Berkeley Auto Repair

Hyundai/Kia to Resolve Class Action Suit           An agreement has been reached in the consumer class action litigation against Hyundai and Kia auto manufacturers.  This comes as many Kia and Hyundai car owners had their vehicles stolen, the result of inadequate ignition security.  All the cars involved did not have a push button ignition or an immobilizing anti-theft device.  These standard security measures are commonplace on vehicle manufactured by other car makers and are to prevent such heists.               Following a historically low year of thefts for Hyundai and Kia autos, a “challenge” video went viral describing how to quickly break into and steal 2011-2022 year vehicles caused a giant spike in thefts.  The repair demand for the recovered vehicles caused not only a unprecedented need for ignition parts which left manufacturers scramblin ... read more

Subaru A/C (Air conditioning) Maintenance and Repair in Berkeley, Ca   When there's a heat wave and your Subaru's air conditioning is not performing at it’s peak, many people are quick to get it repaired to avoid driving in sweltering conditions. At Berkeley Bob’s we offer comprehensive Subaru a/c maintenance and repairs.     A properly functioning air conditioning system can make a significant difference in your daily commute on hot and even cold wet days, because the air conditioner not only cools the air on hot days but is used by the cars defroster to help defog the windshield quickly. If your Subaru A/C isn't blowing any air, the airflow is weak, your windshield is fogging or you notice an unusual smell it's important not to hesitate to have it inspected.   Modern Air conditioning systems can be very complex, most modern cars have a complete Climate Control System and the air co ... read more

While Subaru is known for producing reliable cars, it is inevitable at some point in ownership you will be faced with an issue that will require professional advice and if needed move forward with a Subaru repair. Today’s cars are complex machines with intertwined systems, leading to the possibility for a part to break and cause a problem for the entire car. These issues can range from minor inconveniences to complete immobilization. Below are some of the most common Subaru repairs and maintenance items owners might have to deal with. At Berkeley Bob’s we are Subaru specialists able to handle most problems and repairs your Subaru may face. Common Subaru Repairs: Head Gaskets and Oil Leaks. Subaru vehicles have a history of head gasket issues, particularly in older models. The head gasket is a critical engine component that seals the cylinder head to the engine block. When it fails it generally leads to oil leakage and loss of performance. Under extreme ci ... read more

National Automotive Professional Certification Group partners with famous woman technician   Bogi Lateiner, American auto technician, small business owner, technical educator and reality television personality and star of “All Girls Garage” has been contracted by ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) to help promote testing and attract more people to join the industry.    The partnership is scheduled to launch in July at the ASE Training Conference in North Carolina.  Conference attendees are expected to include high school and college instructors and will have the opportunity to meet Lateiner at the event.     Lateiner has 10 years experience working as an industry management instructor and co-creator of “Girl Gang Garage” a program that trains women looking to enter the automotive industry.  A very busy lady indeed, in addition to hosting her television show Lateiner  ... read more

Fourth largest automaker seeks eco-friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries Stellantis, a multinational company between Italian conglomerate Fiat Chrysler and French PSA group responsible for sales of 16 different car brands including Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Chrysler is looking to invest in Silicon Valley based company, Lyten whose plan is to produce lithium-sulfur EV batteries.  If successful this would eliminate the need for cobalt, nickel and manganese in the production of EV batteries.  Instead they would be made with sulfur which could be domestically sourced eliminating the need to import from countries like Ukraine and China. Another plus is the sulfur-lithium batteries are estimated to have a carbon footprint 60% lower than the best lithium-ion batteries on the market today and can be manufactured in the same factories as well.  Stellantis is hoping to be in on the ground floor when these batteries are developed by Lyten. This is great news ... read more

“Big Brother” Tesla’s is watching     Tesla is accused of violating privacy concerns linked with their car’s surveillance cameras.           In a lawsuit filed by vzbv (The Federation of German Consumer Organizations)  in Berlin last July accuses Tesla misled consumers by not informing them by advertising their cars owners may be violating privacy data protection laws if the “sentry” mode feature which activates surveillance cameras in their cars was used in public areas to capture images and video of passers-by without their knowledge.  Berlin’s data protection agency said the person driving the car would be responsible for turning off the cameras in public spaces or risk prosecution.  Furthermore responsibility would extend to the carmaker if those images were transmitted to and stored by Tesla.      Then earlier this year Tesla assured the public their pr ... read more

Volvo’s Polestar first to get YouTube     Google announced in early May, all cars with “Google built in” will have YouTube available on their screens beginning with Volvo’s electric division Polestar.   According to the company YouTube will only be available while parked and for passenger use.  The ability to access YouTube directly from the front dash display screen increases the convenience.  Cars will also be equipped with rear seat screens for backseat passenger entertainment and enjoyment.       However, YouTube in cars is not new.  Previously many newer vehicles could access YouTube through Android Auto, an app that runs through an android phone which then communicates wirelessly with the vehicle and allows the driver to access most of their phone apps through the car display.    “Google built in” will now provide access to Google apps without the use of a phone.  The ... read more

What’s A DVI (Digital Vehicle Inspection)?           Now that Berkeley Bob’s has added this beneficial service to all of our oil maintenance services, we’d like our clients to know more about them.  So what is a digital vehicle inspection aka DVI?  It is a 23 point vehicle inspection that digitally documents in a variety of ways any areas of concern.  Depending on what the technician notices, they will either mark the item green (tests good, no problem), yellow (monitor and recheck later) or red (needs attention and repair).  The technician can expand on any inspected item by creating detailed notes next to the line item.  These notes can include basic information such as: “timing belt sticker missing” or “spark plugs due by mileage” or more pressing issues like “brake pads are worn to metal backing plate” or “water pump shows signs of leakage”.  ... read more