Welcome to our Blog page!

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.

Category Archives: Troubleshoot

Steamed Up (Vapor Coming Out of Vents)

Sometimes you may notice a little steam or vapor coming out of your vehicle's vents when running the air conditioning or heater.  Is this something about which you need to worry? The answer is it may or may not be troublesome. Sometimes it can be caused by water accumulating in the vent system after it condenses.  That water can wind up at the bottom of a vent, and when you turn on the blower motor, it can cause what looks like steam or vapor to come out of the vents.  It may go away on its own when the system dries out after you've run the fan for a while.  Of course, moisture sitting around for more than a short time in a hot vehicle is the perfect breeding ground for mold to develop, and you don’t want your vehicle to smell like musty mold. Sometimes the moisture can build up because a drain is clogged.  A technician can clean that out and get things draining again. If the vapor coming out of the vents has a sweet, syrupy smell, it could be ... read more

Categories:

Troubleshoot

Your Nose Knows Gasoline

Each time we fuel up our vehicles, we get a little whiff of gasoline, so the smell is very familiar. There shouldn’t be any gasoline smell in or around your vehicle when you are away from the gas station. When you do smell gasoline away from the gas pump, the cause ranges from something simple to something that can be very dangerous. Let's start with the simple causes.  It could be a loose or faulty gas cap, or you might be missing one entirely. You may also have a leak in the fuel tank vent hose. These are relatively straightforward things to repair.  By the way, because your vehicle has fans that draw in outside air, you may be able to smell these outside fuel leaks inside the cabin. Here are some other possible sources of a gasoline smell.  You may have a leak in your fuel tank, and these are more common than you might think.  Fuel tanks can rot or get punctured by road debris.  The tank can be fixed or replaced.  The fuel lines can also de ... read more

Categories:

Troubleshoot

Vent Cleaning

Ever get musky odors coming from your car's air vents? It's fairly common for CHICO drivers. Moisture can accumulate in the air conditioning/heating ventilation system allowing mold, mildew, fungus and bacteria to grow. Disinfecting and deodorizing is a process. Depending on how bad the problem is, there are a couple of approaches D AND E AUTO REPAIR may take to get rid of the unwanted smells. For mild situations (especially on newer vehicles), a special deodorizing disinfectant is introduced into the ventilation system. This may be an aerosol or a mist application. The treatment kills the offending organisms and deodorizes the system. Sometimes in older vehicles, a good deal of mildew or other microorganisms can grow on the air conditioning evaporator which is housed in the heating/air conditioning air blend box behind the dashboard. In cases like this D AND E AUTO REPAIR fills the blend box with disinfecting foam that can eliminate stubborn organisms and return a fresh, cle ... read more

Categories:

Troubleshoot

Simple Answers from D AND E AUTO REPAIR: Cabin Air Filter

Question: My car has a bad odor when I run the heater or air conditioner. My friend said I might need a new cabin air filter – what's that? D AND E AUTO REPAIR Answer:cabin air filter is a special filter that cleans the air that comes into the CHICO drivers' passenger compartments – or cabin – of their vehicles. Most new vehicles sold in CA now have a cabin air filter. A cabin air filter catches dust, pollen, spores and other pollutants before they can get into your cabin. It's kind of like the filter on your furnace in your CHICO home, cleaning the air you breathe inside your vehicle. As CHICO drivers can imagine, it eventually gets filled up and can even start to get smelly. So – you just have it replaced. Now some are really easy to access and others are tougher to get to. Your friendly and knowledgeable D AND E AUTO REPAI ... read more

Categories:

Troubleshoot

Growling that Grates

A driver who uses his or her ears has a leg up on those who don't.  In addition to noises helping you be aware of traffic, they can give you clues to potential problems in your vehicle.  One noise to pay attention to is growling. Growling is a universally recognizable noise; you know it when you hear it.  In a vehicle, it's usually the sound of metal contacting metal, and not in a good way.  So, what is your vehicle telling you if you hear growling when you are turning your steering wheel? There are a few possibilities.  One is the mechanical linkage that helps your steering wheel turn your wheels and tires.  That system frequently has a hydraulic system that makes turning the steering wheel easier for you.  That can be a source of growling sounds as well.  A NAPA AutoCare technician can check your power steering fluid to see if it's at the correct level and still in good shape.  There are a few things that can go wrong with y ... read more

Categories:

Troubleshoot