We added two new lifts and expanded into the space next door this spring, bringing us to eight bays total. It is the biggest change to the shop since we added our second bay back in the 1990s. The short version for customers: wait times should be noticeably shorter, especially during spring and fall when everyone seems to book maintenance at once. We have also brought on two more ASE-certified technicians to go with the expanded space. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with us through nearly four decades on Foundry Row. This expansion would not have made sense without you.

Long drives put more strain on a car in a few hours than weeks of normal commuting. A short pre-trip check catches most of what tends to fail. Check tire tread and pressure, including the spare — a tire that is fine around town can be marginal at sustained highway speed. Check coolant level when the engine is cold, and look at the belts for cracking. Have your battery tested if it is more than three years old; heat and cold both shorten battery life, and a marginal battery often fails at the worst possible moment. Top off washer fluid and check your wiper blades if you are driving through any weather. If it has been more than six months since your last oil change, do it before you leave rather than after you get back. We can usually get a pre-trip check done same-day if you call ahead.

Every worn part we replace goes on the counter for you to see before we throw it out. It takes an extra thirty seconds and it has become one of the things customers mention most often. It is a small habit, but it comes from a real problem in this industry: it is genuinely hard for most people to know whether a repair was actually necessary. Showing the old brake pad, the cracked belt, or the failed sensor does not prove much on its own, but it is a habit that keeps us honest, and it gives you something real to look at instead of just a number on an invoice. If a shop cannot or will not show you the part they replaced, that is worth asking about.

Most drivers know to worry about a squealing noise, but brake wear shows up in other ways first. Catching these early usually means a simpler, cheaper repair. A soft or spongy pedal often points to air in the brake lines or worn fluid, not the pads themselves. Pulling to one side under braking can mean an uneven caliper or a stuck slide pin. A pulsing sensation in the pedal at highway speed usually means a warped rotor. Grinding — as opposed to squealing — means the pads are already gone and metal is contacting metal, which is the one on this list you should not wait on. If you notice any of these, get it looked at within a week or two. None of them are emergencies on day one, but all of them get more expensive the longer they run.