Huntington Beach Auto Repair

My first experience with automotive air conditioning repair was 30 years ago in Santa Ana. I was fortunate to get a gentleman in my employ with over 30 years experience. We worked together over 17 years before he retired. He taught me a bunch, I taught him only a few things, we both learned even more. Together we made a knowledgeable team. New car dealerships and other shops would bring difficult AC jobs to us for diagnosis and completion. We have repaired components others replace, saving the customer money. I've taught my crew how to do it, and they are now skilled automotive air conditioner technicians

What's the difference? 134A was designed as replacement for R12 (used in vehicles for decades) that would not destroy the OZONE layer. The overall working properties are within 5 to 20% of R12. The majority of the time the new 134A will work just as well as the old R12. We still carry R12 to keep the purists happy. The disadvantages of the new 134A are: The molecules are smaller so it may leak out quicker. TThe high side pressures works higher so it may wear down the compressor quicker, especially in higher ambient temperatures. TIt is not as efficient at higher ambient temperatures so it may not “cool” as well by 5 to 20%, especially when driving slower. Now this aspect is the one that drives me crazy! It is harder to detect leaks in a 134A system than the old R12 systems. Not impossible (for other shops it seems to be), just tougher, especially the leaks that take 6 months or more to leak out. Good news, the advantages are enough to be ... read more

Family Auto Repair. It seems this is the category that we have fallen into. Recently I met Tom at a local store. As one of our long-term customers we quickly reviewed the health of all the family's vehicles. It occurred to us that we have been maintaining one particular Toyota over 25 years! Originally I had repaired the Air Conditioning and soon after Tom brought the car in for other services. The other family's cars soon followed. The wife's, the son's, his sister's and even Tom's Father's car. In a quick review of my long-term customers we saw this as a common pattern. We thank the good people of Huntington Beach, Westminster and Fountain Valley area for their patronage and trust

Your car did not pass smog. Now what? Many reasons for a vehicle not to pass smog or a check engine light that is on. Most of the time when a late model vehicle is running trouble free it will give optimum mileage and "pass smog". However it can be less than perfect according to the tight California clean air regulations. The diagnostics can be simple to complex. The repair can be inexpensive to over several hundred dollars. We pride ourselves at both diagnostics and repair. Please call and ask any questions you may have

One of our favorite cars, as well as our customers. Durable, good mileage, cost effective, easy to drive and good resale value. Many of our familygroup customers have at least one Camry that is handed down from Dad to grand Son or Daughter. At last count over 60 Camrys have come to us. Tom first brought his to us in 1995 for Air Conditioning work. Since then we have done all that needs attention for long life. Never failed on him, and is now a first car for his Grandson. It has over 275,000 miles and runs great. 300,000 miles or more can be expected from this car and we know it can be done

Is now passed as of April 2013. We have known Gary and Dwight over 20 years and wish them the best. There was always a friendly rapport between us. We were Bolsa Radiator, evolving into general auto repair over 10 years ago, now as HB Auto & AC. We still have all the equipment and knowledge to properly service any and all of your Radiator related repairs and needs. We can now say we have more experience with Radiators, Automotive & Truck Cooling Systems and diagnosis than anybody in Huntington Beach. I don't care what a certain little guy says. Our experience allows us to diagnose, repair (sometimes rather than replace, saving you money), maintain and service these systems to the advantage and savings of our customers. After 20 years ownership of one of the most popular radiator shops in Orange County, we know what we are doing. Some of our customers have been coming to us over 30 years since first starting with us as Bolsa Radiator. Over the past 10 years we expanded o ... read more

If you have a wonderful power enhancing TURBO booster on your vehicle, you've got more power and better mileage than someone with the same vehicle without one. I loved the high pitch scream that the older Indianapolis race cars gave as they flew around the track. They outlawed them because of the extreme speeds the cars were reaching, upwards to 240 miles per hour!! Wow! We've repaired our share of turbos and have become familiar with them. The repairs can be expensive and necessary for the vehicle to pass smog. We recommend a few steps to insure long life for turbos.... Allow a few minutes to get the oil pressure and temperature up before driving vehicle. If possible a few moments to cool down when you stop motor. A turbo can turn over three time the highest RPM a motor can atain and needs a little consideration. On some exotic vehicles there is a built in system to allow the motor to cool down AFTER YOU TURN THE KEY OFF!!! The car can be locked up and parked but the motor ... read more

We've had an affinity for these vehicles as with many Chrysler products. Our ASE certified technicians have done ALL repairs related to the "PT". Andrew wanted me to specifically request more work on the PT so I am doing so at this writing. If you have any questions regarding this vehicle feel free to drop in or call

Don't repair it, lets' maintain it. It will cost you less, be less work for us, allow your vehicle to reach over 200,000 miles. They are built better than before so let's get all we can from them. Your owners manual will give you an idea of what should be attended to. PLEASE NOTE, we are shocked to find some recommended services lacking!!!! One of the most important and ignored systems in a car was not mentioned at all in a customers owners manual till 100,000 miles!!! This was in a high end popular European brand!! It needed critical repair at only 60,000 miles, and at 5 years of age. The cooling system failed. Remember, the number one reason for on the road failure is a cooling system failure, after tires and running out of gas. We had always thought that ALL VEHICLES need some maintenance at 30,000 to 40,000 miles or four years if you want long life. After talking with many other shop owners and combined 60 years experience of our own, we can recommend a comprehensive mainte ... read more

Simply stated, we have more experience with Coolant Leaks, Water Pumps, Radiators, Automotive & Truck Cooling Systems, repair and diagnosis than just about anybody in Huntington Beach. I don't care what that little guy says. Chris has probably replaced more water pumps than any one you know. Our experience allows us to diagnose, repair (sometimes rather than replace, saving you money), maintain and service these systems to the advantage and savings of our customers. After 20 years ownership of one of the most popular radiator shops in Orange County, we know what we are doing. Some of our customers have been coming to us over 25 years since first starting with us as Bolsa Radiator. Since 2000, we expanded our services to retain customer loyalty to include complete service and repair of their cars and trucks. Our single minded expertise as cooling system specialists is extended to include services and repair to keep ALL our customers on the road. Don't forget, the single most ... read more