Author Archives: Rolling Auto Service

What if the most abundant element on Earth could be used to fuel our vehicles? And not only would this fuel be plentiful, but it would emit steam instead of harmful emissions? Generating power from hydrogen is a concept that’s been around before the invention of cars. Currently, hydrogen-powered cars exist, but they are still in the concept phases.

Using hydrogen as fuel

To run on hydrogen, a car must have a fuel cell so that it can convert the hydrogen to electricity. A big advantage to create electricity from hydrogen is that it only produces two byproducts: water and heat. Although it is clean-burning, the practicality of using hydrogen as fuel is still questionable especially since new types of cars would have to be manufactured.
Since 90% of the Earth’s atoms are hydrogen, using it as fuel seems like a no brainer. But harvesting hydrogen isn’t that simple. Unless bonded with other atoms or elements to form a molecule, uncontained hydrogen will immediately float off into space because it is the lightest atom in the universe.
As of now, the most common method used to isolate hydrogen is called steam reformation. In this process, hydrogen atoms are separated from the carbon in natural gas. However, since we are trying to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, this method is not preferred.
Water is a more eco-friendly means of obtaining hydrogen. If an electric current is passed through water in a process known as electrolysis, H20 molecules can be broken down so that hydrogen atoms can be collected. This process can be performed on a large scale but the only drawback is that it is a slow process.
Right now, hydrogen cars have several setbacks so it may be decades before we see them on the roads, if even at all. Whether or not hydrogen will ever be adopted as an alternative fuel, we’ll just have to see. But it looks promising.

 

You’re about to head to work so you get in your car and start it only to see that lovely check engine light pop up. You think so yourself, “Oh great, what could possibly be wrong?”, and unfortunately, you won’t be able to find out until you bring your car to an auto mechanic to run a diagnostic scan.
However, common problems that signal your check engine light are usually related to your car’s emission system, which is comprised of several different components. If your check engine light comes on, one of the first things you should check is your fuel cap. A loose cap is enough to signal you check engine light so make sure that it is not cracked and that it is properly tightened.
If the problem isn’t related to the fuel cap, it could be related to one of the sensors. The two main sensors that commonly cause the check engine light to come on if faulty are the O2 sensors and the mass airflow sensors. The oxygen sensors are responsible for monitoring how much fuel is burned and how much oxygen goes unburned. The mass airflow sensor indicates how much fuel is needed based off the amount of air coming through the engine. If either of these sensors is faulty, they will need to be replaced.
If the sensors are fine, then it could quite possibly be your catalytic converter. The catalytic converter aids your car in emitting cleaner emissions by converting harmful gases such as carbon monoxide to harmless compounds. But for the sake of your wallet, lets hope that the issue isn’t with your catalytic converter as replacement service can be quite costly.
If you need your check engine light diagnosed in or near Venice, call Rolling Auto Service today!

Have you ever wondered why there is tread on your car tires? The purpose of the tread is to eliminate water from the underside of the tire in order to improve traction and decrease the change of hydroplaning. If your tread has become worn, it is important to have your tires replaced immediately for the sake of your safety.
If you suspect that your tires are worn, take a look at the tread pattern. There should be something called tread wear bars on your tires. These flat, rubber bars form a bridge between the tread grooves and are nearly invisible on new tires. Gradually over time as the tires wear down, these bars become more apparent. When the bars and the tread are at the same level, it’s time to replace your tires.
You can also quickly check the tread depth of your tires by using a simple technique called the “penny test.” Grab a penny and stick Abe Lincoln’s head into the center groove of the tire tread. Can you see still see the top of his head? If so, you’re tires are worn and it’s time to replace them. If his hair is covered by the tread, you still have sufficient tread.
Even if your treads don’t look like they are in bad shape, it is still important to check them for any inconsistencies such as uneven wear or irregularities. Excessive wear on the center tread indicates that your tires are inflated too much whereas excessive wear on the shoulders of the tires indicates that your tires are under inflated. Uneven wear on the treads or having one side of the tire more worn than the other could be an indication of misaligned wheels or an incorrect camber angle.

There are a lot of people who perhaps didn’t even know that mobile mechanics were a thing. For those of you who fit that description, your next question is probably, “Ok, why is a mobile mechanic better than a auto shop?” A valid question.

1. First, there’s an obvious convenience factor. No more dropping your car off and trying to kill an hour, two or maybe more while they work on your car. We come to you. Right to your driveway, apartment, or where ever it is your car is. So relax, catch up on some TV and leave the work to us!
2. Then there’s price. Without the overhead of a shop and other expenses, we’re able to keep our prices extremely low. When you come to Rolling Auto, you’re paying for the repair, not the roof. Many of the most common problems affecting cars could be repaired by those with some mechanic know how and spare time, but we know not everyone has that luxury, and that’s where we come in.
3. Quality.  With Rolling Auto, there is no “big box store” mentality. Rolling Auto is like your handy friend you call when you need help hanging some shelves, unloading a truck, or, in this case, changing your oil, istalling new brake pads, or replacing a bad fuel pump.

We can help with nearly any auto repair that you would go to a shop for any pay much more to have done. The next time you need auto repair work in Venice, Englewood, North Osprey, or in the area, give us a call!

If you were ask ask a survivalist, or just watch Man vs Wild, you’d come to find that one of the most important things to maintain in a survival situation is your feet. Well, driving your car to the grocery store may not feel like a life or death situation, but your tires are like the feet of your car. If you don’t maintain them properly, you can find yourself in a sticky spot pretty quickly.
 
After proper inflation, the next thing you want to make sure to monitor is the tread on your tires. a common trick to determine how much life is left in your tread is to take a penny and insert it in to the tread with Abe turned upside down. If you can still see the top of his head above the tread, it’s a good indicator that it’s time to replace the tire.
 
Just being cognizant of a few things should help you avoid any catastrophic failures at inopportune times. For just a couple of bucks you can buy a tire pressure gauge that should give you a fairly good idea of when your tires could use some air. Tires that are inflated to the proper PSI provide better fuel efficiency and last longer, so it’s worth it to keep an eye out for any under-inflated wheels.
 
Replacing old, worn out tires is a good idea, but to get the most life out of them, try rotating them every 8-10 thousand miles. This will ensure even wear, and you won’t end up replacing a whole set of tires just because one has worn all the way down before the others.

For those who are looking to buy a used car, there are a lot of things to think about, and no two used cars are ever alike. But if there are three things at the top of a prospective buyers list, it wouldn’t be unlikely for cheap, reliable, and fuel efficient to all end up somewhere near the top.
In a recent article, 5 great used car choices were discussed. There’s a little something for everyone: Miadas for fans of a coupe, all the way up to bigger fare like a Pontiac Vibe.
When buying from an owner, it always pays to do your homework to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible, or at least a fair one.
It’s also never a bad idea to request a used car inspection from the seller if they haven’t offered one already, just to hear from a reliable third party whether or not the car is in good shape.
Whatever car needs you have, you can’t beat the hassle free repairs offered by Rolling Auto. Give us a call whenever you need auto repair in the Venice Area, and we’ll come to you!

Emissions problems are one of the most common reasons cars will throw an error code and trigger a “check engine light” or other warning light. While an emission leak or bad sensor may not feel like a pressing matter, emissions problems like those will tend to pile up and compound.
Your car can actually be robbed of a lot of performance and fuel efficiency due to problems stemming from emissions problems. Taking care of emissions issues as they pop up and not waiting for them to get worse is the smart way to deal with maintenance. I don’t think ever in the history of auto repair has a problem been fixed by successfully ignoring it for long enough.
Whatever kind of emissions repair you need, be it an O2 sensor, EGR Valve, fuel injectors, or something else entirely, give us a call at Rolling Auto. We’ll bring the auto shop to you. It couldn’t be any easier to get auto repair in Venice!

Venice is a popular vacation destination and a lot of people come down in their RV to enjoy the beaches and other attractive features the city has to offer.
It can be difficult to find an auto shop with the experience to work on RVs, but Rolling Auto can bring the auto shop to you, and we have years of knowledge fixing RV and trailers.
The cost of towing alone can run in the hundreds, so why not call a mobile mechanic to come to you? Not only do you save on towing, but our prices are often much less than our brick and mortar counterparts because we have less overhead.
Your RV is you home away from home when you’re on vacation, so you want to make sure it’s in good shape. Always stay on top of your regular maintenance and try to turn on your RV once or twice a year and maybe take a lap around the block just to ensure that everything is in working order.
Call us out and we can do all the filter changes, oil changes, coolant refill and more.
 

Your engine is a very powerful mechanical device, but it is still very sensitive to alterations in the timing of its components. The timing belt is what keeps everything moving at the right pace, and opens and closes the engine valves at precisely the right time.
The other main belt in your car, the serpentine belt, is a little bit easier to inspect and service, as the timing belt is often found deeper within the engine compartment and requires some work to get to.
If your timing belt is worn or losing teeth, it can begin to slip and run out of time. This means it’s time to get a replacement timing belt in Venice.
Call up and we’ll bring the auto shop to you!

Without a pair of working oxygen sensors (or O2 sensors), it’s only a matter of time before you find yourself failing an emissions test. You car uses the oxygen sensors to read the level of pollutants in your emissions before and after passing through the catalytic converter so it can determine it’s working properly.
A bad pair of O2 sensors will disturb the computers reading of the fuel to air ratio needed to run the car at its most efficient level. This will cause a drop off in MPG and a loss of performance.
Rolling Auto is the mobile mechanic is Venice that can come to you when you can’t manage to make it to a shop. Give us a call for the most convenient auto repair service around!