Secrets to Help Your BMW Demand Less Maintenance

Posted on | 29 Nov 2017 By Anita Gaal

BMWs are designed and engineered to outperform nearly all other luxury vehicles on the market. Each year, drivers rate BMWs the highest out of many other options available; however, any vehicle, including BMWs, only perform at their best when the driver or owner follows routine maintenance procedures. Even cars with reputations like BMWs can break down and begin to fail on us. While it is impossible to avoid automotive care, there are certain things you can do as a BMW owner to cut down on repair costs and help your car demand less maintenance over the course of its lifetime. Here are some secrets that will help extend the life of your BMW and lessen the overall amount of maintenance expenses over time.

Follow the Scheduled Maintenance Plan

Every vehicle manufacturer creates a specified maintenance plan for each model. Every brand is different, but furthermore, so is every model within a brand. For instance, the BMW 7 Series will need a different schedule of maintenance than the 3 Series. Following the scheduled maintenance plan for your specific BMW is the best way to organize your expectations in terms of cost and time management over the course of your BMWs lifetime. The maintenance plan set forth by the manufacturer is designed to help your BMW perform optimally—when you don’t follow this plan, parts and services can become neglected, leading to costly repairs and higher need for maintenance.

Don’t Wait to Have Troubling Symptoms Checked Out

The longer a problem continues, the more likely your car is to experience further damage, and therefore a higher repair bill. Your BMW is an intricate system of many different subsystems and parts that all work together to function at their best. When you notice a sign or a symptom that something isn’t working quite right, you should bring your BMW in to the nearest, most trusted BMW specialist. Troubling symptoms that continue or get worse should be thoroughly inspected before the problem spreads to other systems and areas of the vehicle. The longer you wait, the more likely that you’ll wind up paying a fortune in various repair costs.

Regular Oil Changes

Many drivers underestimate the importance of routine oil changes. You can find the recommended schedule for oil changes in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. Generally oil changes should be performed once every 3 months or 3,000 miles; however, this is based on an average of the typical drivers’ conditions and habits. You can speak with your BMW specialist to see if you can cut down on oil changes, but they should never be eliminated or forgone. Oil changes help keep your engine’s oil clean and running smoothly, lubricating vital parts of your engine. If your oil becomes dirty, it can become defective. Oil filters should also be changed often.

Find Professionals Who Specialize in BMWs

There are many misconceptions about the automotive industry. One of them is regarding who you must bring your vehicle to for inspections, services, repairs, and maintenance work. Bringing your BMW to any average mechanic who does not have specific knowledge and training background in German-engineering can be detrimental to your wallet and to your car’s life expectancy. Another misconception is that you must bring your BMW to the BMW dealership for servicing. Dealerships often overcharge their clients because of this common misconception, but it is important to know that most BMW dealerships do not hire technicians with any specific training in BMW repair.

Our Approach to BMW Care

Euro Automotive specialists, serving Dallas, Garland, Arlington, and Fort Worth, Texas, are specifically trained and skilled in working with BMWs and other German-engineered cars. We take pride in our philosophy on educating and informing our clients about basic automotive knowledge so that they can get a better picture of the work we do, as well as care for their vehicles appropriately. Furthermore, we offer up to 25% lower pricing than dealerships nearby so that the same services can be performed on clients’ BMWs at a more affordable price. If you would like more information about the services we provide or would like to schedule an appointment to have your BMW inspected or diagnosed, contact us today—we look forward to helping more people save money and extend their vehicle’s longevity.

Featured image credit goes to: joephotographer.

Different Warning Signs of Improper Wheel Alignment

Posted on | 14 Nov 2017 By Anita Gaal

Auto maintenance is often put off by drivers until the last minute, sometimes until other problems occur due to the initial problem. When you begin noticing signs or symptoms of improper wheel alignment, it is critical that you get the issue diagnosed immediately—before other damage occurs because of it. When wheel alignment is not corrected for an extended period of time, it can put added stress on other components of your vehicle like suspension parts and tires. Furthermore, wheel alignment can become a safety hazard if the issue goes unaddressed; steering responsiveness can suffer, making your car difficult to control when you need to react in a split second.

Wheel alignments are part of routine auto maintenance, and are included in every vehicle’s scheduled maintenance plan set forth by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, driving conditions and driving habits can influence the frequency of need for alignments. For instance, if you accidentally run over a curb or pothole, your alignment could be significantly affected. There are many symptoms that can appear when your alignment is off, and it is helpful to have an idea of what to look for. Here are some different warning signs of improper wheel alignment that every driver should pay attention to:

Car Drifts or Pulls

Most roads are not made to be flat; they are generally curved on both sides, allowing for proper street water drainage. This can deceptively lead drivers to believe that their alignment is off when they notice their car drifting or pulling to one side while driving. The best way to test if you need an alignment or not is to find a flat, empty road to drive on where you can gently take pressure off of the steering wheel to see if the car naturally drifts in a specific direction. With more severe alignment issues, drifting or pulling will be more apparent to the driver, causing the need to counter steer or consistently apply pressure in the opposite direction.

Emblem Position

Another way to tell if your car needs an alignment or not is to observe the position of the emblem in the center of your steering wheel. While driving straight, if you notice that the emblem is off center or tilted to one side, your car’s resting alignment is off and must be corrected. While it may not seem like a huge ordeal at first, the longer your alignment goes without repair, the more steady the impact will be on other parts over time. Because it’s so easy to allow this issue to continue, it’s best to address the problem when you first notice it to avoid safety issues and a costly repair bill.

Steering Wheel Vibration

This is perhaps one of the most obvious symptoms of wheel misalignment. Steering wheel vibration may only occur while driving straight, but it is an unsettling feeling to experience. Steering wheel vibration is often due to improper alignment, but it can also be due to other serious automotive issues. If you are experiencing steering wheel vibration, you should bring your vehicle in to your nearest, most trusted automotive specialist to perform an accurate differential diagnosis immediately.

Uneven Tire Wear

Tire health is one of the ways to diagnose various auto issues, and wheel alignment is no exception. If you pay close attention to the wear patterns on your tires, you may notice that the wear is off-center or uneven. This could indicate a number of different issues going on, but often point toward issues with wheel alignment.

How We Can Help

Ongoing auto maintenance is important to extend the life of your vehicle, to remain safe on the road, and to keep repair bills to a minimum. Wheel alignments are part of routine auto care, and the experts here at Euro Automotive are pleased to be able to help the residents of Dallas, Garland, Arlington, and Fort Worth, TX maintain their vehicles. Specializing in European imports like Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes (just to name a few), we offer pricing up to 25% lower than nearby dealerships. It is our mission to provide our local clients with affordable, specialized auto care by professionals who are passionate and enthusiastic about automotive work. To have your alignment checked or schedule an appointment, contact us today—we look forward to helping you get your car back on the road.

Why My Volkswagen Shows Poor Performance

Posted on | 1 Nov 2017 By Anita Gaal

There are a number of different potential causes of poor, or diminished vehicle performance in Volkswagens, and it’s not always related to just one, single issue. The reason for this is that your vehicle is a complex web of interconnected parts that all affect one another in various ways that can often result in a chain reaction of damaged parts. Of course, this is not always the case, and most of the time you can improve your Volkswagen’s performance with quick repair solutions. The first order of business is usually to narrow down the potential cause of the problem based on the symptoms you’re experiencing; therefore, it is important to pay attention to how your car is behaving and what you qualify as “poor” performance. If your car is alerting you via a dashboard warning light, the issue can be diagnosed with professional equipment used by experts in Volkswagen repair and maintenance. Dashboard warning lights aren’t always the way your vehicle will communicate performance-related issues; here are some of the other symptoms you may experience and what they could be related to:

Low Fuel Efficiency

Most car buyers look for a vehicle that has a high fuel economy, and it can be especially disappointing when your car doesn’t deliver as promised on a consistent basis. This could be traced back to an array of different problems, most of which include the need for basic automotive maintenance procedures. Having regular oil changes, using the correct type of oil, for your specific model of Volkswagen is critical for preserving your car’s promised gas mileage range. You should also have oil filters, air filters, and fuel injectors inspected and replaced when necessary. Low fuel efficiency can also be related to driving habits. It is important to not hammer on your car every day, all day; once in a while a lead foot is necessary, but for the majority of the time, try to take it easy to avoid costly repairs and frequent visits to the auto shop.

Acceleration Issues

If your Volkswagen is having difficulty accelerating, there could be any number of causes. Running rough during acceleration could be a result of a clogged fuel injector, air filters, or even more serious transmission issues. Repairing or replacing these parts on Volkswagens ranges greatly in cost, and it is important to do your research comparing pricing in your area for parts and labor—especially if the issue is related to transmission problems. Transmission issues can become expensive, so it is important to have an accurate diagnosis right off the bat. Therefore, you shouldn’t settle for going to a repair shop that doesn’t specialize in Volkswagen repair—you will likely leave disappointed with the results.

Brake Issues

Brake repair and maintenance is one of the most critical elements of ongoing vehicle care because it is directly related to your immediate safety. When your Volkswagen loses the ability to brake properly, it dramatically increases the risk of an accident. If you notice odd noises or smells while employing your brakes, such as: grinding, squealing, or screeching, the performance issue is likely related to your brake pads, rotors, or calipers. Brake issues are concerning, and should be handled with immediacy and extreme accuracy. Make sure to bring your Volkswagen in for a brake inspection as soon as possible if you begin to experience issues braking.

Diagnostics

Warning lights need to be read, analyzed, and cleared by professionals with the proper equipment. In order to accurately assess a performance issue, Volkswagen specialists should attend to the diagnostic procedures your vehicle needs in order for you to get answers and find a solution quickly and efficiently. Accurately diagnosing the problem is half the battle, and improper diagnosis can cost you time and money that you likely don’t have. Look for a shop that focuses on Volkswagen engineering in order to spot issues with better accuracy.

How We Can Help

The aforementioned list is in no way comprehensive—there are many performance issues that Volkswagens encounter, and they require the expertise of a professional to properly address and solve. For years Euro Automotive has been the leading dealership alternative in European repair services. Serving Dallas, Garland, Arlington, and Fort Worth, TX areas, we are familiar with the typical needs of Volkswagen drivers in our community. We offer competitive pricing for our clients with an elevated level of customer service—we take pride in our ability to not only fix automotive issues, but prevent them from reoccurring in the future. If your Volkswagen is experiencing performance issues, contact us today for an inspection or diagnostic service; we look forward to earning your trust and patronage.

Volkswagen Sign image credit goes to: tstajduhar.