Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

Tis the season to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for and to share in the joy and the spirit of Christmas. While you are scouring the stores for that perfect gift for your loved one, please consider those who are less fortunate. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to making a child's Christmas special.  This season Automotive Magic and Magic Lube & Rubber are drop locations for the Marine Toys For Tots. 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of this amazing giving opportunity and we are so happy that we are helping build awareness and support the many children that may otherwise go without gifts this Christmas.   Toys for Tots also provides support year-round to less fortunate families experiencing challenges and exceptional circumstances, thus sending a message of hope beyond the holiday season. It is such experiences that help children become responsible citizens and caring m ... read more

For Novembers Repair of The Month, we have a 2014 Dodge Charger 3.6L Pentastar that came in with an underperforming and ticking engine. The ticking sound was caused by a seized lifter which in turn, grinds down the camshaft lobe as you can see in one picture. When this happens, the valve does not open fully which dramatically hurts fuel efficiency and engine performance. If ignored too long a large amount of metal shavings will make their way throughout the entire engines oil system causing catastrophic engine failure. Our technician was easily able to diagnose and identify the issue.  And with a fresh camshaft and all new lifter and rocker arms, this engine was back to full performance, reliability and fuel efficiency in no time! 4 While we were there the customer also agreed to freshen up the timing components, replacing the timing chains, guides, and tensioners. These are common issues with these engines stemming from lack of maintenance, poor design and location of the engi ... read more

One of the merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America is for Automotive Maintenance. The requirements for this merit badge include safety equipment, tools,and clothing used while checking or repairing a motor vehicle.  Other requirements are understanding general maintenance, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, understanding the vehicle dashboard, tires, engine, cooling system, fuel system, ignition and electrician systems, drive train, and brake system.  The scouts were also required to install the spare tire on a vehicle. Here at Automotive Magic in Kenvil we hosted this merit badge with the assistance of the merit badge counselor, Brian Kallok, and our General Manager, Albert Stashluk. The scouts had a great environment learning these skills in an actual automotive repair facility being hands-on under the hood of the car, inside the vehicle interior, and experiencing the underbody of a vehicle that was lifted in the air. The scout learned about cars and even e ... read more

This guy right here has some magic up his sleeves and then some! Meet Joshua (Josh) Occhiuzzo, He’s our newest addition to the Magic Lube and Rubber Team. Josh is a graduate of the automotive program at Universal Technical Institute. He brings with him over five years of automotive experience. Josh gained most of his hands-on experience from dealerships such as Honda, Kia and Hyundai, so he has a great deal of knowledge that he brings to the table. Josh loves a challenge and is always striving to learn and grow every day.      He enjoys fixing anything that has an engine and spends countless hours doing just that.  When he’s not fixing, fixing, and fixing some more, he enjoys video games and riding ATVs or Dirt bikes with his brother. Josh resides in Blairstown, NJ and it’s the perfect setting for him because he loves the great outdoors and nature. He’s a real family guy and spending time with his family, friends, and his girlfriend April ... read more

Here is just one example of how routinely maintaining your vehicle can help to prevent bigger problems in the future. For this particular repair, Jay, our ASE Master certified technician took on this challenge and was able to bring this vehicle back to life. 14 Dodge Ram Promaster 3.6 Liter V6 with under 100k miles. These engines have common issues with the Lifters seizing causing a tick. If that tick is ignored too long the camshaft lobe starts to grind away as you see here. When this happens metal shavings are thrown throughout the entire engine. This customer decided to go the right way with a full new engine replacement. Although sometimes you can get away with replacing the camshaft and lifters and flushing the engine oil, but this is only hoping the rest of the engine isn't too worn out from all the metal shavings and is not recommended. Although this is a very common issue on multiple different e ... read more

  As you know, Automotive Magic prides itself on the people we have on our team. Each one of our crew brings their own unique set of skills and insights that help make the Magic happen.  Over the last few months, we’ve increased and improved our family. With Magic Lube and Rubber finishing off its second month in business we’re really excited that we have in place what we would consider a dream team. And we’ve also filled some pretty significant shoes at the Automotive Magic location as well. If you are at all familiar with darts, we hit a hat trick with this group of gentlemen.  Let's start off with Brandon Birmingham, our new service consultant over at Automotive Magic. Brandon is currently studying at Stratford University. He’s studying automotive and once his education is complete, he’ll have earned his certification as an automotive technician. Brandon is from Budd Lake, NJ, and as a wee little guy he’s always been ... read more

There are so many resources out there today that can send you in multiple directions. One thing that we know for certain is that word of mouth and referrals have always been our most valued resource. When we are looking for a reliable and trustworthy source, we look to friends and family first, then yes, we might Google, but we always want the recommendation of someone we know and trust to guide us to the right person or business. We are always appreciative of referrals from our clients, it makes us proud to know that we’re doing the right thing for our customers, so much so that they are willing to recommend us. That’s just the highest level of compliment that we can receive. We here at Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber are very focused on referrals. Shawn is the president of the Roxbury, BNI (Business Network International) group, and a critical part of it for over a decade. He knows that the referrals and recommendations of people that have found connections ... read more

We all have busy, full lives. Our minds are filled with everything that we need to do in a day/week/month/year and often have plans to get it all done. But what happens when our plans get interrupted by an unexpected repair or maintenance of a vehicle? The economy is crap, inflation is through the roof and now this!? Have no fear, we at Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber are here for you in your time of need! We offer financing options for you when you don’t know how you’re going to get it done.   The first option we offer is the NAPA EasyPay. This is a service provided through Synchrony Bank. It offers a 0% interest promotional rate, if paid off within 6 months. It’s a line of credit you can use on the immediate repair as well as any future vehicle repair needs. The other option is a snap! Loan. This service is provided through TAB Bank which looks beyond FICO scores and provides a loan of up to $3000. snap! Loans provides a quick and easy application pr ... read more

Did you know that your vehicle is not a crock pot? Yes, of course you did! Your vehicle is not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. This blog's topic for the Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber is the importance of routine oil changes. When you talk to anyone at Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber, we will unequivocally preach the good word of routine oil changes! “Why do we want routine oil changes?”, you may be asking. “They are just trying to get more money from me, it’s a racket in the auto industry,” you may be thinking. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.  When you change oil at the recommended intervals, with oil that meets or exceeds the manufacturer's specifications, you will extend the life of the engine and increase its efficiency. Right after an oil change is the closest you will get to the brand-new, right-off-the-lot feel of driving. Your engine has full power as the oil lubricates all the moving parts ... read more

Our technicians work tirelessly behind the scenes every day and they certainly have their work cut out for them. Some days are more challenging and exciting than others, but they are always rewarding.  June's Repair of the month: Our super talented technician, Jay worked on this '08 Chevy Silverado 5.3 liter and the outcome was pretty spectacular. Here is a little overview. This '08 Chevy Silverado with 200k miles on it. The Client's complaint was that the check engine light was on and the vehicle was running rough at idle.   After a full health inspection, and code scan Jay was able to read that the PCM (powertrain control module) Had a Code   p0301-Cylinder 1 misfire only at idle. After swapping cylinder one and cylinder two spark plugs and swapping cylinder 1 and cylinder 3 spark plug wires, the misfire stayed in cylinder 1. He then swapped cylinder 1 coil and cylinder 3 coil, the misfire still stayed in cyl ... read more