Ocala Auto Repair

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

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

Image by Azmi Talib from Pixabay    Angry driving and subsequent Road Rage are like a cold. It can pass from anyone to anyone and spread itself around, if unchecked. Within every driver on the road is a potential monster waiting to get out, if allowed. An evil, selfish Mr. Hyde waits in the deep of every kindly Dr. Jekyll for us to lapse in our good natures and set him free. Even for the best of us, the everyday injustice of people who take advantage of others in traffic can build and lead to anger and resentment.    When people do selfish things, act irresponsibly, or jeopardize us, forgiving and staying calm can be challenging. And for some, swallowing these feelings ... 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