Auto Repair in Albany, CA

  Whether you’ve purchased a new car, or the car is just new to you. Congratulations! There’s nothing like getting a new set of wheels. You’ll want to keep your car looking and running good for years to come, and the best way to do that is through good old fashioned upkeep. Here are a few great tips to use along the way. Check Your Oil Newer car technology changes the math on how often you should get oil changes. The standard for years was every 3,000 miles, but these days it’s more like every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. If you take your car to a shop, the mechanics can give you the best timeline based on your car’s age and type. In the meantime, make a point to check your oil regularly to see if it’s low or dirty. Oil is the lifeblood of your car. If you neglect to monitor levels and forgo regular changes, your engine can seize and essentially turn the car into a giant paperweight. Practice Good Tire Hygi ... read more

Most of us at one point or another has had a light come on their dashboard and we’ve either been very worried by it, or maybe ignored it until there was time to see our local mechanic. Well, worry no further! We are here to provide you with the most important and most common errors that we see in customers’ vehicles day in and day out. Below is a list of the pictures and their explanations. Check Engine Light or Maintenance Indicator Light (MIL): There are some lights that when they come on your dashboard it isn’t an immediate emergency, but this is not one! Of all the lights, the check engine light is the most important. Even more alarming is if the light is flashing. This means there is an error that is happening at this very moment. Here at Dana Meyer Auto Care, we use customer education instead of scare tactics, this is why we offer affordable code reading and diagnostics to all customers! Now the one exception to this rule is if you just filled ... read more

You may have heard sliders in reference to adorable bite sized burgers served at your local pub, but the sliders we are referring to are much more menacing than a stomach ache. Sliders, or even Gliders, as they authorities are calling them, are purse thieves that primarily target women, traveling alone, who aren’t paying attention while pumping gas at a station. Who Are They? What many gas station security cameras are catching on film are men pulling their car alongside an unsuspecting victim. The thieves wait until the person is looking the other way, or pumping gas. Then seamlessly they will crouch down below the car window to go unnoticed, and open the passenger side door & pull out whatever property may be sitting on the seat. Thus their nickname, sliders/gliders, because they slide in and out unnoticed. How Can I Protect Myself? A few would be thieves were caught. Some of these incidents can be seen in the video linked below, but more often than not they are too quic ... read more

Winterizing Guide for Californians Do I really need to winterize my car, even though it doesn’t snow here? The short answer is yes! Cold temperatures make it more difficult for an engine to work properly. Rain, especially in times of drought, limit traction grip for your tires. When it only rains sporadically this makes the roads even more slick because there is more oil and other foreign debris that don’t mix well with water. If there’s heavier rains, this too can be a hazard as it tends to increase the amount of, and the size of, potholes. Vehicles respond differently to the weather just like us, so they need special maintenance at the change of all major seasons. Here are some quick tips on how you can be better prepared for the season change: 1. Check Your Tire Pressure! Simple, right? Many people know properly inflated tires can save you gas money. What you may not know is that the best way to maintain functionality of the tires for the long ... read more

  Welcome Home Cat, We Missed You! For those of you that don’t know, Cat, our esteemed Service Advisor, or prodigal daughter if you will, has returned! Cat worked here for 5 years, and then left us for 5 years. But now she has come to her senses and is back in the office of Dana Meyer Auto Care! Where the heck have you been for the last 5 years? “I’ve been hiding in a dealership parts department. A few Bay Area Volkswagon/Audi dealerships.” We know Cat has had a long term love affair with all things Volkswagon. When she was recruited to help open a new location of a VW service shop we we’re happy for her, but now we are even more excited that she chose to come back to a more sane work environment. Are you glad to be back? “Yes, of course!” What can DMAC customers expect to see change now that you’re the full time service advisor? “What I learned in my ... read more