Carl's Auto Repair (Boise, Id)

Carl's Auto Repair (Boise, Id) Repair and diagnosis for 1996 and newer American and Asian vehicles with a focus on hybrid and EV. High quality work and reasonable prices!!!

Carl's Auto Repair has been in business and thriving since 2001. We service all Asian and Domestic cars and trucks newer than 1987. Gasoline engines only... We feature expert technicians and clean, honest and fair service!

Spent my Sunday sleuthing out a no heat condition on a 2012 Volt. After a review of the three coolant pump system on the...
06/04/2023

Spent my Sunday sleuthing out a no heat condition on a 2012 Volt. After a review of the three coolant pump system on the car, I focused on the heater pump which had a code. After a running the ICE engine, this car still had no heat which meant a deeper look at diagnosing the circuit. Analysis of the Remote HVAC module revealed a flicker of data from 0Hz to20Hz AND 0%to 100% in the feed back loops. Checking the power supply revealed the fuse was missing. This car had been acquired from the action which is a place where anything goes. Including borrowing fuses from from one car to another. No codes and heat now.

Can you guess the object that does not belong in the first image? The most important part of the simplest job is observa...
05/19/2023

Can you guess the object that does not belong in the first image? The most important part of the simplest job is observation. During the oil change on this car I noticed a dangling-wire-cable-out of place thing. First thought was that maybe the park brake cable had been pulled out of place. Even looking at it raised on the lift I wasn't sure what I had found. Removing the object and straightening it back to shape revealed it to be road debris. An old wiper blade had kicked up and wedged into the rear suspension. Be safe out there and watch for hazards even in the summer.

A 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV had an appointment for an inspection last Friday. I like the plum color. The owner states that ...
05/07/2023

A 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV had an appointment for an inspection last Friday. I like the plum color. The owner states that is gets about 65 miles on a full charge making it great for in town use. I was surprised at the very high level of accessibility to data using an after market scan tool as shown in the picture showing cell voltage. No problems found with the eleven year old battery. Another surprise was what appeared to be the electric water pump for the rear motor generator in the final picture that sure looks like the same part on the Gen2 Prius. Must have been lifted by Mitsubishi to cut cost. The only repair needed was to install the missing fog light. I will be making a maintenance plan that will require some investment by the customer over time. Once again, another EV shows low cost and efficiency for short trips.

It was Saturday afternoon and I was just hoping somebody would come on by. And someone did, it was the Prius C that need...
04/09/2023

It was Saturday afternoon and I was just hoping somebody would come on by. And someone did, it was the Prius C that needed a new HV battery. I installed the customer supplied Greentecauto rebuilt battery in about three hours. Going with the aftermarket battery was economical and saved the customer almost 50% over the price of a new Toyota HV battery. Now the customer go out and have some fun tonight.

A person in a neon work vest with a city vehicle always garners my attention. Turns out to just be the Garden City envir...
03/31/2023

A person in a neon work vest with a city vehicle always garners my attention. Turns out to just be the Garden City environmental inspector. I love inspection day. No really. After I presented our water collection run off plan, lack of on site draining, the annual file of recycled fluid records, the labeled used oil containers and our solvent cleaner a pass for the shop was granted. No action required. But do you also know that at Carl's Auto Repair through recycling of cardboard and plastic there is no need for a dumpster or trash pickup. We recycle our lead. All brake fluid is collected in dedicated containers for recycle. The engine oil we use in our basic oil change is all recycled by Saftey Kleen. We know that transportation causes waste. We make every effort to be responsible with our share. Keep sending us hybrid and EV referrals.

The 2012 Prius from an earlier post has returned to the shop after 1728 miles of driving. Still under its own power but ...
03/12/2023

The 2012 Prius from an earlier post has returned to the shop after 1728 miles of driving. Still under its own power but with the same P0A80 stored and the check engine light illuminated. Continuing the diagnosis with the addition of new skills from recent training, I found Freeze Frame data showing recorded information from the moment the code set. This hybrid battery pack is made of ten blocks. Inspection of the data for block 6 shows it is the cause of the code. The lower comparative voltage in the 0 column is the proof. And block 5 looks a little suspicious as well. Customer has approved battery removal for repair. Hoping to just replace the damaged cells and perform a balancing. Thankful for the opportunity provided by CTI training to keep enhancing my hybrid skills or I would have missed this.

It never gets old. Your Plug In Hybrid Kia Niro is at the shop for an oil change and it is a sunny day. Well lets charge...
02/08/2023

It never gets old. Your Plug In Hybrid Kia Niro is at the shop for an oil change and it is a sunny day. Well lets charge up your battery, the solar panels never mind. I really enjoy being able to charge a customers car while it is in for service.

It was the toggle switch power up that really made me smile. Most newer cars have a power up button, but the Mini Cooper...
01/30/2023

It was the toggle switch power up that really made me smile. Most newer cars have a power up button, but the Mini Cooper has it own way of doing things. Start/Stop, sounds like an old Ska band song or lyric.

Plugged into the shop 240v outlet with a Clipper Creek Level 2 charger connection, the Mini Cooper has a pleasant yellow...
01/30/2023

Plugged into the shop 240v outlet with a Clipper Creek Level 2 charger connection, the Mini Cooper has a pleasant yellow to green pulsation in the ring around the port. Happy to use our solar array credit to charge any customer.

2X is as stated. Double pull to open the hood.
01/30/2023

2X is as stated. Double pull to open the hood.

With the car powered up, the hybrid cooling system can be seen running the cooling system. Just like a Prius. The coolan...
01/30/2023

With the car powered up, the hybrid cooling system can be seen running the cooling system. Just like a Prius. The coolant is BMW blue/green long life. Most inverter or battery cooling system run at the low pressure of 5 psi, much different that the cooling system of an ICE engine.

Address

108 E 48th Street
Garden City, ID
83714

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12083760096

Website

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