Recently, one of my teeth broke. I put off making an appointment for a week or so because the dentist is not my favorite place to go. I was not looking forward to having a root canal or a cap.

So, you’ve made an appointment to have your car serviced. What information do you want to make sure you cover with your auto service advisor? And conversely, what do you want to make sure that your auto repair shop communicates to you?

Recently, one of our customers came in with a “check engine light” on. When a “check engine light” comes on, many drivers think it’s due to an electronic issue, but sometimes it can be a mechanical issue.

Brakes are one of the most critical safety systems in our car. They keep us from plowing into objects and people. Keeping your brakes in working order requires they be checked at least once a year. But just having them checked isn’t enough; who you choose to service your brakes matters.

How do we diagnose complex “issues” when they go wrong?

When you hear a noise coming from your car, what do you do? Do you try to determine where the sound is coming from? Do you pay attention to when it happens (e.g. do you hear it when you first start the car, only after you exceed 50 mph, when you brake, during acceleration…)?

There are a lot of distractions for drivers these days — from GPS systems to mobile phones to all kinds of computer display panels. Get distracted long enough and you just may end up hitting a road obstacle — it could be a median strip, a pot hole or some debris in the roadway.

Are Noises coming from your MINI Cooper engine compartment keeping you up at night with dreams of another “sticker shock” repair?