Rocklin and Sacramento Auto Repair

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your vehicle engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected vehicle driving down Sacramento roads.Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the Sacramento automotive community as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine. A few have recently introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines. They are now available at some California dealerships. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure – many times the pressure of port injection systems. Although more complicated ... read more

As Sacramento consumers, we live in a disposable society. It's amazing all the stuff we throw away.New stuff comes out so fast in California, and much of it is fairly cheap, so we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff - especially parents who grew up in the Depression. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough; we had to do without.  We couldn't afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It's a good thing that cars are more reliable these days. They just don't break down as often. And the good news for us Sacramento penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles (320,000 km) with proper care. The engineering's there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the vehicle manufacturer's maintenance schedules.Is it really t ... read more

Sacramento residents' vehicles have to operate in a wide range of California temperatures which requires the engine coolant to be able to perform 'no matter what.' Think for a moment about the environment where the coolant does its thing. Very hot, high pressure, corrosive...And all the while, it has to protect the components of the cooling system from corrosion. These components are made from steel and aluminum, plastics and rubber. The coolant has to be formulated to protect against corrosion for all of these different materials. That's why vehicle manufacturer’s recommend different types of anti-freeze for our Sacramento, California, vehicles.There are several different 'families' of anti-freeze available to us here in Sacramento. Your owner's manual will tell you what kind you should use. Of course, the automotive professionals at Made In America Made In Japan will know the right kind for your vehicle.It's important to stay on top of this because coolant syste ... read more

People near Sacramento, California, often ask Made In America Made In Japan how often they should have a particular service done. It's a great thing to ask. You can look at your owner's manual or have your Sacramento, California, service advisor at Made In America Made In Japan look up your vehicle in a service database. What you find is often a surprise to people – there are actually two service schedules.One is the regular schedule and the other is the severe service schedule. Service intervals are shorter on the severe service schedule. When asked, most folks in Sacramento will say that their driving is normal and that the 'regular' schedule probably applies to them. 'Severe service' sounds pretty extreme – 'I don't drive like that.'Well, here is what the manufacturers say constitutes severe driving conditions; you can draw your own conclusions. Most of your trips are less than four miles (six and a half kilometers). Most of your trips are less than ten ... read more

All California pilots have checklists for every aspect of flying. They always use their checklists even if they only have two steps on them. They do this simply because a checklist is a great way to not forget steps. It is also how they can assure a predictable outcome. That is why Sacramento automotive service centers including Made In America Made In Japan have procedural standards for each service they perform. Made In America Made In Japan technicians are trained step by step. And they perform the procedures step by step, the same way each time. By training to procedural standards, California service centers can assure a quality outcome. The job is done right every time and Sacramento customers leave happy with how their vehicle performs. Each company trains its technicians to standards. The California automotive industry as a whole is very committed to standards of excellence and encourages individual California service center operators to apply them ... read more

Your vehicle is important to you, and keeping it running properly is important to your lifestyle. That's why you're smart enough to have it serviced regularly at Made In America Made In Japan in Sacramento. And even though it may just be routine maintenance, you want it done right by automotive professionals.It's also very important to your Sacramento service center to keep you happy and on the road. You might be surprised at the amount of money our Sacramento auto service center spends annually to make sure our friendly and knowledgeable technicians are properly trained.Made In America Made In Japan offers a variety of automotive services for many kinds of vehicles. We need to be current on the latest techniques and parts so that we can give you quality service. Our Sacramento service centers subscribe to data services that list the high quality parts and fluids recommended by your manufacturer.And each service has a checklist of standard procedures. Made In America Made In Japa ... read more

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Sacramento drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Sacramento drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Sacramento?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero California temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in California?Do you drive often in dusty Sacramento areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Sacramento?Do you drive in very hot or very cold California weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Sacramento on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Sacramento surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 mile ... read more

  Hello Sacramento, let's talk about brakes. But the mechanical aspects of the brakes themselves are just one issue. There's also the power brake pump and brake fluid. And then there are the tires, which are critical to the effectiveness of the brakes.Let's step back. A new vehicle or truck rolls off a local Sacramento showroom floor. It has brand new brakes with brand new brake pads. The brake lines and pump are filled with fresh fluid and are completely clean inside. And the tires are brand new, with full tread. It is ready to go.Naturally, braking power is at its peak performance. Now the miles/kilometers start to add up on the vehicle. Sacramento drivers tend to focus on the brake pads. In the automotive business, the pads and shoes on drum brakes are called the friction material. That's because they provide the friction used to stop the vehicle. The pads are designed to be effective throughout their useful life – it's not until they are worn so thin as to be out of 'sp ... read more

There's a segment of the Sacramento area population that's not committed to proper vehicle maintenance. Now, the ignition system in your vehicle is electronic and controlled by the engine management computer. Spark plugs rarely get fouled and will last for as much as 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers). So tune-ups used to force you in to Made In America Made In Japan for service, and while you were there you just took care of whatever else was on the list.Also, in recent years, a large percentage of new vehicles in Sacramento have been leased. These folks plan on turning the vehicle in after two or three years, so they haven't focused on the maintenance that helps a vehicle last longer.Given all that, what's the benefit to keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance? Well, your vehicle will perform better and return better fuel economy.Those benefits pay for themselves as they go along. The big plus is that major re ... read more

  Welcome to the Made In America Made In Japan automotive blog. Today, let's talk about the effect of tire wear. Let's focus on stopping in wet Sacramento conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can't move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.That's called hydroplaning. If it's really bad, Sacramento drivers can actually spin out of control - endangering themselves and the other drivers around them. At best, you won't stop as fast. So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your vehicle tire and you'll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They're designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new Made In America Made In Japan tire has very deep channels and can ... read more