Grand Rapids Auto Repair

I’ll keep this short and not so sweet: In a couple of weeks we will be getting our RV out of storage. If you see gas prices jump up to $4.00 a gallon that means we just pulled it out of the storage facility. There is some obscure Murphy’s law that explains this correlation, but darned if I can find it. On a purely automotive note, it’s that time to make sure our vehicles are in good condition for the heat of summer. This past winter wasn’t much different from most of West Michigan winters, it beat the heck out of our vehicles. Please get yours checked over for proper air conditioning, cooling system, suspension and steering, at a minimum. Keep your wheels on the road, Eric

We have all had sales people try to sell us extended warranties, typically on electronics or appliances. Some of our Grand Rapids customers bought used vehicles and received the same sales pitch. The automotive ‘extended warranty’ is nothing more than an insurance policy. An average on how much the auto insurance industry pays back on every dollar they collect, is roughly $.98, or 98% payback. The used car extended warranty policies that people have purchased have, by my own experience of dealing with them for almost 40 years, much lower. Used car extended warranties are some of the worst ways to spend your money, in my opinion. With an insurance company, there is some recourse if a consumer feels that he or she has not been fairly compensated in the event of a loss. With the used car extended warranty, the consumer has nothing but a 1-800 number to call and state the loss. If the company agrees the consumer has a claim, THEY decide how much is covered, what kind of parts ... read more

For those of you that would like another person telling you how to drive in Grand Rapids in the winter, read on. For those that choose to ignore my sage advice, proceed at your own peril. My number one bit of advice, have your tires checked. Both for tread depth and wear, but also inflation and age of the tire. Number two, the heating/cooling system needs to be in proper working order. Nothing worse than freezing your keester off and not being able to see out any windows due to frosting of the glass. This is a genuine safety issue. Number three, have the battery/starting/charging systems checked. The electrical system works much harder in the winter due to the increased load and the battery loses some of its effectiveness when the temp drops. Number four, do not wash your vehicle when the temperatures get too low. 25 degrees and below seem to cause all kinds of problems: doors stick, locks stop working, wiper mechanisms get frozen, etc. I know we want to have a shiny vehicle, but the ... read more

Well Grand Rapids, it’s that time of the year again when vehicle readiness is a necessary evil if we want a trouble free winter of driving. For those of you that have taken the initiative and gotten your buggy in good order, congrats. As for most of us Grand Rapids drivers, time is running out. This short reprieve from the nasty weather shouldn’t have us forgetting what is soon to come. A few basic repairs and maintenance is all that most vehicles need to easily get through a Grand Rapids winter, even ones like we just experienced. Give Ervine’s a call and set up an appointment or have us look up your vehicle’s service history and see if anything jumps out at us. The cold, damp mornings are a comin’, let’s not have them be a problem