Sarasota Auto Repair

Oxygen sensors are electronic devices that monitor oxygen levels in a liquid or gas. These sensors are measuring the proportional amount of oxygen and sending an alert if the mix is off. Original oxygen sensors were made from ceramic coated in zirconia and platinum. Modern oxygen sensors are called planar sensors. Planar sensors were developed by NTK in 1990 for Honda Civics and Accords. Planar sensors are constructed by layering High-Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (HTCC) green tapes and have become the industry standard. Modern-day sensors are designed and developed to be more efficient than their predecessors. What an Oxygen Sensor Actually Does Oxygen sensors are found in all automobiles manufactured after 1980. Oxygen sensors are located in the emissions control system and they transmit data to the central computer. For top performance, it is essential that the oxygen sensor is functioning, well-calibrated, and sending correct data to the computer. The sensor keep ... read more

The radiator in your car helps to cool the engine. That's something that many car owners understand, yet only a handful of them know the importance of observing a strict radiator fluid-flush schedule. Another aspect that most people get confused about is when or how often they should change the radiator fluid. As mentioned above, the radiator fluid prevents the car motor from overheating. When its volume decreases, you risk overheating the engine, especially when you're stuck in traffic. As a result, you get stranded in the middle of the road at an unexpected time. Always check the radiator fluid after driving your car. Remember, the fluid and its contents are pressurized, so don't attempt to open the radiator cap when the engine is running. If possible, use a heavy cloth to open it. If you can't see the fluid surface near the top or see rust and dirt elements, it is time to flush it out. What Does a Radiator Flush Mean? The purpose of flushing your radiator fluid is ... read more

Regular maintenance is critical for your vehicle.  It will extend the life of your vehicle so you will have less of a chance of a break down. The first thing you should do is get regular oil changes. Older cars need the oil changed every 5,000 miles. You should also have the tires rotated every time the oil and filter is changed.  This will keep the tires wearing evenly. Newer cars can go 7500 miles between oil changes.  You should get the oil and filter changed once a year even if you don’t drive very often.  This will prevent moisture from accumulating in the engine and potentially causing damage. Most people think fluids in your vehicle don’t need changed unless it smells strange or get a dark color to it.  Fluids should be changed before they become a problem. Fluid breakdown can cause a component in your vehicle to fail.  For instance coolant if left alone until it turns brown and rusty will cause the internal gaskets to fail like head gas ... read more

Sincere appreciation to all of our customers who participated in our 3rd annual Brakes for Breasts Fundraiser. We gave away 43 sets of brake pads/shoes and raised $1,016.46 for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Fund. We look forward to another great event in 2021! Our annual participation would not be possible without our generous partners at Napa, The Parts House and BG/Fox Distributing. We truly appreciate their dedication to Kaufman’s, our customers and for contributing to the success of the Brakes for Breasts Fundraiser each year. If you missed out on the opportunity this year, we will send an email in September 2021 with all of the information you will need to join us in October during Breast Cancer Awareness month to help us put the brakes on breast cancer!   THANK YOU from all of us at Kaufman’s Auto Repairs

Tip # 1 : Watch out for the weather. Check a app to get the weather conditions where you are traveling to. There could be icy or snow conditions and you want to allow extra travel time for bad weather conditions.  Tip # 2 : Get a pre trip inspection before you travel. Check the wipers and fluid levels. Have the oil and filter changed. Have your shop check the battery, tires, brakes, headlights for proper aim, and have them do a complete inspection for any potential problems. Have you shop check the spare tire pressure and condition. You want to take care of all those things before you start the trip.   Tip # 3 : Think about the route you are taking, you may want to take a alternate route if the traffic gets bad. Tip # 4 : Practice alert driving habits.  Adjust the mirrors and your seat for your comfort. Make sure everyone is wearing a seat belt. Seat belts save lives!  Make sure you have a full tank of fuel. Wear the correct eyewear, in ... read more

Join Kaufman’s Auto Repairs for our 3rd year to put the Brakes on Breast Cancer! Brakes for Breasts is an organization that unites the hands of Independent Auto Repair Shops during the month of October. Our industry stands united to put the Brakes on Breast Cancer! The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2019 there will be over 271,000 people diagnosed with Breast Cancer and over 42,000 will die. With those numbers it’s hard to find anybody who hasn’t been touched by Breast Cancer. Although treatment is better than it’s ever been, why do we wait until it happens to treat it – Let’s stop it before it happens. FREE BRAKE PADS IN OCTOBER For every brake service performed, customers will receive their brake pads for free and the customer pays for the labor and any other parts. Kaufman’s will donate 10% of that brake ser ... read more

  The tire DOT number is not sexy, exciting or very cool for that matter. But it can be very useful if you understand what the numbers mean. All tire manufactures are required by our federal law to stamp the tires specs as well as the DOT numbers on the sidewall of each tire that is sold in the United States. This includes details about the tires characteristics, construction, various capacities (including load, speed, inflation pressure, etc.) as well as the DOT tire identification number.  According to current regulations the DOT tire identification MUST start with the letters DOT. The number is 10,11, or 12 digits long and can be a combination of letters, numbers or symbols.  The last four digits are always numbers and it is a date code. For instance the numbers 1320 means the tires were made in the13th week of 2020. The DOT number is used for a safety standard certification and is used also in the event of a safety recall. The DOT number is used to identify the ... read more

Most people know that regular oil changes will make their car engine perform better and extend its life. But did you know that there are other fluids that require regular maintenance changes also?  The coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and rear axle fluids are all fluids that should be serviced to keep your vehicle properly maintained. The fluid color may not necessarily be an indication of whether the fluid is good or not. It is always better to change the fluid before it gets dark or discolored. We recommend fluid changes due by time as well as mileage. At Kaufman's Auto Repairs, we use BG products due to their protection and the warranty they provide if the service is done at their recommended mileage intervals. You can check it out at BG's lifetime protection plan here.   The engine oil protection is a very good investment. If MOA is added with every ... read more

Your cars battery is the life blood of your vehicle's electrical system. It supplies the electrical power to the whole car. The alternator is the component that keeps your vehicle battery charged as the battery needs it. Today's newer vehicle's can even control the alternator charging output from the engine control module. They do this by monitoring the vehicle's system voltage and then keep the battery charged at the correct voltage by varying the charging rate of the alternator. Some common signs you may have a issue with your battery is when you go to start your car you hear the engine has a different sound or the engine turns over slowly. Another sign of a weak battery is a clicking sound when attempting to start and then the engine turns over.  If the battery light is on you should stop as soon as you can and get your vehicle electrical system inspected. This usually is a sign the alternator is not charging.  Some vehicle's don't have a battery w ... read more

You may have seen this happen in a movie but it may not have happened to you yet. You see steam coming from under the hood.  Or you may have seen the temperature gauge get into the red or near the red zone.  What should you do? Option 1: If you see steam coming up from around the hood you should pull over right away. The steam can burn you so you should wait until the steam stops before opening the hood. After you get the hood open look for any signs of broken hoses or anything that may have broken. Don't touch anything because you could easily get burned. Wait until the engine cools off, this could take 30 minutes to an hour. Once it cools off, take a rag and slowly open the radiator cap or expansion tank cap to check the coolant level. If it is low you should add coolant or water if no coolant is available. Then you can drive until you find some place to get your car repaired as long as it does not overheat. If it overheats again or you see steam coming from under th ... read more