Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

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

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

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

There are so many resources out there today that can send you in multiple directions. One thing that we know for certain is that word of mouth and referrals have always been our most valued resource. When we are looking for a reliable and trustworthy source, we look to friends and family first, then yes, we might Google, but we always want the recommendation of someone we know and trust to guide us to the right person or business. We are always appreciative of referrals from our clients, it makes us proud to know that we’re doing the right thing for our customers, so much so that they are willing to recommend us. That’s just the highest level of compliment that we can receive. We here at Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber are very focused on referrals. Shawn is the president of the Roxbury, BNI (Business Network International) group, and a critical part of it for over a decade. He knows that the referrals and recommendations of people that have found connections ... read more

We all have busy, full lives. Our minds are filled with everything that we need to do in a day/week/month/year and often have plans to get it all done. But what happens when our plans get interrupted by an unexpected repair or maintenance of a vehicle? The economy is crap, inflation is through the roof and now this!? Have no fear, we at Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber are here for you in your time of need! We offer financing options for you when you don’t know how you’re going to get it done.   The first option we offer is the NAPA EasyPay. This is a service provided through Synchrony Bank. It offers a 0% interest promotional rate, if paid off within 6 months. It’s a line of credit you can use on the immediate repair as well as any future vehicle repair needs. The other option is a snap! Loan. This service is provided through TAB Bank which looks beyond FICO scores and provides a loan of up to $3000. snap! Loans provides a quick and easy application pr ... read more

Did you know that your vehicle is not a crock pot? Yes, of course you did! Your vehicle is not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. This blog's topic for the Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber is the importance of routine oil changes. When you talk to anyone at Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber, we will unequivocally preach the good word of routine oil changes! “Why do we want routine oil changes?”, you may be asking. “They are just trying to get more money from me, it’s a racket in the auto industry,” you may be thinking. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.  When you change oil at the recommended intervals, with oil that meets or exceeds the manufacturer's specifications, you will extend the life of the engine and increase its efficiency. Right after an oil change is the closest you will get to the brand-new, right-off-the-lot feel of driving. Your engine has full power as the oil lubricates all the moving parts ... read more