Denver Auto Repair

Colorado can serve up sunshine, freezing temperatures, wind, and snow in the same week. For drivers in Denver and along the Front Range, those rapid changes are more than an inconvenience. They affect tire pressure, battery performance, fluids, rubber components, and the way an engine responds at higher elevations. Most modern vehicles are designed to compensate for changing conditions, but no vehicle is immune to wear. Understanding what Colorado's altitude and temperature swings do to your car can help you catch small problems before they turn into a no-start, a damaged tire, or an overheating engine on the way into the mountains. Cold Weather Changes Tire Pressure Tire pressure changes with temperature. A useful rule of thumb is that pressure changes by about 1-2 PSI for every 10-degree Fahrenheit change in air temperature. If your tires were set to 35 PSI on a 70-degree afternoon, a 40-degree temperature drop could leave them near 28-32 PSI the next morning ... read more

An Overview of Your Cooling System Your cooling system is made up of multiple moving parts that all must work together to operate properly. Each making a small contribution to what becomes one of the most critical systems in your vehicle. If one fails, not only is your cooling system at risk, but other major components such as your Engine, Transmission, and HVAC systems. What Does Your Cooling System Do? There are two main functions of your Cooling System. Reducing the temperature of your Engine, Transmission, Hybrid Battery, or even Power Steering, and supplying heat to your HVAC system. Improper cooling of your Engine or Transmission can lead to catastrophic failure and costly repairs that often exceed the value of vehicles we see in our shop. Improper flow or incorrect temperatures can lead to a lack of heat coming out of your vents. Cooling System Components and Their Functions: RADIATOR Reduces the temperature of coolant as ... read more

Giving Back to Our Community: Supporting ServiceSource's Lakewood Food & Wine Event At Hotchkiss Auto Repair, being part of the community means more than taking care of cars. It means supporting the people and organizations that help make our community stronger. That’s why we’re proud to support ServiceSource and its work providing critical services to individuals experiencing homelessness and other life challenges throughout our community. This year, we’re participating in the Lakewood Food & Wine event, which brings together local businesses, restaurants, wineries, breweries, and community members to raise funds for programs making a real difference. One of the programs supported through the event is the Mobile Laundry and Shower Program. This program provides access to clean clothing, showers, and basic hygiene services for individuals experiencing homelessness while also helping connect them with additional resources and support. How You Can Help ... read more

  What Happens When You Go Past Your Oil Change Mileage? Let’s be honest, oil changes are one of the easiest things to push off. Your car seems to be running fine. Life gets busy. And before you know it, you’re a few thousand miles past when you meant to get it done. At Hotchkiss Auto Repair, we see this all the time. And the truth is, skipping oil changes doesn’t usually cause an immediate breakdown. What it does is something worse… it slowly wears your engine down over time. Let’s walk through what’s actually happening inside your engine and what to do if you fell a little behind on your oil change mileage. What Engine Oil Actually Does   Engine oil isn’t just there to “keep things moving.” It has several critical jobs:   • Lubricates moving parts to reduce friction  • Helps keep engine temperatures under control  • Cleans internal components by c ... read more

Last night was something special. We’re beyond proud, excited, and honestly a little blown away to share that Hotchkiss Auto Repair has been officially voted Best Auto Repair Shop in the 2026 Best of Mile High awards. First place. Number one. Because of you and while awards are incredible, what this one really represents is something much bigger to us… trust. This Win Belongs to You This didn’t happen because of flashy marketing or luck. It happened because of our customers, our community, and the relationships we’ve built over the years. Every vote cast… Every review written… Every referral sent our way… That’s what got us here. We know you have options when it comes to auto repair in Denver. The fact that you continue to choose us, support us, and now vote us into the top spot means everything. Whether you’ve been coming to us for years or you just walked through our doors for the first time last week, you are part of t ... read more