Ocala Auto Repair

‘Tis the season! After a very rough 2020, we have finally reached the end of the year and can look forward to 2021 at last! We hope you’re excited as we are to move on to something else this year.    We’re pleased to report that December in Ocala is jam-packed with community goodness. Here’s just some of the fun events to put you in the holiday spirit:   A Christmas Carol at the Ocala Civic Theatre November 19th to December 20th Don’t miss this production, it ends December 20th!   The Nutcracker at the Reilly Arts Center November 30th  Fantastic Christmas ballet! Story Telling: THE POLAR EXPRESS at the Jenkins Open Air Amphitheater December 2nd The children’s favorite is read by actors a ... read more

November 9th marks the 400th anniversary of the day passengers of the Mayflower spotted the Cape Cod shoreline after 65 days of hardship in the crossing, in which a new child was born (named Oceanus). Passenger William Brewster led the pilgrims in a reading of Psalm 100 to thank God for their arrival, to lands that mean renewal and freedom. At Pals Ocala, we want to give thanks for so much this year. We want to thank you, our loyal and dear customers, for continuing to put your trust in us, as well as for exercising safe practices and consideration for others during the worst, most uncertain months. Thank you for helping us survive and thrive. Pals Ocala Auto Repair managed to remain open during the pandemic and as essential workers, we helped our customers keep their cars running. Our staff has survived as well. While we grieve for the friends we have lost this year, we also celebrate those that survived… especially all the other essential workers and medical/emergency person ... read more

Welcome to October! Time for the leaves to start turning, the temperatures to cool off, and the Pumpkin Spice to flow. Now that we’re officially in the Fall season, there’s a lot going on in the Ocala area for the family.  Pals Ocala Auto Repair’s special of the month is a free oil change and tire rotation! Don’t forget to take advantage of this free offer. This is great preventative maintenance and a good measure to take before the holidays make life very busy, so book in today! Of course, Halloween is this month’s biggest event, on October 31st. This might just be one of the biggest Halloweens we’ve seen in years, with the day falling on a Saturday, and with a lot of people feeling cooped up indoors over COVID19 safety concerns.  Our concern this year is that kids will be trick-or-treating on the streets and almost all of them will have costumes featuring masks this year, to help protect them from catching or spreading COVID19. As a re ... read more

Ah, September! The weather is terrific. We’re enjoying the last days of Summer. The Labor Day Weekend is on the horizon. It sounds like the perfect time to enjoy a Labor Day Road Trip!   2020 has been an interesting year, hasn’t it? One of the things we are blown away by is the number of RVs and campers we’ve seen on the road. Before the COVID pandemic, we used to enjoy going on cruises a few times a year. But since the cruise industry has practically shut down, we bought ourselves a new motor coach and are exploring the Southeast. What fun!   At Pals Ocala Auto Repair, we have taken great pride in repairing everything on wheels:  RVs, horse trailers, light-diesel trucks, Slingshots, ATVs, boat trailers (and the boats on them), classic cars, and all kinds of family vehicles. So, of course, we eagerly became owners of a Recreational Vehicle because we knew our auto repair team would be able to service it without any problems.   But road trips have b ... read more

August! This summer feels never-ending. Coming up, we have a few national days… National Roller Coaster Day is on August 16th, so find someone adventurous and head to Walt Disney World. But for goodness sake, play it safe. Also, International Beer Day is August 7th. Which one of these options is safer? Well, that depends on your perspective. With quarantine and shelter-at-home ending in most places after a very long summer, our kids are heading back to school again. That means more young drivers will be navigating our Florida roads to get to school, and safety is a priority. Speaking of priorities... It seems like most of what kids focus on these days is technology-based. Does this new generation still use pencils and erasers anymore? Calligraphy has become an art school trade instead of something taught as an advanced technique on cursive. Are our kids still learning how to write in cursive though? Surely typing is being taught with the QWERTY keyboard popular on phones and ... read more

When you think about Independence in July, you think of Independence Day, right? Yes, most of us do. But today, we want to take a closer look at independence, your car, and what that means to you as a driver. But before we get started, Happy Independence Day! We love our country, we love living here in Florida, and we love our Ocala community. We are so lucky to be here and to serve our friends and neighbors. Life may not be perfect, and we have a lot of challenges to overcome, but the Pals Ocala Auto Repair team considers itself to be very fortunate to have the talent and resources to contribute. Our goal is to make the world a better place, one auto repair at a time, for it helps to support working people, families, travelers, retirees, vacationers, and the like. Next, let’s look at what independence means for the average driver. For new drivers who are teens, young adults, or people who are new to driving because they ... read more

Photo by Shelly Busby on Unsplash   Do you love to go out and recreate? We do, too! We love getting our vehicle packed, hitching up the trailer, and driving off to our next adventure. It doesn't matter if we want to go boating, horseback riding, camping, show off our car in a show, or go racing around the track. We love it all!   But before we head out for the fun activities we have planned, we know that our top priority should be safety. That is why in this article, Pals Ocala Auto Repair wants to address how to safely tow your 5th wheel trailer, your boat trailer, your horse trailer, the trailer carrying your classic car, and anything else you might be hauling.   Many things can affect the safety of you, your passengers, your vehicle ... read more

Now that the State of Florida has relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, we are seeing a lot of people get super excited about taking a Summertime road trip. Honestly, we can’t blame them one bit!    Summertime road trips are the focus of a lot of families, and Florida is an incredibly popular destination. We have beaches, rivers, lakes, and springs to keep you cool. Though the amusement parks are beginning phased reopening, and when they’re fully open, we expect a lot of people are going to be excited to enjoy them again. Plus, as Florida rolls back restrictions, there will be plenty of shopping, salons, restaurants, and barber shops to visit. Considering how antsy people are getting, almost everyone we talk to at Pals Ocala Auto Repair is looking forward to seeing friends and spending quality time with family during their Summertime road trips.   But the question remains… Is your vehicle ready for Summertime road trips? Please see us before you travel.   ... read more

COVID-19 has spun our nation sideways by shutting down our economy and wreaking havoc on our supply chains. During this time, we at Pals Ocala Auto Repair would like to send a special thank you to our President and our nation's first responders during this pandemic.  There is nothing more important than empathy, compassion, and community in this time of isolation and uncertainty. Isolating ourselves is vital to flattening the curve and taking the intense pressure off of our first responders, nurses, doctors, and hospital staff. We are incredibly grateful to our nation's leader for all that he is doing to keep our country safe from this global pandemic. It is not an easy time to lead our country, watching unemployment rates skyrocket and our economy nosedive due to the shutdown of all services. Ways our President is supporting our nation during his response to COVID-19, he has declared a national emergency, offering a 50 billion dollar boost in relief funds to assist hosp ... read more

Why Your Vehicle Can Benefit From Spring Cleaning Spring is upon us, and with the new life and growth comes inspiration to deep clean and re-sort many aspects of our lives. Out with the old, in with the new. A new fresh feel is often just what we need to kickstart the spring season, especially if you are considering taking a road trip soon. Here is a list of spring cleaning ideas for your car to give it some love and feel good about your ride. Washing your car The chances are that you encountered a fair amount of rain and wind this winter. The underside of your vehicle can become pitted and eventually get rust from salt build-up on treated roads, or even being near the ocean. It is essential to wash the underside of your vehicle to keep it from rotting the exhaust system, muffler, and the frame. You will want to be especially careful if you launch or load a boat near the saltwater. Salt can destroy your car in a hurry, rusting out the undercarriage and wheels in just a matter of a few ... read more