Here we are at the winter solstice, December 21, 2016. It’s the shortest day of the year. We are commuting in the dark or driving when the sun is low — at dawn in the morning or dusk in the evening — making visibility difficult. Couple this with fog, mist, ice and snow and driving becomes a real challenge.
Over the past month or so we had two customers whose vehicle experienced an extreme clutch failure only months after having the clutch replaced. Clutches should last over 100,000 miles, and these two clutches failed in a very dramatic way! They had been entirely burnt out.
We often get questions on handbrakes. Some of our customers aren’t sure when or how to use them. We thought it would be a good idea to do a Q&A on the top 10 questions asked related to the handbrake. Importantly, on some cars the “handbrake” is actually a foot pedal. It’s also called an emergency brake or parking brake.
When your car isn’t properly maintained a lot of things can go wrong. The other day I ran across a Facebook post that caught my eye. A fellow auto shop owner, Ken Quasney of Auto Sense, posted a picture of a ball joint that had separated from the lower control arm.
Over the past few years we have written many blog posts on the MINI Cooper. If you are familiar with our auto repair center, you may know that when we first opened our auto shop back in 1978, we focused on servicing British and American cars — hence the name, British American Auto Care.
So many times we’ll hear words related to our cars and not even understand what they are. An automotive service adviser may tell a customer, “We need to change the differential oil,” and the customer may have no clue what he’s referring to. So what is a differential?
We’ve all seen the commercials. A guy wakes up Christmas morning, and waiting for him outside is his ultimate dream car — all wrapped up with a bow and a card from Santa.
Don’t let smoke get in your eyes!
I don’t know about you, but I glimpsed a lot of people sporting their winter coats this past weekend. Snow has already hit Maine (no surprise there), but it’s hit Tennessee and South Carolina too! Yes, the winter weather is already here in some parts of the country. It’s best to be prepared for it.
Proper brake maintenance is essential to automobile safety. In the video below, I review some key tips on brake maintenance, but the bottom line is to be sure your brakes undergo a thorough examination every year.
My Check Engine light is on but I am not having any symptoms. Is it ok to keep driving?
Practicing preventive maintenance and keeping all your automotive systems in tip-top shape is only part of the picture when avoiding accidents.
