Ocala Auto Repair

Supply Chain Issues Have Hit Ocala. On the off chance you haven’t heard, supply chain issues have been plaguing United States trade for months now. The supply chain is how we get in new parts, how restaurants get new food, and so on and so forth. Industries requiring metal parts and tool-and-die manufacturing (like the automotive industry) have encountered a sharp, sudden supply problem.    In a nutshell, the slowdown of the economy during the pandemic meant that goods we need now weren’t produced a year ago, and as America churns back to full speed, we’re short on the things we need to keep our machines running. It’s hit many industries hard, and it’s been especially hard on automotive repair. What can PALS do about it? The best we can do right now is to clearly communicate that there are waiting lists for certain parts, a ... read more

Photo by Juha Lakaniemi on Unsplash   The rest of the U.S. has a skewed image of Florida at times. It’s funny how people from Northern states tend to imagine Floridians as sunbathing on January 1st. (In truth, we sometimes can– but it isn’t often.)   Contrary to popular belief, the cold does eventually find its way to Florida. We’ve even seen a few white Christmases in our lifetime (albeit brief). And there will be many mornings in wintertime where the windows frost beyond our ability to see clearly. While a dose of morning sun is usually enough to melt this away, sometimes we need to be somewhere before the sun can get to our vehicles.    If a frosty morning has the Floridian in you utterly ... read more

Photo by Valentin Petkov on Unsplash   It’s December, and as usual, a white Christmas is a complete longshot for Ocala. But we do know how to entertain ourselves! We spend a lot of time, as Floridians, pursuing the many leisure activities that are available to us year-round.    What if this year, we spent some time sharing our holidays with the people in our community?   Instead of planning a night in to watch your favorite rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, imagine if we not only planned that, but also looked into local libraries who could use a story-time person to read A Christmas Carol to kids?   Granted, public speaking isn’t for everyone. Is baking your ... read more

Photo by AD_Images from Pixabay   How many of us remember the lessons from Sunday School? There are so many important values and lessons from the Bible about being righteous in the face of wrong. To think of the superstition and oppression during that age, it’s astonishing to see something from that era that clearly makes strong ethical arguments and lessons. One lesson that has always sat with me is the story of The Good Samaritan.   Jesus tells this story to answer a lawyer who asks him, “Who is my neighbor?” The Good Samaritan is about a Jewish man (like Christ) traveling on a road to Samaria, who is beset by wicked men (presumably Samaritans) who rob him of his cl ... read more

Photo by Dan Barrett on Unsplash   All Floridians come to know and understand that we have five seasons in lower Florida. We go through Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer, and then Hurricane season usually hits Florida right where it hurts. When it passes, we have an Autumn that feels like a breezy summer and a winter that feels like a cold Autumn.    When hurricanes come to call, you must protect what you can by shuttering windows and sealing doors where possible. Keep a slightly larger stock of provisions in case of panic-buying from the crowd. When most people realize they should be stocking up on supplies, they are already facing panic-stricken shoppers snatching up anything and everything. Water and toilet paper ar ... read more

Photo by kalhh from Pixabay   Florida weather can be a terrible thing to behold. Violent thunderstorms are the cost of enjoying Florida’s sunny, beautiful days. Each year, tropical storms and hurricanes move inland on Ocala, and just north of us, we’ve seen an increase in violent tornadoes over the last decade.    Once violent weather comes calling, the best you can do is react with heart and consideration. Here are our tips for what to do in the very worst Ocala weather:   Hard Rain - when the rain comes down so much that your windshield wipers can’t remove it, the strategy is to stop driving, as you can’t predict the road ahead of you. Turn your hazard lig ... read more

Photo by Spencer Everett on Unsplash   Are you ready for summer? In today's blog, we’re looking at surviving the summer heat in Ocala with a car! The summers in Ocala are scorchers and can be damaging to the unprepared. So here are our top 5 tips for surviving the summer heat in Ocala!   Stay hydrated - it’s the most straightforward step on the list. Make sure you are getting enough water in the day. Being properly hydrated will prevent many other problems.   Keep up with current traffic - a check on LocalConditions.com can save you a lot of heartaches later. You can find out where traffic issues lie, like constructi ... read more

Photo by Christopher Hooker   Welcome to Pals Ocala’s June blog! We hope that your spring was fun and that summer isn’t already turning out to be too hot for you this year. Stay cool when you can!   Here’s a reminder that if you and your family are getting ready to do some sightseeing this summer with things beginning to reopen, it might be wise to give your tires some attention. June is National Tire Month, and the last week in June/first week in July is National Tire Safety Month. The event coincides with the peak travel week, just before the 4th of July when the most significant percentage of the population returns to the road.   The treads on your tires decide two crucial factors to your drive: road traction and hydroplaning. With as much rain as Ocala sees, neglecting your tires is a terrible idea. Make sure the tread is enough to protect you on the road!    And that’s not just on the outside edge, that’s all over the ... read more

Photo by Tristan Billet on Unsplash   Welcome to our May blog! There’s loads of news and things to cover. But first, we invite you to a charity car show event that’ll be taking place May 16th called the Car, Truck, Jeep & Bike Show to support Boys & Girls Club of Marion County.    Before spilling the beans about all the cool events coming up, let’s chat about the issues that your car can develop from not being driven often!   With the pandemic, business models have changed, and more and ... read more

Photo by Kenny Gaines on Unsplash Welcome back to another PALS Ocala blog! We hope that life has been treating you well throughout March and you are achieving all your goals. The PALS Ocala website has a page for what we call ‘Partners’. These aren’t partners in the strict sense of capitalism; they represent our partners in building a better Ocala together. If you click the link and go to our website, you’ll discover some of the many charities and organizations Linda and I support. We’re proud of these organizations and the work they are doing for the life and soul of Ocala’s adults, children, families, and even pets.  It’s a collection ... read more