Posted on 4/30/2023
Keep It Cool With Automotive A/C Maintenance Ocala, Florida, is known for its warm weather and beautiful natural springs, but it can also get unbearably hot during summer. When driving around in your car, the heat can be even more intense, making it uncomfortable for you and your passengers. That's why keeping your car's air conditioning system in good working order is important, so you can stay cool and comfortable no matter where you're headed. How does Pals Ocala Auto Repair diagnose air conditioning issues? Pt. 1 – A/C Diagnostic Process on a Honda Pt. 2 – A/C Diagnostic Process on a Honda Pt. 3 – A/C Diagnostic Process on a Honda Pt. 4 – A/C Diagnostic Process on a Honda Be proactive by servicing your car's A/C system. Automotive air conditioning service is essential for running your car's air conditioning system smoothly. Over time, the various components of your A/C system can ... read more
Posted on 3/31/2023
The Road Ahead: A Look At The History of National Vehicle Maintenance Month National Vehicle Maintenance Month was created to recognize the importance of vehicle maintenance. Vehicle maintenance is essential to owning a car, truck, or recreational vehicle. Regular maintenance ensures that a vehicle runs smoothly, reduces the risk of breakdowns, and extends the vehicle's lifespan. In this article, we will look at the history of National Vehicle Maintenance Month and its evolution over time. The Origins of National Vehicle Maintenance Month National Vehicle Maintenance Month was first introduced in April 2005 by the Car Care Council, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate vehicle owners about the importance of regular maintenance. The initiative's goal was to raise awareness about the importance of vehicle maintenance and encourage vehicle owners to take steps to keep their vehicles in good condition. The Car Care Council partner ... read more
Posted on 2/28/2023
A table showing distributor performance at Pals Ocala Auto Repair in Ocala, Florida. Understanding the Importance of Automobile Distributor Maintenance and Repair Do you want to learn about the inner workings of automobile distributors and why they need regular service or repair? The Pals Ocala Auto Repair team in Ocala, Florida, is here to help you better understand your car's distributor. From understanding how they distribute high voltage electricity to spark plugs to common issues that may arise, our goal is to cover all you need to know about distributors and why they are crucial components of the ignition system. The distributor is a component of the ignition system in a traditional internal combustion engine. An automobile distributor is a component of the ignition system in a traditional internal combustion engine. It plays a vital role in ignition by distributing the high-voltage electricity from the ignition coil to the spa ... read more
Posted on 1/31/2023
How To Get Ahead Of Car Trouble While In Ocala, Florida If you are new to living in Florida, welcome! Pals Ocala Auto Repair wants to be among the first to welcome you into our beautiful and warm state. With so many people moving here to get away from cold weather, we thought we would dedicate this month’s blog to advising you on Florida-related car maintenance. Even many lifelong Floridians are not aware of certain climate-related issues their vehicles deal with on a daily basis. It gets hot here, and that creates its own set of vehicle service and repair items that need regular attention. These gotchas can sap the fun out of your Florida road trips, so please allow us to share some helpful car maintenance tips with you. Getting Ahead of the Hot Weather Most people in the month of February aren’t thinking about air conditioning service and summertime. But this is Florida, and it’s hot here most of the year. So get ahead of t ... read more
Posted on 12/31/2022
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash How To Start 2023 Off Right With Your Car Welcome to 2023. Our yearly chance to do a bit more than we did in 2022 to improve our everyday lives comes with the new calendar. We can begin new diets, resolve to exercise more, work on our relationships, find a new job, or learn to set boundaries with our friends, neighbors, and colleagues. It’s a great restart moment and an opportunity for those who are committed to making changes in their lives. With a new year and economic focus, we here at Pals Ocala Auto Repair team would like to offer some advice on starting 2023 right. Specifically, we'd like to talk about your interest in your car! Here ar ... read more
Posted on 12/1/2022
Photo by Spencer Pugh on Unsplash It’s December again! We may not have white Christmases in Ocala, but our town knows how to celebrate the holidays in style. Just peek at the Events listed at the end of this blog, and remember that it’s just a handful of what was announced by mid-November, and you’ll know there’s no end to the joyful events planned for this month. Christmas Belongs to Everyone Christmas is so much fun for everyone. There’s the spiritual component of the birth of Jesus and celebrating that with other believers, and then there’s the more secular charms of Santa Claus, reindeer, elves at the North Pole, and magical snowmen. There’s room for all kinds of lov ... read more
Posted on 11/1/2022
It’s so nice to have nice things! As we reach a certain age, we begin to appreciate not only the people we have cultivated over the years as family, but objects of fancy that hold precious. From trinkets to appliances to vehicles to homes, we sometimes find embedded joy in material things. We spend our lifetime collecting mementos, collectibles, items that hold us in a different time and place when we interact with them. Sometimes these items have no value except the memory we connect with them, and sometimes, these things hold surprising value. Mini Cooper Club We recently had the privilege of being speakers at a gathering of the Ocala Mini Cooper Club. Watching the friendship and respect amongst these wonderful Cooper enthusiasts pointed out to us that the joy of owning a special car is far more than just possessing these objects for others to covet. Joy comes from having a relationship with our favorite things, especially a relationship we can share with other ... read more
Posted on 10/1/2022
Every October, PALS Ocala takes part in a truly wonderful program called ‘Brakes For Breasts’ that brings vital awareness to two crucial issues. It’s primarily known as a fundraiser to support the effort to end Breast Cancer. Every year, breast cancer awareness goes up and charitable donations towards finding an end to breast cancer surges. Breast cancer is survivable with early detection and treatment, but it’s a disease that grows rapidly and is hard to control once it spreads. And for those affected, it’s a terrible gutpunch that should be preventable by now. This charity brings awareness of breast cancer to the forefront. It also deals with brakes that may be wearing down from a hot summer, and reminds our shop customers to check their brakes before going into the holiday season, when getting brakes checked without an immediate red flag of concern may get pushed to the back burner, resulting in accidents and damag ... read more
Posted on 9/1/2022
Image by mikrob111 from Pixabay Let’s Talk About Diagnostics! Diagnostics are an important part of determining how to repair your vehicle. With diagnostic scanners becoming easier to come by, it’s tempting to rely on one, or on the advice of a parts place, about what your car needs. But a diagnostics tool is only one element of the detective work that goes into a vehicle repair. The tool itself is not a precise means of knowing if a part needs to be replaced. It’s also important to know the context of what codes your vehicle is putting out and how they affect each other. How Did We Ever Do It Before Diagnostic Tools? Some of the “old school” dia ... read more
Posted on 8/1/2022
Image by NoobInNature NIN from Pixabay The summer sun can be brutal on everything it touches in Ocala-- your skin, your house, your lawn, and your car. August is the muggiest month, as we stroll into the 90s and stay there. It's important to prepare for the summer-- know where to park, when to go out, how to keep the sun from making the heat worse and worse before autumn comes. That's why we want to know: how is your vehicle faring in these dog days of summer? If you're like most people, your car's air conditioning is one of the first things you think about when you drive in the summertime. Air conditioning has become a standard feature in cars ov ... read more