What do you do when your Check Engine light turns on? Ignore it and hope it goes away? Try to find and fix the problem yourself, or do you take your vehicle to a San Pedro car repair and service center?

Common Causes of a Check Engine Light

We’ve all seen the Check Engine light and other warning lights on the instrument panel of our cars illuminate at one time or another, but most of us don’t know what causes them to turn on in the first place.

Your car has many different sensors that continuously monitor all critical vehicle systems. When a failure is sensed in any of these systems, a Check Engine light comes on to alert you of the problem.  Some of the common causes of a Check Engine light:

The gas cap is not tightened properly A problem with the emission system, such as a malfunctioning catalytic converter or clogged exhaust Old spark plugs that cause the engine to misfire Faulty sensors, such as anti-lock brake sensors Blown fuses Low oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, or anti-freeze Defective alternator Faulty battery

All of the reasons that can cause a Check Engine light to come on are too numerous to list. So, what do you need to know?

Obey Check Engine Light “Traffic Signals”

Treat your Check Engine light and other warning lights in your car like traffic signals. Follow these Check Engine light tips to know when you need professional automotive assistance from the San Pedro car repair pros:

Solid Yellow Light: Proceed with caution. This type of Check Engine light is probably not an emergency, especially if it seems like the engine is running smoothly. Try shutting down the engine and restarting it a few times to see if the Check Engine light goes out. It could be something as simple as a sensor taking too long to respond due to cold temperatures. If the Check Engine light stays on, take your vehicle to the San Pedro car repair specialists for a Check Engine light “check-up.” Blinking Yellow Light: Attend to the problem soon. This type of Check Engine light usually means your engine is misfiring, which can irreparably damage the very costly catalytic converter. Drive cautiously and make an appointment with your San Pedro car repair center as soon as possible. This early warning sign can save you from expensive repairs. Red Light: Stop driving as soon as possible. Continuing to drive with this type of Check Engine light on can cause severe damage to your engine. A red Check Engine light is typically the result of low fluids or problems with the electrical system. Of course, the best thing to do is to let the leading San Pedro car repair center investigate the problem with our state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. Our trained San Pedro diagnostics technicians will make the necessary repairs so your vehicle is safe to drive.

Don’t Ignore a Check Engine Light!

Depending on the type of problem, a sensor that causes a Check Engine light to come on can cause your vehicle to begin operating on a predetermined emergency program that can result in poor engine performance, decreased mileage, and increased emissions. By ignoring a Check Engine light, you risk doing permanent damage to your vehicle that could have been prevented if our San Pedro diagnostics and car repair experts could have inspected and fixed the problem at the first sign of trouble.

But you don’t have to wait until the Check Engine light illuminates! Get your car serviced by the San Pedro car repair professionals with regularly scheduled visits to help you avoid surprises. Call 310.831.2888 or make an appointment online at www.parkplazaautomotive.com.

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People in Los Angeles have a real love affair with their cars and it’s not just some weekend fling. We LOVE our cars. We love them so much that it’s rare that we’d actually share them with anyone outside the immediate family.

It’s not an unusual sight to see Angelinos riding on the freeway, one person to a car. Oh sure sometimes you can find families in the diamond lane and on weekends you might be lucky to see two or more people in one vehicle going somewhere, but by and large, and mostly during the peak of travel time – rush hour, its one car, one driver.

The solo motorist is a very common animal in this neck of the interstate because to share commute would mean to give up our privacy, our alone time. Since the rush hour driving period can span a good three to fours hours and the average driver has to travel at least 30 to 60 minutes each way to get to work, Californian’s get to use this period of their lives for quiet reflection, catching up with friends, putting on make up, shaving or taking a coffee moment with their favorite half – calf, triple grande latte, no foam, soy Americano.

And if we’re going to spend that much time behind the wheel shouldn’t we at least be comfortable? Of course the real question is – Can we be GREEN as well?

At one time, not too long ago, Hybrid cars were pretty much looked upon as something for the future along with jet packs and talking wristwatches. But since the dawn of the 21st century a plethora of Hybrid and Green vehicles have begun to be produced and on a mass production scale.

No longer mere electric autos that only went as fast as your grandmother’s Rascal with a battery the size of a work bench and a life span of a gnat, today we usher in a whole new breed of environmentally friendly cars that actually look, act, feel and drive like – cars.

And they come in all sizes.

If you’re a big person or just like your SUV but don’t like the way Prius owners sneer at you when you pass, you’re in luck. Manufacturers like Toyota, GM, Chevy, Saturn and more have taken your beloved behemoth and turned it green. The Saturn Aura Green Line SUV is one of their newest gas-electric hybrids to step up to the plate without having to eat the whole dinner. The new Vue Green Line two Mode puts together the output of the Saturn’s 3.6 liter, direct injection variable valve timing V-6 with two active-cooled 55 kW electric motors. This combination gives you excellent performance without having to sacrifice leg room or cargo space just because you want to get better gas mileage and save the planet.

General Motors is definitely jumping the shark and will be offering 16 new Hybrid models over the next four years. The same hybrid evolutionary platforms will be seen in other car models such as the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Finally full sized trucks that can have descent gas mileage, much lower emissions and be part of the green revolution. It’s enough to make a red neck scratch his head and wonder what’s going on in the world.

Now if you like the idea of smaller cars and want to get away from gas altogether you may want to check out something like the “neighborhood” type of all electric vehicles, like the GEM Peapod Electric Car.

Yes, the Peapod. This little car from Chrysler’s GEM, ENVI division seems more like an iPod accessory than a form of transport, yet the Peapod is a sleek ultramodern urban auto whose name comes from its teardrop shape stuck on wheels.

Using the oval form provides maximum interior space with grand viewing capabilities through over sized tinted glass, including an over head roof panel. With seating for four, the 102 inch wheelbase has an overall length of 143.6 inches. It’s just 56.5 inches wide but 70.5 inches tall. This makes the Peapod two inches shorter than the Mini Cooper but with a longer wheelbase.

Truly a car for the city, Peapod drivers have a 32 feet curb to curb turning circle with the entire vehicle weighing not much more than 1,290 pounds. The rated payload capacity is just 910 pounds which is plenty for four adults in a comfortable setting.

The downside is the Peapod isn’t going to take you outside the city or anywhere that has a speed limit above 35 mph, but it can get you as far as 30 miles on a full charge. After that you’ll need to plug her into a standard 110 – volt outlet and juice her up for about six to eight hours. Not too bad if you consider this as a great way to commute to work, plug it in for the day and then drive it home.

Perhaps the Peapod is a little too small and vegan for your tastes.

How about the Chevy Volt? Coming out in 2011, this green machine was first introduced as a concept car back in 2007 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and it was an instant hit.

The Volt is a plug-in electric car with a 40 mile zero – emission range on all electric operation. After the 16 kWh lithium battery pack is maxed out the Volt kicks in a small internal combustion engine-generator with a range of an additional 300 miles. That’s a sweet deal plus it runs on E85 ethanol or a combination of fuels. The car’s propulsion drive is through the electric motors.

And if you’re afraid you’ll have to give it a running start, not to worry. The Volt’s 0 to 60 mph time is a quick 8 to 9 second jump with a top speed of 100 mph. Not bad for an environmentally friendly auto that delivers 111 kW of power converted to 150 horsepower.

But perhaps like most people who tend more toward a Goldie Locks mentality, you’d like something more in the middle. Not too big and not too small. Just right.

One of the most popular cars on the road today is the Honda Civic and now you can get it as a Hybrid. Priced for 2008 at a range of $15,610 to $24,590, the Civic Hybrid has a 40 MPG in the city and 45 MPG on the highway.

Honda is known for making solid dependable cars and the Civic Hybrid won’t disappoint. The 1.3 liter in-line 4 front engine combines with an 82 kW electric power source and uses a multi-point injection fuel system.

Or if you’re a Nissan fan, the 2009 Altima Hybrid has a 2.5 liter in-line 4 front engine with 89.0 mm bore, 100.00 mm stroke, 9.6 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve time/camshaft and four valves per cylinder.

The Altima sports a 20 gallon tank over the Honda’s 15 and also includes multi-point injection fuel system with a maximum torque of 158. The price ranges from $19.500 to $29,000, depending of course on your choice of options.

Since our big blue planet is in desperate need of us to really act green, your selection of electric cars that will help make our world a healthier place to live have finally arrived without having to give up our private space or precious coffee time.

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No use crying over spilled milk; all that GM could do is to recuperate and learn from its mistakes. Recuperation is not as easy as producing quality vehicles – it is building up a real strong reputation. The worldâ??s largest automaker has already established an excellent standing in the auto industry â?? no wonder why it sits on the automotive throne. However, critics and analysts are saying that the Toyota Motor Corp. is a serious threat to the throne. Any time this year, as predicted, a new auto giant could rule the industry.

GM showcased remarkable cars and trucks however its sales declined by 8 percent last month. The man behind the plan said it may take years before the companyâ??s reputation is repaired. “An image transformation such as ours is really a five-year process,” Lutz said in an interview. “We’re two or 2 1/2 years into it.”

Lutz radiates with urgency in the past few months. He is pushing his team to the limit to release the most-awaited vehicles in the industry. The exec also dashed off rants on his weblog to announce the latest plans of his company. Lutz could not manage to make grave errors this time around – he has to make every second count.

Lutz exudes confidence in the automakerâ??s comeback plans but he remains realistic about the forthcoming events. Critics said GM took decades to create overwhelming problems and no one could remedy them overnight.

“A change in course cannot be done purely through advertising or something like that. There’s not enough money in the world because a lot of these perceptions about brands or corporations are deeply embedded in people’s belief system,” Lutz said. He added that GM can change that belief system.

In the past six years, Lutz has shepherded GMs assembly line and some of its products are now released in showrooms. The Saturn Aura and the Chevrolet Silverado were tagged as the North American Car and Truck of the Year. “His imprint on GM has been huge,” said Jim Sanfilippo, executive vice president for AMCI, an automotive consultancy in Bloomfield Hills. “What Lutz has done is nothing short of a transformation. What he has loosed in GM’s product development system is just the tip of the iceberg. I buy his credibility. I don’t think any of the fire in his belly is gone. He is still pushing the organization to raise the bar.”

The Saturn Aura, Astra, Chevy Malibu, Silverado, GMC Sierra and the redesigned Cadillac CTS are well-crafted vehicles that are going to contribute building GMâ??s ailing standing. They feature the typical GM vehicles with Active Brakes Direct, powerful engines, superb capabilities and added features to wow more customers.

â??But it is going to take time to win back customers who feel jilted or mistreated decades ago. It’s going to take something special that makes people say, â??Whoa, wait, that’s a GM,â??â? Lutz said. “It requires friends looking at a neighbor’s new Saturn Aura and saying, ‘Hey what’s that?’ Then driving it, and saying, ‘Hey this is way better than my, insert name here, what did you pay for it?’ Then you get one after another. That’s the way Honda and Toyota grew here in the United States. But the problem is we don’t have 20 years to do it.”

GM has wasted too much time and Lutz does not want to aggravate the loss. “There is hope at the end of the tunnel with people who are currently under 25, there’s a much greater acceptance of GM and American cars in general.â?

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