Minneapolis Auto Repair

Walnut blasting is now being offered at DJ Foreign Auto Care! What is walnut blasting you may ask? Walnut blasting is a process that is used to treat heavy carbon build-up. Cars require oxygen to run. With modern direct injection engines, when your foot is placed on the accelerator, the car releases gasoline into the combustion chamber of the vehicle. The spark plugs then ignite the gasoline in the combustion chamber, causing the car to run. Carbon is released into the engine as a byproduct of this process.  The carbon interferes with the vehicle’s normal combustion, which in turn alters the compression ratio, operating temperature, and sensor readings.  The carbon builds up and coats the inside of your engine including the air intake valves, combustion chamber, and exhaust, restricting your car’s ability to breathe and also affecting your car’s efficiency and power. When the carbon builds up, one of the common ways to clean it out of your engine is through ... read more

Cabin air filter replacement on a regular basis is important for keeping the air clean inside your car. The cabin air filter in your car functions like your home's furnace filter, filtering the air you breathe inside the car. If your car's cabin filter is is completely dirty and clogged, you and your passengers could be breathing in particles such as pollen, dust, mold spores, dead leaves, tobacco smoke, soot, smog, pet dander and fungus!  If you are wondering where the cabin air filter is located in your vehicle, check out http://filterlocation.com/ At DJ Foreign Auto Care we generally recommend replacing your cabin air filter at around 15,000 mile intervals.  If you have allergies, or pets in the car with you, you may want to change your cabin air filter more often to keep your air clean inside the car.  We also visually inspect the cabin air filter each time a vehicle is in ... read more

"Engine oil flush" or "Performance Oil Change" describes a process where a service technician adds chemicals to the oil so that built-up carbon deposits are cleaned out of narrow oil passages, valves and combustion chambers.  The dirty oil and chemicals are then flushed out of the system and replaced with clean oil. Performing an engine oil flush is especially beneficial when large amounts of sludge and deposits build up in the oil system, which can clog oil passages and potentially lead to serious engine problems, when the many moving parts in the engine get gummed up.  An engine oil flush can restore fuel efficiency and power to your engine, as well as save on wear and tear by keeping all the parts in your engine moving as they should.  A performance oil change / engine oil flush service may be a good idea when there have been long intervals between oil changes, when you purchase an older vehicle and you don't know ... read more

Car battery replacement in newer European vehicles is more complicated than you might think!  Some customers may try to install their own battery without having a qualified shop program the battery to their car's computer. While initially the car may work and warning lights such as the "check engine" or "service engine soon" may not be triggered, attempting to do your own car battery replacement can cost you a lot more than you were bargaining for in the long run. The electrical systems in today's newer import vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini Cooper, Land Rover, Jaguar and other makes, are so sophisticated that they tailor the electrical charging to both the age and type of battery in the car. There is a computer module inside the car that controls the alternator.  When you replace a battery, this computer needs to know that the car battery replacement has occurred, and also whether the battery is a traditional L ... read more

Headlight maintenance may not be the first thing that comes to mind of when you think of maintaining your car, but your car's lights are very important for your safety. Headlights and tail lights illuminate the road for the driver and make the vehicle visible to other drivers on the road. As well as being an important safety feature, keeping on top of your headlight maintenance can help you avoid getting pulled over and getting a ticket! Drivers should start to perform headlight maintenance by checking that all their lights are working, including low beams and high beams, and also by checking the lenses for fogginess or yellowing. Over time the plastic lenses can cloud over and become foggy, due to abrasive dirt and grime. Cloudy lenses should be replaced or a headlight restoration product can be used to clean, polish and restore the existing lenses. Headlights need to be checked regularly and aimed correctly by professional mechanics, to make sure the driver can safely see the ro ... read more