Let’s face it: If you drive a gasoline-powered car or truck, you’re not doing the environment any favors. Even as auto manufacturers design modern engines to run cleaner and with greater fuel efficiency, more cars on the road still means more pollution. However, the good news is there are still plenty of ways to reduce your carbon footprint behind the wheel. To tread further upon this topic, we spoke to Larry Moore of Larry’s AutoWorks, who gave five tips for being a more eco-conscious vehicle owner. Read more

A vehicle can fail a smog inspection for a variety of reasons, so it’s important to be prepared prior to your appointment. Here are five common issues to address:

1. Warm up your vehicle. Since a smog inspection requires a vehicle’s catalytic converter to be hot, a cool engine can result in an unwarranted test failure. That’s why it’s a good idea to drive your vehicle for at least 20 minutes before bringing it to a smog check facility. If you know your wait time will be more than 30 minutes, keep your engine running to make sure it stays warm. Read more

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Overview
Formed in 1979, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) is an international nonprofit that’s dedicated to promoting high standards of quality among professionals from all segments of the collision repair industry. By pursuing its mission to “deliver increasingly accessible, on-demand and relevant education, knowledge, services, and solutions for the collision repair industry,” I-CAR’s vision is that all professionals will possess “the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe, quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer.” Read more

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s not surprising that our vehicles often get taken for granted. However, considering the vital role they play in our daily routines, ongoing vehicle maintenance should be a top priority. Fortunately, most aspects of maintenance are fairly simple and, in many cases, can be performed independently. Take a minute to review these car care tips from five Diamond Certified Expert Contributors. Read more

Let’s face it: in this day and age, a vehicle is more than just a means of transportation—it’s an investment, and a substantial one at that. From the price of engine repair and body work to ongoing fuel and insurance costs, owning a vehicle constitutes a major financial obligation, which is all the more reason to be proactive about maintenance. With this in mind, we asked five Diamond Certified Expert Contributors to weigh in on key areas where maintenance matters most. Read more

Shock replacement continues to be one of the most commonly neglected aspects of vehicle maintenance. Most people put off replacement until their shocks are completely worn down or leaking fluid, but the average lifespan of most shocks is only 50,000 miles, so they should be replaced proactively rather than remedially.

The fact that shock replacement is so frequently overlooked may be due to a lack of appreciation for the role they play in vehicle operation. The primary function of shocks is to control a vehicle’s suspension system. As shocks become worn, however, their ability to fulfill this role becomes diminished, resulting in more movement of the suspension and its related components. Read more