Orinda Auto Repair

I have noticed that different drivers have different ideas about what “car maintenance” really means. It is indeed very important to change your engine oil regularly. This is a good reason while your engine will last longer and overall be more reliable. A large percentage of owners understand this and make a point to make the oil change ritual a priority. Others struggle with this concept. Failing to change your oil regularly will cost you more in the long run. Others struggle with the concept of maintenance beyond the standard oil change. Many folks consider an oil change as taking care of the car's maintenance, but it is not true. Let's start with the definition of maintenance: “The process of maintaining or preserving someone or something, or the state of being maintained.” There is a process when it comes automotive maintenance, and it starts with the owners manual in your glove box. The manufacturer of your vehicle has recommendations for the up-ke ... read more

The 12th Annual Orinda Classic Car Show is almost here, and you don’t want to miss this fun community event on Saturday, September 10, 2016.   Here are the top 10 things you should know about the 12th Annual Orinda Classic Car Show: The purpose of the Orinda Classic Car Show is to raise money for local charities including the Seniors Around Town transportation program,  Educational Foundation of Orinda, and the Orinda Historical Society. Over the past 11 years, more than $360,000 has been raised for local charities. The weekend kicks off on Friday, September 9th, with the popular Dancing With The Cars party, which is always a great event. The 2016 theme for the Dancing With The Cars party is: “The Italian Job”. You’re invited to come mangia, mangia ... read more

At Orinda Motors, we work with customers to develop a maintenance schedule that’s specific to the make and model of their cars. This begs the question: What are the 10 most common auto repairs? Here is our list of common auto repairs:   A faulty or damaged oxygen sensor is one of the most common repairs we deal with. We replace oxygen sensors quite often. These devices monitor the amount of oxygen we have in our engine. One of the biggest reasons the check engine light turns on, is because your gas caps are loose or missing. It is estimated that 147 millions gallons of gas evaporate each year because of a faulty gas cap. We see a lot of cars with a damaged mass air flow sensor. This sensor measures the the amount of air that is being supplied to the engine. When the mass flow sensor is damaged, it is typically due to a lack of preventive maintenance. This problem is easily avoided by bringing your car to our shop for regular tune-ups. One of the most expensive repair ... read more

Not only is driving a car an honor and a privilege, but knowing how to drive and take care of your vehicle is a survival skill. In a perfect world, we believe that every teenager who wants to get behind the wheel should know the following things about cars and car maintenance by heart before hitting the road.   How to drive a manual transmission. If a teenager or adult is in a situation where the only car available to you has a manual transmission, it could save your life when you know how to drive it. Otherwise, you could be stuck in an unfortunate position to where you could not drive yourself to safety. We recommend learning how to drive a stick shift, and here’s a helpful video that provides instruction:     How to change a tire. If you get a flat tire and you don’t know how to change it, you could be stranded. Changing a tire is easier than many teenagers and adults think. Here is a helpful video that will show you how to change a tire, assuming you ... read more

At Orinda Motors, we are proud to use auto parts made by ACDelco. On May 11, ACDelco is celebrating 100 years of being in business.   For those of you unfamiliar with the ACDelco brand, here’s some of their history: If you prefer auto technicians that are honest, use quality parts, locally-owned, and involved with the communities of Orinda, Moraga, and Lafayette, come see us at Orinda Motors. You’ll be glad you did!  :-)  

Some of us love checklists, and some don’t. Same goes with road trips. If you’re lucky enough to be one of those people who loves both checklists AND road trips, this blog article is for YOU! :-)   Admittedly, we got a little help from Bellhop, which offers a bunch of helpful travel info. We recommend the following checklist for road trip essentials: Full tank of gas Bottled water / Drinks Snacks Cooler Gum Paper towels / Tissues GPS / Maps Mobile phone with Bluetooth for hands-free driving iPod / Music player Charger Car battery charger Spare tire Additional electronics First-Aid Kit / Medications Travel documents Driver license Credit cards / Currency Female items Male items Trash container​   Of course, the most essential item is not on the road trip checklist at all. The most essential item is a safe and fully-operational vehicle. If your vehicle requires an oil change ... read more

Orinda Motors takes pride in restoring classic cars. Heck, that’s putting it lightly. We LOVE classic cars and we are deeply passionate about restoring them. To illustrate what we mean, here are the six reasons we go bananas -- in a good way -- when a client asks us to repair, restore, or maintain their old car.   1.   We appreciate the art form. Classic cars are works of art on wheels. The lines. The curves. The magnificence of the engine. The power. The engineering. The history. Each car was beautifully crafted, albeit on an assembly line, and they have become a major part in the fabric of American culture.   Classic cars are featured in movies, on television, in video games, and in songs. From the time we were babies, we were taught that cars are a piece of art that is both practical and an asset that defines you.   2.  Working on them is like meditation. Imagine going to your favorite place in the whole wide world. Now, imagine sitting i ... read more

  Vehicles produce a large amount of CO2 into the environment. Smog checks are the solution to this environmental problem. When you bring your vehicle in Orinda Motors for a smog check, we are ensuring your vehicle’s emissions are well-within state and federal guidelines.   California basically has a love affair with cars. Out of California’s 34 million residents, 25 million of them own a vehicle. That is one car for every adult over the age of 18. As a result, a ton of emissions are emitted into the environment. These emissions form into smog. Smog, unfortunately, is associated with several health problems and global warming. So, California was faced with a major problem. How do we minimize this smog, without limiting how much an individual can drive, or many cars they can own? The answer was smog checks. A smog check is designed to make sure your vehicle is not emitting excessive emissions into the environment, which ultimately, reduces the overall smog in C ... read more

Orinda Motors, Flying A Gasoline, Express Oil Change & Tire Center, Orinda Auto Detail, and Orinda Auto Rental were proud to participate in this year's 11th Annual Orinda Classic Car Show. We had a blast at the fundraising dinner, Dancing With The Cars, on Friday, September 11, 2015, followed by a fun-filled day with auto aficionados on Saturday, September 12, 2015. We hope you will enjoy the videos we made!  :-) 2015 Orinda Classic Car Show   Flying A Gasoline Presents: Orinda Classic Car Show 2015 If your vehicle requires repair or service, we hope you will come see us at Orinda Motors or Express Oil Change & Tire Center. When you need fuel or a car wash, visit us at Flying A Gasoline and Orinda Auto Detail. Lastly, when you need to rent a set of wheels at an affordable rate, view our fleet at Orinda Auto Rental. Whatever your automotive needs ... read more

Summer is the season for car shows, and we are getting very excited about the upcoming 11th Annual Orinda Classic Car show. Orinda Motors is the co-founder and has been a proud sponsor from the very beginning, and we have lots of great things planned at this year’s event.   Friday, September 11, we will kick off the event with our “Dancing With The Cars” dinner party. This year’s theme will be a “Surf’s Up” Beach Party where we will have “Fun, fun, fun til her Daddy takes the T-Bird away”! So, wear your flip-flops, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, sarongs, or board shorts, and get ready to dance the night away. The menu features tropical cocktails, a sumptuous SoCal luau dinner, and an exclusive display of T-Birds, Cobras, and Woodies. The “Dancing With The Cars” party will be located at the Orinda Community Center and Library Plaza, starting at 6:00 PM ... read more