Walnut Creek Auto Repair

Tire rotation seems like such a bore – swapping the wheels around. Yet it provides your vehicle with important benefits – it evens out tire wear, and extends tire life. Tires wearing out evenly provide better ride comfort, and will last longer – with prices of everything increasing, tires are no exception. If you can get more life out of the tires, your wallet will thank you. At Frank’s Auto Service and Repair we are big fans of tire rotation. The benefits of tire rotation are undeniable, especially before long summer trips. Tire rotation is also a good time to take a closer look at the brakes – for your convenience, we can combine tire rotation and brake inspection during a single visit.  There is another reason we recommend regular tire rotation – you might not have noticed the small print when you bought new tires – tire manufacturers expect you to make tire rotation a regular affair  in order to keep tire mileage warranty. So i ... read more

Brake fluid replacement will be part of your vehicle’s maintenance for as long as you own it. Brake fluid requires regular replacement, typically every 2 years or so. As it ages, some of the protective chemicals start to deteriorate. More importantly, brake fluid absorbs moisture from the environment – over time, its water content increases leading to longer braking distance, and in extreme cases, to brake failure. As the brake fluid water content increases, it can accelerate braking system corrosion. At Frank’s Auto Service and Repair, a family operated, and family owned independent Walnut Creek auto repair shop, we offer brake fluid replacement among the full gamut of brake services and repairs. Replacing brake fluid can be accomplished in a single day, so you can drop off your vehicle in the morning, and pick it up in the afternoon with the service completed. Before we replace the brake fluid in your vehicle, we will verify that it needs replacement – both ... 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