La Mesa & San Diego Auto Repair

Happy December to our John's Automotive Care La Mesa family! As we prepare ourselves for the most festive time of the year, it's essential to the team at John's Automotive Care La Mesa that we think of others during this time. Given the challenging times that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, it's no surprise that millions of Americans will struggle this year to give presents to their loved ones & children. This is an issue that our auto repair team wants to solve.  Since 2001, John's Automotive Care has reached out to our loyal customers for the opportunity to give back to the community during the holiday season- with our annual Toy Drive! If you can help out a child in need during these times, please bring a new, unwrapped toy into our shop (at either location.) This helps provide toys for hundreds of children in our communities who may be going without anything for Christmas.  John's Automotive Care has partnered with the Boys & Girls Clu ... read more

  Happy November to our John's Automotive Care La Mesa customers; pardon us for saying a well-used phrase, but Winter Is Coming. Given our past knowledge of what winter road conditions can bring, there is no better time like a November blog to talk about all the ways you can protect & prep your vehicle for the upcoming winter months. Winter-proofing one's vehicle is key to saving you money and time in the long run! We present our top five ways to prepare your vehicle for winter.    Light Cleaning  Take a walk around the exterior of your vehicle. Check to make sure that all your headlights and taillights are clear and sturdy and the bulbs put out plenty of light. As we head into the darker months, visibility is critical. The polycarbonate material that makes up most headlights is often sun-damaged from the hot summer months. From scratches to UV rays beating down. Having your headlights or taillights cloudy significantly impacts your visibility on the ... read more

Happy October JAC La Mesa family!  With October comes a new blog for you! And what better way to tackle the "spookiest" month, by talking about all the scary sounds that can come from your vehicle. We will go through different haunting and intimidating sounds that can come from one's vehicle to prepare you for this spooky month! And to prepare you on how to tackle and handle them with the help of our auto repair experts at John's Automotive Care La Mesa. We now present our October blog, The scariest automotive sounds we've heard in a car! Please stop in and have one of our amazing customer service specialists go for a ride with you so we can pinpoint the noise that you are hearing.   Screeching- If you hear ear-piercing screeches that sound like nails on a chalkboard, there are a couple of things to do. First, it's crucial to determine where the screeches are coming from. Are they from the wheels and tires? It may be your brake pads, a wearable pa ... read more

As we welcome the month of September and the autumn days ahead, it's time to say goodbye to the foggy headlights that summer brought! Even if you take terrific care of the outside of your vehicle, chances are you will experience the "foggy" headlights we all despise.    Why do my headlights get "foggy" or "cloudy"? - Given that we are slowly coming out of those hot summer months, the sun's UV rays have been giving a solid beating to everyone's headlights. A chemical reaction occurs between exposed plastic covers and the sun's ultraviolet rays after time, mixed with outdoor particles and dust and boom, cloudy headlights. We can also blame water vapors for damaging your headlights. Most headlights come with a watertight sealant around them, but they can break down over time, leaving condensation to make its way into your headlights. Even more concerning than the aged look on your vehicle, foggy headlights dramatically impair the e ... read more

A tire bursting is no joke and can be a terrifying situation no driver wants to find themselves in. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported in 2003 that, of the 78,392 accidents that occurred due to a blown-out tire, 414 people lost their lives while nearly 15% (10,275 individuals) suffered non-fatal injuries. Thankfully, given new advances in technology, significant improvements in tire construction and early alert systems have helped reduce severe accidents due to tire blowouts. Even though improvements have been made, this type of emergency is still very possible. The team at John's Automotive Care La Mesa wants to prepare you for this situation with our August blog; having the proper knowledge of handling a burst tire is essential to your safety.    In most cases, there are four primary reasons why a tire blows out suddenly.    The tire was under-inflated. Tire overinflated.  A mecha ... read more

Extended warranties are a kind of service that drivers can purchase when their car's original manufacturer's warranty expires. It is not an extension of the manufacturer's warranty. This type of warranty is an optional type of warranty you pay into that will be used for future auto repairs to a vehicle's major systems. Extended car warranties, in the end, can save you major money if you ever run into significant car problems. While they can do this, about half of drivers see themselves never using their extended warranty or having a repair cost less than the warranty. In this case, it would make sense to just set aside money yourself for potential auto repair needs. But before making any decisions, it is crucial to understand the pros and cons of extended car warranties.    Pros 1.     Save Money  If you do need a costly repair, extended warranties could cover the repair. So, instead of paying the entire bill, you would only need to pay ... read more

    At JAC La Mesa, we know our California summers can get unbearably hot. We all know how the temperatures can go well beyond 100 degrees in the middle of the summer. With that being said, it's essential to have proper coolant and cooling running correctly in your vehicle for most, if not all, of the year! We wanted to discuss coolant and cooling so you can be prepared to get it fixed before that first unbearable summer heatwave.    First off, a well-maintained cooling system is critical for the engine of your vehicle for multiple reasons. The most important is keeping your engine operating safely and efficiently. With engine problems related to cooling, if they fail, it will lead to costly repairs. There are multiple reasons to do a pre-summer check for your cooling systems—one maintaining the hoses and connections and checking the fans and water pumps. We perform complete checks of your vehicle's cooling system to ensure everything is in tip-top ... read more

  So you’re ready for a road trip around the sunny San Diego area? You’ve got your snacks packed, windows down, and seatbelts fastened, but wait! There’s one more thing you need that is a total game-changer for any road trip...an epic cruising playlist! Music can boost your mood and add another element to any drive. So let’s queue up your Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, or whatever music streaming service you use, and create a playlist that will keep you jamming for your whole ride.   One of the best parts of a road trip is creating a playlist tailored to your specific music taste or even making it destination-themed! For instance, with a road trip to San Diego, some artists would be Dirty Heads, Goldfinger, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, and Sugar Ray. They all have a very beachy, reggae, upbeat vibe to them that will pair perfectly with the ocean breeze flowing through your hair as you cruise with your windows down!    Another ... read more

I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen this light come on at least once or twice in our lives. Either in our vehicle or family and friend’s vehicle. Some may even cover the light with a picture or scrap paper to bring a sense of relief we call “Out of sight, out of mind.”   I know that may give you a temporary feeling of peace of mind, but let’s go over what this light means so you can get it in the shop instead of pasting over it!   The service engine’s soon light’s function is to let the driver know that the vehicle’s sensors have picked up on an issue. The emission control system often triggers this light, but other various causes could activate the sensor. Seeing this light come on can cause some alarm, but all cars need maintenance, and it doesn’t mean your engine is broken or cause for panic.   If the service engine soon light comes on while you’re driving, it’s best to pull over and assess t ... read more

  Spring is in the air, and the upcoming season is waiting for no one. Are you ready for a road trip? How about your car? No one wants to find themselves on the side of the road with a vehicle that lets you down when there is fun to be had. By giving your car a once over by a professional auto repair technician, you will have peace of mind, knowing what to keep an eye out for, what is urgent, and what services you can wait on.   Visual Inspections Auto repair professionals know what to look for, wear points on your specific vehicle, and help prevent unplanned breakdowns through regular maintenance check-ups. When you get a visual inspection done at John's Automotive Care, you receive a checklist showing photos of each report item listed in green, yellow, or red. Each color represents the level of urgency for service. Knowing your vehicle is thoroughly checked out before hitting the road will keep you feeling confident about your upcoming adventures.   Fluid Ser ... read more