Back in the good old days, when a Canadian Dollar was worth a little more and cars were built bigger, and according to some people much better, most vehicles required a major and minor tuneup yearly. The ignition systems of these cars contained a set of points and condenser that required renewal quite often, dependent upon driving conditions and quality of parts purchased. Most spark plugs lasted about a year as they were regularly renewed with the points and condenser, and that in a nutshell was your basic tuneup, throw in a lube and oil, check all lights and fluid levels and you were good "til spring. The mechanic working on your vehicle required a half dozen tools, a timing light, a dwell tach, some tuneup specifications and a good ear. A good mechanic would talk to the vehicle owner and get a feel for the type and amount of driving they did, and tailor the tuneup to suit those criteria. So the process was controlled by the vehicle owner and the mechanic, the owner decided what he wanted the vehicle to run like and the mechanic repaired the car accordingly

Located in the heart of the Comox Valley, Glenn's Import & Domestic Auto Service takes pride in providing nothing but the most ethical and professional service to customers.

Today’s modern vehicles are computer designed and controlled, loaded with federal and provincial safety and tailpipe emission"s standards beyond the ability of the average motorist to comprehend. Mechanics are now called Technicians due to the ever increasing complexity of vehicle design and the skill and knowledge required to diagnose and repair them. Now car manufacturers and governments control how the vehicle will run and to a certain extent, what that will cost the motorist. The word "tuneup" has almost disappeared from modern vehicle repair vocabulary, instead we now call it drive ability problem(s) or regularly scheduled maintenance procedures. Each new car comes complete with a owners manual and a service schedule, these two books both explain and itemize all it takes to maintain your car or light truck. A tuneup nowadays will last for 30,000 to 40,000 kilometres, dependant on your driving conditions and vehicle make and age. However you had better not forget that items like your radiator-coolant system, steering-alignment, brakes-suspension and transmission-drive-line systems also require service and inspection at the same intervals, whereas they never used to!

When you phone an automotive repair shop or parts store you need to be quipped with a list of information on your vehicle, or your not going to find out what your after. Everyday I receive a dozen or more phone calls from vehicle owners wanting to know how much or how long does it take to repair car, truck or S.U.V. Most of these people have no idea the answer to the details, of their vehicle, that I have to know to give them an accurate reply to their original request.

Most up to date repair shops will be able to answer your questions if you have your vehicle registration in front of you when phoning. This will give us the two most important details of your vehicle, the correct year of manufacture and the engine size. For all other shops and parts stores your are going to need to know the following items to get the correct information that your seeking.

Engine size ie: V8-V6, or an in-line 4 or 6 cylinder, you will also need to know the displacement of the engine ie: 1.5 litre or 2.4 litre etc. This information can be found on a under hood sticker found on the firewall, on the inside of the hood or near the radiator, it can also be found in the serial number or V.I.N. found on your vehicle registration. It would also help if you knew if your engine was turbo charged or if it is a single or double overhead cam engine. Quite a few car manufacturers will label the trunk lid or front fender with some or all of this information which can be handy now that you know what your looking for.

Production date is a very important detail when ordering parts or inquiring about vehicle repairs or maintenance procedures. Vehicle manufacturers have a sticker or riveted plate located on the driver’s side door or jam just loaded with all kinds of information including the build date or production date. The month and year of production is important as there may have been a number of production runs of your vehicle, which in turn affects the parts used to build it.

The Vehicle Identification Number or (V.I.N.), also known is the serial number is always located on the left front corner where your dashboard and front windshield meet. The left and right side of any vehicle, is always determined when you are sitting in the operators seat. You can also find your VIN number on the production plate or sticker on the door, and on some vehicles the firewall as well.

If this sounds to confusing then just drive your car to the parts store or repair shop and. let the experts look at the vehicle, they know where to look.

Vehicle maintenance refers to spending money on your vehicle before it breaks down on the side of the road, services outlined in all owners manuals of all vehicles sold in THE WORLD. The reasons for my constant referral to these procedures is quite simple, if you follow them you will spend thousands of dollars less on motorized vehicle repairs. Now I"m going to introduce another twist to the story of maintenance for you to digest and ponder.

Your vehicle is complicated, expensive and very valuable to your daily existence, so when you have it maintained take it to a certified automotive technician that is familiar with up-to-date repair procedures and standards. A simple service like an oil change is in fact far more than draining the oil and install a new filter and grease. It is a chance for your vehicle to get a general inspection and test drive by someone that knows the whole car and how everything fits together and works. In most cases the difference in cost between the high volume fast lane service centres and a certified auto repair shop is minimal, but the value for your buck skyrockets when you have a certified technician working on your vehicle.

If you maintain your vehicle on a regular basis you will find that your repair bills will reduce in both size and occurrence. You will also find that your more aware of what is going on with your vehicle and you can budget for the upcoming repairs so they won’t be a big surprise.

Now that I have you convinced to maintain your vehicle on a regular basis there is one more item that you need to give some serious thought too. That is keeping records of all the work that has been performed on your vehicle, keep the invoices in a pouch (an old insurance pouch works well) and record them all in a log journal. This will do wonders for your vehicle’s re-sale value and give any auto tech. working on your vehicle a complete history of previous repairs and maintenance. This information will save you money as one of the biggest handicaps we as auto tech’s face is lack of history to previous repairs, the less time we spend investigating your problem, the less money your out of pocket.

So remember, the more you maintain your vehicle the less repairs are going to cost and occur. If your not sure how to go about this and get started on a regular scheduled maintenance plan just give us a call, we can help.....