Nathan's Automotive Services

10/03/2026

Crankcase vent valve (oil separator) failed on this 2020 Audi Q3 SUV 4-cyl, Turbo, 2.0 Liter. It separates oil from crankcase vapors and sends it back to the oil pan. Also handles the evaporative emmissions vapors. Symptoms included low on oil and hissing sound from engine.

09/30/2026

Just finished repairs on a 2018 VW Golf Alltrack which had a fault code P2681 - coolant bypass valve and other cascaded faults. After diagnosis, suspected coolant; in the electronic cavity. removed and replaced the TMM (thermal management module). Road tested to verify repairs. Used an updated part that will likely not have the same failure. It was a complicated job to do it correctly.

08/20/2026

Sent my dad's Range Rover Evoque to have 4 new tires fitted. They called me saying the car is leaking gas. Whaaat? Turns out that there was a crack in the fuel filter sending unit. So we had to replace the unit - not such an easy job because tank needs to be somewhat emptied first.

07/08/2026

Nathan hard at work changing a valve cover with gaskets on a 2015 Honda CR-V AWD LX. He says "the worst part of the whole job is connecting the AC compressor to the wiring harness because my hands can't easily reach down there. So I have to carefully fish around with a long pry-bar."

06/08/2026

Is it worth the cost of overhauling an engine on a 160,000 mile 2006 Subaru Outback station wagon? Nathan seems to think so, especially since the rest of the car is in very good condition and, besides, he has owned the car for many years and is rather attached to it. The engine head gasket was leaking and he figured he would just go all the way and have the heads skimmed, pressure tested by a machine shop, and while about it replace the valve stem seals and other components.

Engine hoisted out

03/22/2026

Sadly the 6-speed transmission failed on this 2019 Mazda CX-5 with only 40,000 miles and the quote from the dealer so high (over $10,000) to fix it. Luckily, the owner found Nathan’s Automotive and he was able to source a used young transmission with very low mileage for an affordable amount and restore the vehicle back to health. It is important to change your vehicle's transmission fluid to ensure it has a long life without the need for expensive repairs.

02/15/2026

Besides performing 60,000 miles maintenance and brake service on this 2017 Lexus ES 350 Sedan, Nathan had to also retrieve an EarPod which necessitated partial removal of the rear seat.

01/21/2026

This 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan came in for milestone service. It has a V6 3.6 Liter engine and
automatic, 6-Speed transmission. Other than oil changes, many motorists do not see the value in doing important maintenance tasks – until they have a major breakdown such as a transmission failure. This customer wants to keep their mini-van for a long and useful life and asked me to change all the fluids including that for the brake system, the differential, transmission, etc. Fitted a complete set of quality ceramic-coated brakes and 4 brand new Continental ProContact all-weather high mileage tires and some other important tasks. The van is now good to go.

01/21/2026

Generally, I don’t work on trucks that much but an existing customer asked me to do basic work including an oil change on his iconic 1984 Dodge Ram. I enjoyed being helpful.

12/17/2025

My valet driver picked up this beautiful 2017 Ford Fusion after the owner stated the AC fan was making a terrible noise which got worse when the speed was increased. Now we all know mice like to exercise by running on wheels. However, this poor mouse bit off more than he could chew by trying out this Fusion’s AC blower fan. Now a typical pet mouse can reach hundreds of RPM on an exercise wheel. A blower fan can easily do 1,000 RPM and even up to 5,000 RPM. The result was that the mouse is deceased and some of its body parts were well distributed in the AC duct. Nathan cleaned out the system and had to replace the horrendous cabin air filter. A final dowsing under the hood with Cayenne pepper and hopefully the problem is now remedied and unlikely to happen again anytime soon. Customer is happy.