Question: What is synthetic oil and should I use it? Mira Mesa Automotive Answer: Regular oil, also called conventional oil, comes from dead dinosaurs. Conventional oil molecules are long hydrocarbon chains of various lengths. Imagine a bunch of pencils – some used and some brand new. Synthetic oil is often more highly refined petroleum-based… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Car Maintenance
Simple Answers from Mira Mesa Automotive in San Diego: Service Maintenance Schedule
What is a severe service maintenance schedule? Mira Mesa Automotive Answer: When I was a kid in San Diego, Sunday meant having a bath, getting dressed for church and then hanging up my Sunday clothes soon as we got home. Mom didn’t have to wash those clothes but once a month or so. Now,… Read more »
Oxygen Sensor
Many people hear the term “Oxygen Sensor” and figure it must have something to do with sensing oxygen, but don’t really know much beyond that. Let’s break it down: your vehicle has an oxygen sensor in the exhaust manifold that measures how much unburned oxygen there is in the exhaust. The sensor reports its… Read more »
Tire Rotation and Wheel Balancing
San Diego drivers can make their vehicle tires last longer with regular tire rotation and wheel balancing. Let’s start with tire rotation. In normal driving around San Diego, CA, your front tires wear more on the shoulders because they handle much of the cornering forces in turns. Front-wheel drive vehicles have even more force on… Read more »
What Mira Mesa Automotive Repair Customers Should Know
There are some things Mira Mesa Automotive customers should know about automotive service and repair. First and foremost, Mira Mesa Automotive cares about you and your family’s safety. And they really appreciate your business. Mira Mesa Automotive wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come…. Read more »
Simple Answers from Mira Mesa Automotive – Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Question: My tire pressure warning light came on recently. What does that mean? Mira Mesa Automotive Answer: It means that one or more of your tires has low air pressure. The dashboard warning light, which looks like a cross-section of a tire with some lines in it, comes on when the tire pressure is… Read more »
Regular Maintenance | Routine Maintenance | Oil Change
In San Diego, we know we need to take care of our cars, but it just seems really hard to remember to do it. We generally accept that many things in life require regular maintenance, but just may have not applied it to our vehicles. For example, we water and mow the lawn every week…. Read more »
Importance of Cooling System Service San Diego
Question: My engine never overheats. Why should I get a cooling system service in San Diego? Mira Mesa Automotive Answer: That’s a really good question for San Diego car owners to ask, because if you don’t have the full answer you may end up in trouble. It would seem that if your engine is running… Read more »
Synthetic Oil Benefits | Oil Change
I recently saw an ad for synthetic oil in San Diego. I really hadn’t heard about it before, so I asked my friendly Mira Mesa Automotive technician for some background. Basically the inside of your engine gets really hot because of friction from the moving parts and from burning fuel. Oil lubricates the moving parts… Read more »
Wiper Blades | Wiper Blades San Diego
It’s said that 90 percent of our driving decisions are based on visual information. Our wiper blades play an important role in this. Most San Diego, Poway, and Rancho Santa Fe drivers know that a dirty or streaked windshield can catch the glare of the sun or on-coming headlights and make it nearly impossible to… Read more »