Rocklin and Sacramento Auto Repair

At Jack Dane Auto Service, we occasionally see severe tire damage that could have been prevented with proper wheel alignment. During a Jack Dane Auto Service alignment service, your vehicle is put on an alignment rack where the tires,steering and suspensionparts are inspected for problems. Then the alignment is charted and checked against the vehicle factory settings. Adjustments are made to bring the wheels back into alignment. This gets all four wheels moving in precisely the same direction.If you don't remember hitting a pothole, how do you know if your wheels are out? The most obvious sign is that your vehicle pulls to one side. Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you're going straight. If you're in the habit of checking your tire wear regularly, you may notice the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down. You should have your Sacramento auto service center look it over. Of course, if you've been in an a ... read more

Poor interior air quality is nothing to sneeze at, and Sacramento auto owners might be interested to know that more and more new cars are coming equipped with a cabin air filter. Check your vehicle owner's manual, but they typically need to be replaced at around 12,000 to 15,000 miles (19,000 to 24,000 kilometers).The filter is usually under the vehicle hood or under the dashboard. Some are a little tricky to get to, so you'll want to have your friendly and knowledgeable Jack Dane Auto Service service advisor take care of replacing them.As we said, many Sacramento people don't realize they have a cabin air filter and come to Jack Dane Auto Service saying "my vents are smelling bad." It usually turns out to be a dirty cabin air filter. A switch out and they're on their way, smelling sweet.Sacramento residents who suffer from allergies can really benefit from a cabin air filter as it keeps irritants to a minimum.If you're one of them, you'll want t ... read more

Power steering is standard on nearly every vehicle in Sacramento, CA, these days. Now there are some exotic, new types of power steering systems, but for the most part, the general setup is a pump that's driven by a belt powered by the engine. Contact the automotive professionals at Jack Dane Auto Service in Sacramento for questions about your power steering. The pump generates power that assists drivers as they steer their vehicle around Sacramento, CA. Power steering systems use hoses to move pressurized fluid back and forth. These hoses can develop leaks so it's a good idea to have Jack Dane Auto Service inspect them at every oil change. A check of the power steering fluid level is on the list for every full service oil change at Jack Dane Auto Service because low fluid can damage the power steering pump. And the fluid needs to be compatible with the hoses and seals, so it's important to use the correct type – just ask your se ... read more

Like everything in the CA automotive market, there have been great strides in headlight technology in recent years. CA drivers can be safer at night because of it. Good headlights improve visibility on Sacramento roads, enabling you to see farther. They also improve your peripheral vision, helping you to see the sides more clearly. The more you can see, the more quickly you can react to road conditions. This is because nearly half of traffic fatalities take place at night. And as Sacramento resident population ages, everything that helps older eyes is welcome.Most new vehicles sold in CA come with halogen headlamps. A decade ago, halogens were exotic and expensive. Now that they are standard equipment, the price has come way down. Many luxury cars are equipped with high intensity discharge, or HID, headlamps. You have probably seen them on some Sacramento roads; they're very bright and have a bluish tint.From behind the wheel, there is no doubt that HID headl ... read more

Hello Sacramento! Did you know that the first federally-mandated emissions control device was introduced in the 1960's? The Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve, or PCV valve, has been installed in CA vehicles since 1964 and represents the first legislation by the United States government to regulate harmful emissions as well as to improve performance in the country's vehicles.The PCV valve, as you can probably guess, is located on the crankcase. The crankcase is the lowest part of a vehicle's engine. It houses the crankshaft and the engine oil. The crankshaft connects to the pistons that power the engine.Pistons are pushed down when fuel is burned in an engine. This causes the crankshaft to rotate, which sends power to the transmission.  It ultimately turns the axles and causes the vehicle to move. Some of the gases released by the burning fuel squeeze around the pistons and down into the crankcase.If the escaped gases mix with the engine oil in ... read more

Today's Jack Dane Auto Service article focuses on severe service maintenance. Many Sacramento drivers are not aware of them and yet there are also very vocal advocates in CA who think that severe service schedules apply to everyone. Somewhere between a complete lack of awareness and the dire blanket statements lies a reasonable approach to severe service maintenance at Jack Dane Auto Service.To back up a little, vehicle owner's manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance: things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil after a certain distanced traveled or after so many months. Sacramento drivers understand this very well. What they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.Now when you hear 'severe service,' you may think it doesn't apply to you becau ... read more

Most Sacramento drivers know something about preventive maintenance on a vehicle. We know we should routinely replace the oil and wiper blades and other fluids. But have you heard of a PCV valve ? This little car part needs to be replaced regularly or it can cause some serious problems in your vehicle engine.PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. The crankcase holds your motor oil and is located at the bottom of your engine.When fuel is burned in your engine, it produces waste gases that are mostly vented out through your exhaust system. But some of these gases push their way past the pistons and into the crankcase. There, these gases can mix with motor oil to produce oil sludge, which can damage vehicle engine parts through corrosion and by clogging engine passages. Sacramento vehicle owners should be advised that if the engine is running at high speeds, these gases can also cause pressure inside the crankcase to build up. This pressure, in tu ... read more

A while back, the Cash for Clunkers program was all over the CA news. Sacramento people could trade in their old vehicle for a new one that got better gas mileage and receive a government rebate. A lot of Sacramento motorists had so-called clunkers that they wanted to keep. They're good commuters, grocery getters or toy haulers. They enjoy that fact that they're paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their vehicles for 200,000 miles (320,000 kilometers) or more – as long as it's economical to do so. There are plenty of Sacramento drivers whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles (240,000 or 320,000 kilometers). We can learn from what they're doing to keep our own vehicles on the road in CA.The Sacramento drivers of high-mileage cars often report a common denominator of never skipping an oil change. That may sound a bit unsophisticate ... read more

There are several important factors that go into how often Sacramento drivers should replace their wiper blades. Of course, the more you use your wipers, the faster the blades will wear out – especially if you use them on an icy windshield. Whether it’s a lot of bugs and road grime from CA freeway driving or lots of wet weather – your blades get a work out and start to wear. But your wiper blades break down even when they aren’t used frequently. They are damaged by sunlight and temperature changes as well. The rubber in the blades can dry out and crack and eventually fall apart. Check your wipers: If they’re not doing their important job, have them replaced at Jack Dane Auto Service in Sacramento. Talk to your Jack Dane Auto Service service advisor about how you drive - we can counsel you on the optimal blades for your needs.Jack Dane Auto Service1200 I StSacramento, CA 958149164423287htt ... read more

Recalls are pretty serious for Sacramento residents and don't happen all that often. But sometimes cars have less serious problems that Sacramento residents still might want to know about. For these less serious cases, the vehicle manufacturer issues what is known as a Technical Service Bulletin – or TSB. These bulletins tell Sacramento service centers (including Jack Dane Auto Service) how to repair a problem that occurs frequently or is especially difficult.Your Sacramento service center receives updated information through subscription plans, which are sometimes available in consumer versions too.Whatever your source, pay attention to Sacramento vehicle recalls to keep you and your passengers safe. No matter how well they're made, vehicles are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. Think of all the moving parts. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the vehicle manufacturer to issue recall notic ... read more