Ocala Auto Repair

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

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

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

  Hello from Pals! We’re looking at the part of a car that we’re seeing the most repairs in this month, and we wanted to take a moment to mention your transmission!     Your transmission is a hard-working, vital part of your vehicle. An automatic transmission does the work of a clutch for you, freeing you up to pilot the car. It needs upkeep and attention. It’s an important part of your vehicle. And it’s a specialty of ours at Pals Ocala!      We can resolve most transmission issues. Our experienced crew has seen just about everything under the Florida sun! Bring your transmission woes to Pals and let Chuck and Jimmy sort your vehicle out. Whether you have a fluid leak, debris in your govenor, or a deeper problem that affects drive-ability (such as a damaged pump), bring it to Pals!   EVENTS July 1st – July 3 2nd Annual Summer Hors ... read more

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay   Here at Pals, we wanted to briefly mention Father’s Day and what it means to us. While we recognize that mothers are our first champions and protectors, Dads are so important to our becoming capable adults. They teach us to look after what we own, respect our family while we still have one, and prepare us for when we are out there on our own and missing them.   And when that day comes, and our father passes from this life, it’s a terrible blow. No matter how much time we had with our father, it’s never enough when we realize that we’ve lost him forever. As a man leaves this world, he hopefully leaves us with good and bad memories ... read more

It’s no secret that Ocala is home to a huge equestrian community, and that HITS fans and participants– the hunters and jumpers– are a big part of that community. But they tend to die off a bit in the summer and return back in autumn. Did you know that many of the seasonal guests we see are snowbirds?    No, not actual birds– that’s a term for people who summer in the Northern states and winter in warm places like sunny Ocala. Snowbirds have a lifestyle where they leave the comforts of their Northern homes to migrate south with the birds every year. Whether staying with family or living in their own situation, there’s a steady influx of visitors every year, usually older retirees looking to live longer and sweeter in our warm climate!   They come from as far away as New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Every year, we see them come in around October or November, and they stay until April or May. Some come in regular vehicle ... read more

  Springtime returns to Ocala! Another beautiful springtime is here for Ocala! We love the renewal of spring… all the religious and secular joys of the Easter holiday, the birds flying back both North, young lovers on date nights at the Sonic, and dogs sniffing everything they can for vital information about the world. We hope the warm weather gets you outdoors more and into your community.  The 2nd Annual Car, Truck and Motorcycle Festival If you haven’t heard, PALS Ocala is teaming up with War Horse Harley Davidson of Ocala at the end of this month to co-sponsor another wonderful Car Show benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County! At the show will be choppers, motorcycles, trikes, sports cars, trucks, and sedans… the works!   The car show takes place at War Horse Harley Davidson of Ocala, 5331 N US Hwy 441, Ocala, FL 34475 on April 30th from 9 a.m., and ends at 1 p.m. There will be special vendors, live music, food, and fun for the ... read more

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

  Hey folks! I wanted to let people know about Snap!, one of the finance companies we work with. We’ve enjoyed the relationship with Snap! and so have some of our customers. We wanted to let people know who might be driving dangerously due to a tough economy– gliding on bald tires, stepping on squealing brakes, or other horror stories of the road– that you have responsible, safe options here at PALS Ocala, even if your credit history isn’t very good.   PALS has used Snap! for three years now.  If a customer has a broken car and can’t afford the repair, we recommend Snap! to them!  If you have bad credit (or no credit), a Snap! Lease can get your car back on the road. Our clients apply on their phone and they usually receive a decision within minutes.  Snap! is very aggressive with approvals.  This program rocks, letting good, hard-working people in need of a break get approved in seconds for loans up to $3000!    ... 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