European Auto Repair Blog

Where we talk auto shop...

Repair Costs

Scrimping on Car Maintenance Today May Cost You More Tomorrow

Whether you seek an independent repair shop or a dealership, you will be spending money on your vehicle services or repairs. The amounts are completely up to you.

Just to help car owners, I will define these two terms. Service is the maintenance of (by mileage or time) a vehicle to keep it running at manufacture’s specs. Repair is required when parts fail, break, or wear-out. Parts do wear-out often. It will happen eventually. But service is required to help minimize the repairs and their costs.

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sad woman in her car with no air conditioning

Why is My BMW’s A/C Blowing Warm Air?

100+ degree weather is hitting the Las Vegas valley again. The luxury of our car’s air-conditioning will be working overtime. A/C is an amazing component of our European vehicle. When the blower is cranking out the cool air we are on easy street and haven’t a care in the world. But flip on the thermostat fan to get hit with hot dry air that refuses to cool down, man, this can really ruin your day!

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Automatic transmission gear shift

Transmission Issues: Hard Shifting, Gear Ratio Faults, and NO Reverse

My Audi is revving up before it slams into second gear. My BMW is hard shifting into third gear. Wow! My Range Rover says, “restricted performance visit workshop”. My Jaguar will not drive over 35 mph. Someone said this is “Limp Mode”? My Volkswagen is stuck in park? My Land Rover won’t go in reverse. What should I do?

These are all good indicators that these vehicles may need a transmission repair. All is not lost if this is the case. In many instances, it may be the valve body that malfunctions before the transmission goes bad. The valve body controls the shifting point in the transmission. In these scenarios, you should seek a professional technician in your make and model to get a correct diagnostic report with pricing. In some cases, it can simply be a computer update. This which would be the best scenario.

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Service Engine Soon

Direct Injection and Carbon Build-Up – Why It Happens and What You Should Do To Prevent It

The check engine light covers many systems and components in your European vehicle. One reason for this combination of issues happening is due to the direct injection engine. These engines are the most efficient at low mileage. As the miles are put on the vehicle, fuel directly injected into the cylinder causes a carbon build-up. The direct injection does not allow for the fuel and its detergent additives to clean the valve and the port. The carbon build-up is the reason for the misfire (rough running engine). This signals the check or service engine light to come on, letting the driver know there is an issue with their engine’s performance. This is a typical problem which plagues these engines when the mileage hits 30-60,000.

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Cash For Car Repairs

Should I Repair My Old European Car Or Just Replace It?

This is a question directed to me and my staff at least a half-dozen times over the past 3 months. I felt it may need a full blog post to address it. The last two times the question was asked of us, I had very different responses. This prompted me to write about it. Is My Vehicle Worth It?

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Boy stops up his ears with fingers avoiding loud sound of traffic in the car

Volkswagen Engine Rattle Not Just a Noise But a Serious Problem

There is an issue plaguing Volkswagen 2.0 engines (with and without turbo) from years 2008-2013 which can happen at any mileage and at any time. The sound is a rattle that is heard just after the engine is started. The technical background on this issue is that the timing chain tension has lost its ability to keep the tension and the slack causes the rattle in the engine. Thus, the timing chain may jump, causing the engine not to start.

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a mechanic working on the left and a technician doing diagnostics on the right

Mechanic vs Technician

Today’s automobiles are ruled by on-board computers, electronic modules and at the very least sensors or relays. Each component of these vehicles are high-tech first and mechanical second, leaving the days of our “family mechanic” in the classic salvage yard.

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Tips for Buying a Used Mercedes-Benz from a Private Seller

When it comes to buying cars there are a lot of rules to follow, and that means there are a lot of mistakes that can be made. When it’s time to make a big purchase like buying a Mercedes-Benz, you definitely don’t want to make any slip ups. Here are some important rules to keep in mind when you go to buy your luxury car:

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