Ocala Auto Repair

It’s no secret that Ocala is home to a huge equestrian community, and that HITS fans and participants– the hunters and jumpers– are a big part of that community. But they tend to die off a bit in the summer and return back in autumn. Did you know that many of the seasonal guests we see are snowbirds?    No, not actual birds– that’s a term for people who summer in the Northern states and winter in warm places like sunny Ocala. Snowbirds have a lifestyle where they leave the comforts of their Northern homes to migrate south with the birds every year. Whether staying with family or living in their own situation, there’s a steady influx of visitors every year, usually older retirees looking to live longer and sweeter in our warm climate!   They come from as far away as New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Every year, we see them come in around October or November, and they stay until April or May. Some come in regular vehicle ... read more

  Springtime returns to Ocala! Another beautiful springtime is here for Ocala! We love the renewal of spring… all the religious and secular joys of the Easter holiday, the birds flying back both North, young lovers on date nights at the Sonic, and dogs sniffing everything they can for vital information about the world. We hope the warm weather gets you outdoors more and into your community.  The 2nd Annual Car, Truck and Motorcycle Festival If you haven’t heard, PALS Ocala is teaming up with War Horse Harley Davidson of Ocala at the end of this month to co-sponsor another wonderful Car Show benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County! At the show will be choppers, motorcycles, trikes, sports cars, trucks, and sedans… the works!   The car show takes place at War Horse Harley Davidson of Ocala, 5331 N US Hwy 441, Ocala, FL 34475 on April 30th from 9 a.m., and ends at 1 p.m. There will be special vendors, live music, food, and fun for the ... read more

Supply Chain Issues Have Hit Ocala. On the off chance you haven’t heard, supply chain issues have been plaguing United States trade for months now. The supply chain is how we get in new parts, how restaurants get new food, and so on and so forth. Industries requiring metal parts and tool-and-die manufacturing (like the automotive industry) have encountered a sharp, sudden supply problem.    In a nutshell, the slowdown of the economy during the pandemic meant that goods we need now weren’t produced a year ago, and as America churns back to full speed, we’re short on the things we need to keep our machines running. It’s hit many industries hard, and it’s been especially hard on automotive repair. What can PALS do about it? The best we can do right now is to clearly communicate that there are waiting lists for certain parts, a ... read more

  Hey folks! I wanted to let people know about Snap!, one of the finance companies we work with. We’ve enjoyed the relationship with Snap! and so have some of our customers. We wanted to let people know who might be driving dangerously due to a tough economy– gliding on bald tires, stepping on squealing brakes, or other horror stories of the road– that you have responsible, safe options here at PALS Ocala, even if your credit history isn’t very good.   PALS has used Snap! for three years now.  If a customer has a broken car and can’t afford the repair, we recommend Snap! to them!  If you have bad credit (or no credit), a Snap! Lease can get your car back on the road. Our clients apply on their phone and they usually receive a decision within minutes.  Snap! is very aggressive with approvals.  This program rocks, letting good, hard-working people in need of a break get approved in seconds for loans up to $3000!    ... read more

Photo by Valentin Petkov on Unsplash   It’s December, and as usual, a white Christmas is a complete longshot for Ocala. But we do know how to entertain ourselves! We spend a lot of time, as Floridians, pursuing the many leisure activities that are available to us year-round.    What if this year, we spent some time sharing our holidays with the people in our community?   Instead of planning a night in to watch your favorite rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, imagine if we not only planned that, but also looked into local libraries who could use a story-time person to read A Christmas Carol to kids?   Granted, public speaking isn’t for everyone. Is baking your ... read more

Photo by AD_Images from Pixabay   How many of us remember the lessons from Sunday School? There are so many important values and lessons from the Bible about being righteous in the face of wrong. To think of the superstition and oppression during that age, it’s astonishing to see something from that era that clearly makes strong ethical arguments and lessons. One lesson that has always sat with me is the story of The Good Samaritan.   Jesus tells this story to answer a lawyer who asks him, “Who is my neighbor?” The Good Samaritan is about a Jewish man (like Christ) traveling on a road to Samaria, who is beset by wicked men (presumably Samaritans) who rob him of his cl ... read more

Photo by Spencer Everett on Unsplash   Are you ready for summer? In today's blog, we’re looking at surviving the summer heat in Ocala with a car! The summers in Ocala are scorchers and can be damaging to the unprepared. So here are our top 5 tips for surviving the summer heat in Ocala!   Stay hydrated - it’s the most straightforward step on the list. Make sure you are getting enough water in the day. Being properly hydrated will prevent many other problems.   Keep up with current traffic - a check on LocalConditions.com can save you a lot of heartaches later. You can find out where traffic issues lie, like constructi ... read more

Photo by Tristan Billet on Unsplash   Welcome to our May blog! There’s loads of news and things to cover. But first, we invite you to a charity car show event that’ll be taking place May 16th called the Car, Truck, Jeep & Bike Show to support Boys & Girls Club of Marion County.    Before spilling the beans about all the cool events coming up, let’s chat about the issues that your car can develop from not being driven often!   With the pandemic, business models have changed, and more and ... read more

Photo by Kenny Gaines on Unsplash Welcome back to another PALS Ocala blog! We hope that life has been treating you well throughout March and you are achieving all your goals. The PALS Ocala website has a page for what we call ‘Partners’. These aren’t partners in the strict sense of capitalism; they represent our partners in building a better Ocala together. If you click the link and go to our website, you’ll discover some of the many charities and organizations Linda and I support. We’re proud of these organizations and the work they are doing for the life and soul of Ocala’s adults, children, families, and even pets.  It’s a collection ... read more

Welcome to March! With the new month comes the beginning of allergy season, and there are lots of things to do to prepare for it if you want to minimize the trouble it can cause you.   Allergies don't affect everyone the same, thank goodness, but your car can be a moving hotspot for irritants. And just as those irritants can trouble your body, a heavy pollen count can also disturb your vehicle.    A vehicle covered in dust, or pollen, or soot, means that tiny particles that form can try to get into the engine and can eventually clog up your fuel system, as well as your air intake. So if this year's pollen count is exceptionally high without enough rain to keep it washed away, consider these critical pieces of advice:   Wash your car and vacuum your engine out. Cleaning out the chassis helps prevent pollen from getting into the vehicle's engine and damaging the fuel system. Replace the air filters. In the heaviest pollen, they will begin to clog up ... read more