Castro Valley Auto Repair

Yet another (annual) study from CarMD.com provides a glimpse of the 2023 car repairs – specifically top 10 check engine light–related repairs. CarMD.com has been providing us with check engine light repair insights for over a decade. CarMD.com analyzed over 15 million failures reported in 2023 and recommended repairs. At Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we see our share of check engine light-related repairs so we are always eager to study the results reported by CarMD.com. Sadly, catalytic converter replacement took the first spot on the list – with precious metals at or close to all time high prices, stealing catalytic converters (which contain platinum / rhodium) is still a lucrative activity. As for vehicle age, 2007 vehicles were found to be the most likely to need check engine light diagnostics and repairs. So here are the top 10 check engine light repairs as rep ... read more

Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley offers comprehensive automotive maintenance, factory recommended services, diagnostics and repairs. As we write this blog post, various surveys reveal that more and more vehicle owners are keeping their vehicles longer. As vehicles age, more and more parts can fail, and so everybody should be cognizant of the need to inspect engine mounts. As your vehicle ages, engine mounts can break. Usually it starts with just one, but then the remaining mounts are forced to work harder, and deal with greater range of motion because the engine is no longer fully secured to the body of the vehicle. As a result, more engine mounts can fail. Engine mounts not only keep the engine attached to the body of the car, they are also tasked with minimizing vibrations. When an engine mount fails, you may feel increased vibration and increased noise. As more engine mounts fail, these symptoms will become even more pronounced including unusual noises such as rattling or clunking ... read more

Ford ended Mercury production in 2011, but there are still plenty of Mercury vehicles on the roads. At Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we continue to support Mercury owners, whether you own a Mercury Grand Marquis, or the Mercury Sable, or the last Mercury model – Milan. Our nationally ASE certified technicians will diagnose, and repair any problem your Mercury might present. As your Mercury ages, regular oil changes and regular service grow in importance. Oil change not only prolongs engine life, but also gives us an opportunity to find developing problems – we perform a free digital vehicle inspection with every service or repair. You will receive an electronic copy of the result – so you are always up-to-date on the overall condition of your Mercury. Whether you drive a Mercury Montego or a Mercury Mountaineer SUV, our technicians will provide your vehicle with everything it needs to serve  you faithfully for many years. Any repairs we perform on your vehicl ... read more

When your Acura is ready for a bit of TLC, onboard computer will display a service code. The “A” in the code means that your vehicle needs and oil change and oil filter change. The numbers that follow letter A indicate additional maintenance items. For example “1” stands for “rotate tires”, so if your Acura display A1 code, it means oil change and tire rotation. “A5” code means oil change and coolant flush and replacement. Below is a list of the codes you might see at some point: 1 – check tire pressure, and rotate tires 2 – replace dust and pollen filters, and check the drive belt 3 – replace transfer fluid and transmission fluid, where applicable. 4 –  replace spark plugs, replace timing belt ( if applicable ), inspect valve clearance and water pump ( if we are replacing the timing belt, we recommend water pump replacement as well since the majority of the labor cost is already covered because of the t ... read more

We are big fans of Subaru vehicles, but they occasionally come with an issue or two. The 2011 Subaru Forester has two engine oil issues that owners need to be aware of:   first and foremost, the engine can consume too much engine oil while operating, the other issue is oil leaks. Excessive oil consumption is a known problem for a number of vehicles, and unfortunately, 2011 Forester is one of them. It can be 1 - 2 quarts between oil changes, but sometimes as many as 3-4 quarts. If you own a 2011 Subaru Forester, we highly recommend checking engine oil levels every 1000 miles and topping it off if necessary. This will keep your vehicle from depleting the engine oil. Oil leaks are always a concern, and unfortunately older Subaru vehicles are oil leak prone. An oil leak can be particularly dangerous if your Subaru also has a tendency to excessive oil consumption. If the two are combined, and the owner does not monitor engine oil level, the vehicle may run out of engine oil &nda ... read more