When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Santa Rosa or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday CA driving can cause your minivan wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.

Here are some alignment basics from Larsen Auto Care:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your minivan was designed by its engineers. Larsen Auto Care alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Larsen Auto Care technician will look at tire condition. From there, the minivan is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.

Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your minivan alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your minivan, get it checked at Larsen Auto Care before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Santa Rosa drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in CA.

First, if your minivan check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Santa Rosa highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Santa Rosa service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Larsen Auto Care on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your minivan engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Santa Rosa.

In order to make these adjustments, the minivan computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The minivan computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your minivan looked at at Larsen Auto Care. Your helpful service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Larsen Auto Care technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Larsen Auto Care, we also offer brake service and suspension service.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

A lot of people in the Cotati area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa can ensure you get the right fit for your minivan. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your minivan, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Santa Rosa people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Santa Rosa people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The minivan computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your minivan vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Larsen Auto Care, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Santa Rosa. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Santa Rosa tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your helpful Larsen Auto Care tire specialist see your minivan in person so mistakes are not made.

At Larsen Auto Care, we also offer brake service and suspension service.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Santa Rosa minivan owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold minivan engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Santa Rosa, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the minivan engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Santa Rosa, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at Larsen Auto Care if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Santa Rosa, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Santa Rosa shows up with the increased demands on the minivan battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the minivan security system, the remote start system, even the power the minivan computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Santa Rosa. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the minivan engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your helpful Larsen Auto Care service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Santa Rosa motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Larsen Auto Care so you know what you’re getting. At Larsen Auto Care, we have been providing quality auto service in Santa Rosa for 12 years.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Your minivan cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the minivan engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in Santa Rosa.

Without coolant, the minivan’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Santa Rosa, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the CA cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your Santa Rosa owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other Santa Rosa cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at Larsen Auto Care: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your helpful Larsen Auto Care service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your minivan cooling system.

Ask us about alignment, suspension service and air conditioning service.

Give us a call

Larsen Auto Care
707-535-0720
1426 Petaluma Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Cotati. At Larsen Auto Care, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

• Most trips are less than four miles
• Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Cotati
• You drive in very hot CA weather
• Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
• Stop and go driving
• Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
• You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your minivan

Most Cotati drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your minivan?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Larsen Auto Care advisor can help you with your decision.

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the minivan engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your minivan. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Rohnert Park car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Larsen Auto Care. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Rohnert Park drivers don’t know about it.

Check your minivan owner’s manual or ask your Larsen Auto Care advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

In addition to just wearing out, Larsen Auto Care customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your minivan manufacturer and Larsen Auto Care recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Petaluma service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Petaluma. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your minivan dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Larsen Auto Care for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other minivan suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Larsen Auto Care.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Larsen Auto Care because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some minivans, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Larsen Auto Care service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Santa Rosa drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your minivan. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Larsen Auto Care – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Santa Rosa conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. At Larsen Auto Care we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet Santa Rosa roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Santa Rosa drivers to replace the tires on their minivans when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from CA freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for Santa Rosa car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

At Larsen Auto Care in Santa Rosa CA (95404) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707-535-0720. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.