engine light when it starts up cold, in the morning? Usually code(s) P0300, and one or all of the following will set: P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304. It is most likely carbon build up in the intake valves (see picture below). With the advent of direct injection fuel systems, we have seen a epidemic carbon build up issues. With carburetor or convention fuel injection the fuel came in contact with with the intake valves while it is entering the cylinder. The additives in the fuel would help clean the carbon form the intake valve stems. With Direct Injection Fuel Systems the fuel is injected directly into the cylinders, thus leaving the intake valves susceptible to excess carbon build up. The solution: perform an Induction Service every 15,000 miles ... read more

If you own or are repairing a Jetta 2.5L with code p1340 | 17748 be very careful with your testing and repair. Normally the code is set due to failing timing chain tensioner, broken timing chain guides or stretched timing chains. Occasional we run into this code due to a failing camshaft position sensor. But we ran into a strange one today. This VW has been to several other repair shops and has had camshaft and crankshaft position sensor replaced for over $600 with out any luck. The Check Engine Light comes right back on and it continued to idle rough. During the testing at the last shop it stopped running all together. If the steps below were followed the customer could have saved a lot of time and money: P1340/17748 - Crankshaft/Camshaft Position Signals Out of Sequence 1. With a ... read more

We are running into more and more Mini Cooper S supercharger failures. The supercharger on a Mini Cooper S is belt driven and drives the water pump off the rear of the supercharger. Mini Cooper has no service interval for the replacement of the supercharger oil. We have had many Mini Cooper superchargers fail due to supercharger oil break down or supercharger rear housing leakage. To completely service the supercharger on a Mini Cooper S the water pump must be removed, The supercharger has both a front and rear oil reservoir. The water pump block access to the rear fluid reservoir fill/check hole. To remove the water pump the whole front of the vehicle has to be removed (see picture below). So this IS NOT a do-it-your self type job. We are seeing super chargers failing as early as ... read more