Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

Here's a guy you might recognize, This is Adam Winget, he's been working here with us at Automotive Magic since 2020 (his senior year in high school.) He began working with the technicians and performing quality control inspections on the vehicles, which included the "Magic Touch" wiping down the interiors and giving the windows a little shine before returning it back to the client.   Adam has always paid a lot of attention to detail and is a bit of a perfectionist. That's why he's transitioning into the marketing department here at Automotive Magic. With his creativity and eagerness to learn, we feel that this will be a great move for him. He hopes to own a business of his own in the future.  Adam loves taking photos and traveling and has just returned from a cross-country adventure with his brother and sister-in-law. He enjoys spending time with his friends and family and loves being outside and active. From hiki ... read more

2017 Ford Fusion with multiple different electronic issues, from lights and dashboard not working, radio acting weird, and many little random glitches that don't add up. Our technician was able to diagnose the issue and deemed it to be CAN bus-related. These issues are normally very difficult to diagnose or even impossible for some without proper training and experience.     These days, all modern vehicles, from conventional combustion-powered cars to the latest EVs, feature a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. It's the electronic communication system that lets everything  be able to talk to each other including the engine, transmission, body control, and even brakes. It works the same way a computer communicates with its own parts, with 0's and 1's. Literally, multiple pulses or pauses  of electricity (0110101001) just like Morse code. Computers are ab ... read more

It happens to all of us. Yes, we all get older, but that isn’t what I’m talking about. What happens to all of us is emissions checks. Some of us do it more frequently than others… if your vehicle is new. The older your vehicle gets, the more often the state requires us to check our rides. I have to look up where to go for the emissions check. Golly, something that is required becomes so much work! What if it didn’t have to be another chore to do? What if you could get your vehicle repaired and inspected at the same place!? Oh my gosh, that would be awesome! Does such a place exist?? Yes, it does! At Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber we can do it all! When the time rolls around, and you get the letter in the mail to get your vehicle inspected, it can be easy. You’re reading this so you’re already being educated in the importance of maintenance. The stress of &ldqu ... read more

If you have ever felt uncomfortable when you have brought your car in for service, you might just be a perfect participant in our car clinics.  With vehicles today, there are so many things to consider. We understand that you want to get in your car and go and not have to worry about whether it's going to reliably get you to your destination. That’s why we’re here, it’s our job to make sure that your vehicle is running at its best performance. And, there are some things that you can do that should the occasion arise you are prepared with some very useful information. That’s exactly why we offer our car clinic. This last clinic was especially for the ladies. Many times when we sit with our customers (more often the women) we hear them express the want to know more about their vehicles and have the knowledge and know how to handle some unexpected situations. So, we created this hands-on seminar, to enlighten you and help you to be a l ... read more

Tis the season to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for and to share in the joy and the spirit of Christmas. While you are scouring the stores for that perfect gift for your loved one, please consider those who are less fortunate. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to making a child's Christmas special.  This season Automotive Magic and Magic Lube & Rubber are drop locations for the Marine Toys For Tots. 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of this amazing giving opportunity and we are so happy that we are helping build awareness and support the many children that may otherwise go without gifts this Christmas.   Toys for Tots also provides support year-round to less fortunate families experiencing challenges and exceptional circumstances, thus sending a message of hope beyond the holiday season. It is such experiences that help children become responsible citizens and caring m ... read more

For Novembers Repair of The Month, we have a 2014 Dodge Charger 3.6L Pentastar that came in with an underperforming and ticking engine. The ticking sound was caused by a seized lifter which in turn, grinds down the camshaft lobe as you can see in one picture. When this happens, the valve does not open fully which dramatically hurts fuel efficiency and engine performance. If ignored too long a large amount of metal shavings will make their way throughout the entire engines oil system causing catastrophic engine failure. Our technician was easily able to diagnose and identify the issue.  And with a fresh camshaft and all new lifter and rocker arms, this engine was back to full performance, reliability and fuel efficiency in no time! 4 While we were there the customer also agreed to freshen up the timing components, replacing the timing chains, guides, and tensioners. These are common issues with these engines stemming from lack of maintenance, poor design and location of the engi ... read more

One of the merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America is for Automotive Maintenance. The requirements for this merit badge include safety equipment, tools,and clothing used while checking or repairing a motor vehicle.  Other requirements are understanding general maintenance, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, understanding the vehicle dashboard, tires, engine, cooling system, fuel system, ignition and electrician systems, drive train, and brake system.  The scouts were also required to install the spare tire on a vehicle. Here at Automotive Magic in Kenvil we hosted this merit badge with the assistance of the merit badge counselor, Brian Kallok, and our General Manager, Albert Stashluk. The scouts had a great environment learning these skills in an actual automotive repair facility being hands-on under the hood of the car, inside the vehicle interior, and experiencing the underbody of a vehicle that was lifted in the air. The scout learned about cars and even e ... read more

This guy right here has some magic up his sleeves and then some! Meet Joshua (Josh) Occhiuzzo, He’s our newest addition to the Magic Lube and Rubber Team. Josh is a graduate of the automotive program at Universal Technical Institute. He brings with him over five years of automotive experience. Josh gained most of his hands-on experience from dealerships such as Honda, Kia and Hyundai, so he has a great deal of knowledge that he brings to the table. Josh loves a challenge and is always striving to learn and grow every day.      He enjoys fixing anything that has an engine and spends countless hours doing just that.  When he’s not fixing, fixing, and fixing some more, he enjoys video games and riding ATVs or Dirt bikes with his brother. Josh resides in Blairstown, NJ and it’s the perfect setting for him because he loves the great outdoors and nature. He’s a real family guy and spending time with his family, friends, and his girlfriend April ... read more

Here is just one example of how routinely maintaining your vehicle can help to prevent bigger problems in the future. For this particular repair, Jay, our ASE Master certified technician took on this challenge and was able to bring this vehicle back to life. 14 Dodge Ram Promaster 3.6 Liter V6 with under 100k miles. These engines have common issues with the Lifters seizing causing a tick. If that tick is ignored too long the camshaft lobe starts to grind away as you see here. When this happens metal shavings are thrown throughout the entire engine. This customer decided to go the right way with a full new engine replacement. Although sometimes you can get away with replacing the camshaft and lifters and flushing the engine oil, but this is only hoping the rest of the engine isn't too worn out from all the metal shavings and is not recommended. Although this is a very common issue on multiple different e ... read more

  As you know, Automotive Magic prides itself on the people we have on our team. Each one of our crew brings their own unique set of skills and insights that help make the Magic happen.  Over the last few months, we’ve increased and improved our family. With Magic Lube and Rubber finishing off its second month in business we’re really excited that we have in place what we would consider a dream team. And we’ve also filled some pretty significant shoes at the Automotive Magic location as well. If you are at all familiar with darts, we hit a hat trick with this group of gentlemen.  Let's start off with Brandon Birmingham, our new service consultant over at Automotive Magic. Brandon is currently studying at Stratford University. He’s studying automotive and once his education is complete, he’ll have earned his certification as an automotive technician. Brandon is from Budd Lake, NJ, and as a wee little guy he’s always been ... read more