Huntington Beach Auto Repair

Welcome to April’s blog! We’re looking over the pros and cons of maintaining your car as opposed to buying a new one when things begin to fall apart. It’s straightforward to tell where an auto mechanic stands: fix your car. But we often see customers bringing in vehicles that are just beyond fixing. They’ve waited too long, pushed it too far, and done the kind of irreparable damage to their engine that makes us wince. We have to advise them that they’d be better off getting a new car and letting go of their current model.  The unfortunate part about that is how much money the client is losing. Preventative maintenance saves money. It costs considerably less to bring your car to the auto mechanic at regular intervals and trust their instruction. You should believe a qualified mechanic when they tell you, “You’ll need to get that timing belt replaced in a few months,” than to drive for an additional year and then have the timing belt ... read more

Welcome to our March blog! We hope the arrival of spring means good things for you and your family this year. As the seasons change, so does the focus. We strive to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter, in moderate, gentle ways. Have you ever looked at HB Auto & AC’s banner and wondered what the AC stands for? It means air conditioning, but that ‘AC’ might seem incredibly out of place in a temperate location like California.  AC is not a typical auto repair focus, but AC is most definitely our focus here at HB Auto & AC. We’re known around Huntington Beach or Fountain Valley as the AC experts. So what makes HB Auto & AC the place to go to first for air conditioning auto repairs? In the simplest terms, after owning a radiator shop over 25 years that’s the way things turned out. When owner Chris Ramirez began working on cars, he found AC units a big focus of his business. Some interesting times put car after car in his garage for ... read more

Photo by Josh Duke on Unsplash It’s February, and that means we’re in the shortest month of the year. It’s also the month of St. Valentine’s Day, where people look to either validate or re-evaluate their relationships in their lives. So if the last few months have made you feel a little cramped at home, this is an excellent time to get yourself together and do something romantic for your partner. We’re still stuck with COVID19 making our lives a little less wonderful at the moment, but that’s what makes road trips so wonderful. California has lots of beauty in the outdoors, especially along the Pacific Coast. There are a host of destinations you can go to for a romantic excursion with enough space ... read more

There’s nothing more alarming than returning to your car and finding it unable to start. Some drivers are experiencing problems with their starter but get it confused with other common mechanical issues. Your vehicle’s battery powers the starter. The starter consists of a small electric motor and a relay that cranks the engine on. The starter relay is situated between the motor and the battery, where it transmits power. Below are five ways to tell if your vehicle is experiencing starter issues.  The lights come on, but the engine doesn’t.  When you stick the key in the ignition, the engine should turn over. However, if you start the engine and only the dashboard lights come on, there may be a starter problem.  There’s an unusual clicking sound.  If there’s a noticeable clicking sound when you turn your ignition or push to start, the starter may have gone bad. A clicking sound is usually a warning th ... read more

No matter what the temperature is outdoors, your vehicle has moving engine components operating in sweltering conditions. The radiator comes into play by circulating coolant throughout the engine. The radiator helps keep the engine cool enough to function but hot enough that its moving parts can still convert energy. It's common knowledge that the radiator is an essential part of the cooling system, but it's difficult to detect when something is wrong. Below are a few symptoms to look out for that may indicate the radiator isn't working properly. This isn't an exhaustive list, and you may notice more than one symptom happening at one time.  Coolant Leak Depending on the type of coolant your vehicle uses, the coolant may be green, red, or yellow. Its primary function is to cool the engine. The radiator is composed of metal and plastic parts. Over time the plastic material may start to crack or become brittle. If there's a radiator leak, you may notic ... read more

New brakes are responsive. New brakes are effective. New brakes can bring you to a decisive halt when you need to perform an emergency stop. However, worn brakes are not as responsive and can seriously compromise your ability to stop in an emergency. The trouble is that brakes don’t go bad overnight. Brakes lose their efficacy with months and years of continuous wear. Rarely do we notice that our brakes are less responsive than they used to be. We simply get used to the gradual change in their performance and don’t notice the difference until we schedule for a routine brakes service. But damaged or worn brakes are more than just a safety hazard… Bad brakes can damage your car! When we fail to give our brakes the TLC that they deserve they can go on to have a knock-on effect on the rest of the car. Leave your b ... read more

As a driver on the road, you need to ensure that you are maintaining your vehicle and brakes in the right way, which means that when you are in need of a quality auto repair shop, you need HB Auto & AC. We offer excellent auto repair, scheduled maintenance, and safety inspections and because we only hire ASE certified technicians, you can rest assured that you're getting a high-quality service, every time. If you're in need of a brake service and inspection and you want to find an auto shop that cares, then look no further than us. At HB Auto & AC, our focus is your vehicle and its safety. You are on the road, doing your thing and letting the car that you drive take you on an adventure, and the only way you're going to be able to do that is to ensure you have i ... read more

Are you worried that your car engine might need a service. An engine service is crucial to make sure that any issues with your vehicle are resolved and to guarantee that you can avoid a costly repair. If you don’t get an engine service when necessary, the situation will only get worse leading to expensive issues and trouble with everything from fuel efficiency to a potential breakdown at the side of the road. A failure to get a needed tune-up could even mean that your car is less reliable and more dangerous to drive. A lot can go wrong with a vehicle engine but the good news is that there are signs you can watch out for. By recognizing the signs, you can make sure that you take your car in for an engine diagnostics when it is necessary before things get worse. Here at HB Auto & AC ... read more

With experience with and knowledge of a wide range of European cars, from BMW to Volkswagen, we are in an excellent position to care of your European made vehicle. It’s crucial to have someone who knows what they’re doing to work on your car, and we have years of experience between our qualified, certified mechanics. In fact, our Master Technicians have more than 50 years of experience between them. We take good care of vehicle, whether you need a scheduled service or some emergency repairs. European Vehicles Serviced at HB Auto & AC Our auto repair shop services a number of European brands. We offer diagnostics, pars and services for BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and Land Rover vehicles. The value of having a mechanic experience ... read more

Vehicle makes we service: Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Daewoo, Eagle, Fiat, Ford, Geo, GMC, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, HUMMER, Isuzu, ... read more