Sometimes the best R&R you can get is in the comfort of your own home. If you’re traveling from the kitchen to the living room instead of from the east coast to the west, you can still make sure your vehicle is ready to support you when you have to come back to the real world.   If you're staying home for Spring Break, it's still a great time to get your vehicle serviced. Our pickup and delivery service makes it easy to get your vehicle in for routine maintenance or repairs while you're enjoying your staycation at home. We'll pick up your vehicle from your home or office, perform the necessary service or repairs, and deliver it back to you when we're done. This way, you can focus on relaxing and enjoying your time off while we take care of your vehicle.   We also recommend scheduling your college student's vehicle for service while they’re home for Spring Break. This can help ensure that their vehicle is safe and reliable for the jo ... read more

Hello March!   Spring Break is almost here, and we know that many of you are planning trips or staycations. Whether you're hitting the road or staying home, it's important to ensure that your vehicle is in top shape before you embark on your Spring Break adventures. This week, we’ll give some tips to our vacationers–when you’re hitting the road for a trip, we want to make sure that your vehicle is ready to handle the journey.    At our auto shop, we offer a wide range of services to help you prepare your vehicle for Spring Break. If you're planning to hit the road, we recommend scheduling a pre-trip service and inspection to ensure that your vehicle is safe and reliable for your journey. Our expert technicians will perform a thorough inspection of your vehicle, checking everything from your brakes and tires to your fluid levels and battery. We'll identify any issues that need to be addressed and provide you with a comprehensive repo ... read more

With the largest dump of snow we’ve seen in a while, these February winter storms might have your car a little worse for wear! If something feels a little off on your ventures out into this winter wonderland, double-check that these harsh icy, slushy, and salty conditions haven’t affected any of these vehicle elements:   Tires The only thing between you and the road is your tires. It’s crucial to ensure that your tread is wearing evenly, there’s plenty of the tread remaining, that no road hazards have damaged your tires, and they are filled to the proper pressure. And don’t forget the spare! You never know when a flat tire could create a detour in your route.   Fluids     Fluids are the lifeblood of your vehicle. Your car has many different fluids ranging from engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, differential fluid, and of course, your fuel system…just to name a few! It&rsq ... read more

Having your vehicle properly aligned can save you thousands of dollars in the life of the vehicle. Tires, Suspension Components, Steering Components, and more can be stressed and prematurely fair when the vehicle's alignment is out of spec. When it's out of spec the vehicle has to work extra hard to keep it going in the direction that the driver is trying to get it to go.   So how often should you get an alignment? The easy answer is whenever your car is not going straight down the road. That certainly has some validity to it, but the way many roads are made today that can be tricky to just blame the alignment when the road is pitched for a water run off which will naturally cause your vehicle to veer.    It's important that anytime you have steering or suspension work performed that you have an alignment performed to ensure that everything is re-aligned. Also anytime you get your tires replaced get an alignment. Tires are a big investment, let's not ... read more

As we come to the end of the worst of winter, and things start to thaw out, we come into pothole season–so it’s the perfect time to start thinking about Vehicle Alignments. The alignment of your vehicle is an important aspect of maintenance, so we’re going to make sure to go over what an alignment is, why it’s important, and how often to get it done. Normal wear and tear will cause your vehicle to get out of alignment, so this is an important aspect of the upkeep of your vehicle. Although, it can also get banged out of whack by hitting potholes, bumping curbs, or even minor fender benders.    An alignment is a process where a technician sets your vehicle onto a lift, installs targets onto your wheels, and takes measurements such as toe, camber, caster, thrust angle, etc. Once they get the before measurements of your vehicle’s current alignment angles, the technician can then determine what adjustments will need to be made. They will then make ... read more

Last week, we went over some automotive issues you might come across in the colder months like dead batteries, failed spark plugs, or cars not starting. This week, we’ll touch on some simpler, but equally important routine maintenance. If you miss some of these crucial winter practices, it can lead to frustrating issues. Check out these winter automotive reminders!    Windshield Wipers Freezing     Your wipers are essential for braving the winter weather, and keeping your visibility clear in rain, sleet, and snow. However, they become more vulnerable in freezing weather. They can freeze to your windshield, which could cause them to tear if you tried to turn them on–which is definitely not something you want to happen in the middle of a storm.       To keep your wipers safe in cold temperatures, you’ll want to add checking on them to your routine. If you know cold weather is coming and you can’t get your car under ... read more

There are different automotive issues that come with the changes of seasons–you might worry more about your car overheating over the summer. Each season comes with its own unique challenges, so here are some things to look out for this winter and some tips on how to deal with them.    Car Not Starting     This is true in any season–sometimes your car just won’t start. However, in the winter,  this could be a sign of a bigger issue; like failing batteries or spark plugs. Fortunately, it’s not always a huge red flag, as it could also simply be a smaller issue like thickened engine oil, frozen gas in the line, or a bad starter or alternator. For those smaller issues, the best thing you can do is to try and keep your vehicles warm overnight or when the temperature drops to its lowest. Keeping your car parked in a garage or using an engine block heater to keep the engine warm are both good options. Don’t worry, we’ve got t ... read more

  Last week, we started our deep dive into extended warranties and their pros and cons. The main takeaway being that often, most extended warranty companies are benefiting more from your purchase of a warranty than you are. The chances that your warranty will be able to cover what you need to be covered in the time span of the warranty are fairly low, meaning that your money has gone straight into that company’s pocket without it being used on your vehicle.    If you do happen to be covered under warranty and the extended warranty company accepts fault, we have seen many companies fight and argue with us over the quality of the parts we are allowed to use, even seeing requests to install used parts. We would never want to install a used part into your vehicle, and we know that as our clients, you expect the best from us. As your trusted auto shop, we’ll represent you in these circumstances to try to ensure that we get you a quality part that matches the qu ... read more

Even with our winter weather being slightly strange these past few years, snow and ice can still pose a threat to your safety on the road when you least expect it. If you find yourself in a sticky or snowy situation, here are some tips that will help you out.   Pack a winter safety kit     We recommend always having a safety kit in your car year-round including essentials like first aid, a flashlight, food, water, and traffic reflectors, at the very least. However, as seasons change, the risks of the road change too, and so do the items you should keep in your car in case of an emergency. For the winter, you may want to add your trusty ice scraper, extra antifreeze, a snow shovel and/or a bag of sand, a spare car charger for your phone, and extra warm clothes like extra socks, jackets, hats, or gloves. You might never need to use the extra items in your safety kit, but you never know when you might need them.  Remember what to do in a winter road emerge ... read more

Our winters have been odd in the past few years, which has meant a rollercoaster of ice and snow and random bouts of warmer, thawing weather. That much back and forth leaves an opportunity for black ice and other dangerous weather conditions. Whether you get stranded in a blizzard or spin out on hidden ice, it’s important to know how to prepare for, stay safe in, and act in the event of a winter road emergency. This week, we’ll go over how best to stay prepared for the winter conditions ahead.    Get a winter tune-up     As the seasons change and the year goes by, it’s important to get regular tune-ups on your vehicle. When you’re getting your car checked for the winter, you’ll want to make sure that you check on your battery, brakes, heating and cooling systems, components like belts, hoses, spark plugs, and other wires and cables, and all your fluids; oil, antifreeze, wiper fluid, etc. Check that everything is in working order ... read more