Ft. Collins Auto Repair

I am often asked what type or make of car/truck would I recommend, and my answers are not always the same. Much of the decision rests with who it will be driving the vehicle, for what purpose the vehicle will be used, and of course, how much money will be spent and how much is available to make repairs and keep the vehicle serviced. Many inquiries are for what people want to get for their newly driving youngsters. That category needs a car to get to and from school, events such as sporting and shopping. Most of the driving is done around town by pretty inexperienced people so I recommend a mid sized vehicle which offers a bit more safety than the smallest cars. I also suggest something that can be dinged or dented a bit in the school parking lot or around town without it becoming a major family event. Unless the family is well to do, I recommend against European vehicles as they tend to come with the most expensive repair histories. Everything else is pretty much in play, though I sugg ... read more

Air Conditioning Alert: I recently found out that the cost of freon 134a has doubled since last year. Nobody really knows why, other than the fact that the industry has a history of raising prices without good reasons. Rarely do we see a price decrease for oil, antifreeze, and other petroleum based products in the automotive repair and maintenance industry. Meanwhile, the older freon, R

Who is Givan Fox? Givan is a young man living in Fort Collins and working in Loveland at the Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR). MCR is the only Level II trauma center in Fort Collins and is a regional Cardiac Care and Surgery Center as well as Neurological Center. Givan is a paramedic who works in the Emergency Department. He is a thirtyish young man who drives a older model Toyota 4Runner and is married with no children. Givan is also a member of the Colorado Army National Guard with a medical battalion. His company was recently called to Fort Carson to prepare to serve in Afghanistan for a year. When his car’s engine began to have a problem that resulted in what is known as “throwing a rod” through the side of his engine block, he was just moments from home and just thirteen blocks from his regular garage, All Tech. As much as there is a rush hour in Fort Collins (nothing like Denver or the Springs thank goodness) he chose not to stop in rush hour traffic and get ... read more

We frequently get calls from folks looking to buy a used car or truck. They would like to have the vehicle inspected to find out if the asking price is right and if the new purchase will be a good fit for them. Over the years we have found that it is critical to have a used vehicle checked out before purchase, not after as several folks have done. Most people are honest and straight forward when selling a car or truck, but unfortunately there are some who are just trying to dump a junker off on an unsuspecting buyer. In fact, some of the worst cases we have seen involve foreign students who come here to study at CSU. We have seen some new students from overseas who have never owned a car sold a nightmare. So here is what we recommend: always, ALWAYS, have a used vehicle inspected before purchase. If the seller does not want to allow you to take it someplace for inspection, run, don’t walk away fro ... read more

From time to time we are asked to install auto parts that are purchased online from a store on the internet. Our experience has not been that good with this approach to parts purchases and a recent situation really reinforces this position. Our customer needed a new engine for his Toyota 4Runner and we found one online. The company is located in Colorado and we thought that the fact that it is in Colorado and not some out of the way place we never heard of, we would be okay in buying from them. Our concerns about online auto parts purchases include not really knowing the supplier, not knowing if the warranty will hold up, and not knowing if the part will meet the high quality standards we set for ourselves and our customers. Well, we should have listened to ourselves. The engine failed and the company refused to honor the warranty even though they never even inspected the engine. We are currently involved in an expensive legal battle to just get our $$$ back and it has taken its toll o ... read more