Is Your Car Ready for Back to School?

By Dave Trux

With many of our kids now back in school, now is the time to reclaim your home and a morsel of peace and sanity. On second thought, are you and your car up to the task of transporting them back and forth every weekday, including all those extracurricular activities after school and on weekends? So much for peace and sanity!

For those of you with kids that are old enough to drive, your days of being an unpaid chauffeur are over and your life will become infinitely easier, right? Wrong! You have merely traded in your old problems for new ones to deal with, like ensuring their safety when you’re not around. Unfortunately, whenever you lend your sage words of advice about safety, does your teen roll their eyes in total indifference? You have our sympathies.

Surely, things will get easier once junior has graduated from high school, right? I’m sorry to be the bearer of even more bad news, but not exactly. If your young and enthusiastic scholar is about to hit the road to higher education, it may be as far away from you as possible...ouch! Do you really want to watch your daughter or son drive off into the sunset in that old and abused car of theirs before having it carefully looked over from bumper to bumper? That wouldn’t be the wisest choice.

My sage words to you is to have a qualified mechanic perform a thorough inspection of the entire vehicle while paying close attention to all the basics, including an inspection of the windshield wipers, fluid levels, an oil change and checking tire condition. Parental peace of mind doesn’t come cheaply or easily, but after all you’ve been through, you deserve nothing less! 

Tooting Our Horn on a White Horse

By Dave Trux

One of the greatest challenges of promoting your own business is getting people to believe that you’re sincerely committed to putting your customer’s needs first and foremost. Why, because the average person is inundated by sales people hyping their products as being the latest and greatest or new and improved. If that’s really the case, have we been settling old and crummy products all these years?

For those reasons, I was thrilled when I discovered the glowing five star review we received recently from one of our customers, Michelle Lowe, who was told by another shop that the repair bill on her 2007 Audi A6 could wind up being in the neighborhood of $4,000. She was wise enough to not cave into the pressure of accepting their diagnosis and came to us for a second opinion and we’re all glad that she did. Here’s Michelle’s experience in her own words, slightly edited to fit this space.

Valley Motorwerks stepped up to be my 'Prince Charming' in this matter, but true to form, I had to kiss a frog first, which was another shop who'd misdiagnosed my car's issue. I won't name the 'frog' here, but the owner estimated that my check engine light had come on as a result of a 'drive chain' issue. He advised the cost would be somewhere around $3,900-$4,300. Yeah, dollars. I realized that this is an Audi and therefore repairs would be expensive, but really?
Enter Valley Motorwerks on their white horse. I knew of them because they'd successfully completed a previous unrelated repair on my car. The following Monday afternoon, Justin advised that after consulting the issue with another master mechanic in his shop, they deduced that because the car was drivable and I had not experienced any mechanical noises nor engine hesitation, his good news was this was definitely NOT a drive chain issue.

He advised me that my car didn't have enough miles to have this part malfunction or deteriorate. Justin then gave me even better news when he told me his shop felt the issue was related to a faulty cam position sensor, which would cost approximately (wait for it...) only $300! Bottom line, the diagnosis cost, two cam sensor parts replaced, labor and an oil change cost me a total of $650!

I'd prayed to be led to an Audi mechanic with integrity, kindness and empathy, and this has been answered at Valley Motorwerks. If you have an issue with your BMW, Mini, VW or Audi, please give Valley Motorwerks a chance to treat you right. They are fast too, as they only took three days to repair my ride and have it back to me.
I was treated very respectfully (historically, sometimes a chore for male mechanics when dealing with female customers) throughout this diagnosis and repair process, and I was kept apprised of my car's status at every turn.

It’s true, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you can find your Prince Charming, but personally I prefer my frog (legs) fried crispy, served hot and that's the end of that!

-Michelle Lowe

Keeping Your Cool in the Heat of the Moment

By Dave Trux

Now that the scalding hot days of summer have returned, what would you do if the air conditioning system in your car is blowing more hot air than a career politician? If this happens to you, I would strongly advise you to refrain from jumping ahead to thoughts of despair, including plans to break open your nest egg prematurely in anticipation of a lengthy and expensive repair.

The good news is the solution is often fairly simple, easy and inexpensive. In my many years in the auto repair industry, I’ve discovered that oftentimes, the problem is something as simple as recharging the system and refilling it with Freon.

If a system recharge fails to bring you the soothing cool relief you need to make it to autumn, the next logical step is to check for a leak. Because the A.C. system is a sealed system, we often find that Freon has leaked out somewhere. I’ve found that just over half the cars we work on with an A.C. issue were caused by a leak. We check for leaks in our shop by charging the system with an ultraviolet dye and then asking our customer to drive their car for a week or two. When they return, we’ll put their car up on the rack and recheck it again by putting a black light on it, which will reveal exactly where the leak is.

Once your A.C. system is back in working order, you may want to enhance its performance by replacing your cabin air filter. Over a period of time, as you continue to draw in air from the outdoors and into the cabin, especially during extreme summer and winter months when the windows are rolled up tight, it’s common to find a lot of debris in the air box where the cabin air filter sits. It’s crucial for the health of your family and your vehicle to have the cabin air filter inspected during each service and replaced annually. With the windows rolled up for extended periods of time, you’re limited to breathing in confined air, so that stagnant air needs to be as clean as possible.

Of course there are other more complex and expensive problems that can go wrong with the A.C. system, including malfunctioning components like the compressor, the receiver/dryer and the evaporator core, but fortunately they are far less common. So, before you lose your cool figuratively and literally over what might be the worst case scenario, take your car to a trusted repair facility where you and your car can chill out together.

A Message from Your Four Wheeled Friend

By Dave Trux

I’ve heard several drivers recently say that spring is in the air, and I’m sure that must be true, despite the record setting deluge of the wet stuff falling from the clouds these past few months. Why am I so confident about what season we’re in? Because I’ve been watching you buzzing around the house, cleaning and organizing everything under the roof, including my crib that you refer to as the garage.

While I do appreciate all your hard work to make my space cleaner and more organized, I am feeling a bit neglected and underappreciated these days. After all, you’re giving the house all your time, energy and attention while I’m out here alone in the cold, shivering in darkness for hours at a time. Where’s the love?

Don’t I deserve a day at the spa; I mean the mechanics shop for a much needed once-over? After all, I’ve been dutifully protecting you and your precious family from the elements, including torrential downpours and howling rain, not to mention those nasty tire eating potholes, whisking you all about town in your various travels from point A to Point B.

Okay, I see you’re now laughing at the idea of spring cleaning for your car, but I’m serious. Just look at the nasty dirt caked on my cabin air filter! Did you know that stuff was once floating in the air you and the family have been breathing for months with those windows rolled up tight all winter? And don’t get me started on that other filter lurking under the hood!

I don’t mean to be a nag, but even though the weather outside has transitioned from frightful to delightful; the long and scorching days of summer will be here before you know it. Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to give the old air conditioner a quick test run, just to make sure it’s blowing cold air (unlike the hot air I’ve been blowing at you this entire article)? Or even better; why not give me a much needed day off at the spa for a thorough spring cleaning. I hear they’re offering that at Valley Motorwerks!

Deep Thoughts from your Neighborhood Pothole

By Dave Trux

Wikipedia defines me in rather negative terms. They say I’m a structural failure on a road surface, caused by failure primarily in asphalt pavement due to the presence of water in the underlying soil structure and the presence of traffic passing over the affected area. Water in the underlying soil structure first weakens the supporting soil and then traffic eventually breaks the poorly supported asphalt surface until further traffic ejects both asphalt and the underlying soil material to create a hole in the pavement. I refuse to see myself in such negative and undignified terms, preferring to bask in the glory of successfully destroying the suspension systems, tires and rims of unsuspecting vehicles and the drivers they serve!

Oh, my joints are finally loosening. All this rain really helps with that. At first, it’s a joint here or there but eventually the rain helps manifest all of my joints to loosen to the point that my bones begin to crumble. It’s delightful for me to have the cars drive over me.

This simply speeds up the entire process. These cars are clueless as to the impending doom I am soon to reap upon them.

More rain. This makes me happy. The more the better I say. My transformation is nearly complete. More cars please; speed up the progression. Finally I am at least a square foot in size and growing. Let the battle ensue! I am ready.

Night and darkness are my favorite hours. I lay and wait for my first victim of the night. Here comes one. Hit me, please hit me. Darn. They missed. Wait, here’s another. Man, its dark out here and raining. Here they come. Closer, closer, and WHAM! A direct hit! That had to do some damage. Perhaps a hit to the wheel to the point they bent it. I can only hope I was successful. I didn’t feel a thing; only personal satisfaction. My lifeless soul awaits another and another. Ah, the satisfaction of being a pothole belongs to me and only me! 

Open Letter to Potholes

By Dave Trux

You’re horrible, plain and simple! You have no regard for my car or the cars of others. You lie in the street with nothing better to do than ruin tires, wheels and parts of our suspensions. If I had my way, I’d erase you from the face of the planet. But, as you know, this is not the case. Instead, you laugh at oncoming traffic and cause thousands of dollars in damage to unsuspecting drivers and their vehicles. As of today, be warned! You may win the battle, but you won’t win the war!

Sincerely,

Dave

Although this open letter is a bit “tongue and cheek,” I doubt anyone reading this feels differently about the pothole situation on our roads. This winter, the situation has been worsened as we’re actually receiving welcome rainfall, which merely increases the amount of potholes on the road.

You may be asking yourself, what can a pothole do to your car? At a minimum, they can put your car out of alignment. With or without potholes, I recommend aligning your vehicle once a year. Tire and wheel damage is another common problem associated with potholes.

On a larger scale financially, suspension damage to shocks, struts, steering racks, bushings and tie rods are often associated when crossing paths with the dreaded pothole. Shakes and clunks felt in the steering wheel? That can possibly be attributed to pothole damage. Again, I recommend an undercar inspection once a year as preventative maintenance.

So, beware of those gremlins hiding on our roads and happy motoring!

How Clean is Your Repair Shop?

By Dave Trux

Years ago, I read an article in an industry magazine asking this very question. The author was challenging repair shop owners to take a look around their respective shops and ask themselves, “Do I run a clean operation?” Personally, I took that article to heart and have always strived to maintain a clean, well presented shop.

One of the key points the author emphasized was that if a shop was clean up front in the office, then chances were high that the shop, its employees and it practices were clean in the back of the shop as well. Our shop is unique to most as we maintain complete transparency between the front and the back of our operation. We have five large windows looking on to the shop floor. We can’t hide anything. As a result, we strive to keep things as clean as possible. I hear weekly from our clients what a nice, clean facility we have. Those statements merely reinforce what I read years ago.

Now, I challenge you, the reader, to take inventory of the repair shop where you currently take your car. Is the front office clean and organized or is there paperwork strewn about and grease on the countertops? If there is a waiting area, is it clean and comfortable? Is the restroom clean? Do the employees you encounter have dirty, oil stained clothes, or are they relatively clean looking? I’m writing in metaphors, yet these are just a few examples of things you may look for.

To be fair, all shops get busy and no busy shop is going to be 100% spotless. But, from my perspective, a shop that makes the effort to present itself in a clean, organized fashion in the front of the shop most likely has processes and policies to properly maintain and repair you vehicle once it’s inside the shop.

Food for thought and happy motoring!

Does that make Sense?

By Dave Trux

It’s a question I often ask at the service desk. Why? Because today’s cars are complex pieces of machinery that have hundreds of sensors, computer systems and are engineered beyond belief. For example, you may visit your repair facility because you have a check engine light. Your shop performs a diagnosis on the vehicle and informs you that you need to replace the fuel tank vent valve as that is the root of your check engine light.

I challenge you. Do you actually know what a fuel tank vent valve is? Do you know what function it performs? Chances are high that you answered no to both of those questions.

So, at this point, you know what caused the check engine light. Most likely, you also know how much it will cost for the check engine light to go away and how long the repair will take. But you still have no earthly clue as to what this valve is and what it does.

At our shop, we feel it’s important to explain to our customers what is wrong with their vehicle. If even on an elementary level, it’s important that you have an understanding what is wrong with your car. In this instance, we would explain to you that the fuel tank vent valve is part of the vehicle emission system, that its function is to capture gasoline vapors and to contain them in the fuel system. Otherwise, those fuel vapors could escape into the environment, which would cause you to lose engine performance and on some level, increase emissions output. Lastly, we would simply ask you, “Does that make sense?”

Hopefully, your repair facility takes the time to explain things to you in a way you understand. If not, perhaps it’s time to look for a new service provider. There’s no worse feeling than leaving a shop and asking yourself what you just paid for.

Does that make sense?

5 Items to give your Car for Christmas

By Dave Trux

As you celebrate the holidays with good tidings while shopping for even better gifts, have you forgotten to add one important member of your family to the nice list: your car? Here are five outstanding stocking stuffers to keep old reliable trudging along our wet and wild roads.   

New Wiper Blades: I recommend that you replace your wiper blades once a year and not because it rains a whole bunch here in northern California. With over 300 days of sunshine each year, the sun takes its toll by drying out the hard rubber on our wiper blades. Then, when the first rains come, you may find that those new wipers are streaking along your windshield.

Wheel Alignment: With the overwhelming number of potholes in Sacramento, chances are good that you’ll hit one eventually, especially in a heavy rain when potholes are concealed by water. If this happens to you, you will likely need at least an alignment and possibly more. I recommend a wheel alignment once a year.

Tires: Be sure to regularly check the depth, wear patterns and proper inflation of your tires, as the quality of the rubber is the only thing that separates you and your family from the unforgiving asphalt you’re zipping along on at high speeds. Replacement recommendations depend on a number of variables, but no matter the age of your tires, it’s always wise to be vigilant.  

Cabin Air Filter: The cabin air filter cleans the air that flows from the great outdoors and into your car’s interior. As you rely on your heater to keep you warm on cold winter days, you’re drawing in dirty air, water and other toxic elements lying in the road, not the healthiest things for you to be inhaling with the windows rolled up tight. For these reasons, you should replace the cabin filter once a year.

Replace Antifreeze: The quality of your coolant is essential to ensuring that your car’s engine runs smoothly. It should be flushed every two years and what better time to do it than now? Whether you’re travelling to the mountains or staying local this winter when freezing temperatures occasionally occur, I strongly advise that you to replace it every two years.

Sugarplums & Car Crashes

By Dave Trux

On the one hand, the holidays are a time of great joy as we celebrate the season with close friends and family. On the other hand, there’s that other thing called shopping that not everyone was born to do. So, what do far too many of our fellow American’s do, especially the ones that prefer to not shop until they drop? We procrastinate by putting off this unsavory task until the final days before Christmas.

Once the fateful day arrives and we’ve run out of excuses and time, we enter our cars like they’re chariots of battle. From there, we hit the wet and wild roads heading towards the nearest coliseum, I mean shopping mall. Our hearts race and our blood pressure rises from the relentless gridlock of other impatient drivers that swerve, merge and brake suddenly though a sea of aggravating obstacles.

When the rubber meets the road

By Dave Trux

Now that you’ve just read the title, you may have already correcting me by thinking “Dave, you got the old idiom all wrong. It’s not “When the rubber meets the road, it’s “Where the rubber meets the road”! This old saying of course defines the most crucial point of any event, the real moment of truth. For example, let’s say you have the most beautiful vintage car in the world but kept it in the garage all summer and then finally decide to take it up to Lake Tahoe during the holiday season for a joyful weekend adventure. That event would refer to where the rubber meets the road.

At the same time, especially in this example, it’s also important to note when the event actually happens, because there’s also another important old saying to pay attention to: Timing is everything! As we fall back into autumn, the leaves on the trees aren’t the only things that are changing. The weather overall can change in an instant in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada’s. It can go from sunny and pleasant one minute to wet and wild the next.

With that being said, whether you’re taking your classic vintage vehicle or the family sedan up into the mountains for a well deserved weekend retreat, be sure that you’re ready for anything and everything that old man winter throws at you. We encourage you to check the condition of your wiper blades, belts, hoses and all fluids, especially your coolant.

Coolant condition is critical, which is why we strongly recommend regular coolant flushes. Under freezing conditions, expansion occurs and that expansion creates pressure, which can blow any number of coolant pipes or hoses. The engine block also has freeze plugs and under expansion, those plugs are designed to pop off to prevent catastrophic engine damage. If this happens, then all the fluid will drain out, along with your dreams of the perfect getaway as you wait along the side of the highway in a freezing blizzard for AAA to come save the day!

Of course, this article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the actual rubber that separates your family from the wet, icy or snow covered asphalt that’s also known as Highway 50. With that said, be sure to carefully inspect the condition of your tires and don’t forget to pack your tire chains. While you’re at it, you might want to test fit them in your driveway at home before you go up. If you wait until the highway signs read “Snow chains required” and the men in the ski coats wave you to side of the road, you may end up getting soaked in more ways than you could imagine!   

Consumer Rights

By Dave Trux

We’ve all heard the horror stories about dishonest mechanics in the auto repair industry and how they’ve taken advantage of inexperienced and unsuspecting car owners. Fortunately, the vast majority of shops out there don’t work that way. Hopefully, you’ve selected a repair facility that you’re confident does business the right way, with complete honesty and transparency, which should greatly quiet those fears. On the other hand, having blind faith is never advisable when your hard earned cash is about to exchange hands, which is why it’s so important to understand your rights as a consumer.

Before you take your car in for its next service or repair, take a moment to review the following rights, which are your rights as a consumer.

1. Your right to a written estimate: When you first drop off your vehicle, you have the right to a written estimate, which should give you a general breakdown of the repairs that are expected to be performed as well as a cost of those repairs.
2. Your right to authorize or decline any or all repairs. No repair can be made without your authorization. The repair facility must get your verbal or written approval before making any repairs on your vehicle. If the repair facility fails to get your permission, you can contest all the unauthorized repairs done to your vehicle.
3. Your right to authorize or decline additional repairs. In our business, it’s fairly common to find additional damages beyond what is initially diagnosed. You have a right to know exactly what those damages are as well as the estimated costs to fix those damages.
4. Your right to your old parts. You have the right to request and receive your old parts, but you need to do it when you first authorize the repair and not when you come in to pick up your vehicle. Most smooth running shops will dispose of old parts immediately to stay clean and uncluttered.
5. Your right to understand the shop’s warranty. The industry standard is a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on repairs, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that your shop offers this because many do not. Be sure to have a conversation about the shop warranty with the person in charge, especially if you’re not adequately covered by the company that sold you your vehicle. My bottom line advice is simple: cover your assets and drive away smiling! 

It's Back to School for Cars as Well

By Dave Trux

For those of us whose kids are all grown and out of the house, it seems like summer has just begun. For the rest of you parents with school aged children, back to school season is right around the corner and just in time to help you reclaim your home and your sanity. While we all love our kids, having a few moments of peace and serenity is a very good thing for all parties concerned.

With the kids on their way back to school, you’re not just going to need to buy the basics, like new clothes and supplies. In many cases, the family car is going back to school with them. Is your car up to the task of transporting them back and forth every weekday as well as all those other extracurricular activities after school and on weekends? Oops, so much for peace and serenity!

If your kids are now old enough to drive, your days of being an unpaid chauffeur are over and your life will become infinitely easier, right? Wrong! You have merely traded in your old problems with a new set of problems to deal with, like ensuring their safety when you’re not around. Unfortunately, whenever you lend your sage words of advice about safety, does your teen treat you like a leper? Welcome to the club!

Surely, things will get easier once junior has graduated from high school, right? I’m sorry to be the bearer of even more bad news, but not exactly. If your overachieving scholar is about to hit the highway towards higher education, it may be as far away from you as possible...ouch!  Do you really want to watch your daughter drive off into the sunset in that old and abused car of hers before having it carefully looked over from bumper to bumper? That wouldn’t be your wisest choice.

My sage words to you is to have a qualified mechanic perform a thorough inspection of the entire vehicle while paying close attention to all the basics, including an inspection of the windshield wipers, fluid levels, an oil change and checking tire condition. Parental peace of mind doesn’t come cheaply or easily, but after all you’ve been through, you deserve nothing less!

The Golden Rule Behind The Ultimate Service Team

By Bob Cox

Of all the advice Dave Trux, the owner of Valley Motorwerks has received during his lifetime, the one he credits much of his success to is following the Golden Rule, “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you”. He doesn’t just practice this rule in the comforts of his home but everywhere he goes, especially at work.

Over the years as an outside sales rep, I’ve been in hundreds of auto repair shops and not all of them have given me a warm and fuzzy feeling. On more than one unpleasant occasion, I’ve experienced the wrath of a greasy and hostile mechanic. Fortunately, you won’t have to endure that kind of treatment at Valley Motorwerks. You can expect an experience that’s as far from that as possible.

“We created some core values here at the shop and we pretty well stick to those. One of our core values is that we treat everyone that walks through the door like a member of our family. And that treatment doesn't just extend to our customers. That treatment extends to everyone, from the guy who picks up our waste oil to the guy who delivers our parts. They are as important to the success of our business as the people who walk through our front door and spend money with us”, explained Dave.

I caught up with Dave the other day to learn more about his compelling core principals and how he’s applied them to other aspects of his business.

Q: What did you do before you became the owner of Valley Motorwerks?

A: I've been involved in automotive as a vocation the good majority of my adult life. I started in the dealership level for a brief time then moved to the factory level with Audi. After that, I worked in automotive aftermarket marketing.

Q: How did you get involved with Valley Motorwerks?

A: Through my former business partner, Walter Ford. I came back to Sacramento from Houston, Texas in 2004 and Walter and I met through racing. He opened Valley Motorwerks in 2006 and then we formed a partnership in 2014. He's been out of the business now for just over a year and here we are.

Q: What was it about Valley Motorwerks that was so appealing to you?

A: Well it's my affinity for the German cars that we work on. Also, the fact that we're still involved in motor sports as well. This is a natural fit for me.

Q: What makes Valley Motorwerks unique?

A: When it comes to servicing and repairing German automobiles, we truly are Sacramento's original dealership alternative. You would get the same high level of service that you would at the dealership without the expense of a dealership. We have factory trained technicians, a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty and install OEM parts. It's just like going to the dealership but you get to keep a little more money in your pocket.

Q: Do you have the freedom to install aftermarket parts that are superior in either design, durability or performance?

A: Yes, and that’s because dealers have to meet strict franchise agreements, so the dealerships have their hands tied in many instances. We have the ability to install a variety of superior aftermarket items, including exhaust systems, suspension and brakes. For example, we offer a brand of brake pads that gives you the stopping power of a factory pad without the excessive brake dust.

Q: What makes of vehicles do you specialize in?

A: We began strictly with BMW's and then began servicing Mini Cooper, which is a BMW product that's very similar to BMW in engineering and design. After that, we slowly branched out into servicing Volkswagen and Audi because those two brands are cousins as well.

Q: What qualities do you look for when you hire a technician?

A: Well, I certainly want somebody who's enthusiastic about the brand’s we work on and that's exactly what we have. Secondly, we look for somebody that has some experience at both the dealership level as well as the independent level. We've been fortunate in that area as well. Training is ongoing and continual here. I’ve invested in sending my guys to classes as far away as Dallas, at my expense. So, that really benefits the shop, our technicians and ultimately the customer.

Q: With highly trained technicians, you should have fewer customers coming back to fix the same problem. Is that correct?

A: Yes and everything we do is backed by a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty. We've even stretched those limits from time to time, depending upon the situation. In the rare event of a comeback, the customer comes first. We spare no expense in making sure that customer is satisfied.

Q: Your shop has several large windows with a direct view of everything that's happening in your shop. Can you tell us your thinking behind these windows?

A: Yes, we wanted a seamless look, from the front of our shop to the back of our shop that is totally transparent. Customers absolutely love the fact that they can watch their car while it's being worked on. That transparency also keeps us on our game and encourages us to keep the shop clean and orderly. If I had a dollar for every time somebody said they loved being able to look out into the shop, we probably would have closed the doors a long time ago (laughing).

Q: What have been the biggest surprises you've experienced while owning Valley Motorwerks?

A: Well, the county of Sacramento and the state of California can be challenging to the small business owner, but I think they’re making strides to improve their relationships with small business owners. On the positive side, the guys I'm surrounded with are great. Everybody here is pretty tight knit. We all respect and support each other.

Q: Are you able to help people that have extended warranties who want to give your shop a try?

A: Yes absolutely. If you have an extended warranty you can choose an independent repair shop that can handle that extended warranty. You don't have to go back to the dealership. If you’re planning to buy a new or used vehicle, I strongly recommend purchasing an extended warranty. I don't know of a customer with an extended warranty that hasn't at least broken even with their extended warranty.

Editor’s notes: Valley Motorwerks is located at 11403 White Rock Road in Rancho Cordova, CA. For more information about Valley Motorwerks, contact Dave Trux at (916) 636-9526 or visit their website www.vmwerks.com.

Change Today & Drive Tomorrow

By Dave Trux

Fluids are the lifeblood of your vehicle. It is absolutely crucial that you stay timely with all the fluid changes, from the antifreeze in your cooling system to the oils in your engine, transmission and brake systems. Failure to do so could mean the difference between spending a few dollars versus several thousand dollars.

BMW recommends 15,000 miles between oil changes. Even with the improved performance and longevity of today’s synthetic oils, fluids break down over time for a number of reasons. That’s why I advise my customers to change their oil at no more than 7,500 miles to prolong the life of their car. Here’s a sensible rule of thumb: Whatever the factory recommendation is for any fluid changes, cut it in half.

As for transmission fluid, BMW offers a lifetime transmission fluid but that’s not your best option if you want to maximize the life of your vehicle. I recommend flushing that fluid prior to 90,000 miles. If you wait too long and your transmission blows up, instead of spending around $500 for a transmission service, you're spending $5,000 dollars on a new transmission.

When it comes to motor oil and transmission fluid, including synthetic brands, over time the design of these fluids breaks down and becomes less effective in lubricating all the moving internal components. Specifically with oil, it tends to build up sludge over time, similar to a clot in one’s arteries. The bottom line is that it doesn't flow as smoothly and cannot do its job.

Brake fluid needs to be flushed every two years because it’s hydroscopic. Brake fluid acts like a sponge soaking up water, which is what it's designed to do. As for coolant, I again recommend changing it every two years because it will break down and become less effective in protecting other internal components of the engine. So, the moral of the story is change today and drive tomorrow!

Ensuring Your Extended Warranty

By Dave Trux

Whether you bought your car at a franchise dealership or a pre-owned dealership, chances are good that you financed your car. When you went through the financing company, the finance and insurance representative probably offered you an extended warranty and you bought one.

To ensure that your extended warranty gets honored, you must bring your vehicle back to where you purchased it, no matter how far or inconvenient it might be, right? Wrong! If that’s what you thought, you’re not alone as many people believe that they don’t have the option to choose an independent repair facility while their vehicle is under warranty. The good news is that you can choose the repair facility that best meets your needs.

If you choose an independent repair facility, make sure you let them know that you have an extended warranty as soon as you bring your vehicle in for service or repair. Why? Because the shop you choose needs to be your advocate. A reputable shop will carefully inspect every part of the vehicle that’s covered under your warranty to ensure that your vehicle and pocketbook are safe.

What is likely to happen if you inform your repair facility once the repairs are completed? You will be on the hook for costly repairs down the road if one or more components fail after your warranty expires.

One of the greatest challenges to owning and operating an honest and reputable shop is earning a customer’s trust. If your repair shop thinks that you’re a cash customer, they may be hesitant to let you know if there’s a long list of marginal things that could go wrong in the future. Why? Because they won’t want you to feel like you’re being gouged, overwhelmed and taken advantage of.

When an honest repair facility knows that you have an extended warranty beforehand, they will likely ask for more time up-front to thoroughly inspect your car and make sure you get the full benefits from your extended warranty. That extra time may be a short-term inconvenience, but in the long run Father Time could be your bank accounts best friend.

The Choice is Yours

By Dave Trux

Something that is very important to us at Valley Motorwerks is to provide clear and concise information to the customer. At the end of the day, it’s their hard earned money that is being spent. We recently had a situation where a 75oil was showing signs of transmission trouble. Based on the BMW fault codes, there was an SIB (Service Information Bulletin) put out by BMW with a possible fix. The fix is approximately $1000; a replacement transmission is considerably more.

However, the issue at hand is this: What is the possibility that the $1,000 is going to solve the problem? BMW says it is the first step, but that first step is expensive. What do you do? Personally I am not comfortable picking the pocket of the customer for $1,000 on an off chance something will work. I feel it is the customer’s money, so it’s their choice. This is where being clear and concise is very important. What we did was lay out both options and their chance of success to the best of our knowledge. Obviously, changing the entire transmission is going to resolve the issue, but what if it is a little seal inside the pan?

Inevitably the customer will ask...“What would you do?” In this case, I would swap the transmission and keep the car another few years. This particular car was in perfect condition otherwise and was worth keeping. If it were in poor condition or had other problems, my answer would be different.

It’s important to remember that it’s the customer’s money that is being spent. In these difficult financial times it’s even doubly important to do our best in counseling customers accurately. We need to give the customer a reason to pass by other shops to come to us. One very good reason is that we do honestly care about our customers well being. Mistakes are sometimes made and this is what separates a good company from a great one. Valley Motorwerks strives to be a GREAT company.

Alignments, Tires and Balance

By Dave Trux

More than once a week, we get a customer asking for an alignment. When probed as to why, more often than not the answer is, “My car is shaking at xyz speed.” The simple answer is that an alignment will not cure a wheel shake. As technically advanced as a BMW is, the effects of an alignment are still the same as any other car.

What an alignment will cure is uneven tire wear and in some cases a pull to one side. There are 3 major alignment adjustments: camber, caster and toe. Of these, only two will cause tire wear and only one of them will cause a pull.

Camber and toe will cause tire wear in very distinct patterns. Caster will only cause a car to drift to one side or another.

Toe is how much of a difference there is between the tread in front of and behind the tire. If the wheels are toed in, the tires will wear on the outside inch or so and across the tire you’ll encounter a fish scale effect. If the wheels are toed out, the tires will wear on the inside inch or so and across the tire you’ll encounter a fish scale effect.

/ \ = toed in

\ / = toed out

Balance issues and loose front end parts are what cause a car to shimmy or shake. Typically, if the car shakes at a certain speed and then goes away, it’s either an out of round tire or loose front end parts. The wheel, at that certain speed will reach its resonant frequency and begin to shake. When you increase road speed, the resonant frequency is passed and the shaking goes away.

A shake that begins at a certain speed then gradually gets worse is most likely the common wheel balance issue. If the tires are in good shape, we spin them up and re-balance them properly. BMW’s are finicky when it comes to alignment and balance issues. It’s why we have invested in only the best Hunter alignment and tire equipment. We do not farm any of it out as our desire is to deliver the car in perfect condition. We simply do not trust a “tire shop” to align one of our customers BMW’s.

Treating Your Family Like Our Family

By Dave Trux

When I hire somebody, one of the things that I do is tell them about our basic business philosophy. The first time anybody walks through our front door, they’re a friend. It doesn’t matter if they’re a customer, an inspector from the state of California, somebody that runs parts or a process server serving papers. It doesn’t matter.

The second time they walk through that front door, they’re family. You treat them as such and if a delivery person comes in and we have pizza or other food we’re sharing, if they were a family member, wouldn’t you invite them to sit down and have a soda and something to eat?

I feel my personal philosophy on running any kind of business, especially when its service oriented, you want to exude that feeling of contentment and happiness. People don’t come to us because they want to. They come to us because it’s a necessity. When a customer first walks in, they’re likely going to be in a negative space. I think it’s our duty to do our best to put them at ease and make them feel comfortable.

Treating a person like family is probably the fastest way to get there. If there’s any question about how I should handle something, all I have to do is ask myself, “If they were a family member, what would I do?”

We had an incident where we had a problem with a car on Friday, and I came in the following Monday at 10:30 am and it hadn’t even been on the rack yet. I looked at my manager and said, “Not only is this a good customer, he’s a personal friend. He’s been here more than once. Is this how you would treat your family?” When you set the goal of treating everyone like family, if you do fall a little bit short, you’ll probably be okay.

The goal is to show my employees how I expect to be treated. My hope is that this attitude will eventually come as naturally to them as it does to me. I truly like my customers and enjoy speaking to each and every one when I'm in the office.

Your Factory Warranty could Save you Money!

By Dave Trux

Many auto repair shops will perform work on cars that are still under factory warranty, but you should proceed with caution. Why? Not long ago, we had a customer who had some timing chain work done for around $2,700. She became a customer of ours after she became suspicious of her previous shop. One day, I had mentioned that there were some things that were recalls that we may want to do, now that we started taking care of her car. When I mentioned the timing chain, she said just had that done by another shop and she paid $2,700 for it. Come to find out it, this was covered under her warranty and the shop owner knew it!

Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you have a car that’s less than 7 years of age, it doesn’t hurt to call the manufacturer to see if any proposed repair is covered under your warranty. Most people don’t know that some components of an engine or a car actually carry, by federal mandate, a warranty much longer than what the manufacturer’s normal factory warranty is. So, they may see that they have a problem with a certain component of a car and end up covering it under warranty. If you have any questions or doubts, don’t be afraid to ask!

Don’t just limit this question to your repair shop. Get a second opinion. We make it a priority to know about these things as much as possible. For example, if we have a car that comes in that was built in 2009 that has 70,000 something miles on it and it needs major engine work, I’m going to go back to the manufacturer and say, “Hey, this is a little out of the ordinary, is this something you will cover?” If that doesn’t work, a quick web search will turn up the truth.

We’ve also had people come to us and say, “I need to replace this timing chain and I heard it was covered under warranty.” From there, we can council them on what to do. I don’t think most people know that there could be things that are covered under a service bulletin that go beyond the standard warranty, especially if it’s a defect in the car’s design. If a component in your car breaks, like the door handle, if it is still under warranty, the manufacturer will have to fix it.