Orinda Auto Repair

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

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

How much do you know about tires? Do you feel pretty savvy, or do you leave it up to the experts to tell you what kind of tires your vehicle needs? Whatever your perspective on tires, the team at Express Oil Change & Tire Center are very knowledgeable about tires.   For many of our customers, tires are still a mystery. Most of them can recognize tire basics, such as a flat tire, a tire with worn tread, and a wobbly tire, but did you know these eleven things about our Tire Center?   We have a full service tire center located in the same place as our oil change and auto repair facilities.   We have 200 individual tires that will fit most vehicles. Special tires can often be ordered the same day or at least within one or two.   We can fill the tires with nitrogen to help fuel economy and extend the life of the tires.   We work on run flats, do tire repair when possible, and you don’t need an appointment.  However, you can make an appointmen ... read more

The holidays are coming! Do you need a rental car for yourself, a loved one, or a friend traveling to the East Bay? If a rental car would ease the travel stress of you or your visitors, our rentals start from only $29.99 per day!   We offer a wide variety of rentals in our fleet. From minivans and sedans to convertibles and compact cars, we have the wheels you need, AND we are affordable. Plus, we are conveniently located for anyone in Orinda, El Sobrante, Lafayette, Moraga, Oakland, and Walnut Creek.   In addition to being affordable and convenient, Orinda Auto Rental offers great service, too! If you land at SFO or OAK, you can take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to the Orinda station. If you make an appointment with Orinda Auto Rental, we will be happy to pick you up from the Orinda BART station and bring you to your awaiting auto rental. Open 7 days a week, Orinda Auto Rental offers local pickup and delivery service by request, free of charge.     One thing ... 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

  When people look at oil change prices and see a wide range of low to high fees, they are often shocked.  Like cars, not all oil changes are created equal, for each vehicle has different oil requirements, and synthetic oils and specialty filters are often pricier than standard oils and conventional filters.   At Express Oil Change & Tire Center, we don’t use oil changes as a loss leader like other places do. We don’t cut corners or sacrifice anything, for we believe in doing the job right. Yes, that means that our oil change costs are a bit higher, but you know you’re getting quality products and high value from our team.   Some of these things we do differently at Express Oil Change & Tire Center are as follows: We use Chevron lubricants, and use nothing but factory approved filters. We follow everything by the factory book, specific to your vehicle. We provide visual and qualified inspections with a written report back appearing ... read more

How important is your vehicle’s suspension system, and how does it affect your tires? Well, the suspension system is critical not only for turning, stopping, and stability, but it also smooths out the ride each time you hit a pothole, speedbump, or an object in the road. Without a well-maintained suspension system, your vehicle may not be able to absorb the impact and maintain stability...and that’s dangerous.   Your vehicle’s suspension is comprised of joints, pivot points, and arms that allow your ride to be smooth over the roughest roads. For the most part, the parts of a suspension system include: Ball Joint Bushings Sway Bar Tie Rod Tie Rod End Control Arm Struts Tire Cupping   Eventually, all suspension systems show wear and tear, but there are signs you can look for to make sure your suspension system is healthy and performing well. The easiest way to determine if your suspension system needs service, repair, or replacement is to look at th ... read more