Summertime means a switch to summer-mix gas for your car— and a switch to iced coffee for me. It also is an important time to check that your coolant/antifreeze is up to the task of protecting your vehicle’s system from heat. It's important for several reasons. Your coolant removes excess heat from your internal combustion engine. It's often called antifreeze because it needs to resist freezing in northern climates. Coolant needs to have a higher boiling point as well as a lower freezing point. Essentially, we’re asking a lot of this liquid. Drivers used to just grab a gallon of antifreeze at the corner gas station and add some to the reservoir if it was low. With recent changes, there are more coolants to choose from. If you add coolant and let your technician know, they'll probably ask you what color it was. Why? Different manufacturers are recommending different coolants. It's important to use the correct one. In an emergency, you can add water to the system. You don't want to mix d ... read more

Ken joined our team bringing a lot of experience as an ASE certified technician with twenty-four years of experience at dealerships and several years as an independent. Ken is our Volkswagen and Audi go-to guy. He enjoys working on German vehicles the most. I have learned a lot from him as he is very adept at explaining what transpired as a vehicle part was failing. I sat in Ken’s bay and peppered him with questions for this blog post. What is your favorite car – R129 Mercedes Benz SL from the 90’s. Why? They can be purchased reasonably and they are a beautiful car. Favorite thing to do when you’re not working? I sing in ‘Hark Up.’ I’m a bass singer and play bass, acoustic and electric guitar. My family, including my wife Mary, my two sons, and my daughter, enjoy going to Whitecaps baseball games as well. Why did you become a technician? – My first car was a 1972 Chevy Nova SS that was a “hunk of garbage” and I learned to work on that to keep it running. I enjoyed the work so decided t ... read more

We are thankful for all of the wishes of Merry Christmas, the cards and all of the delicious treats that have been sent our way this holiday season. It's tough to add an unexpected expense to your credit card in December. Cars don't care about the upcoming holidays and they haven't seen your list of Christmas gifts you have to purchase. Coupled with the suddenly cold weather, we've had a lot of breakdowns this month in comparison to maintenance work. We hope that no matter what your month has been like that you enjoy the holiday weekend. Celebrate the people you are with, enjoy their company, and take time to remember those who aren't at the holiday table this year. It really isn't about the presents but being present. All of us at Arie Nol Auto Center wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and wish you and yours the best of the season

It's important that people enjoy their ‘work space’ as much as possible. Going through our bays, you see family pictures, screen savers of favorite cars and photos of family vacations. I have photos of my family in my office but not any of my cats. That would push me to close to the “crazy-cat lady” title I'm trying to avoid. While many work spaces have changed and evolved over the years, automotive service areas have as well. Many shops you enter are cleaner, brighter and more welcoming than they were in the past. Not just for customers but for employees as well. The mechanical service area used to be a space that you rarely brought a customer. They're still not a place that customers spend much time but if the need arises to look at something on your vehicle while it's in the shop, it's much more inviting than it used to be. Motorized floor scrubbers have made keeping the shop floor clean much easier than in the past. I appreciate it because I don't have to worry about my shoes as I ... read more

This is the time of year when our thoughts turn to Springbreak. The migration of northern state residents to the sun and surf of the southern state beaches. The tide rolling in while the sun shines down on us, our toes tucked into the sand. Before that moment, there is the drive for many people. Bumper to bumper, cars headed south. Your vehicle is packed with snacks, pillows, a video player of some sort, bathing suits and suncreen. The sunscreen is for our pale, hasn't seen the sun in months, northern skin. Forgetting this leads to sunburn, blisters and possibly missing a couple of days in the sun. When I was a teenager, we laid out in the sun covered in baby oil and fried ourselves. After the blisters healed and the red faded, you might, if you weren't me, end up with a tan. We’re so much smarter now and know the value of suncreen and SPF. While you dream of this trip on a gray, snowy day, make a call to your local repair facility. Schedule an appointment to have your vehicle checked ... read more

I think of them as the ‘summer cars.’ They’re usually MGs, Datsun Z cars, and Mercedes convertibles. They roll in as the summer weather arrives. These cars usually have their own idiosyncrasies and their owners often have a story about how or why they own that particular vehicle. These cars haven’t been exposed to snow, salt or in some cases, even rain. Nostalgia plays a part in the ownership of these vehicles. Many times, their parents had the same type of vehicle and it brings back great summer memories. Other times, the owner was bestowed the vehicle when someone passed away and the car stands as a memento. For other folks, it’s simply been their dream car for as long as they can remember. We’ve had forty-year old vehicles come in that have had only one owner. Some of them—since we’ve been around over forty years—we’ve been taking care of since they were new. For Jeff, these cars are like old friends pulling into our lot. He remembers working on them as a teenager and will reminisce ... read more

January 1, 2017 was the beginning of the new year as well as Arie Nol Auto Center’s 41 st anniversary. When Arie Nol opened his business in 1976, there were very few repair facilities that worked on the imported vehicles that had started to be more prevalent in the American car market. Coming from the Netherlands and working for Porsche in California, Arie had a lot of experience working on European vehicles. The timing was perfect and he could fulfill his dream of opening his own business. He opened his two- bay shop in the same location we currently occupy. Jeff worked part time until 1980 when he joined his Dad full time at the family business. It’s amazing to look back and see where we started and see how the business has grown. Arie laid the ground work for the business that exists today. We still have customers that come in and talk about Arie working on their vehicle. He was known for being blunt with his customers. He took car repairs and maintenance seriously and wanted custom ... read more