Auto Repair in Poway

One request I get as the owner of Poway’s Precision Automotive is to install “OEM” parts. There is often some confusion about what an “OEM” part is and what it really means for your vehicle. If you are looking for an auto repair shop in Poway, or anywhere else, this is a good question to ask.  OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. These parts are not necessarily the same as the genuine parts that come from the dealer, but they are from the same manufacturer that provided the parts to the assembly line when the vehicle was produced. Aftermarket parts are not made to the same standards as the factory uses and often are of low quality and do not last as long. There are so many different parts manufacturers these days that it is important to work with an experienced mechanic, like the certified technicians we have at Poway’s Precision Automotive, to make sure they are using quality parts in their auto repair shop. At Precision Automotiv ... read more

Many customers in Poway will ask me “what does my car need?” when the check engine light comes on. The short answer is we don’t know until we have one of our technicians at Precision Automotive hook up a scanner and do a complete diagnostic to get the full picture of what is going on with the check engine light. If you are driving around Poway and the check engine light is blinking, this usually indicates a misfire that can cause damage to the engine or emission system. If the check engine light is flashing, we don’t recommend driving the vehicle to prevent costly repairs. There are some auto parts stores that will check the car out with a check engine light code reader, but that will only generate a fault code and not tell you the check engine light meaning. The vehicle will still need to be diagnosed by a trained professional, to make sure that the fault is verified. In the long run this will save you time and money.   If you live in Poway, o ... read more

Modern cars are very complicated, with many complex systems, and most often require a computer or scanner for proper communication to diagnose. Our technicians at Poway’s Precision Automotive are highly trained and fully equipped to handle these situations. The first step to proper diagnosis is to verify the concern. This usually involves a proper interview with the client to find out how and when the vehicle is acting up, and then have the technician be able to reproduce the symptom with the vehicle.  The next step is to check for any DTC’s (diagnostic trouble codes) and perform a full vehicle scan. This will check all of the control modules for possible clues (not just the module that is having the problem). The next step is finding the proper resources and then testing the vehicle, which often includes hooking up test equipment and monitoring the system in question while it is malfunctioning.  One of the most important pieces of this puzzle is verifying the ... read more

Is your vehicle consuming oil between oil changes, and requires you to add oil periodically? As manufacturers try to lower emissions, they use piston rings that reduce friction.  As a result, the piston rings can easily become stuck with carbon deposits. This will cause lower compression and oil escaping past the piston rings into the combustion chamber, causing the vehicle to burn oil. Our premium oil change includes a cleaner that is ran through the engine before draining the oil to loosen up the existing carbon, then an additive is poured into the new oil to condition the new engine oil.  This combats sludge in the engine, provides longer oil change intervals, and reduces engine oil consumption keeping piston rings from sticking. If your vehicle is using oil between oil changes and you notice the oil level is low, we advise you ask about our premium engine oil service. If you have been going extended intervals and not been following recommended maintenance schedules, we ... read more