Aiea Auto Repair

Many of our cars will be parked in the driveway for about another month during a statewide “stay-at-home” order which mandates a lot of people to remain home unless they are making essential trips. Here’s some car care tips for longer-than-expected parked vehicles: Battery Boost: Start your vehicle every couple of days to keep the battery at a full state and prevent unexpected drain. Let the engine run for a few minutes to recharge the battery, then turn it off.  You can also consider using a battery tender to keep the battery charged up. The battery tender would remain connected to the stored vehicle. Tire Pressure: Adding an extra 10 psi of pressure than the recommended psi to each tire to prevent flat spots from forming on the tires while the vehicle sits. This occurs when the area of the tire touching the ground becomes rigid due to sitting in one position for an extended period. Moving the vehicle would be suggested to keep this from happening.  Winds ... read more

The spark plug performs a huge job in delivering a vehicle’s power, performance, and fuel efficiency. Spark plugs may be one of the hardest working parts of a vehicle. A spark plug can fire 400 times per minute per cylinder.  Car owners make the mistake to delay spark plug repair on their vehicles, even after they have failed. This is a mistake since faulty spark plugs can lead to engine damage, reduced fuel efficiency and poor performance.  Faulty spark plugs can cause “check engine” lights, misfiring, & poor driving operation. Periodic maintenance may reduce the following issues to cause breakdown.  Rattling, pinging or knocking noises. When spark plugs begin to misfire, you may notice unusual noises from the force of the pistons and combustion not working properly. Pistons travel at high velocities; if the spark plug fires at the wrong time, this could lead to constant rattling, pinging or knocking sounds. Hard vehicle start. If your car is ha ... read more

How the timing belt works: The timing belt is part of most internal combustion engines.  It synchronizes the engine’s functions. The timing belt is made from rubber. It controls the rotation of the camshaft and crankshaft and the opening and closing of the engine’s many valves to allow air and gas in and out, which causes the fuel to ignite in the combustion chamber. During this explosion, the valves push the pistons down.  Sometimes when the timing belt breaks, the valves, will open at the wrong time and hit the larger pistons and cause damage. The timing belt maintenance is crucial in the operation of the vehicle.     When to replace the timing belt? Unfortunately, the timing belt isn’t visible without removal of parts so inspecting the belt isn’t done routinely.  Knowing if the timing belt is in good health is difficult so in many cases, it will just break. That’s why highly rated auto mechanics recommend replacing it e ... read more

Keeping your vehicle in optimum operating order by regularly maintaining your vehicle may be the link to minimal breakdowns. All brands, Acura, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Infiniti, Nissan, Hyundai, GM, Cadillac, Ford, Dodge, Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes.....all need to be maintained in order to prolong vehicle life. Regular oil changes & tire pressure maintenance should be done between 3-6 month intervals. Efficient repair shops will constantly inspect the other fluids to keep the fluid breakdown to a minimum. Pearl City Auto Works is an Aiea repair shop that will be on the lookout for these services for our valued customers.    Vehicles with warning lights on in the dash should be brought into the shop immediately. Check engine lights are an indicator that something is going on with the mechanical operations. If the check engine light is blinking, vehicles need to be driven to a safe area & possibly towed into the repair shop. Airbag lights are indicating an error in ... read more

When you maintain proper tire pressure, you ensure that you’ll get more life of your tires. On the other hand, improper tire inflation may result in premature wear. Tire replacement can be costly & unnecessary if proper maintenance is performed. How Often Should You Check Tire Pressure? You should check tire pressure at least once a month. Make it part of your monthly maintenance because on average, tires lose approximately 1 pound per square inch (PSI) of tire pressure every month. Pearl City Auto Works will happily inspect tire pressure at any maintenance service or by calling in to request tire pressure service. Tire pressure can also change drastically in winter temperatures. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit change in ambient temperature, tire pressure will change by approximately 1 PSI. So, check your tires when your vehicle is cold. Inputting the proper PSI is also essential to performance. The proper PSI is located on the side wall of the tire. Use a tire inflator wi ... read more