Car Repair

  • Have you checked your battery? If it looks like this - It's bad!

    bad battery

    When you are having trouble with your car or truck starting and you open the hood up to take a peek to see this....you'll see what an overly corroded battery looks like. This happens naturally over time on vehicle battery terminals.  If you are like 99% of normal Novato drivers, you don't check your oil or your battery so you don't keep an eye on the amount of corrosion that's building up on your car or truck battery.  Here at Oliver Automotive, we do and there are solvents that we can use here in the shop during a battery maintenance service that will help slow the corrosion process but nothing that can prevent it 100%. Way before it gets to this point, we will be suggesting you consider replacing the battery. 

  • Hot Car - Suggestions to Cool it Down

    cars parked under tree

    We all love the sunshine but getting into that HOT car isn't always so wonderful even when you have a remote start it will take the breath out of you when the temperatures are soaring. Makes you want to pack your lunch instead of meeting friends for lunch! We decided that you should meet friends for lunch! So we got together and found some quick ideas for you. It isn't much but enjoy the sunshine on us here at Oliver Automotive here in Novato! Call it our fun day fact!

  • How Do I Fix My Manual Transmission Problem?

    mechanic working on car

    Manual transmissions are generally more reliable than automatic transmissions. They don’t have as many parts, aren’t as complex, and can take a lot more abuse. However, if an issue is allowed to persist, more and more damage to surrounding components on your manual transmission will occur. Oliver Automotive in Novato, CA can help you take care of your car as soon as you notice a problem.

  • How Important are Your Drive Belts?

    belt for vehicle

    Your drive belts run everything - your AC, power steering, alternator, and water pump are all dependent on the belts that turn them. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, our goal is to keep your truck maintained, so you’re never stuck out on the road. Drive belts are a critical part of that goal.

  • How Important are Your Drive Belts?

    belt for vehicle

    Your drive belts run everything - your AC, power steering, alternator, and water pump are all dependent on the belts that turn them. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, our goal is to keep your truck maintained, so you’re never stuck out on the road. Drive belts are a critical part of that goal.

  • How is the Air Quality in Your Vehicle?

    technician holding a clean and dirty air filter comparison in the front seat of a car

    When driving around town, your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, we want to help you get the best air quality in your vehicle, but first, we want to explain the process of where this dirty air is going. 

  • How is the Air Quality in Your Vehicle?

    technician holding a clean and dirty air filter comparison in the front seat of a car

    When driving around town, your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, we want to help you get the best air quality in your vehicle, but first, we want to explain the process of where this dirty air is going. 

  • How To Get More Miles Per Gallon

    gas tanks

    At Oliver Automotive in Novato, efficiency is a concept that interests us. While your fuel economy is largely dependent on what kind of car, truck, or SUV you drive, there are a variety of tips and tricks to get the most bang for your buck. We’ve provided a few of our favorites here.

  • How To Rainproof Your Windshield

    windshield with water droplets on it

    At Oliver Automotive in Novato, we understand that safety and driving comfort are largely dependent on truck maintenance. Driving in the rain can be a hassle, especially if your vehicle isn’t prepared.

  • How To Rainproof Your Windshield

    windshield with water droplets on it

    At Oliver Automotive in Novato, we understand that safety and driving comfort are largely dependent on truck maintenance. Driving in the rain can be a hassle, especially if your vehicle isn’t prepared.

  • How To Test Your Shocks

    shocks

    Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, we strive to keep your car, truck, or SUV as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

  • How To Test Your Shocks

    shocks

    Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, we strive to keep your car, truck, or SUV as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

  • How to Use Your Jumper Cables

    jumper cables being placed on a battery

    At some point or another, it’ll happen to you. You leave your headlights on, your battery finally fails, or for some other reason, you don’t have enough juice to start your car. Don’t call a tow truck just yet, though...Oliver Automotive in Novato has the info you need to properly jump start your car.

  • How to Use Your Jumper Cables

    jumper cables being placed on a battery

    At some point or another, it’ll happen to you. You leave your headlights on, your battery finally fails, or for some other reason, you don’t have enough juice to start your car. Don’t call a tow truck just yet, though...Oliver Automotive in Novato has the info you need to properly jump start your car.

  • Identifying driveway spots: how to determine what is leaking under your car

    If you drive a vehicle with more than a few miles on it, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed an occasional drip underneath it that leaves spots wherever you park. Identifying what is leaking from your car will help you determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern, and what to do about it.

    There are seven liquids a car can possibly drip: oil, gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil, water, and coolant. How do you tell the difference? This article aims to help your know-how.

  • Identifying driveway spots: how to determine what is leaking under your car

    If you drive a vehicle with more than a few miles on it, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed an occasional drip underneath it that leaves spots wherever you park. Identifying what is leaking from your car will help you determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern, and what to do about it.

    There are seven liquids a car can possibly drip: oil, gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil, water, and coolant. How do you tell the difference? This article aims to help your know-how.

  • If it's hot, cool it down & avoid high repair costs! EASY!

    car broke down calling for help

    Repairs are costly and we all want to avoid them including our team here at Oliver Automotive!  It's our job and we take it seriously.  Here, it is all about keeping your car or truck serviced and looking for problems "before" they happen to avoid those high repair costs and ensuring you avoid any breakdowns when it's hot outside or cold outside as either is a problem for our Novato drivers!  Nobody can forsee a flat tire or blowout due to running over a nail, but we can avoid some of the regular issues we see all the time such as....

  • Is "Remanufactured" Worth It?

    mechanic checking list with car hood up

    What does “remanufactured” mean, and is it something you want? At Oliver Automotive in Novato, CA, we strive for great service and a job well done. Part of that is equipping you with the knowledge you need to understand what’s going on when a repair is necessary on your car, truck or SUV. “Remanufactured” is a word that you’ll encounter in the automotive world. Many people perceive that to mean “used”, but that isn’t the case - here’s what you need to know.

  • Is It Time To Replace Your Ball Joints?

    separated ball joint that needs to be replaced

    We know you’re busy. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, CA, we also know that while there are certain issues with your car, truck, or SUV you can ignore for a while, some of them shouldn’t wait. While serious issues are often obvious, sometimes they aren’t - ball joints are one such case.

  • Is It Time To Replace Your Ball Joints?

    separated ball joint that needs to be replaced

    We know you’re busy. At Oliver Automotive in Novato, CA, we also know that while there are certain issues with your car, truck, or SUV you can ignore for a while, some of them shouldn’t wait. While serious issues are often obvious, sometimes they aren’t - ball joints are one such case.

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7417 Redwood Blvd
| Novato, CA

(415) 893-9056
MON-THU | 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
FRIDAYS | 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Weekends | Closed