BEM-Home     Vehicle Inventory     Services     Contact

• Service bulletins for your particular automobile by make, model and year
• Restoration project
• Classic Car News
• Pre-owned car updates
• Online Newsletter: "Sonoma Classics"

Registration Form

Do you know the top 3 services performed on automobiles?

• Oil & Lube
• Alignments
• Diagnostics

Together, these three-categories represent nearly 40% of all service work, and, for good reason. What these categories have in common is "Preventative Maintenance." You can avoid costly repairs later-on with these heavy-weight, "save you money" services when they're regularly done.

To Keep your vehicle in top condition

• Most important, keep your vehicle on a regular maintenance schedule, as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Check tire pressures weekly. Low pressures will cause increased fuel consumption, excessive tire wear and abnormal suspension loads.
• If possible, use gas with a detergent added. Chevron with Techroline is a good example. This will keep fuel injectors cleaner and your vehicle will perform better.
• Check oil and water levels when filling up with gas, or at least once a week. Excessive oil or water consumption usually indicates early signs of potential major problems. Also check that water does not look rusty and oil does not have white foam on it. If any of these symptoms occur have your vehicle checked immediately.
• Check garage floor for fluids. All fluid leaks should be checked and repaired. A minor leak if left long enough could cause a major component to fail.
• If coolant needs replacing or topping up, ensure correct amount of anti-freeze is added. Anti-freeze not only protects against frost, but includes a rust inhibitor, essential for reliable operation of the cooling system.
• Brake fluid should be replaced every two years. Brake fluid absorbs moisture, which can boil when brakes are applied. This will reduce braking efficiency dramatically. It is also a potentially very dangerous situation, since first indication of this problem will occur when brakes are heavily used, for example, in a high speed emergency stop.
• Any noise when brakes are applied should be checked immediately. Some semi-metallic pads do normally produce a high pitched squeal. Worn pads, which are quick and easy to replace, can cause expensive damage to brake rotors if not changed in time.

ISSN 1538 - 8913

Past Issues