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Expert Guide to Car Radiator Repair and Maintenance

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:03:20 GMT

Quality car radiator repair by Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Expert insights and tips on maintaining your vehicle's health. Visit us today!

Mastering Your Vehicle's Brake Care: Essential Tips from Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:58:38 GMT

Discover top-tier brake repair at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Ensure your safety with our expert services. Schedule an appointment today!

Understanding Belts & Hoses: Essential Automotive Care in Phoenix, AZ

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:04:05 GMT

Maximize auto performance with Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Discover expert tips on belt & hose maintenance. Schedule an online appointment now!

Mastering Auto Electrical Repairs for a Reliable Ride

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:02:15 GMT

Discover top-notch auto electrical repair at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Let us keep your car running smoothly. Schedule an online appointment now.

Stay Cool with Expert Auto A/C Repair Services at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:04:49 GMT

Top-rated auto A/C repair at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Trust our expertise to keep your car cool. Visit us today for premium service!

Mastering Engine Repair: Your Guide to Optimal Car Performance in Phoenix, AZ

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 09:04:16 GMT

Discover top-notch engine repair services at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Trust our expertise for unparalleled auto care. Schedule an online appointment now.

Everything You Need to Know About Car Radiator Repair at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:05:00 GMT

Expert car radiator repair in Phoenix at Virginia Auto Service. Trusted auto care with top-quality services. Schedule an online appointment now!

The Ultimate Guide to Brake Repair: Trust Your Vehicle to Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:05:09 GMT

Discover expert brake repair services at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Ensure your safety on the road! Visit us today.

The Essential Guide to Automotive Belts and Hoses

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 09:03:59 GMT

Discover essential insights on belts & hoses by Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Ensure your car runs smoothly. Visit us today!

Understanding Auto Electrical Repair: A Guide for Phoenix Drivers

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 09:04:34 GMT

Discover top-notch auto electrical repair at Virginia Auto Service in Phoenix, AZ. Get expert care for your vehicle's electrical system. Schedule an appointment now!

Keep Your Cool: Expert Guide to Auto A/C Repair with Virginia Auto Service

Mon, 12 May 2025 09:04:43 GMT

Expert auto A/C repair in Phoenix by Virginia Auto Service. Stay cool on the road with our trusted services. Visit us today for quality care!

Walnut Blasting and Carbon Build Up Removalv

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:46:12 GMT

How Does Walnut Blasting Work?

Walnut blasting is when crushed up walnuts are blown into the car’s engine with an air compressor. It works like a sand blaster, except that if sand gets inside of your car’s engine, it will wreck the engine. That’s why they use crushed up walnut shells.

Basically it’s done by removing the intake manifold and blasting it with crushed walnut shells and compressed air, and blasting away all of the carbon build up so your car performs like it was supposed to.

The walnut blasting is a good way to do it, however, what we’ve found is that it often misses those hard to reach places in the engine including the valves and the rings.

The Best Way to Remove Carbon Build Up – It’s Not Walnut Blasting

We’ve found that you need to get the whole system clean for your car to drive efficiently; including the rings, the valves, the intake manifold. It’s going to require an oil change at the same time as well as the spark plugs.

Walnut blasting isn’t able to reach all of the hard-to-reach areas of the engine where the carbon is caked on. So we use a chemical carbon build up removal process that just melts all that carbon goo away. And because we’re putting that chemical into the engine and the combustion chamber and we’re getting the compression rates back up.

Intake valve after carbon build up removal.

How Much Does Walnut Blasting or Carbon Removal Cost?

Prices range from 700-$1200. It depends on the make and model of your vehicle and the size of the engine, i.e. V6, V8, etc.

How Often Does Does Carbon Need to Be Removed from your engine?

It depends on a variety of factors; Your driving habits, the quality of gas you use, how well you take care of your car…etc. Some dealers would say however, that it should first be done between 22,000 and 40,000 miles.

What are the results of carbon build up?

Loss of power which can be unnoticed because it’s a gradual loss over time, engine misfire, not specific to a cylinder, random engine misfires, check engine light codes, P0300, P301, P302.

Other symptoms of carbon build up include: Check engine light, sluggishness, extended starting times, extended cranking, cold weather startup affected.

Is your car experiencing sluggishness or any of the other symptoms of carbon build up? Or did the dealer recommend walnut blasting?

Bring it in to Virginia Auto Service for a free second opinion or contact us to get a free estimate for carbon build up removal.

602-266-0200.

48 Interesting Facts About Arizona

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:42:55 GMT

Everyone knows that February 14 th is special for lovers, but for Arizona, it holds another important meaning. It was 105 years ago, on February 14, 1912, that Arizona became the 48 th state in the Union.

To honor our home state on its birthday, we thought it would be fun to share some facts about it. Some you may know, others you may not, in any case, it is all good fun.

Here are 48 interesting facts about Arizona:

Arizona was the last of the contiguous United States to be made a state.
A person from Arizona is called an Arizonan.
Cattle, cotton, copper, citrus, and climate -also known as the five C’s- were the building blocks of Arizona.
Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
The geographic center of Arizona is 55 miles (89 kilometers) southeast of Prescott.
The Capitol building’s roof is made up of enough copper to make 4.8 million pennies.
Ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote across the United States. However, in Arizona, women earned the right to vote eight years earlier in November of 1912.
Arizona has the largest percentage of Native American lands, with nearly one-fourth of the state being reservation land.
There are currently 22 sovereign American Indian communities in Arizona.
Arizona is the sixth largest state, in area, falling behind Alaska, Texas, California, Montana and New Mexico. Arizona is close to 114,000 square miles. It is around 340 miles wide and 400 miles in length.
All six states of New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) plus the state of Pennsylvania would fit inside of Arizona.
Only about 17 percent of Arizona is privately owned. The rest of the state consists of forest and park lands, state trust lands, and Native American reservations.
Of the 50 states, Arizona is the 15th most populous with over 6.7 million people.
The world’s best-preserved meteor crater is found in Winslow, Arizona.
You won’t find any dinosaur fossils in the walls of the Grand Canyon because the rocks are a lot older than the oldest known dinosaurs. There are, however, fossils of things like corals, crinoids, sponges, and trilobites.
Arizona’s last volcanic eruption occurred between D. 1080 and 1150, creating Sunset Crater near Flagstaff.
Because of its diverse geography and climate, Arizona can yield both the highest and lowest temperatures in the country on the same day.
In Phoenix and Tucson, the sun shines 85 percent of the year. That is even more than Hawaii and Florida.
The official state gemstone of Arizona is Turquoise.
The Arizona Trout can only be found in Arizona and is also the official state fish.
The official state tree is the Palo Verde. The name means “green stick.”
Arizona’s official state flower is the saguaro cactus blossom. The flower usually blooms on the tips of the saguaro cactus during the months of May and June.
The official state bird of Arizona is the cactus wren, which loves to build their nests in the protection of the thorny arms of the saguaro cactus.
The saguaro cactus is the largest American cactus, and it is also considered endangered. If you cut down endangered cactus like the saguaro in Arizona, you could face up to a year behind bars.
With 13 species of rattlesnake residing in Arizona, it has more rattlesnake species than any other state. The Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake is the official state reptile.
Arizona is famous for the Petrified Forest, so it comes as no surprise that petrified wood is the official state fossil.
Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time year-round and does not observe daylight savings time, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, located in the northeast corner of the state. The only other state that does not observe daylight savings time is Hawaii.
The World’s Oldest Rodeo is held in Prescott, Arizona every July. The oldest continuous rodeo is in Payson.
Arizona, along with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, is a part of the Four Corners. A place in the United States where a person can stand in four states and the same time.
There are three national parks, six state forests, 18 national monuments (more than any other state), and 28 state parks in Arizona.
Kitts Peak National Observatory, near Tucson, is the home of the world’s largest solar telescope.
The largest unbroken Ponderosa pine forest in the U.S. is in Arizona. Around one-fourth of the state is covered by forest growth.
The West’s most famous shoot-out, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, took place in Tombstone, Arizona. It lasted for only around 30 seconds.
There are more golf courses than Scotland and more mountains than Switzerland located in Arizona.
The Southern Pacific Railroad connected Arizona with the eastern states in 1926.
The original London Bridge now calls Arizona home. It was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
The name “Arizona” originated from the Spanish name, Arizonac, which in turn derived from the O’odham name “alĭ ṣonak” (meaning “small spring”).
The two largest man-made lakes in the U.S. are found in Arizona- Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
The Arizona flag has 13 rays of red and gold/yellow on its top half, symbolizing the original 13 states in the Union as well as Arizona’s sunsets. The copper star at the center of the flag represents Arizona’s copper mining industry. The blue one the bottom half represents the Colorado River. The red and blue shades on the Arizona flag are the same as the red and blue found on the flag of the United States.
The hottest recorded temperature in Arizona was 128 degrees in Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994.
The coldest recorded temperature in Arizona was -40 degrees, recorded January 7, 1971, at Hawley Lake.
With 3,928 mountain peaks and summits, Arizona has more mountains than any of the other mountain states (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming).
Humphrey’s Peak is Arizona’s highest point, coming in at 12,633 feet.
The Four Peaks area of the Matzanal Mountains produces top-quality amethysts.
Phoenix originated as a hay camp to supply Camp McDowell in 1866.
The Tonto Natural Bridge, near Payson, is thought to be the world’s largest natural travertine bridge. The bridge was discovered in 1877 and is 400 feet long and 183 feet high.
It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water in Arizona.
The land area that is now known as Arizona had the Castilian and Burgundian flags of Spain, the Mexican flag, and the Confederate flag flown over it at one point in time.

As you can see, we love Arizona. More than that, we love the people of Arizona, and we take pride in our part in keeping them safe on the roads. For high-quality auto repair services, give the experts at Virginia Auto Service a try. Call (602) 266-0200 or schedule an appointment online.

4 Signs Your Coolant Temperature Sensor is Faulty

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:41:12 GMT

The coolant temperature sensor is responsible for monitoring the temperature of the coolant in your car engine.

Monitoring of the engine coolant is necessary as the engine’s fuel requirements are higher when it is cold, and lower when the engine is warm.

Upon measuring the coolant temperature, the sensor passes on a signal to the car’s computer. This signal is then used to adjust both the engine timing and fuel injection. This allows for optimal engine performance.

If the computer detects that the engine is heating up too much, the performance settings will be adjusted to prevent overheating.

Faulty Coolant Temperature Sensor – 4 Common Symptoms

It’s important to know that if the coolant temperature sensor of your car is failing, it could damage your car engine. Don’t ignore the following signs–

Fuel Consumption Increases

One of the very first indications that you might have a faulty coolant temperature sensor is when you notice a drop to your fuel economy. The reason this happens is as follows:

The faulty sensor might send a wrong signal to the computer, leading to a miscalculation in the engine timing and fuel calculation.
If the computer keeps receiving a cold signal from the faulty sensor, it will interpret this as if the engine is cold and continue to inject more fuel.
This action will not only lead to poor fuel economy but more importantly, it can impact engine performance.

Check Engine Light Flashes

If your check engine light starts flashing, this could also indicate a faulty coolant temperature sensor. Any time this warning light comes on, our advice to car owners is to have it checked out immediately to avoid potential engine trouble.

If you are unable to figure out the trigger for the “check engine light” warning, visit a professional mechanic as soon as possible.

Engine Overheating

If the coolant temperature sensor malfunctions, it could cause your car engine to get overheated. While sometimes a faulty sensor sends a permanent cold signal to the engine, it can also send a permanent hot signal.

The computer will again miscalculate the signal and cause the engine to heat up instead of cooling it down. When this happens, the car might misfire, or it could lead to engine knocking.

Black Smoke from the Exhaust

Black smoke coming out of your car’s exhaust pipe could be another indication that your car’s coolant temperature sensor is faulty or failing. Here’s what happens:

Faulty readings from the coolant temperature sensor can cause the engine to miscalculate the air-fuel mix in the engine.
Any time the air-fuel mix ratio is not in proportion, and if the fuel mixture becomes too rich, the fuel will not be able to burn up inside the combustion chamber.
As a result, the fuel will burn up in the car’s exhaust pipes which causes the exhaust to release black smoke.
If the amount of black smoke coming from a car is excessive, it is best not to attempt to drive the car.
If you notice this with your car, get your car checked out by a pro ASAP.

Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs

The coolant temperature sensor is a crucial component for ensuring your engine performs at an optimal level. It is based on the signals from the sensor that the car computer calculates engine timing and fuel injection. If the signal is wrong, this important calculation will be misjudged.

If you notice any of the above signs, have your car checked immediately to avoid potential engine trouble.

Reliable Car Maintenance with Professional Auto Experts!

If you suspect a coolant temperature sensor issue, visit us at Virginia Auto Service for a fast diagnosis and resolution of the problem. If you need any other car repair service or even if you are looking for routine maintenance, we can help.

Give us a call today at 602-266-0200 or schedule a visit with us online at your convenience.