Bring Your Car to Us or a Dealer?

In an earlier post we told you some ways to choose the best mechanic for your car. But we keep hearing that a lot of people don’t know if they should use an independent shop like ours, or go to a dealership. We’re on it!

Consumer Reports writes on its website, (the italics are ours), “Our annual survey of Consumer Reports subscribers found that independents outscored dealership service once again for overall satisfaction, price, quality, courteousness of the staff, and work being completed when promised. With few exceptions, the entire list of independent shops got high marks on those factors. The same couldn’t be said for franchised new-car dealers. The one automaker that outscored the independent shops was the electric car-maker Tesla, which earned high praise for its on-time repairs, courtesy, price, quality, and overall satisfaction.” We heartily applaud Tesla, a car that we actually don’t service. In case you were wondering.

If your car is new, or fairly new, and is under warranty it’s only natural to take it back to the dealership. Once the warranty expires you can feel free to look around. When you start to look at independents you’ll almost always find places that are more personal, less expensive, and that will work harder to keep your business. At dealerships the service managers make a commission on the parts and labor. We don’t work that way. We’ll tell you what your car needs and why. And that’s it. And since we’re not a dealer, we can sometimes use parts that might save you some money. We know what we’re doing, or we won’t do the work.

When you come in to an independent garage you’ll likely meet the owner and the mechanic(s) if you’d like to. It’s not like waiting in line at the dealership, for however long it takes, and only meeting the person who set your appointment. We like to think that we’re friendlier. And if your car starts making a noise while you’re out and about and you drop in on us with a little bit of terror in your eyes, we’ll do our best to take care of you. On the spot. That’s what friends are for.

We have been serving the Hollywood District and greater Portland-area for almost 30 years. We offer professional automotive service specializing in Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Acura, Volvo, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Audi, but we’re happy to take a look at whatever you’re driving. Except for that Tesla.

We have the best mechanics in the business. Our goal is to fix the problem the first time, and we want to do it right. We’ll explain everything to you and we’ll try to stay within your budget. We know all too well that car repairs can sometimes be a not so great budget surprise.

We’ll always be here when you need us. Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 if you want to schedule an appointment. Go ahead. Schedule an appointment today!

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Get the Stains off your Garage Floor!

It doesn’t matter if your garage is clean and organized and beautiful enough to be featured in Architectural Digest or Better Homes and Gardens, or such a mess that you can’t stand to look at it. Either way, nothing will harm it more than grease stains on the floor. They’re both common and unattractive and we’re going to give you a few options to clean them up.

1. It’s best to clean the stains when they’re fresh. If that’s the case, try powdered laundry soap first. Professional race car associations such as NASCAR have been relying on this for years, and they must know something! First blot up as much of the oil as possible. Mix a large amount of laundry soap into a bucket of warm water, and get it nice and soapy. Pour it onto the stain. Next, pour extra detergent (right from the box) directly on the stain. Let it set for a few minutes. Scrub the stain using a nylon brush with stiff bristles. When you’re finished, hose everything off with a garden hose. The higher your water pressure, the better.
2. Do you have any oven cleaner? Use it to spray the stains, then let it sit there for 5-10 minutes. Use a stiff brush to scrub away, then rinse it with a hose at the highest pressure you have. If you don’t see a big difference, don’t give up. The stains may very well need a second application. 
3. A lot of people swear by WD-40. Spray it on heavily and then wash it away with the hose. Highest pressure.
4. Do you have any mineral spirits? Pour some on the stains and let it sit for about 3-minutes. Then scrub with the stiff brush. To dry it, put newspaper over the area. Once dry, wash the stain with one cup of bleach and one of laundry detergent, mixed into one gallon of warm water. Spray away with your hose to get it all clean.
5. Have you heard that cola can clean your toilet? Or take the paint off your car? It can also clean those oil spots. Here’s what you do: you’ll need cat litter, a few cans of cola, a bucket, a stiff broom, laundry detergent, bleach, eye protection and rubber gloves. (A lot of stuff. You might want to try this remedy last.) Cover the stain with a thin layer of cat litter and brush it in. Sweep up the litter and pour cola to cover the area. Work the cola in with a bristle broom, and leave the cola on for about twenty minutes. Mix 1/4 cup laundry detergent with 1/4 cup bleach in 1 gallon of warm water and use it to clean everything up.

If none of these works, you might have to call in a professional. But we have great confidence in you. Get your supplies and your elbow grease and good luck!

Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs. And if your car is leaking, you definitely need to see us! Schedule an appointment today!

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Come see us at 3001 NE Broadway St in Portland, OR 97232.

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What is a Worn Bushing?

Worn bushings may not sound like a big deal but if left alone and ignored it can lead to far worse and more expensive problems. A bushing’s purpose is to prevent metal parts from rubbing together. Parts last much longer when they aren’t grinding on one another.

Recently a customer brought in their car for a check engine light repair. Upon inspection, we noted that one of the control arm bushings was heavily worn and had excessive play. On close inspection of the bushing we noticed that it was so worn and degraded that it had now completely failed and was allowing the control arm to rub on the subframe and was wearing a groove in the subframe.

We asked the customer if the car was making noise when turning. They said it was but didn't seem to be too loud so they were not worried. Well, looking at the amount of wear I would be worried. A little more time or a severe bump while turning could have led to a catastrophic failure. After repair the customer was surprised how quiet the car was and that it actually handled better.

Don’t let a worn bushing ruin your day, or your car. Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs. Schedule an appointment today!

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Grandfatherly Advice on Brakes and Tires

My grandfather used to say to my dad, “Don’t play around with brakes and tires, they can get you killed.”

Now my grandfather wasn’t trying to dissuade my dad from working on his own car, rather he was trying to get my dad to understand that you don’t take unnecessary chances.

You see, when most things on your car wear out, are defective, or just plain break, there’s damage done, to varying degrees, to your car, but not to you.

For example, if your engine throws a rod, what happens? It can kill your engine. Run your car out of oil? You kill your engine. What about a timing belt? Transmission leak? Never tune up your car? Think about what happens, I mean the worst that can happen.

Now think about what happens if your brakes go out. I had that happen halfway home one day. What do you think is the worst that can happen? Rear-ending the car in front of you at high speeds? Careening through an intersection and hitting pedestrians? Not being able to slow down to make that sharp turn on a cliff? It does happen.

What about if a tire blows out on the freeway? 

Now think about the engine issues again. Not so bad by comparison, right?

Are your brakes getting soft? Are your tires wearing unevenly, or just plain worn down? You can put off doing a lot of things to your car, but not brakes and tires. Get them taken care of, immediately. 

Don’t take chances with your brakes or tires. Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs. Please contact us for any auto service or repair you might have. Schedule an appointment today!

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This collector is suing Ferrari because he can’t buy a LaFerrari Spider

Well, this is a new one. Seems like a collector is suing Ferrari because they said he wasn’t qualified to buy the new, limited edition LaFerrari.

According to Autoweek ~

“By the time we hear about the latest limited-production supercar, it is, as often as not, already sold out. A little disappointing, sure, but what are you going to do? Sue the company?

Yes, absolutely, you go right ahead and attempt to sue, at least if you’re Florida flea market emperor/ noted Ferrari collector/onetime race driver Preston Henn.

Over the weekend, a Verified Complaint for Damages filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Division, appeared in our inbox. The document, which we’ve attached below, is a mini-drama in 20 parts; it outlines Henn’s history with the Ferrari brand stretching back to the Luigi Chinetti days and highlights his extensive Ferrari collection -- including the 275 GTB/C 6885 Speciale, which some (including, we’ll note, Mr. Henn) speculate may be the most valuable car in the world.”

Read the full article and a copy of the complaint at the Autoweek Site.

Though we don’t have “a guy” over at Ferrari, we can certainly help you with whatever your import is. Call Broadway Imports at 503.282.0817 to schedule an oil change, tune-up, or whatever else your car needs.

Please contact us for any auto service or repair you might have. Schedule an appointment today!

Call us anytime at 503.282.0817
Broadway Import Auto Service
3001 NW Broadway St
Portland, OR 97232

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