Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

Our Repair of the Month for October features a 2017 Jeep Wrangler 3.6L V6 with 85,000 miles the customer reported the vehicle was smoking and overheating, but there was no sign of coolant leakage, even though the coolant level was low. In light of this information, we conducted a chemical test to determine if there was an internal coolant leakage in the engine. The test confirmed the presence of exhaust gas in the coolant, which is typically an indication of a bad head gasket or a crack in one or both of the heads (top half of the motor). When the head gasket is damaged, exhaust gas leaks into the coolant system, and the coolant leaks into the motor, where it mixes with engine oil. We confirmed that the head gasket was defective and removed the motor and removed the heads. We advised the customer to replace the heads with new, fully loaded ones, to avoid future problems as other components such as camshafts, timing components, and lifters could also fail. A ... read more

Embrace the last rays of summer and make the most of these precious moments. We're here to share some news as August graces us with its presence: the back-to-school excitement is officially underway. If you, or your cherished ones, are gearing up for a return to school come September, consider this a gentle nudge to have your vehicle given a thorough check. Especially if your journeys take you beyond familiar horizons, rest assured that our steadfast commitment, backed by the Napa Nationwide warranty, stands ready to address any repairs you might need. Understanding the value of your time, we've tailored a comprehensive package to assist you in ticking off those tasks on your list. When you bring your vehicle to us, rest assured, we're not simply giving it a once-over – we're conducting an in-depth inspection to ensure your car is primed for the upcoming season. Our Back to School Check encompasses: Tire rotation and balance Alignment adjustmen ... read more

Our June Repair of the month features a 2005 Lexus GX470 4.7L V8, with an exhaust manifold leak. The exhaust manifold is the part of the exhaust system that comes directly off of the engine block. There is a gasket between the manifold and the block that seals the gap and keeps  any exhaust gasses from escaping. In this case, the gasket needed to be replaced. When the manifold is leaking like this one, it makes a ticking sound that can sometimes be confused with an engine misfire, tick or knock. The sound is apparent upon first startup of the vehicle when the engine is cold and sometimes may go away as the engine heats up, or may stay consistent.   A leaking manifold can cause serious problems if left untreated for too long. Besides the obvious health risks of exhaust leak making its way into the cabin for you to breathe in, the exhaust valves can get burned from the heat not being expelled efficiently from the cylinder. This can also cause  damage to the piston ri ... read more

If you feel like you’ve been burned by an auto repair shop in the past, you’re in good company.  Some surveys suggest that as many as 3 out of 4 people feel like they have been overcharged for auto repairs or worry about being overcharged for services they may not even need.  As with most things in life, knowledge is power, so the more you know the less likely you are to be targeted for overcharging.  Here’s a helpful guide to answer the question: how do you know if an auto shop is legit? Signs That an Auto Shop is Legit Honest, forthright auto shop owners and technicians tend to exhibit similar actions, accolades, and business practices. They include: Ethical Auto Repair Shops Will Provide Written Estimates Shops need time to properly inspect your car in order to provide a written estimate so steer clear of shops that resist quoting you an estimate. Trustworthy Shops Will Have the Receipts to Prove Dedication to Their Craft Trustworthy auto repai ... read more

Do you ever find yourself having to fill up your tires with air every once and a while? You think you may have a leak, so you take it somewhere to have it checked out and what do you know, you are told that your tire is fine. But how could that be? It was obviously low and losing pressure somewhere.  Most people are unaware that tires are almost constantly losing pressure. The compound and structure that make up a tire is actually filled with tons of microscopic pores, similar to your skin. This causes the air to leak out of the tire at an extremely slow rate, even if you don’t have any puncture in the rubber. One way to battle this slow leak is with Nitrogen. Nitrogen molecules are bigger than Oxygen molecules, so they have more trouble leaking through the tiny pores.  Another benefit of using Nitrogen is that temperature does not affect it like it affects regular air.. If you live in an area where there are drastic temperature changes, you may notice that your tires ... read more

One thing that we know for certain is that tires for your car or truck are expensive. The higher quality and longer lasting they are the price naturally increases. The bummer is that we can’t drive without tires and we shouldn’t drive with tires that are in poor condition, for safety reasons alone you should always make your tires a priority no matter where you live.   Here in the northeast, we have weather conditions that cause damage to the road surfaces, and ultimately can cause damage to your tires and your car in general. Getting a routine alignment check at Magic Lube and Rubber is a service that we offer to all of our customers. When your car is in alignment it ensures that your tires are in contact with the road surface evenly and can actually extend the life of your tires.  When your vehicle is in proper alignment you can avoid premature tire wear and detect if your steering and suspension are not at their proper settings.  ... read more

GMC Acadia, Crank But No Start.  Here we have a GMC Acadia with a crank but no start condition. No matter how long you try to crank the engine, the most you may get is a sputter if you're lucky. After running a few diagnostic tests, our technician Jay was able to prove that the SUV has spark and fuel, which leaves only one thing left to test for, compression. After compression testing the cylinders and also adding compressed air into the spark plug holes, (also known as a cylinder leak down test) he was able to confirm that the engine does not have good compression and is also leaking air into the intake and exhaust manifolds. Digging a little deeper proves the engine is out of time, this is a very common issue with these engines as the timing chain stretches and the guides wear down past the point the tensioner can keep the engine in time. Timing in an engine simply put is the synchronization of the top half of the engine (camsh ... read more

Ryan Herbst comes to the Magic Family having decades in creating breakthroughs in business in other industries. He spent 9 years with Starbucks in the early days as a fixer- turning around unprofitable stores in a matter of months. He has also spent 8 years in the biologic industry where compliance to federal and international regulations was centerpiece, giving him unique insight into the balance between public safety and profitability. Most recently, Ryan was a Landmark Staff member for 7 years, leading the company in exceeding targets all while coaching hundred of individuals to cause their own breakthroughs in personal and professional performance goals. He has been with the Magic Team since June of 2021 in the role of "Implementer." He brings a suite of executive coaching, planning, forecasting and execution skills with him that has had us expand and open our second shop! His doggie, Fritz, is almost old enough to vote, and has a deep love of making beauti ... read more

Petro "Pete" Chang is a graduate of Wyotech and specialized in automotive and light-duty diesel. He has over 13 years of experience in the automotive field. He brings with him first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of the auto repair industry and has played a key part in the business aspects. There isn't too much Pete doesn't know about how to get things done around the shop and he is enthusiastic about each challenge that is put in front of him.   Not only is he experienced with vehicles, but he is also very in tune with customer relations and cares for both the client and their vehicles, always setting the bar at the highest level.    We are excited to have Pete and his many talents on our team and we know that our clients will benefit from his passion for everything automotive.    Pete is an avid outdoorsman. On his time off, he enjoys being out in the woods, bow hunting, out on the water with his rod and reel, o ... 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