A car that brakes well and brakes correctly are just as important as acceleration, handling, or any other aspect of a vehicle’s drivability. A car with brake issues has the potential to be a far more enjoyable ride when fixed.  Your brakes have a lot to do with how your car drives. Brakes are a frequently neglected item on a lot of people’s checklists, and many drivers on the road have subpar brakes and don’t even know it. 

We’ve all been here: You start up your vehicle in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. Before your hand reaches the volume dial on the stereo to crank up your favorite morning radio duo, you hear a noise coming from your car. A vehicle shouldn’t make that noise, yet yours is. And it sounds bad. But is it?

We’ve all been here: You start up your vehicle in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. Before your hand reaches the volume dial on the stereo to crank up your favorite morning radio duo, you hear a noise coming from your car. A vehicle shouldn’t make that noise, yet yours is. And it sounds bad. But is it?

While transmissions are extremely complicated and it takes a professional hand to work on one, taking care of the one you have isn’t difficult. At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we understand the importance of caring for your transmission properly, so that it stays in good condition for as long as possible.

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, we know that keeping up with required maintenance schedules is the difference between a truck that lasts a few years and a truck that stays strong for decades.

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we know that over the past decade, depending on what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive, it may seem like oil changes have gotten more expensive, and there are more options from synthetic to standard 10w/30 oil.  What kind is best for your vehicle and is the higher price worth the cost? 

You’ve known someone at some point that has a seemingly impossible amount of keys, keychains, and other accessories hanging from their key ring. You might even be guilty of that yourself. At [BUSINESS_ NAME] in Sacramento, CA, we’ve seen our fair share of these loaded down car keys, and also the damage it can cause. Here’s what you need to know.

Whether you drive a Chevy, Dodge, or Ford diesel truck, there are a variety of options out there for a replacement engine. Depending on your truck's worth, it may depend on the type of engine and the amount of money you want to put into it. You can purchase a used, rebuilt, remanufactured, or even new diesel engine to replace your old. At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we’re here to help you choose the right one. 

It’s easier than ever to keep your fleet running smoothly for thousands of miles. If a vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it today, chances are it still has 75 percent of its driving life ahead of it. That’s good news if you’re a company managing a fleet of vehicles. It wasn’t that long ago that hitting the 100,000-mile mark on the odometer was a major milestone. Today, vehicles are built to last. With the proper maintenance and attention, there’s no reason you shouldn’t expect to see that 50,000-mile reading on the odometer one day roll right past 200,000 and keep ongoing. Here at Sac Valley Diesel, we're going to give you some tips on how to make that happen!

Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance here at Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, where we are good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off when it's been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

Travelling can be difficult, and traveling can be fun. The difference usually comes down to how much preparation you do in advance, and how many unplanned obstacles you meet along the way. A great way to avoid setbacks, mishaps, and stressful situations is to make sure your car, truck, or SUV is ready to hit the road. Here are some important points to check before travelling, from Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA.

At some point or another, it’ll happen to you. You leave your headlights on, your battery finally fails, or for some other reason, you don’t have enough juice to start your car. Don’t call a tow truck just yet, though...Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento has the info you need to properly jump-start your car.

In the realm of performance engines, valve adjustments are an essential part of keeping your car running its best. When you add customization to the mix, valve timing becomes even more critical, and it’s important the technician adjusting them really knows their stuff. At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we’ve got you covered.

If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, you know that your precision engineered equipment demands precision tuning. At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we specialize in high-end imports and performance vehicles and keep them up to par.

It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we can help!

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA, we recommend always making it a priority to change your oil on time. Here’s a look into why it’s so important, and what happens if you don’t keep up with oil changes.

Sludge - If oil stays in an engine too long, sludge begins to build up anywhere oil can go. The oil absorbs tiny debris and contaminants, kind of like a liquid sponge - once it’s at capacity, that oil begins to stick, clog, and build up throughout the engine. Small veins that carry oil to components like actuators, turbos, and bearings will become blocked, starving critical components of oil and causing component or engine failure.

At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, our goal is to keep your car, truck, or SUV shifting and riding as smoothly as it did the day it rolled off the lot. A big part of that is the mounting hardware that keeps the moving parts in your drivetrain running smooth.

Sometimes your car, truck, or SUV stops performing quite like it used to. At Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, we can fix that. A simple but common issue on vehicles equipped with a manual transmission is shifter bushing issues. Your shifter has a bushing on the end of it, where it connects to the actual transmission. Its purpose is to provide tight, smooth shifting. 

You’ve probably heard the term “transmission flush” before at some point in your automotive experience. But what exactly does it mean to have your transmission flushed, and why does it matter? Sac Valley Diesel in Sacramento, CA has the answers.