Mon-Fri: 8:00 am – 5:30 pm, Sat & Sun Closed
7107 Canoga Ave Canoga Park, CA 91303
818-710-8244
Cars are a necessary, helpful, and excellent resource. They provide us with the required transportation to go to work, school, shop for groceries and clothes, and take us on trips to exciting destinations. However, they can also be costly, difficult, and inconvenient. This occurs when a part of the car breaks and requires expensive mechanical attention–which generally takes up a lot of time and necessitates missing work or other chores.
That’s why it’s always important to pay attention to your car and take it to a professional mechanic whenever you suspect that there could be a problem. This prevents long-term wear and tear from building into something more serious and detrimental.
The throttle body is one of the most common areas of a car that needs constant maintenance. Especially if you car has hit more than 75,000 miles, it’s important to pay attention to the fuel-injection system, as it may need some gentle work over time. The fuel-injector and throttle-body are the most common items requiring consistent maintenance. While the fuel-injector section is rarely do-it-yourself, many people will try and clean their throttle body.
While easy enough to do, in theory, it can often be done incorrectly and result in an erratic or high idle in your car. While not dangerous, it can lead to long-term issues that are expensive and frustrating to fix.
The throttle body is a tube that controls the levels of air that enter the engine at any given time. The throttle position sensor combined with the air flow sensor communicate with the computer of the car and tells the car how much fuel is required. However, if dirt builds up in the air intake area it can prevent the car from pulling in enough fuel and therefore prevents your car from running smoothly and correctly. That’s why it’s necessary to clean the throttle body routinely.
The throttle position sensor (TPS) is often located on this body, however, and can be damaged when an untrained person attempts to clean it, resulting in a necessary recalibration after the fact–which can also be inconvenient and requires a trip to the mechanic or dealership.
When a person chooses to clean the throttle body of their vehicle on their own, everything may go totally fine. Often, it’s a quick, easy process that produces better results. However, many times, the person can make a simple mistake that results in negative consequences. The most common result of this is the “high idle” or the erratic and aggressive noise that you hear when the car is idling.
The loud idling sound is most often the result of a vacuum leak. Another possibility is that an intake hose has been torn. Even when being very careful, it’s easy to create a vacuum leak completely by accident.
Don’t worry too much: oftentimes a rough idle is overcome simply over time. A couple of days of turning the car off and on again will fix the problem. However, if the problem doesn’t dissipate, it’s likely that you’ve done something wrong in your effort to clean the interior components of the car. At this point, you should take it to the dealer or a local mechanic and have the problem looked at. Over time, the damage can add up and cause costly replacements.
No matter what the problem is, Euro Plus Automotive is here to provide our dealership quality services at a reasonable price. After 3 decades in service, we’re ready to help with any problems that occur with your Japanese or German vehicles. With a 2 year/24,000 mile warranty–for both parts and labor–we’re ready to fix any needs that you could possibly have.
Our expert, certified technicians at Euro Plus will service Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen, Acura, Lexus, Honda, Nissan, Infiniti, and Toyota vehicles as well as many others. Our specialists service Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles County, CA.
Regardless of the problem, we here at Euro Plus Automotive are ready and willing to help solve all your issues, quickly, confidently, and with the service and quality that you deserve.
The Mercedes Benz is a luxury vehicle that many dream of owning. They are known as beautiful, reliable vehicles, so once you invest in one it is important to keep it operating in peak condition. Even when something relatively minor goes wrong, you’ll want it taken care of quickly.
Regardless of the type of car you have, you want it to perform at the height of its abilities and help make your life more convenient. When you own a nicer, more luxurious car, you want that to perform at an even higher level, one that Mercedes is known for presenting. However, even well-made, beautiful cars–like a Mercedes–are prone to real-world problems. One of these is an issue with the vacuum door lock.
A problem with the vacuum door lock can be dangerous–mostly to the belongings in your car, rather than your safety. The lack of functioning door lock means that the door will not lock, and others could access your car when it’s left unattended.
One of most common reasons that the vacuum door lock fails is because of a leaking actuator. The actuator is the part of your car that is responsible for operating the actual door locks.
Another common issue is that the vacuum pump fails, leading to a failure in the door lock itself. Essentially, this crucial component creates a vacuum that causes the lock mechanisms to move. When this fails, it prevents the door lock from working correctly. Also, the older a system is (so if you have an older car) the more likely that the locking system could fail, as wear and tear will take its toll and make failure more common. As your car ages, make sure you’re paying attention to whether or not your door locks are responding as they should.
While it’s probably a better idea to just call a professional mechanic, you can also take a crack at fixing the issue yourself. It requires opening the hood, and disconnecting the three key lines that connect the vacuum. Blowing and sucking air out of the each of the key lines indicates whether the line is still good; if you can blow and suck, the line is shot and needs to be replaced. The next step requires a hand vacuum and replacement of the lines.
Just because you’re aware that this problem could happen doesn’t mean that you know how to find it, or that you’ll know what to look for when it happens. The door locks are unlikely to stop working at once; rather, the doors will begin to fail systemically. Essentially, this means that the passenger door may stop working before the driver’s side. The fact that the one door stops working is a good indication that the door locks have started to be impacted by age or other damage, and it might be a good idea to take the car to a trusted repair shop before the rest of the doors become problematic.
Because actuators are expensive to replace, it’s a good idea to make sure that the vacuum door lock is the broken item. When in doubt, a mechanic or dealer should be able to answer this question. There are ways you can check yourself, but if you’re not sure you can do it properly, you should seek professional help.
Seeking a trusted mechanic is always a safe bet, especially when you’re dealing with an expensive and luxurious car. That’s why Euro Plus Automotive is ready to deal with any and all of your car needs. We understand the safety and care that you want invested in your car, and we want to make sure that we treat it with the care that it deserves. Our specialist technicians are trained to work with all German and Japanese vehicles, including your prized Mercedes.
We have been offering dealership-quality care at affordable prices, and have been serving the San Fernando Valley for over 3 decades. Convenient to Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles County, CA, we’re prepared to take on any challenge that you send our way.
* Mercedes Benz Logo image credit goes to: SUNG YOON JO.
Euro Plus Automotive specializes in maintenance, services, & repairs with certified technicians and cutting-edge tools & equipment for European vehicles including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, & more as well as Japanese cars like Honda, Nissan, Toyota, & more.
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