Automotive Industry News & Information - Jim Van Dyke's Automotive Center

The interior of your car can be difficult to maintain; between you, your kids, and anyone else who gets a ride from you, wear and tear on the interior of your vehicle is constant. Drinks get spilled, burn holes appear, rips and tears happen. Unlike the rest of your car, the interior isn’t made of metal, so it requires special treatment to keep it in good condition.

At Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH, we know the key to making your vehicle last; good maintenance. An overwhelming percentage of the problems we see, especially the really catastrophic ones, are a result of poor maintenance. While properly maintaining a vehicle can seem a like a bit of a hassle, it is absolutely worth the payoff. Good maintenance is the only difference between a car that lasts 80,000 miles and a car that lasts 400,000 miles. Preventative maintenance and repair when a problem occurs are are your two concerns, and both will keep your car on the road far longer, if observed properly.

If you’ve owned a car long, particularly one with a few miles on it, you have probably encountered a peculiar smell that grabbed your attention. Scents that you encounter while driving (emanating from your vehicle, not the horse farm down the road) are indicators of your car's health and often the first warning that something may be wrong. Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH has assembled this list to prepare for you for the next time you smell something odd, so you’ll know what’s going on next time you notice a funny smell.

Good gas mileage is something we all want. In fact, many drivers purchase certain cars solely for gas mileage, and almost all of us at least take it into consideration when purchasing a vehicle. While it is true that gas mileage is by and large determined simply by the type of car, there are actually a variety of things you can do to increase the gas mileage of any automobile. The tips Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH wants to provided you here are simple and effective steps you can take to increase your gas mileage, often more considerably than you think.

By far the BEST automotive service center I've been to, very family & spiritual oriented establishment. Fair & reasonable prices, mechanics very knowledgeable & observant. If they see another issue going on with your vehicle they try to advise the owner, in my case I got two of my vehicles in there for repair, one needed lower control arms replaced but on the other vehicle, they pointed out an issue with front end on vehicle & the potential hazard if not rectified. Needless to say, the owner Jim took care of me & the vehicles got repaired & I no longer have concerns or worries about my wife driving an unsafe vehicle, especially when transporting our niece & nephews. I recommend them to everyone. God Bless! - Chris R.

Tune-ups are an important and frequently neglected aspect of automotive care. Most drivers don’t really consider the mechanical condition of their car, so long as nothing is wrong with it. However, if a vehicle is tuned-up and maintained correctly, many mechanical failures (and expenses) will be avoided altogether.

Tune-ups may also give your car, truck, or SUV an increase in performance you didn’t expect. Often when a vehicle needs to be maintenanced, it has slowly fallen into a state of inefficiency, meaning you may not have noticed it was even happening. A tune-up will restore your car’s performance, and might remind you why you bought it in the first place. Call or drop in at Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH to talk to your tune-up experts about getting your car up to speed today.

The weather has begun to shift, which means changes to road and driving conditions are right around the corner. If you’re from here, you understand that the weather can change at the drop of a hat; sandals turn to boots before you know it. At Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH, we will prepare your vehicle for that inevitable moment, and you can rest easy knowing your automobile is ready for whatever curveballs the weather throws you.

As cars become more technologically advanced, the importance of your vehicle’s battery becomes continually more important. In the old days, a car battery essentially worked or it didn’t; if it was good enough to start the car, it was good enough. Moderns vehicles are a different story. A faulty battery can cause a variety of issues, including engine codes, sensor failures, irregular transmission behavior, and the list goes on. Battery failure often causes issues that are commonly misdiagnosed, and in the hands of the wrong auto repair shop, a mechanic may spend hundreds of your hard earned dollars chasing problems that don’t exist. At Jim Van Dyke in Washington CH, our mechanics are ASE certified and familiar with modern vehicles and the problems that accompany them.