Car Repair

  • Are You Dealing With Leaky Hydraulics?

    clutch of vehicle and close up of floorboard

    Does your clutch go flat, rendering your car useless until you fill the reservoir back up? Are you tired of the spongy feeling in your pedal, and the mess on your driveway? At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA, we can fix that for you.

  • Bad engine mounts, why is it a problem for you?

    working on a truck on a lift

    Failed engine mounts are an irritating issue to live with causing your car or truck to vibrate and you don't know why. At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA, we can help, no matter what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive and it is an easy issue to detect on a test drive.

    There are a few indicators your engine mounts need to be replaced. For one, you can do a visual inspection, if they’re accessible enough - if they looked cracked, smashed, or dry-rotted, it’s probably time for new ones.  If the engine visibly shakes while it’s running, engine mounts are also likely the culprit.  However, if you are like most drivers you simply get in and drive on down the road until something is different or a light comes on!   Then you call our shop for help!

  • Benefits of Treating a Fuel System

    man putting gas in a vehicle at the pump

    Like anything else on your vehicle, keeping various systems clean and in good shape is essential to long life and reliability. Your fuel system is especially important - parts are expensive, problems can be difficult to diagnose, and it doesn’t take much contamination to cause a huge issue. It’s much easier to keep your fuel system clean than it is to clean a dirty or problematic system. Performing regular fuel treatment can prove very beneficial to the life of your vehicle.

  • Brake Fluid - It's a Problem! Why??

    vehicle brake repair

    There is a reason we check your brake fluid when you come in for a service check.  Maintenance pays big dividends and we want to avoid high repair costs for our Visalia drivers.  Did you know that brake service isn't just all about the brake pads, drums & rotors?  That we have found low brake fluid to be the cause of a large percentage of brake issues here at Zylstra Automotive & Diesel?  Seriously, brake fluid is an important part of your braking system and with your service intervals being less frequent on the newer vehicles 5,000-10,000 more miles this has become an issue!  Why?...

  • Brake For Great Service

    brake repair

    Brakes are one of the most important components of your vehicle. You need the confidence of knowing that when you press your foot to the brake, your vehicle is going to stop. That's why it's important to keep these tips in mind to help keep your brakes functioning properly. Schedule an appointment with us at Zylstra Automotive & Diesel for a brake service checkup today!

  • Brakes…One of the Most Important Parts of Your Vehicle

    mechanic working on the brakes of a car

    Obviously, your brakes are pretty important. Your brake system is made of many components that all have to work correctly for your brakes to operate seamlessly. If one thing needs to be repaired, the whole system is compromised. Brake pads, rotors, hoses, calipers, and metal lines all play a part in stopping your car. At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA, we’re here to make sure your car, truck, or SUV stops as it should.

  • Check Engine Light On? We Can Help

    check engine light on in dash

    Is your check engine light on? Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA, we can help.

  • Common Heater/AC Fan Switch Issues

    hand over aircondition

    At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, we know how important climate control is to your driving experience. Not only does a fully functional heat and AC system keep you warm in the winter, and cool in the summer, it is vital to defrosting windows and keeping the air in your car circulating.

  • Dash Warning Lights to Watch For!

    battery warning light

    It doesn't matter if you are driving a car or truck, jeep or SUV, a diesel 4x4 or a classic when those dash warning lights go off the first thing you do is think "how bad is it?" and "how much will it cost me?" followed quickly by "when was my last service visit?"!!  Driving your vehicle longer safely is all about getting it serviced based on what your vehicle manual recommends and these warning lights are alerting you to a situation that requires your attention. 

    While not all warning lights are a sign that disaster is imminent, no warning indicator light should ever be ignored!

  • Diagnosing Those Dash Lights

    mechanic performing diagnostics

    Since the first automobile, vehicle electronics have become increasingly more complex with every passing era. In the modern-day, your car, truck, or SUV likely depends on an array of modules, sensors, and components that control every aspect of how your vehicle runs and drives. Here’s what you need to know about your vehicle’s electronics systems, from Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia.

  • Do you have a bad spark plug?

    car in shop

    Spark plugs have been around since the beginning, and play as important a role now as they did a hundred years ago. It’s a good idea to replace them as a set at regular intervals, but sometimes one will go bad sooner than the rest for one reason or another. How do you know if you have a bad spark plug? Here are some indicators, from Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA.

  • Do You Smell One Of These Smells? It's Time To Bring Your Car In.

    girl smelling vents

    If you’ve owned a vehicle long, particularly one with a few miles on it, you have probably encountered a peculiar smell that grabbed your attention. Scents that you encounter while driving (emanating from your vehicle, not the horse farm down the road) are indicators of your vehicle's health and often the first warning that something may be wrong. Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia has assembled this list to prepare for you for the next time you smell something odd, so you’ll know what’s going on next time you notice a funny smell.

  • ECU problems and reprogramming

    diagnostics

    If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle made by manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Land Rover, Porsche, etc., you’re probably no stranger to state of the art electronics, sensors, and control systems. At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel, our technicians have the right knowledge, ability, and equipment necessary to keep your car or SUV in top-notch condition.

  • Have you checked your battery? If it looks like this - It's bad!

    corrosive battery in car image

    When you are having trouble with your car or truck starting and you open the hood up to take a peek to see this....you'll see what an overly corroded battery looks like. This happens naturally over time on vehicle battery terminals.  If you are like 99% of normal Visalia drivers, you don't check your oil or your battery so you don't keep an eye on the amount of corrosion that's building up on your car or truck battery.  Here at Zylstra Automotive & Diesel, we do and there are solvents that we can use here in the shop during a battery maintenance service that will help slow the corrosion process but nothing that can prevent it 100%. Way before it gets to this point, we will be suggesting you consider replacing the battery. 

  • How Do I Know Whether To Replace My Engine?

    engine of vehicle

    If your car, truck or SUV is experiencing major engine issues, the technicians at Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA have you covered. You hear the engine knocking when it decides to start? Is there smoke pouring from your truck’s exhaust pipe? Whether you’re burning oil, your engine is on it’s last leg or has simply given up altogether, we can help. And if you’re not sure what you need, we can help with that too.

  • How Do You Maintain Your Turbocharger?

    turbocharger under hood of car

    The turbo on your diesel pickup truck is a precision-engineered component. As a result, proper maintenance is essential to keep it going strong, and Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA is the place to do that. At tens or even hundreds of thousands of RPM, keeping everything in good shape is absolutely necessary. Fortunately, turbos don't really require any special maintenance - they just make the maintenance you do all the more important.

  • How is the Air Quality in Your Vehicle?

    technician holding a clean and dirty air filter comparison in the front seat of a car

    When driving around town, your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, we want to help you get the best air quality in your vehicle, but first, we want to explain the process of where this dirty air is going. 

  • Identifying driveway spots: how to determine what is leaking under your car

    If you drive a vehicle with more than a few miles on it, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed an occasional drip underneath it that leaves spots wherever you park. Identifying what is leaking from your car will help you determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern, and what to do about it.

    There are seven liquids a car can possibly drip: oil, gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil, water, and coolant. How do you tell the difference? This article aims to help your know-how.

  • If you see steam, pull over!

    Woman checking out under the hood where steam is coming from

    Something will go wrong with your car, truck, or SUV eventually. The important thing is knowing what to do, and how to deal with it. Just knowing what to do in a situation often means the difference between a quick repair and thousands of dollars worth of work. If you see steam coming from under the hood, it’s important to deal with it appropriately and quickly. Here’s what’s going on, and what to do, from Zylstra Automotive & Diesel in Visalia, CA.

  • Is it Time for a New Exhaust?

    exhaust

    Exhaust systems are one of the most neglected aspects of most vehicles. Exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, and mufflers are exposed to heat, emissions, and road damage. While your exhaust system is fairly simple and straightforward, these conditions mean it is inherently prone to rust and damage. As a result, this system is often one of the first systems you will have trouble with on your car.

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