West Seattle Auto Repair

MINI COOPER JUST ANNOUNCED RECALL FOR POWER STEERING FAILURE.  DETAILS: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/28/mini-recalls-86000-cars-to-fix-power-steering-problems.html This recall affects certain Mini Cooper vehicles. Feel free to give us a call and we can help: 206 938 8685 or email us: [email protected]

photo courtesy of fotothing.com It’s winter and the the conditions are ideal for a day of skiing. Fresh powder, sunny skies, and 20 degree weather. You pack up your Saab 9-5, make the drive to the mountains and park for the day. Or, you drive to the grocery store on a freezing morning, park your car in the lot and spend about 30 minutes shopping for the week ahead. In both of these examples the parking brake is set while the car is parked. Either of these scenarios will most likely have the same outcome if you are a Saab 9-5 owner. You start your car to warm it up, release the emergency brake, put it in drive, hit the gas and……nothing. Your wheels are spinning, you are skidding as if you left your emergency brake engaged. What is going on? Your e-brake is frozen. If you are in freezing temperatures, it is not advisable to set the emergency brake on your Saab 9-5 when you park. The brake cables have a tendency to freeze and t ... read more

2011 Mini Cooper This article is a warning regarding a potentially catastrophic problem in Mini Coopers built from 2007-2011: failure of the the timing chain tensioner. Despite many owners love of their Minis, the fly in the ointment is the recurring problem with the timing chain tensioner as reported to Consumer Affairs , despite BMW’s claim that the timing chains are supposed to be a maintenance free feature of the car. BMW has no recommended service interval nor does the Mini’s on-board computer monitor the condition of the chain. The tensioner and chain are also located inside the engine thus causing serious damage should the tensioner fail. What to do? Monitor your oil levels – Mini Coopers have a habit of using oil. There ha ... read more

People love their Subarus. This is especially apparent in the Northwest where a recent Seattle Times article studied the question: “Does EVERYONE in Seattle drive a Subaru?” (Actually, it’s 1 in 10). Subaru not only appeals to its customers’ outdoorsy lifestyle and offers many of the same features that more expensive cars have, but also they give philanthropically a staggering amount of money to charities each year. When you purchase a new car, they will donate $250.00 to one of four national charities according to your choice: ASPCA , Make-A-Wish Founda ... read more

Since it has been almost three years since we last posted about Saab’s bankruptcy issues and the fear of parts unavailability, we thought you might be curious about what the Saab parts market looks like today. You might assume that it could be difficult, or in some cases impossible, to get a vehicle part. However, Saab Automobile Parts North America (which emerged from the car manufacturer’s bankruptcy) is stable and actually thriving. That’s good news because while the company itself may have struggled, the cars they built are holding strong and we love them. A recent search pulled up almost 400 cars for sale in Washington statealone and there are reportedly more than 450,000 Saab’s in the United States still on the road. Of course, the number of the departed company’s cars on the road will shrink over time but for now, your car will have its needs covered! For more information on the current a ... read more

Maybe you grew up with your dad washing the car on the lawn in the summer so the grass would get the run-off water. It was genius! You got the car and clean and watered the lawn at the same time. While not the most environmentally friendly method, it turn out dad was on to something. Washing your car on gravel or the lawn minimizes run off allowing the water to be absorbed into the ground. When you wash your car on pavement all that gas, oil, exhaust fumes, not to mention the chemicals in the wash you are using, flow straight into storm drains that release directly into Puget Sound. Commercial car washes are required to drain their wastewater into sewer systems so it gets treated before being discharged back into the environment. They also use less water than we do at home. This is likely due to the super-powerful, high-intensity nozzles commercial car washes use and probably because we have to pay more if we need more car washing time. But what ... read more

Have you heard? The West Seattle Car Show is happening in 2015! We are excited to work with West Seattle Autoworks and South Seattle College in keeping this annual West Seattle tradition alive. Please come and check out cars from all eras, family activities, food trucks, beer and wine garden and more! The show is set for Sunday, September 13, 2015 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Cars will be able to load in beginning at 8:00 am and trophies will be given at 3:00 pm.For registration please visit www.westseattlecarshow.com COBRA Classic Beauty! ... read more