Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions If you're a Chevy owner, you may have heard of the dreaded lifter issues that seem to be plaguing some Chevrolet vehicles. Based on our experiences, it's a common problem that can cause everything from annoying ticking noises to serious performance issues, and eventually catastrophic motor failure. With so many coming in, we wanted to put a blog together to shine some light on these issues for our clients and anyone else who may not know or want to know more about them. So let's get into it!   What are Lifters? Before diving into the issues, it is important to understand what lifters are and their role in the engine. Lifters are small cylindrical components located in the engine block. They sit between the camshaft and the pushrods or valves. The lifter's primary function is to transfer the movement of the camshaft to the pushrods or valves, which in turn open and close the engine's intake and exhaust valves. Essentially, th ... read more

Our Repair of the Month is based on a Ram 5500 that came in with a heating issue. The customer explained that his heat was not working as efficiently as it used to and was only getting lukewarm. Another thing the customer noticed was that the heat on the passenger side seemed to be blowing warmer than on the driver's side. Based on previous experiences, we immediately knew that this was likely to be an issue with the vehicle's heater core.  The heater core is a part of the vehicle's cooling system that is responsible for heating the cabin when you turn the heat on. It is almost always located between the dashboard and the firewall, making the removal of the dashboard necessary to replace it. The evaporative core, part of the air conditioning system, can also be found behind the dashboard. This customer wanted to take preventative measures and replace the evaporator core too whi ... read more

Navigating Ford Timing and Cam Phaser Issues: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions If you're a proud owner of a Ford vehicle, you may have heard about the occasional stories related to the timing system. Found in many of Ford’s vehicles, the 3.5-liter Ecoboost is a V6 motor that economizes on fuel efficiency and provides a nice performance punch, making it very popular. Unfortunately, many people including us here at Automotive Magic, have recognized that the timing system on vehicles with this motor tends to have some issues. Two critical components that can encounter issues over time are the timing chain and camshaft-phasers. Ignoring these issues, if encountered,  could potentially lead to catastrophic failure of the motor. In this blog, we'll explore the causes, symptoms, and solutions associated with Ford's timing chain and cam phaser issues in the 3.5-liter Ecoboost. The timing chain is a crucial component of an internal combustion engine, ens ... read more

Ram/General Heater Core Issues Just imagine winter is here, you go outside in the morning to start your car and let it warm up before you head out to start your day. You walk back outside and get in your car only to find cold air blowing out of your vents. “Ughhhhh, why is my car not warming up!?” Our team at Automotive Magic/Magic Lube & Rubber knows there could be a couple of issues that could cause your car to blow cold air instead of heat. Things such as low coolant, a broken blend door, or a stuck open thermostat could all be the culprits of having no heat. But the one we will be focusing on today is heater cores. While often overshadowed by its larger counterpart, the radiator, the heater core plays a vital role in ensuring your car's interior is a comfortable haven when temperatures plummet.  Heater Core Function  Now you may be wondering, what exactly is a heater core and what job does it perform? Here are some of the basics. Imagine the heater c ... 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

Here we have a 2013 Nissan NV2500 V8 that has suffered what we call “catastrophic failure”. Upon inspection, our tech Jay found that multiple connecting rods blew a hole clear through the oil pan sending shrapnel and oil all over the road, and cracking a couple of the pistons. The connecting rod links the crankshaft and the piston together, and takes the abuse of every single explosion the combustion chamber brings. These rods push the crankshaft and cause it to spin, which spins everything else in the motor as well. Now, this is not a normal issue that we run into every day, but unfortunately, we have seen it many times in the past. This kind of failure happens due to a lack of lubrication. Without proper lubrication, there is more friction which causes things to wear faster or fail. A couple of reasons why you might run into lubrication problems could be from old oil that has lost its viscosity, water in the oil, a bad oil pump, clogged oil ports, oil burning, or not eno ... 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

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

Introducing Brendan O'Connell as our newest Automotive Technician. He's a graduate of the Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) Automotive Program.  He brings to us over seven years of knowledge specializing in exhaust repairs and custom exhaust builds. He is dedicated to continuing his automotive education, always something new to learn and ways to better yourself. Originally from Hillsboro, he and his girlfriend Priscilla reside in Oak Ridge. They enjoy hiking and being in nature. They can always be spotted on hiking trails with their rescue dog Charlie, leading the way. He has a passion for high-quality audio and that is apparent in his eclectic collection of vinyl records.  

In the winter of 2021 Automotive magic will begin a new apprenticeship program. This program combines online learning through the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA) training center, Automotive Training Institute (ATI) and on the job learning at Automotive Magic.  Getting paid while learning at the same time is just one of the advantages of this program. This 18 to 24 month program has nine stages and occurs at no expense to the student. As the student progresses through the program at Automotive Magic, the student receives additional compensation as an incentive to progress from one stage to the next.      Automotive Magic’s apprentices will get tools needed to work in the trade in addition to getting paid. When the apprentice graduates from the program, they get to keep the provided tool kit that is required for any mechanic. This program is certified by the US Department of Labor and the graduate will receive a diploma-like certificate acknowled ... read more