We know you’re busy. At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we also know that while there are certain issues with your car, truck, or SUV you can ignore for a while, some of them shouldn’t wait. While serious issues are often obvious, sometimes they aren’t - ball joints are one such case.

Does your steering wheel feel like it’s fighting you when trying to drive in a straight line? Does your truck turn too aggressively when you try to go one direction, and poorly when you try to go another? There are a few possibilities as to what it means if your truck resists going in a straight line. CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville has the answers for you.

If you drive a standard shift car, truck, or SUV, there’s a good chance reliability was a factor in your decision to get a stick shift. However, from time to time, even a manual transmission needs to be serviced; when it does, CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville has you covered.

Once your transmission has been replaced and you’re shifting smoothly once more, you’ll probably want to keep it running smoothly. Here are some tips from CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA to help keep you reliably on the road.

Trucks aren’t like cars...your average personal vehicle usually holds about 5 quarts of oil, and you are supposed to change it every 3-5k miles. However, the same logic doesn’t apply to large trucks. At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we know how important proper oil changes and diagnostics are to keep your truck on the road, for hundreds of thousands of miles. Here’s what you need to know:

Trucks aren’t like cars...your average personal vehicle usually holds about 5 quarts of oil, and you are supposed to change it every 3-5k miles. However, the same logic doesn’t apply to large trucks. At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we know how important proper oil changes and diagnostics are to keep your truck on the road, for hundreds of thousands of miles. Here’s what you need to know:

At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we aim to keep your four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive car, truck, or SUV ready for anything. 4X4 systems are pretty low maintenance, but equally as important to maintain as your engine or transmission. At CME Smog & Auto Repair our technicians have the tools and knowledge to help keep yours going strong.

Are you leaking oil? CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA can help. Oil leaks mess up your driveway and make a mess under the hood. It can also get pricey constantly having to fill the engine, not to mention inconvenient.

At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we know that your diesel pickup is more than just transportation; you want a truck that can perform, both at work, off-road, and on the street. A major aspect of your truck’s abilities lies in the suspension components you choose to install. Our team of expert technicians has the knowledge, equipment, and ability necessary to take your truck to the next level and provide you with a suspension setup tailored to your specific needs.

Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs! 
1.  You see steam rising from the engine!
2.  The Check Engine Light is on!
3.  The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
4.  You hear grinding or thumping noises.

Keeping your fuel system maintained will prevent premature parts failure and poor running conditions. Here are some important aspects of diesel fuel system maintenance, to keep your fleet running smoothly. While your system and components should typically be serviced by a professional technician, there are some things you can be conscious of that will go a long way toward keeping your engine in good shape.

Correct fluid levels are essential to keeping your Ram, Ford, or Chevrolet diesel pickup on the road. Luckily, checking your coolant, oil, brake, and transmission fluid are easy to do, and will save you from a variety of issues down the road. Here’s what you should know about keeping the fluid levels in your truck maintained, from CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA.

Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we strive to keep your truck as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

You know CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville is here to assist you with all your Chevy, Ford, or Dodge diesel pickup service needs. Sometimes, however, your trailer needs some attention too. Luckily, we’ll take care of that.

Nothing works if your transmission doesn't work!  Simply put you are going nowhere without it and it is the one thing that both car and truck drivers alike never think twice about until it really acts up or they have no power or simply don't move forward.  Most of us have a newer car or truck with an automatic transmission in it vs. a standard transmission so do not notice that it is slipping gears until the problem is really serious so the question is how do you get the most out of your transmission?  The obvious answer is to take care of your transmission with scheduled service per your owner's manual recommendation but we have put together a simple checklist for our Vacaville drivers to help them become "transmission aware" as it were.

At CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA, we know the key to making your vehicle last; good maintenance. An overwhelming percentage of the problems we see, especially the really catastrophic ones, are a result of poor maintenance. While properly maintaining a vehicle can seem like a bit of a hassle, it is absolutely worth the payoff. Good maintenance is the only difference between a car that lasts 80,000 miles and a car that lasts 400,000 miles. Preventative maintenance and repair when a problem occurs are your two concerns, and both will keep your car on the road far longer if observed properly.

Don’t you hate it when potholes sneak up on you? There is a lot of money being spent on vehicle damage due to potholes. Do you know what parts of your car could receive the most damage? CME Smog & Auto Repair is the leader in Vacaville, CA for the service and repair of automotive tires. We know the kind of damage that can be done, so if you suspect something is wrong with your car or truck, it’s always a good idea to stop by so we can take a quick look.

Don’t you hate it when potholes sneak up on you? There is a lot of money being spent on vehicle damage due to potholes. Do you know what parts of your car could receive the most damage? CME Smog & Auto Repair is the leader in Vacaville, CA for the service and repair of automotive tires. We know the kind of damage that can be done, so if you suspect something is wrong with your car or truck, it’s always a good idea to stop by so we can take a quick look.

Your car’s radio and headlights, plus a slew of other important functions, are powered by an electrical current generated by your vehicle’s engine. A vital part of generating electricity is having a place to store it while it’s not being used. This is where your car battery comes into play. The battery of your vehicle holds electrical energy while the car is off in order to help the engine turn over and create a spark to start internal combustion. Without a working battery, your car will not be able to start. If you allow our team here at CME Smog & Auto Repair to perform proper maintenance, an average car battery can start your car reliably for roughly four years.

Whether you drive a Chevy, Ram, or Ford diesel pickup, CME Smog & Auto Repair in Vacaville, CA is here to make sure your truck stays up to the task for a long time to come.