We’ve all heard the term ‘grease monkey’. I never thought about it until I married an automotive technician. If I hear it used now, it irritates me. Here’s why. I know how much education, intelligence and hard work it takes to excel in this field. As with any other career, there are varying degrees of aptitude. Some people are born with the natural ability to comprehend the complex systems that run today's vehicles. Through constant education, they are able to maintain and repair essentially “computers on wheels.” They may have started out learning at their father’s side in the garage. They may have disassembled an engine because they knew through trial and error they'd be able to fix it and have it back on the road. These are the technicians that love the challenge of their job and enjoy the constantly changing technology. I do not have this capability. I've learned a lot and understand a fair amount of how and why your vehicles run. I can identify many parts and their function. I hav ... read more

Michigan is such a fickle place to live when it comes to our weather. If you've lived here long enough, you really will have worn a coat and gloves in the morning and shorts in the afternoon. Some days it feels like Mother Nature looks into my car and says, “You forgot your gloves? Time for snow and cold wind and by the way, you need to fill your gas tank. Have fun standing outside of the car!” Now think about your car. You want it to be prepared for any weather Michigan dishes out. Check your coolant. Can it handle the heat? Make sure your windshield wiper fluid is full and that your wipers are in good shape. Are all of your vehicle’s lights working? Here’s the most important thing to do in the spring. Turn on your air conditioning. Don't wait until you need it. Remember last year when the A/C wasn't quite as cold as it usually is? Or it was making a noise? But then it became cold and you switched over to heat in your car. The lack of cold air flowing through your vents was offset but ... read more

Picture going into a dentist office, telling them you have pain in the lower left side of your jaw. You had a friend that had the same symptoms and that person had a cavity. You precede to tell the dentist you would like him to figure out which tooth needs to be filled without x-rays or looking in your mouth. You think you know which tooth it is and tell him that’s the one he should start drilling. There is a good chance you are going to be disappointed with the outcome of this scenario. This isn’t the recommended oral health care choice. In the automotive repair business, as diagnoses becomes more complicated, we deal with this sometimes. Back in the day most people could diagnose their vehicle or their neighbor could. That isn’t true anymore. There are many more complicated electronic and computer systems that exist in your car. We work with our customers to educate them as to why diagnosing the problem in many situations is less expensive than just beginning to replace parts hoping ... read more

This winter hasn’t been too bad. The roads however, started out bad and winter weather always makes them worse. We’ve been having some customers come in after reporting hitting pot holes. We’ve all done it. Driving down the road and all of the sudden you are trying to avoid a pothole without hitting the cars around us. As your tire rolls into the hole in the road, you calmly begin hoping there is no damage. Maybe not so calmly, because unfortunately, those holes in the road can cause a lot of damage. According to the annual TRIP study, the average Michigan motorist pays an additional $686.00 annually in repair and fuel dollars due to the bad roads. Your best bet is obviously to avoid the potholes. If that isn’t possible and you’ve hit one with your car, you need to pull over. Take a look at your tire and look for damage. Is there tread damage or a bulge on the side of the tire? Look at the rim of the tire and see if there is any damage. If you don’t see any damage, then drive your car ... read more

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