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Our blogs are updated once a month, usually on the first day of the month. On this page, we offer advice, tips, and insights for becoming a safer driver and for better travels on Chico roads. Bookmark this page and remember to check back!

If you need auto repair service, don’t forget that you can schedule an appointment at this link for D&E Auto Repair in Chico. We look forward to seeing you! Remember that you are a part of the family at D&E Auto Repair in Chico. We’re located at 3328 Esplanade St., Chico, CA 95973.

Monthly Archives: March 2020

Simple Answers from D AND E AUTO REPAIR in CHICO : Severe Service

Question: What is a severe service maintenance schedule?D AND E AUTO REPAIR Answer: When I was a kid in CHICO, 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, Saturdays were another story entirely: catching lizards, splash contests in mud puddles and crawling through the brush with GI Joe. Those clothes went straight into the laundry basket. My Sunday clothes – easy use. My Saturday clothes – hard use. They required a different laundry schedule. Severe service maintenance schedules are kind of like that for CHICO drivers. “Normal” driving has a regular schedule; “hard” driving has a severe service schedule. Service intervals are shorter on the severe schedule. Most owner's manuals will describ ... read more

Categories:

Maintenance

The D AND E AUTO REPAIR Guide To Battery Replacement

CHICO folks know that car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things CHICO drivers should know when looking for a new battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity. Let's start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live in CA, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold. So the colder it gets in CHICO, more power is needed, but the available power drops. So if you live where it's cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking am ... read more

Categories:

Batteries

Axle

Question: I hear a clunking sound from my front wheel when I make a turn. What could be the problem? D AND E AUTO REPAIR Answer: One possible cause of the problem is a worn axle. Front-wheel drive vehicles have axles that transfer power from the transmission to your front wheels. There is one for each front wheel. These axles are called constant velocity axles or CV axles for short. Rear-wheel drive vehicles have axles that are in back and run between the differential and the rear wheels. Of course, all-wheel drive vehicles will have an axle at each wheel. When a front CV axle goes bad, it will make a clunking noise as you make a slow turn. When a rear axle goes bad, the clunking or moaning sound will be in the back. Now there really isn't any preventive maintenance you can have performed to make your axles last longer, but you can have them inspected from time to time to see if a problem such as a leaking seal or torn protective boot has arisen ... read more

Categories:

Axles