Wednesday, December 19, 2012

International 356 Meeting in Merano, Italy

Another happy Personalized Autohaus customer driving his yellow Convertible D around the Alps in Italy and Austria. Enjoy the fantastic pictures!






If you have a Porsche Restoration project or want to purchase a vintage Porsche visit our website www.personalizedautohaus.com or call us at the shop (858) 586-7771 to get a free consultation with our Porsche specialist and business owner Wayne Baker!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Willow Springs Racetrack

Wayne Baker Racing had a couple days of successful training at Willow Springs International raceway. The high desert climate this time of the year is pretty uncomfortable with cold temperatures of 28-30 degrees and winds of 30 miles an hour or more. Luckily it only started to rain in the afternoon and the testing of our four Porsche race cars was uneventful. We had a good run of the 904, 911s and 914 and can't wait the start the new year with some more testing before the race season begins again...

Wayne Baker hauled up four race cars for testing purposes
Great shot of Wayne leading in the white 914/6 down the hill in curve and the two mentored drivers following him in the 911s

 It was so cold that the birds at the racetrack used the heat from the tires that just raced to warm up!

904 replica at Willow
Wayne Baker provides transport of race cars from San Diego to various race destinations in the U.S.

Wayne is mentoring the drivers - teaching them the lines on the track.

Wayne Baker provides driver mentoring, transportation and support for new or seasoned vintage Porsche race car drivers. Contact Wayne directly on his cell (619) 743-1356 or e-mail waynebaker@earthlink.net
www.waynelbakerracing.com

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Volvo Brake Repairs: Don't Take Chances With Your Brakes - Repair Them Now!

Brake repairs - critical? Of course! Your brakes keep your family safe. Brake repairs and parts for Volvos - trust Personalized Autohaus and Eric Benner our Certified Volvo Master technician to do quality repair on your Volvo with original OEM parts.

These tips will help you examine your Volvo brakes but if unsure just bring in your vehicle to our shop to be checked out:

Use Your Eyes & Ears to Inspect Your Volvo's Brakes

Visually inspect your brakes' condition at least every six months. Here are some things to look for:
Volvo Brake Rotors (discs) should be inspected all the way around the surface and on both sides for any concentric scoring (grooves) or obvious defects. If defects are found, replace your rotors immediately. Any rotor discoloration may be a sign of overheating and an inspection by our Certified Volvo Technician is needed.
Volvo Brake Pads will normally match rotor scoring but should also be inspected for uneven wear, breakage or cracking on the friction surface. Again, if defects are found, pads need to be replaced immediately. Many cars also have brake pad sensors to warn of pad wear. If your Volvo uses sensors, replace these at the same time as your pads.
Volvo Brake Drums (if equipped) should also be inspected on a regular basis. Check for the same types of flaws as noted above. The drums should not have excessive grooves or have a deep "trough" dug into them where the shoes ride.
Volvo Brake Shoes (if equipped) should be worn evenly and have no rivets protruding to the friction surface.
Volvo Additional Troubleshooting: When inspecting brakes, check calipers, wheel cylinders, hoses and fittings for any hydraulic fluid leakage.
Inspect the master cylinder, reservoir and proportioning valve assemblies as well. Replace or rebuild as required.
A "spongy" brake pedal or one that's gotten lower underfoot also needs looking into. It could be caused by sticking calipers, worn pads, low fluid or hydraulic system problems.
If you can't "pump them up", then you definitely have hydraulic problems that need work. If you always have to pump them up, at the very least your hydraulic fluid needs replacement.
To check brakes by sound, know how your brakes should sound and listen for out-of-the-ordinary noises.
Most cars have a slight brushing sound from the pads lightly touching the rotors. This is perfectly normal. Sounds to beware of include:
Squeaking may be caused by dust or dirt on the brakes, loose pads vibrating when applied or worn pads.
Rhythmic noise might mean you have a warped rotor. Instead of a solid squeaking noise, it pulsates. In extreme cases, the brake pedal will also pulsate underfoot.
Constant brake noise is never a good sound and any grinding noise spells real trouble!
Most importantly: As soon as any problem is noticed, get it repaired immediately. Delaying brake repairs is extremely dangerous.
Overstressed rotors and drums can break. Brakes may be too worn or damaged to stop your Volvo in an emergency.
Even if you manage to avoid physical harm, the longer you delay fixing brake problems, the more you increase the cost of doing so.
Badly worn, warped or overheated rotors can damage wheel bearings and the complete wheel hub assembly. These parts often cost as much or more than the brakes themselves.

Talk to our Certified Volvo Master Technician Eric Benner to evaluate your vehicle of its needs. Stop by our shop on 8645 Commerce Avenue, San Diego, CA 92121 and/or call us to make a service appointment today and get 15% Labor Discount (858) 586-7771.

Monday, December 10, 2012

It's that time of the year! Porsche enthusiast gives back.

Second Saturday of the month Porsche enthusiasts meet up for breakfast and coffee at Studio Diner in San Diego. Special thanks to the owners of Studio Diner for this past Saturday's complimentary breakfast treat for the Porsche owners who gathered for the last meeting this year.

See you guys next year!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Volvo year end maintenance

The biggest budget blunder you want to avoid at all costs is neglecting basic car maintenance.
It is not uncommon to see customers paying several thousands of dollars for a new engine after the original engine seized up due to the lack of engine oil; and causing it to fail prematurely. You don’t want this to happen to you.
Lack of routine maintenance affects all aspects of your vehicle and will surely lead to something big breaking down that will cost you big time, down the road. Going cheap in the short term often costs you more in the long run.
A well maintained vehicle can last for tens of thousands of miles. Proper maintenance is the best thing you can do for your investment.
At Personalized Autohaus we help you make small ongoing investments in regular service maintenance.



Your Volvo needs regular check-ups and maintenance. Regular oil changes at Personalized Autohaus will ensure that not only do you have plenty of oil in your car, but many will check your other fluid levels as well. As the car ages, we will also alert you to any Volvo parts you may need. These regular check-ups are recommended at every 3,000 miles.

In order to maintain safe and reliable transportation, it is also vital that you have your tires rotated and balanced every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. With all the safety features that a Volvo has it can't do anything to protect you should you have a blow out. By rotating your tires on a regular basis you will be ensuring that there is equal wear on all of the tires. Tires develop wear patterns over a certain period of time.


One of the most important regular service your Volvo needs is the brake maintenance.

The life span of your brake pads depends on your driving style, and the front pads usually wear out faster than the rear pads because they take the brunt for stopping the vehicle.
A new brake pad has 12mm (millimeters) of frictional material lining, and at 2mm you need new pads. The rule of thumb is that every mm counts for 1000 miles. When we rotate your tires we can tell you how many mm you have left on your brake pads.


Keep on top of your Volvo maintenance needs and ask our Certified Volvo Master Technician Eric Benner about any problems or issues you might experience at (858) 586-7771 or come visit our shop in the Miramar area of San Diego at  8645 Commerce Avenue www.personalizedautohaus.com
We offer a 15% Labor Discount for our new customers and a free oil filter and multipoint inspection with oil change. 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Wayne Baker Racing

Wayne and his race partners are testing the Porsche 911, 904 and 914 race cars at Willow Springs race track to get the cars ready for next season. Much needs to be adjusted while other cars are being worked on at Personalized Autohaus www.personalizedautohaus.com
Wayne Baker provides driver mentoring, transportation and support for new or seasoned vintage Porsche race car drivers. Contact Wayne directly on his cell (619) 743-1356 or e-mail waynebaker@earthlink.net
www.waynelbakerracing.com