Boise Auto Repair

We frequently use computers to diagnose and repair cars. Just today, one of our auto repair technicians used a laptop to reinstall the operating system for a car's onboard computer. Another shop installed a new alternator and shortly afterward the customer came to us with a computer problem, which was causing the battery light to stay on. After testing, we discovered we had to replace the computer hardware and reprogram it. Like other jobs, ours is becoming very technology-oriented and troubleshooting, diagnosing and repair of automobile computers is crucial. Our repair staff has received specialized training on car computer systems from ASE Certifications and several are Master Technicians. ... read more

Wash my engine? Seriously? A customer recently asked us how often he should wash his engine. His feeling was that it didn’t ever need to be washed, since no one ever saw it. That’s not true, though. You might not ever see your engine, but your auto repair technician does. We sometimes spend a fair amount of time cleaning dirt and oil from engines, delaying our work and reducing our effectiveness. We do this because on a clean motor, it is much easier to spot leaks, cracks and wear. With an extremely dirty motor, it is hard to spot damage, whether we’re looking for a specific problem or just doing an inspection. Dirt hides many of these problems. In extreme cases, heavy dirt buildup could aggravate overheating problems. We’d recommend a good engine wash twice a year, although once a year would do for most people. Many car washes do this as a service and prices vary. We are familiar with J’s Ultima ... read more

Every now and then, someone comes along who shakes up your idea of why you're in business and helps you appreciate what you can do for people. One of our customers, Thomas Besteder, got us and several other local businesses involved in an effort to help a co-worker of his in serious need. Thomas works at Kimco Design and Manufacturing and noticed his co-worker, Arnold Terrell, was missing work. After asking about it, Thomas found out that Arnold's wife had become seriously ill and he was spending time taking her to and from medical appointments. At the same time, Arnold's 1978 Toyota pickup was in need of repair, including tires. "Someone from work asked if I'd be willing to help out becau se they knew that I am good at hitting the streets and talking to people to get some charity action started," said Thomas. "People come to me all the time to see if I can help them with situations because they know I help a lot of people ... read more

One of our customers purchased a late-model SUV for $8,000 for it in January, buying it from the previous owner. It's in our shop now, needing about $4,000 in repairs. The repairs wouldn't have been too hard to find. The buyers, however, didn't get the car inspected and purchased it as-is and now they're going to get a huge repair bill. The irony is that all of this could have been avoided with a vehicle inspection, for which we charge $70 to $140, depending on the complexity of the work. If you're really serious about buying a vehicle, get it inspected. If you bring a used car to us, we won't charge you for the inspection if we recommend you not buy it. If we recommend you buy it, we will charge for the inspection. One recent customer brought us six vehicles to inspect and we only charged for the sixth one, which we found to be in good mechanical condition. If you're really serious about selling a vehicle, get it inspected. Buyers understand any used vehicle is going t ... read more

Commercial cars and trucks are different At Plantation Tune Tech, we are proud to take care of many commercial vehicles. We maintain work trucks for Wright Brothers Construction, the City of Eagle, St. Vincent De Paul, Budget Truck Rental and the U.S. Forest Service. Commercial vehicles tend to get harder use, like a Forest Service truck that is called to help with fire duty on steep mountain terrain, in hot temperatures and around lots of dirt and dust. They require regular inspections and maintenance that must be documented. Urban delivery trucks and municipal cars also get hard use, carrying heavy loads in start-and-stop traffic. We understand that commercial vehicles are very important to businesses. If your delivery van or maintenance truck isn't working, that's lost money and disappointed customers, both bad for business. If you have a local business and rely on your vehicles, consider Plantation Tune Tech for your maintenance needs ... read more

We know auto repairs hit at inconvenient times. Also, we know many people put off maintenance because of the cost. So we have this coupon for $10 off any service over $100. Now there's even less reason to put off your much-needed repairs! Print off and bring in with your car. Offer expires Saturday, June 9. Print this coupon and present for $10 off any service over

Plantation Tune Tech uses genuine BG products At Plantation Tune Tech, we are proud to stock BG Products, including the 44K Fuel Additive. Gasoline is an organic substance and leaves behind carbon-based residue when burned. BG 44K removes these deposits in combustion chambers, intake manifolds, ports and on valves. It restores flow in fuel injectors and cleans the entire fuel system, which promotes better mileage. Martin Johncox, with our Boise marketing and social media consulting firm Alexander and Associates, recently tried out a can of 44K in his 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan and here's his review

Click this coupon and print it for a $5 discount on your next oil change at Plantation Tune Tech An oil change at Plantation Tune Tech is better than another shop’s because we use BG products. In automotive, industrial, and heavy-equipment applications, the products of BG have shown themselves to be innovative, well made, protective of the environment, and attuned to the task at hand. They perform as promised. They do the job

Since Jan. 1, we've only had two days where the temperature reached above freezing and it's regularly been in the single digits and teens. Cold weather reduces a battery's effectiveness and a dead battery could endanger your life if you're stranded in freezing weather. This article at Fifthgear sums it up well. Cold weather reduces a battery's ability to hold a charge and to accept recharging (really hot weather is just as bad but we'll get into that later). Modern cars especially have lots of electronics that suck battery power as well. Stop by Plantation Tune Tech any time and we will check your battery's condition for free. You can trust us not to try and sell you a product you don't need. If your battery is fine, we'll send you on your way. If your battery is old, damaged or at risk of failing, we can also help with a replacement and we can installed ... read more

Cold weather is brutal on cars. Oils thicken and take longer to reach engine components and lubricate, metal and rubber hoses become more brittle and more subject to breakage and stress. Batteries lose power. In the old days, it was common advice to warm up your car before driving off, to give it a chance to get used to the cold. That was necessary for older fuel injection systems but in modern cars, a warm up is no longer a necessity. However, we do recommend people give their cars a three-minute warmup. This gives oils a chance to become thinner and reach all the way into the engine. Hoses become more flexible and less likely to crack. Letting the car sit and warm up gives this a chance to happen, before putting additional load on the engine, brakes, transmission and drive train through movement. Plugging into an engine heater also isn't a bad idea, if your car has one