Fort Collins Auto Repair

With today’s flurries and yesterday’s treacherous slide home, my vehicle is at the forefront of my mind. I’m also thinking about the condition of other vehicles on the road with me. Driving conditions were so bad yesterday, there was no shortage of cars tipped over and slid out along the medians of I-25. Without windshield washer fluid, working wiper blades and tires with proper tread depth, the drive would not only have been 100X more miserable, but my car and I may not have made it home safely. Colorado weather greatly affects our vehicles, requiring us to manage and maintain them in ways that residents in warmer states don’t have to. As with any machine, cold temperatures cause components to shrink, making plastic pieces brittle and more likely to break, seals and hoses more likely leak, tires to lose pressure, and batteries to weaken and cause no or hard starts. Preventive maintenance can reduce cold-related headaches and ensure safe, reliable transportatio ... read more

Every once in a while we encounter some confusion about vehicle diagnostic charges. “You mean I have to pay for you to tell me what needs to be repaired? Even if you don’t fix anything?” Or, “I still have to pay for a diagnostic even though I get it fixed by you?” Diagnostic charges are sometimes a topic of debate. But they shouldn’t be. You don’t see people upset about paying their doctor for their yearly physical exam. It takes education, a whole lot of experience (I’m talking YEARS), and talent to be a really good mechanic. And it’s not easy. Having problems with your vehicle solved and fixed is a valuable service that saves you a lot of headache. Proper equipment, experience, and training are required to consistently and accurately diagnose the cause of vehicle problems. These pe ... read more

This year’s Peach Festival was a big hit! Thank you to everyone who came out in support of the Rotary Club, which works hard to make Fort Collins a great community for all of us to live and work. With the festival continuing to grow each year, we were ecstatic to sponsor the event and host our booth, “The Pit Stop”. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the fun at the booth; we hope you had fun working with your hands! Highlights: 5 people beat the tech’s time removing the valve cover and won $50! The youngest winner was 5 years old! (I think we found our next future mechanic) And 100 people found the prize under the valve cover! All without even getting their hands dirty! Great job everyone! 20 kids won their mom an oil change! 120 people assembled their very own nuts n’ bolts keychain! Great job to everyone who ran the 5K, you can see your results here ... read more

When a vehicle has a problem that occurs unpredictably it is called an intermittent problem. An intermittent problem may not occur while operating the system or even during a test drive. This can make it very difficult to diagnose the cause of the problem. Intermittent car problems can be a pain for everyone involved! This post should help you understand why that is and the complexities of diagnosing the cause of car problems. And in doing so, hopefully relieve any related frustration. Fortunately, Community Auto is equipped with the latest repair information, technical service bulletins, and recall information. If your vehicle has a system or component with an inherent safety, emissions, or reliability problem and there is a factory fix available for it, we will be able to make you aware of it and repair the problem for you. What you can do to save money, time, and frustration and to help us solve the problem: Pay attention to driving conditions What is the temperatu ... read more

Used oil filters are a big NO NO for landfills. Since they contain two non-renewable resources, steel and oil, it is imperative that they be recycled. Steel is the number one recycled material in North America, which is good, because it is one of the only materials that can be recycled without downgrading its integrity. Recycled steel is used to make cars, cans, appliances, and construction materials. The Steel Recycling Institute estimates that if all the oil filters sold annually in the United States were recycled, enough steel would be recovered to build 16 new stadiums the size of Atlanta’s Olympic Stadium–that’s 160,000 tons of steel If you service your own vehicle’s oil–great! Maintaining your vehicle offers a great sense of empowerment and helps you be in control of your transportation needs. But what are you doi ... read more