Walnut Creek Auto Repair

If you drive a Honda CR-V, you know the importance of a vehicle that performs reliably. At Frank’s Auto Service and Repair, we are highly skilled at maintaining and repairing Hondas, including Honda CR-Vs. We combine decades of auto repair experience with friendly, personalized service, to make your visit to our Walnut Creek auto repair facility both pleasant and productive. Whether your CR-V needs a routine oil change, brake pad replacement, or a more complex diagnostics and repairs, our team of ASE-certified technicians is ready to help. Using advanced diagnostic equipment and a commitment to high-quality workmanship, we often complete repairs, usually the same day, so you can get back on the road with minimal delays. While Honda CR-Vs are known for their reliability, like any vehicle, they can have “off” years. Common issues include battery failures in the 2012 model, loud roaring noises during cold starts in 2014 models, and occasional AC or heater problems in e ... read more

The timing belt is a specially formulated (reinforced) rubber belt with teeth that keeps your engine’s camshaft and crankshaft perfectly in sync. This precise timing ensures that your engine’s valves open and close at just the right moments during the intake and exhaust strokes. If the belt slips, stretches, or breaks, pistons and valves can collide—causing severe engine damage. Without a properly functioning timing belt, your engine simply won’t run.  That’s why this component is critical to your engine’s health and why replacing it before it fails is far cheaper than repairing the damage after a failure. When Should You Replace the Timing Belt? Most automobiles require timing belt replacement every 90,000 to 100,000 miles, or approximately every five years. However, certain driving conditions or engine designs may call for earlier service. It's best to consult your owner’s manual and speak with one of our technicians during your r ... read more

Frank’s Auto Service in Walnut Creek provides full range of automotive services, including wheel alignment. Just like the oil change, wheel alignment is an unsung hero of auto maintenance. Proper wheel alignment not only extends tire life, but also provides better mileage, better vehicle control as well as a more comfortable ride. Wheel alignment is performed on computer controlled alignment machines that can catch misalignment so small as to be invisible to the naked eye. There are three angles in adjusting wheel alignment. First is camber, which refers to the angle of the wheel when viewed from the front or rear of the vehicle. Second, toe, refers to the angle at which the wheels point relative to the vehicle's centerline when viewed from above ( or from below). Lastly, caster, refers to the angle of the steering axis when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Wheel alignment should not be confused with tire rotation. Tire rotation serves to even our tire wear, but wheel ... read more

Majority of the newer vehicles are designed to use the environmentally friendly R1234YF refrigerant. But not all auto repair shops have purchased the new equipment necessary to work with R1234YF. At Frank’s Auto Service we can offer both the new R1234YF refrigerant as well as the old R134a recharge for your convenience. If you are unsure which refrigerant works with your car, bring your vehicle to our Walnut Creek auto repair shop, knowing that no matter which refrigerant is needed, Frank’s Auto Service can get the job done right. In order to prevent cross contamination of the refrigerants, the new equipment has different fittings, and specials sensors that prevent wrong refrigerant form being used. When you bring  our vehicle for an auto a/c recharge, we will test the a/c system to make sure there are no leaks, and then refill it with the correct refrigerant. While the winter/spring weather has been with us a lot longer than usual, the summer heat is sure to come, s ... read more

The long, rainy winter is almost over – just a couple more days of drizzle and the sunshine will return to Walnut Creek. And to get your car ready for the summer, we recommend checking the air conditioning system. If you find that the ac in your car is not working as it should, bring your vehicle to Frank’s Auto Service in Walnut Creek – we provide comprehensive auto ac diagnostics, services and repairs. Auto a/c system can malfunction for a number of reasons – low refrigerant levels, refrigerant leaks, cracked hoses, broken blower motor, faulty sensors, leaky seals – any one of these conditions can result in ac not working as it should. When you bring your vehicle to our Walnut Creek auto care facility, our nationally ASE certified technicians will inspect the ac system and will let you know the root cause of the problem. Most ac problems can be fixed the same day. Our technicians use state-of-the art equipment to diagnose and repair your vehicle. If yo ... read more