Walnut Creek Auto Repair

Electric Volkswagen ID.4 – the newest member of the Electric Vehicle Family Volkswagen ID Roomzz Concept by Rutger van der Maar, used under CC BY 2.0 Volkswagen made a huge splash at the September 2019 Frankfurt Auto Motor Show with its all- electric Volkswagen ID.3 vehicle. Production version of the Volkswagen was supposed to be in the hands of German customers by September 2020, unfortunately this plan has run into some obstacles. It appears that cloud based software is not working quite as advertised. Software delays are a pesky problem – they can literally take months to iron out. In the meantime, Volkswagen has decided to skip to the next generation and now Bay Area Volkswagen dealers are talking about Volksw ... read more

Subaru makes wonderful vehicles, unfortunately, there is one issue that seems to appear in Subaru cars more often than we would like – head gasket failure. The Subaru head gasket problem is most often seen in following models: Baja - 2003 through 2005 Outback - 2000 through 2009 Forester - 1999 through 2010 Legacy - 2000 through 2009 Impreza - 1999 through 2011 Subaru head gasket failures can occur with as little as 80,000 – 100,000 miles driven.  Here are the signs that it’s time to bring your vehicle for a checkup – and potentially expensive repairs: White exhaust smoke coming from the tailpipe Milky white oil in the reservoir Overheating engine Exhaust bubbles in your coolant reservoir Pungent smell coming from coolant reservoir If you notice any of the above symptoms, time to schedule an appointment – as soon as possible. Driving with a failing or blown head gasket can lead to additional engine damage and even more expensive repair bill ... read more

A few months ago Volkswagen announced that it will continue to invest up to $800 million in its Chattanooga, TN plant which will assemble Volkswagen electric vehicles. Just this month VW announced that by Spring 2021 they will have built an EV cell and battery testing lab in Chattanooga. This is part of their continued commitment to the electric vehicle platform. Most EV manufacturers outsource battery pack testing. Volkswagen decided to keep electric vehicle cell and battery pack testing in-house, as part of its core competency. At Frank’s Auto Service in Walnut Creek we are looking forward to electric Volkswagens on our roads. When they do appear, our highly trained technicians will be ready, and will be equipped with the state-of-the-art digital tools to service and repair electric Volkswagen. Frank’s Auto Service has been serving Walnut Creek auto repair needs for over 60 years, and during that time we have seen many changes in the auto industry - we witnessed the en ... read more

Walnut Creek Pre-Purchase Vehicle Inspection   Frank’s Auto Service offers Walnut Creek pre-purchase vehicle inspections. Pre-purchase inspection is one of the most important steps of the used vehicle buying process. It’s a form of insurance – an inexpensive insurance that protects your multi-thousand dollar investment. Buying a used car can be risky.  Comprehensive pre-purchase vehicle inspection gives you clear picture of the overall health of the vehicle. Armed with this knowledge, you can make an informed buying decision – or can decide not to buy a particular vehicle because of the weaknesses revealed by the inspection. If you do decide to buy the vehicle, you may be able to negotiate a lower price because of the future maintenance needs made clear by the inspection. After we perform a per-purchase inspection at our Walnut Creek auto repair shop, we will provide you with electronic copy of our Digital Vehicle Inspection.  ... read more

Honda is one of the leading manufacturers of hybrid vehicles. At Frank’s Auto Service we regularly service hybrids, including Acura MDX Hybrid, Honda Accord Hybrid, Acura RLX Hybrid and Honda CR-V Hybrid. Over time, hybrid batteries lose their ability to hold charge and need to be replaced. Naturally we offer hybrid battery replacement at our Walnut Creek auto repair shop. But do you sometimes wonder what happens to the old hybrid batteries after they are removed from the vehicles? Honda made a company-wide commitment to improved old hybrid battery reuse and recycling. As a visible expression of that commitment Honda expanded its partnership with one of the biggest European recyclers – SNAM. It will collect old Honda hybrid batteries in 22 countries, and will separate them into two categories – dead batteries to be recycled, and still viable batteries to be reused. Old hybrid batteries that can still hold some power will be used to store electricity for homes and bu ... read more