Vehicle Maintenance

  • How Critical Are Belts On Your Vehicle?

    drive belt

    Your drive belts are simple but integral components to the function of your car, truck, or SUV. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, belts are one of the first things we assess when looking over a vehicle, as they alone are in charge of operating your AC, water pump, alternator, and power steering.

  • 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. Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA can help you take care of your car as soon as you notice a problem.

  • How do Manual Transmissions Work?

    gear shift with hand on it

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, we know that transmissions are one of the greatest technological marvels of the automotive world. How does a standard shift transmission work? Why should you care? Our expert technicians here at Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna have the answers.

  • How Do You Maintain Your Engine?

    man working on car with hood up

    No matter what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive, maintenance is the key to giving your engine a long life. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, we focus on keeping your engine running strong.

  • 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 Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, 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 Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, 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 Keep Your Older Vehicle in The Best Shape!

    Tail lights on bumper of older car

    As your vehicle ages, it not only gains sentimental value but a number of maintenance measures arise as well. Vehicles from previous decades have the potential to keep their value and functionality for many years. But how can you make that possible? Here are some tips from Ponci's Diesel Center to keep your older vehicle running and on the road for a long time!

  • How to Reduce Your Vehicle Maintenance Costs

    Man working under the hood of his vehicle

    If you want to avoid nasty and unexpected surprise maintenance costs, sticking to a regimented schedule of preventative maintenance is something you are going to want to get used to. The reason being is simple – frequent maintenance will keep your vehicle in good health, ensuring you get the most out of all those expensive-to-replace parts. While it might sound counterintuitive, the best way to reduce maintenance costs is to stick to a prescribed maintenance schedule.

  • How To Retain Your Car’s Resale Value

    car with for sale sign on the window

    If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, there are important points to remember in preserving not only your car or SUV, but it's resale value as well. Luxury and performance vehicles depreciate more quickly than other cars. Many who own these cars like to have the newest and the best of the best. In that way, the odds are stacked against you when trying to get a good price for your car. Fortunately, Ponci's Diesel Center has some steps you can take to ensure you get the most for your car when it’s time to sell. 

  • How To Test Your Shocks

    shocks

    Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, 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...Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna has the info you need to properly jump start your car.

  • How Valve Adjustments Can Keep Your Vehicle Going

    valves on a vehicle

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, our main goal is to keep your car, truck, or SUV always performing at its best. Valve adjustments are an integral aspect of that goal.

  • How You Can Retain Your Vehicle’s Resale Value

    vehicles lined up

    If you own or operate any type of vehicle, you understand the importance of resale value. Some owners keep the same vehicle until it’s time for the scrap yard, but by and large it makes more sense to sell a vehicle and replace it at a certain point. From Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, here’s how to make sure you get the most cash possible when it’s time for your vehicles to hit the auction block or when you're ready to sell it to its next owner.

  • 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.

  • If Your Airbag Light Is On, Have it Taken Care of ASAP

    deployed airbag in car

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, we believe it’s important for you to know how different systems in your car, truck, or SUV operate. Whether you want to know what to watch out for, or you’re just curious about how things work, we’re here to supply the answers.

  • Importance Of Replacing Your Filters

    air filter

    At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, we see a lot of dirty filters. Oil filters typically get replaced with each oil change, but air, fuel, and cabin filters last a long time. As such, they are often neglected until well after they’ve run their course. Here’s why you should care:

  • Is it a bad brake master cylinder or something else

    mechanic repairing brakes on a vehicle

    The time to know if your brakes are going bad is NOT when you go to stop at that red light or on the parkway when someone suddenly swerves in front of you.  It's not always "just" brake pads either, your brake master cylinder could be an issue. How do you recognize the signs that you have a real problem with your brake master cylinder and just what is it?   Here atPonci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA we not only have the answers, but we also put together a service schedule for you and keep an eye on issues based on your driving habits, vehicle type and your description of issues you are having.  We treat your car, truck or SUV as if it were ours keeping you informed of issues we find so you can get them fixed "before" there are larger repair bills so you can keep your vehicle Newer - Longer!   Below is everything you need to look for and tips on your brake master cylinder.

  • Is it necessary to warm up your car?

    car on road

    If you drive a performance car or SUV, you want to take every measure possible to ensure it stays in good shape and running well. For many drivers of precision-engineered vehicles like BMW, Audi, Porsche, Subaru, etc., warming up the engine is a part of taking care of your vehicle. But is it necessary?

  • Is it ok to idle?

    push to start button on vehicle

    With temperatures dropping around the country, it’s understandably tempting to let your car or SUV idle to stay warm. At Ponci's Diesel Center in Fortuna, CA, one of our goals is to keep you informed on how to best care for your performance and luxury vehicles. 

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Ponci's Diesel Center

770 S Fortuna Blvd
Fortuna, CA 95540
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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