Vehicle Maintenance

  • What Does a Ball Joint Do?

    ball joint

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, we know you’re busy. 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.

  • What Does That Check Engine Light Mean?

    check engine light on in car dash

    It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, we can help!

  • What Does That Check Engine Light Mean?

    check engine light on dash image

    It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, we can help!

  • What does the PCV System do & why is it important to you?

    emissions testing being done on a vehicle

    On modern vehicles, the PCV system (Positive Crankcase Ventilation System) is essential to ensuring your car or truck is ready to go when you are and remains a long-lasting, reliable vehicle. It’s much more than just emissions control - your PCV system serves multiple purposes and is quite interesting! How does it work, and what are those purposes?  Here at Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, we have those answers for you!

  • What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Oil?

    sludge in the engine image

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, we recommend always making it a priority to change your oil on time. Here’s a look into why it’s so important, and what happens if you don’t keep up with oil changes.

    Sludge - If oil stays in an engine too long, sludge begins to build up anywhere oil can go. The oil absorbs tiny debris and contaminants, kind of like a liquid sponge - once it’s at capacity, that oil begins to stick, clog, and build up throughout the engine. Small veins that carry oil to components like actuators, turbos, and bearings will become blocked, starving critical components of oil and causing component or engine failure.

  • What Is a Shifter Bushing?

    gear shift

    Sometimes your car, truck, or SUV stops performing quite like it used to. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, we can fix that. A simple but common issue on vehicles equipped with a manual transmission is shifter bushing issues. Your shifter has a bushing on the end of it, where it connects to the actual transmission. Its purpose is to provide tight, smooth shifting. 

  • What Is A Short Throw Shifter

    mechanic

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, routine maintenance and repair isn’t the only thing we do. For custom parts installation, you can also count on us. Common modification enthusiasts do is swapping to a short-throw shifter; but what actually is a short-throw shifter, and what does it do?

  • What Is a Transmission “Flush”?

    transmission fluid being poured into vehicle

    You’ve probably heard the term “transmission flush” before at some point in your automotive experience. But what exactly does it mean to have your transmission flushed, and why does it matter? Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA has the answers.

  • What is an ASE Certified Technician and Why Does it Matter?

    mechanic standing in garage and holding wrench

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, quality and precision are our top priority. We specialize in well-engineered performance and luxury vehicles like BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Land Rover, and Subaru - cars and SUVs that require the right touch. For this reason, we employ ASE certified technicians, to guarantee we’re the best in the business.

  • What Makes Up a Transmission - Hydraulic Components

    transmission

    Hydraulic power has a lot to do with how your transmission operates. There are some basic hydraulic components that keep your transmission running smoothly.

  • What To Do When Your Exhaust System is Exhausted

    exhaust coming from a muffler of a truck on the road

    Whether you drive a Duramax, Cummins, or Powerstroke diesel pickup, you have an exhaust system that is prone to failure. When you have a leak that needs attention, Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA can help.

  • What to Know About Your Vehicle's Lights

    Vehicles driving on a highway with headlights on

    All the lights on your vehicle have an important job to do. Brake lights, tail lights, blinkers, reverse lights, and headlights are a crucial part of driving. Lights make you visible, make things visible to you, and allow you to communicate with other drivers. All of a vehicle’s lights make driving easier and safer, and all of them are important...not to mention legally required.

  • What to Look For When Buying a Vehicle

    man holding car keys

    In the market for a new car, truck, or SUV? Used cars aren’t always what they seem; here’s some advice from Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna to make sure you get the used car of your dreams.

  • When and Why Your Vehicle Needs a Tune-up

    man holding spark plug in hands

    Tune-ups are an important and frequently neglected aspect of automotive care. Most drivers don’t really consider the mechanical condition of their car, so long as nothing is wrong with it. However, if a vehicle is tuned-up and maintained correctly, many mechanical failures (and expenses) will be avoided altogether. So whne is the right time to get a tune-up?

  • When is it Time to Test Your Vehicle's Battery?

    Mechanic testing a car's battery

    Chances are you don’t pay much attention to your vehicle’s battery until it dies, when you get to perform the dreary dual task of waiting for a jump while simultaneously calling for an appointment to get a new battery fitted. Of course, that’s if you’re sure it’s the battery that’s dead in the first place. The only way to be certain is to take it in to be tested. However, it generally helps to know the health of your vehicle battery prior to finding yourself stranded.

  • When To Run Diagnostics On Your Vehicle

    Modern vehicles are becoming increasingly complex, and as a result, computer diagnostic systems are becoming a necessity rather than a convenience. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, our state of the art technology and trained technicians are ready to diagnose any transmission issue you may be experiencing with your car, truck, or SUV.

  • When Was The Last Time You Got Your Oil Changed?

    oil being poured into car

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, we do our best to keep you on the road. A huge part of being able to do that is proper vehicle maintenance; when was the last time you changed your oil?

  • Where Did Speed Limits Come From?

    maximum speed 55 sign

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, the history of cars is a huge topic of interest to us. Here’s an interesting piece of automotive trivia, from us to you.

  • Where's that loud noise coming from?

    heavily worn ball joint

    Whether you drive a Porsche, Audi, BMW, Subaru, Land Rover, or other performance and luxury vehicles, your ball joints are an essential part of your car or SUVs performance and safety. From us at Ponci's Diesel Center, here’s what to watch out for, to make sure your ball joints are in shape and ready to go. 

  • Why Do Transmissions Break?

    transmission

    Transmissions are complex, and over time they will wear out and eventually break. Knowing what to look for will play a key role in preventing your transmission from failing prematurely. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA we want to give you some insight on how your transmission works and how it can fail.

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Ponci's Diesel Center

770 S Fortuna Blvd
Fortuna, CA 95540
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location small (800) 575-0229
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SHOP HOURS

We are now open on Fridays!
MON-THURS: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
FRI: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WEEKENDS: CLOSED