Castro Valley Auto Repair

If you are new to the world of electric vehicles, brake cleaning seems like a joke fashioned by die-hard ICE (internal combustion engine) enthusiasts. Well… not quite. If you own a Tesla in the “cold weather region”, it’s recommended – by Tesla - that you get the calipers cleaned and lubricated every year or every 12,500 miles. So why does your Tesla need brake cleaning?  Because EVs use brakes infrequently. Most of the braking is done by the energy recovery system, and so your brake pads don’t get used much, and are likely to last around 100,000 miles. Awesome – you say - we save on brake pads replacement. True indeed, but as a result, brake pads, calipers, and brake rotors get very little exercise, and so if you live in a climate with snow, salt, year round rains, brake rotors are going to rust, get gunky, and calipers might get sticky. Internal combustion engine vehicles do not face these issues, because brakes are used hard every day ... read more

Prius Hybrid vehicles were a novelty not so long ago, yet today, with gasoline prices north of five dollars per gallon, owning a Prius is a popular, and financially smart move. Prius vehicles also have a reputation for reliability and low total ownership cost. But there is one Prius repair that owners of these vehicles are likely to face at some point – water pump replacement. Prius vehicles have multiple water pumps, and eventually water pump replacement will become a necessity. Fortunately, our Castro Valley auto care garage offers comprehensive range of automotive services, including Prius water pump replacement. Whether your Prius needs replacement of the engine water pump, the heater core pump, or the inverter coolant pump, our technicians can diagnose the problem, and replace the failing pump with a new, OEM quality pump. As with all repairs, we offer 36 month / 36,000 mile nationwide warranty. As a free bonus, we perform complimentary digital vehicle inspections with serv ... read more

By now Prius vehicles are everywhere, yet only 20 years ago they were a novelty. They are reliable, and with proper maintenance can last 300,000 miles or more. During that time you will need to replace a few components, one of them being inverter. Toyota issued a recall for inverter related problems, and many vehicles had the work completed. Yet, many have sustained thermal damage before the recall, and may have to have inverters replaced. Inverters also fail due to age and use. The indicators of a possible inverter failure include hybrid system warning and power steering warning coming “on”. Naturally, at Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we recommend that you visit a professional mechanic to diagnose the root cause of the problem. At our Castro Valley auto care facility we use state-of-the-art digital diagnostic equipment, and our technicians are nationally ASE certified – they will find the root cause and will get your vehicle diagnosed and fixed right – the ... read more

Fall Tune Up Even though the traditional tune-up is a thing of the past, at Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we still recommend getting a vehicle checkup before the Fall driving season. Even though most modern cars are self-tuning ( computers adjust timing, air intake, richness of the air-fuel mixture, etc.  on-the-fly), there is still a lot to be said for having a professional mechanic inspect your car before the rains and the cold weather. It's always a good idea to check the condition of the car battery, as the cold weather makes a weak battery more likely to die, or often not be able to hold enough charge to start your car. We also recommend a visual inspection of the tires, to make sure there are no bald spots, and that the tread depth is sufficient to evacuate water and prevent hydroplaning.  While the car is in the shop, we also recommend brake inspection ( unless you had one done very recently ) - wet asphalt extedends the distance it takes to stop your vehicle ... read more

Tesla Outproduces German EV Makers - Again! Tesla is an the unquestioned leader in the electric vehicle market. German auto makers have been promising to outproduce Tesla in the EV arena – for many years now. Volkswagen in particular has been promising to wrestle EV leadership away from Tesla. Well... once again Tesla comes out on top. So far this year, Tesla produced 890,000 electric vehicles, according to Bloomberg News. That’s more than the combined EV production of BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Porsche. German manufacturers are struggling with software problems that delay introduction of new models. This is not surprising – modern vehicles, and especially EVs, are “software on wheels”, while traditional auto makers have very limited software design and production experience. Tesla, on the other hand, greatly benefits from Elon Musk’s experience – he started out as a programmer. And he runs Tesla like a software company – frequent p ... read more

Prius Head Gasket Replacement in Castro Valley, CA Prius vehicles are justifiably known for their reliability and longevity. 300,000 miles is not uncommon for a well maintained Prius. However, as your Prius ages, it may have to face the specter of head gasket replacement, especially if it is Gen3 Prius.    At Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we provide full range of Prius services and repairs, including head gasket replacements. Naturally, since head gasket replacement is an expensive repair, we will first verify that the head gasket replacement is a necessity. Only after we determine that there is no other course of action, we will let you know the cost and will not proceed until you authorize the repair. In some cases, engine replacement might be a better option.    Symptoms of head gasket failure:  Check engine light comes on – any time your Prius has a misfire, the check engine light will come on – fo ... read more

Even though it’s still wet and dreary on May 8th, eventually the sun will come out. So it’s a good idea to have your car’s ac system checked out and topped off if needed. Plenty of vehicles still use the old R134a refrigerant, though many newer vehicles require the new R1234YF refrigerant. There is no single cut-off date; different brands picked different years to switch to R1234YF. These refrigerants are not interchangeable - your vehicle will either use one or the other. To simplify your life, at Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we offer both refrigerants – when you bring your vehicle for an a/c checkup, we will look up which refrigerant your vehicle requires, check the ac system for leaks, and top it off if necessary. The new R1234YF refrigerant systems require different fittings, and the machines have on-board sensors to make sure correct refrigerant is being used. R1234YF was formulated to be environmentally friendly, and we don’t want to cross contam ... read more

Carfax, a company that keeps track of vehicle repair data, estimates that in 2022 there were over 153,000 vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft. That's a considerably higher number than the insurance industry report of 52,000 claims. At Adams Autoworx we are not surprised at this discrepancy - many clients who had their catalytic converters stolen drive older cars, and so do not carry comprehensive insurance coverage, which would pay for catalytic converter replacement. They pay out-of-pocket. Apparently nationwide that number is significant – hence Carfax estimate is 3 times higher than insurance company data. This number also makes sense when considering that new catalytic converters are often on back-order, and depending on the vehicle model, one may have to wait months to get a replacement. If the lower number (as reported by insurance companies) were correct, auto repair industry would not be experiencing so many delays getting the new catalytic converters ... read more

Proper wheel alignment is important for comfortable ride, better vehicle stability and tire wear. At Adams Autoworx in Castro Valley we offer Subaru wheel alignment on our state-of-the-art computerized alignment machine. Wheel alignment is a recurring  issue – bumping into a curb or  driving over a pothole  (as you must have noticed, Bay Area roads are full of potholes), can throw the wheels out of alignment, which in turn will cause accelerated tire wear, and decrease comfort and vehicle control. When the wheels are out of alignment, your Subaru will exhibit behaviors that can be considered “road signs” indicating that alignment check is in order: Uneven tire wear Our auto care facility in Castro Valley offers complimentary tire inspections – it we notice uneven tire wear, whether “scalloping”, excessive inner wear or excessive outer wear, we will let you know that wheel alignment is indicated. Your Subaru ... read more

Toyota vehicles are extremely popular in the Bay Area – reliable, value priced, and if well maintained, they will last for 200,000 – 300,000 miles.  At Adams Autoworx we offer premier Castro Valley Toyota service and repair. Whether your Toyota Corolla needs transmission fluid flush, or your Toyota RAV4 needs new brakes, our technicians will get your vehicle serviced and ready for the road. To get the most value out of your Toyota, we recommend regular oil service and following manufacturer’s schedule of services. If you adhere to the manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule, your Toyota will reward you with years of faithful, reliable service. At Adams Autoworx we combine superior customer service with technical excellence – technicians working on your Toyota are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), and they use state-of-the-art digital diagnostic equipment to get to the root cause of any problem your Toyota m ... read more