Orinda Auto Repair

We are starting to see neverending blueness when we turn our gaze toward the sky and are beginning to feel the temperatures start to rise when we step out into the sun. The school year is almost coming to a close, as we navigate schedules filled with graduations and end-of-the-year parties. All of these signs point toward summer, which means it is the perfect time to start planning your summer activities. For many of us, this means summer road trips.   Even though summertime road trips spell fun, it can be challenging to keep our little ones entertained throughout the drive. Here are five summer road trip activities:   Edible Necklaces: Thread snacks with holes, such as pretzels, cheerios, or dried apple rings onto the string, tie a knot, and instantly keep your children both full and engaged in an activity for a reasonable amount of time. Audiobooks: Avoid both boredom and car sickness with audio books. You can set up your child with their audiobook or find one you a ... read more

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so we imagine you are already planning the big day. However, we don’t want you to forget about your classic car. Let’s make sure to show your classic car some love this Valentine’s Day, and Orinda Classic Car Center is here to help give your vehicle so much needed TLC.   It doesn’t matter if your classic car or even truck needs complex engine work, authentic restoration, or auto detailing. We can handle virtually anything your vintage vehicle needs, as our team possess the experience and finesse to service your car with the precision and accuracy it needs. Just tell our team at Orinda Classic Car Center your dream for your classic car this Valentine’s Day, and we will figure out to turn your vision into reality. With us on your side, Valentine’s Day for your classic car will be a success.   At Orinda Classic Car Center, we aim to do whatever it takes to complete a project, whether that ... read more

If your car has started to look dull, or if you have noticed any damage to the paint or the interior, it most likely is time for a detailing. However, the team at Orinda Auto Detail recommends being proactive, meaning don’t wait until your car is in desperate need of detailing. Stay a step ahead. Now, you may be asking: how often should I detail your car? Keep reading for the answer.   Detailing is the process of carefully and thoroughly cleaning both the exterior and interior of your car. At Orinda Auto Detail, our methods for washing, polishing, interior cleaning, conditioning, and full paint correction are down to a science. We use the highest quality of products, including Opti-Coat Pro. In fact, these products are the gold standard in the detailing industry. Many people believe once their vehicle is sealed with Opti-Coat, you don’t have to wash it for months, which is not true. Your best bet is to wash your vehicle every 3 weeks after it has been sealed. &nbs ... read more

Tires are often neglected and overlooked by the people who drive on them every day. A daily visual inspection is ideal to make sure the tires are in good shape. But in today’s busy world, most people don’t pay that close attention to their tires until the following happens:   The car sensors detect that tire pressure is low. The driver “feels” something going on with the tires or how the car is not driving smoothly. The steering wheel pulls to the left or the right. A loud pop or explosion is heard while driving (Not good!). Another driver is desperately trying to get your attention and point out that your tires are dangerously low.   So the question is:  Do your tires pass the safety test?   First, let’s establish what is “safe”. Safety can mean several things, such as:   Safe level of tire tread: You have more that 2/32 of an inch of tread depth remaining. This means your probably don’t need new tires ... 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

In 2015, Orinda Motors decided to do something new and special at the Orinda Fourth of July Parade. We sponsored a Grandstand at the end of the parade route, invited our customers to reserve seats in our 80-person Grandstand, and enjoyed a warm holiday together in the shade.   The feedback we received from everyone who joined us was outstanding! Our Grandstand was booked solid, but everyone shared the space with ease. There was a feeling of camaraderie. New friends were made and old friends reunited. We danced. We cheered. We all felt lucky to be in this space, watching the parade go by on this special holiday.   We love our customers and we love giving back to the community. So this year, Orinda Motors decided to do it again! Earlier this month, Orinda Motors sent out an email to all Orinda Motors and Orinda Auto Detail customers, inviting them to reserve Grandstand seats at the Orinda Fourth of July Parade. Within a short week, all 80 seats in our Grandstand were reserv ... 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