Whole Auto
400 Petaluma Blvd. South, Petaluma, California
Wherever life takes you, Whole Auto can help you get there.
At Whole Auto in Petaluma, our years of auto repair experience means our ASE Certified technicians have the know how and experience to find the problem and make sure your vehicle is in tip-top condition. Whole Auto will repair tires, brakes, transmissions and more, with the honesty and integrity that all our customers enjoy.
Your automobile gets high-quality parts backed by nationwide warranties, plus enjoy peace of mind knowing that we are the premier Petaluma auto repair shop.
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Wow. If you ever thought your day was going badly, you should listen to this guy's story. A woman dropped her 2008 Porsche off at her neighborhood Shell station for an inspection. She expected to pick her car up the next day with a new sticker in the window, but unfortunately woke up to a call from local authorities telling her her car had just been found upside down in a mangrove swamp. Local news initially reported the car had been stolen, but it soon surfaced that the man who flipped the car into the drink was the owner of the Shell station. He had taken the car home for a "test drive" when the accident happened. However according to authorities the test was being performed at a whopping 164 mph. I'm not telling you this as a warning, it's perfectly acceptable for a mechanic to drive a customer's car home to look for a problem or road test a repair. After all, that's what you do in your car, right, drive home? But 164 mph was probably excessive.
Read more and see video of the crashed Porsche here at NBC 2.
Mechanic Fails Test Drive, Flips Car originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 01:16:45.
We all know how important it is to keep your brakes in top shape. After all, it doesn't do any good to drive to the store if you can't stop once you get there. Unfortunately, for many people "top shape" means making sure they have enough brake pad to make a safe stop, but nothing more. Pads are important, but there are other aspects of your braking system that need to be attended to. For instance, have you checked your brake fluid lately? Low brake fluid is a common cause of brake failure. And how about your parking brake? Adjusting your parking brake can be a pain in the neck, and is very different with each vehicle. If you have a good repair manual you can adjust your own parking brake. If not, have your regular mechanic or a brake shop check the adjustment next time you bring your car in. It's a worthwhile safety check.
Having Your Brakes Serviced? Don't Forget the Parking Brake originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 23:09:59.
The stories of bodily injury and death by explosion pop up almost instantly when you mention Fix-a-Flat in the company of a seasoned auto mechanic or tire tech. I say seasoned because it's usually older guys that tell the stories. I'm here to tell you with 100% conviction that Fix-a-Flat will NOT explode! If you're using another product, be sure to check it out, but the Fix-a-Flat brand is non-explosive and can be used without risk of injury to the person who is removing the tire. Messy? Oh yeah. But not deadly. I could go on and on about this, and since I can write whatever I want, I did go on and on about it here! Read up on the history of the explosion myth and why there's nothing to worry about.
Is Fix-a-Flat Safe To Use? originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 01:25:14.
I know I've been on the aftermarket warranty rampage of late, but things keep popping up which remind me of how careful you need to be when buying an extended warranty of any type. The latest comes from Pennsylvania, by way of Rhode Island. It seems a number of people in Rhode Island purchased extended warranty coverage from Eagle Warranty Corp., of Eynon, Pennsylvania, only to find that they had no coverage at all when a major repair arose. More than 600 people have filed an official complaint against the now-bankrupt company. We can't be sure whether Eagle was trying to scam their customers or just victims of bad business who ended up in bankruptcy court. Either way, the end result is the same -- car owners and honest repair shops left holding the bag, and the bill.
Read more here in the Providence Journal.
More Aftermarket Warranty Woes originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 21:57:34.
When disputes arise between repair shops and customers, many car owners are quick to get on the phone with their credit card company to reverse the charge. The chargeback is an important tool when things get bad, but don't pull the trigger too fast. Communication is key when you're in any type of transaction. Sure, if you think you're being scammed or stonewalled, get the ball rolling on a chargeback. I urge drivers to use a credit card for all of their maintenance and repairs they have performed at a shop -- it's good protection. But if you skip the important communication steps and don't try to work things out, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. As soon as the chargeback takes place, you're telling the shop that you're finished talking and you want the powers that be -- the credit card company -- to decide the fate of the transaction. Unfortunately if you have a legitimate dispute but it doesn't qualify for a chargeback, you're going to lose. If that happens, what are the chances your mechanic will be willing to work something out? He probably won't even want you as a customer anymore.
Credit Card Chargeback? Be Cautious originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 21:32:36.
Lemon laws are nothing new. In fact, the phrase "lemon law" is evoked pretty often during car repair conversations. But what can lemon laws really do for you? Are you protected if your car seems like a citrus? The lore is so thick involving these rules and regulations, it's worth brushing up. I found lots of helpful information on Your Lemon Law Rights.com. Even if your state is not listed, the information varies little from state to state. Might be worth a read.
Bought a Lemon? You May Be Protected originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 15:00:20.
Momentum is building for HR 2057, the House's version of the Right to Repair Act. Right to Repair legislation has been gaining speed and building support quickly over the past few years, and this just may be the year that it makes it all the way. The Right to Repair Act would give independent repair shops better access to important information they need to repair new model vehicles. You can read about Right to Repair legislation here, and there's a great update I found in the Fairfax Times here.
51 House Members Support Right to Repair originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Saturday, January 9th, 2010 at 14:53:51.
ABS. Antilock Braking System. This is boring stuff, that is until you find yourself sliding down a 500-yard sheet of ice pulling a loaded 20-foot trailer. That's where I found myself yesterday on the way back from a trip to Chicago to pick up a sad, rusty old Porsche. With no warning at all, the tractor trailer in front of me began to contort itself into that dreaded jack-knife shape. A tap of my brakes and my vehicle started to follow suit. Luckily, the Titan has great brakes, and the ABS was able to calm things down pretty quickly. There was a lot of fanfare when these amazing braking systems were first adopted by carmakers, but these days we've all got ABS. Some of us even have a daily reminder thanks to the ABS light that glows forever on the dashboard. Endless Check Engine light visits have dulled us when it comes to dashboard warning lights, but that ABS light is trying to warn you of a potentially dangerous situation! If your car has more than 50,000 miles, it might be a good time to clean your ABS sensors to be sure your brakes can stop you in a slippery situation.
ABS: Just Three Lonely Letters, Until You Need It originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 14:48:24.
Since this is an auto repair blog, not my personal podium for political commentary, I'll skip talking about how stupid a Cuban embargo looks in the year 2010. But I do have an automotive angle. Since the trade embargo began in 1960, Cuba has become famous for its collection of classic American cars. It's not that they have extremely rare cars, it's that they managed to keep them running without any proper replacement parts for almost 50 years. That's some feat, and it's been accomplished by sheer determination on the part of die-hard Cuban auto enthusiasts. They are so proud of this achievement that the Cuban government has decided to recognize the so-called Yank Tanks that roam its streets by opening an automotive museum featuring many American cars kept alive in Cuba, including a 1905 Cadillac that was used until some time in the 1980s! My point is this: If Cuban mechanics can keep a 1905 Cadillac running without any parts to do it with, you can do anything you want to your car! All it takes is determination, confidence, and a quick trip to the auto parts store.
For more information on the Cuban automotive museum, The Depósito, read this.
Thinking Like a Cuban originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 23:47:26.
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