Oceanside Auto Repair

There are so many reasons why your BMW shakes, pulsates, and vibrates! It’s important to first identify what it is exactly that you’re feeling. You may find the car pulsating while braking, which could indicate warped rotors. You may find the car shaking when driving at highway speeds, which can indicate that one or more of the wheels is/are off balance. Loose or disconnected hoses can cause small vacuum leaks which may lead to the car vibrating as well. Engine mounts being collapsed are also a common culprit of a vehicle that vibrates. Sometimes we might notice the shaking is accompanied by a check engine light. Few things are more dreadful than seeing that cute little illuminated engine on your dash, or in some cases you’ll see the “service engine soon” light. In a more serious case, and also the most common case, the shaking accompanied by the check engine light can indicate a misfire that replacing spark plugs or ignition coils can solve. Anytime a m ... read more

Engine overheating issues are a common complaint among many BMW owners. There are various reasons your vehicle can overheat and some of them are outlined below. The first step to avoiding an overheat concern is to perform preventative maintenance. You should be performing cooling system fluid exchanges every 2 years (or every 30k miles) to have the best chance at keeping your coolant in working condition. For a BMW, it is critical to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for coolant color. Most BMW’s require a blue colored antifreeze although you want to check your vehicle specifically to make sure you are within manufacturer’s specifications (you may find this in the owner’s manual). You may find yourself driving down the road and see the coolant temperature needle dive into the red. Nooo! Please remember if you ever experience an overheating condition, it is best practice to shut the car off in a safe place as soon as possible.  ... read more

The “Transmission Malfunction” light will come on when the car suspects there to be a problem with the transmission. Your car will typically put the car into “limp mode” when this light comes on. This “Limp Mode” limits the car in speed in an attempt to save the transmission from further damage. Most of the time this light comes on because a sensor is acting up or the transmission fluid is low. Yes, worst case the car could need the transmission replaced but this is rare, especially when its been maintained properly – read on for more info on that! Most BMW’s don’t have a transmission dipstick so the fluid level must be checked with the car put on a lift. If there is ANY sign of a leak, the leak must be fixed and the transmission fluid brought to the correct level. It doesn’t work to just “top off” the transmission fluid since filling it is such a sensitive process. We recommend a transmission fluid & filter ... read more