RICHMOND GERMAN AUTO REPAIR

Pay close attention to your vehicle cooling system if you do not want to keep visiting your mechanic frequently. An overheating engine causes a breakdown that you can avoid with a properly functioning cooling system. Having your system can extend the life of your vehicle and keep your engine running well. How Does the Cooling System Work? As the engine works hard, so does the cooling system. Often, the car engine's temperatures rise as you drive. Fortunately, the cooling system remains essential in ensuring that your car engine does not overheat. It channels out the excess heat through the front grill. The liquid coolant (antifreeze) remains responsible for channeling the heat from the engine to the radiator. Your engine can work optimally thanks to a properly functioning cooling system that keeps it cool. Without a cooling system, the chances of your engine overheating remain high. If the engine overheats, this is where the real trouble begins. You do not want ... read more

For a car, engine oil or motor oil is similar to blood for the human body. It's necessary to keep your engine alive and running for miles on end. That is why mechanics stress the importance of oil changes so much; it is an essential part of vehicle maintenance that car owners have to get most frequently. But what does engine oil do for our vehicles that make it so important?  What Does Oil Do for a Car? The main purpose of engine oil is to lubricate the moving parts of your engine. Since an engine has many moving pieces, engine oil must keep running to minimize friction and wear and tear. Otherwise, your engine parts would grind against each other and cause damage fast. Moreover, the car engine produces an excessive amount of heat. Engine oil also plays a crucial role in bringing the heat away. Without engine oil, your car would overheat and not run at all. What Are the Added Benefits? Motor oil has come a long way since its first use in the late 1800s. While the primary ... read more

Being stuck in traffic is no fun for any driver, but it is to be expected this holiday season. Many people will be hitting the highway next month to finally see their loved ones again. To get home safely for your turkey dinner, you need to devote all of your attention when driving on the highway this time around. If you're concerned about how to navigate through highway traffic for Thanksgiving safely, here are some of our top tips! Tip #1: Stay alert at all times. As mentioned before, your alertness needs to be at 100%. It might be tempting to daydream about the food or even the Black Friday deals. But you mustn't let your subconscious slip away amid stand-still traffic. Please remember to keep your eyes on the road so that you have enough time to react to traffic movement. Tip #2: Remember to use your signals. If you need to switch lanes or make a break for the rest stop, please ensure you communicate these actions with other motorists on the road before you jump in front ... read more

Your car has a handful of major fluids to keep its various hydraulic systems in check. The six essential fluids in all gas-powered vehicles are engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, coolant/antifreeze, and windshield wiper fluid. When these fluids run low or get dark or dirty, the systems associated with the aging fluid will display signs of trouble. This is why you should always prioritize fluid maintenance as a key part of vehicle maintenance.   Fluid Maintenance We highly urge that you check your fluids often. The most common fluid service that you have to get on time is the famous oil change. The other liquids don't need to be swapped out or topped off as often. There are two types of fluid services: fluid change and fluid flush. The average driver may use these terms reciprocally when they talk to their mechanic. However, there is a difference between the two types of services.    A fluid change is exactly what it sounds like. I ... read more

Your tire tread on your Mini, Audi, BMW, or Mercedes Benz is very telling on how your wheels are holding up. If you notice that your tires are worn in unusual spots such as the center, edges, or inner or outer portions, you should have them professionally inspected and fixed promptly. By examining your tires regularly, you can detect problems before they become severe. To help you better understand your tires' condition, here is a quick guide on the five most common types of wear patterns.   PATCHY Patchy wear usually means that your wheels may be out of balance. To avoid having this problem, stay on top of your regular tire rotations. Getting proper maintenance can prevent the wear from worsening in the future. As soon as you catch the patchiness of your tires, please come to Bimmer Rescue for a consultation.   CENTER If your tires look too faded in the center, your wheels may be too inflated. Overfilling your tires is a huge no-no because it will make your tires w ... read more

Your BMW's alignment ensures your wheels and tires operate correctly. When your bimmer is aligned perfectly, the suspension components are adjusted to ensure everything lines up correctly. A wheel alignment can reduce tire wear, improve your BMW's performance, and allow you better handling. Many external factors like potholes and curbs can unexpectedly impact your alignment, which is why it is best to recognize the signs of misalignment early on. Here are the signs that your BMW is due for a wheel alignment:   Vehicle Pulling to Left or Right Your vehicle pulling in one direction is the most obvious sign that you need a wheel alignment. If you're driving along a flat and straight road, your vehicle should continue to go straight. It is not safe to continue operating your BMW if it veers left or right.    Uneven Tire Wear If your front and back tires have irregular wear, you probably have a misalignment. Tire wear that's only in the center, only on t ... read more

Your mechanic checks your car's cabin air filters each time you take your vehicle in for an oil change. Sometimes, a professional mechanic might even recommend that you have it changed, an idea which you, like most divers, put off for "later". Maybe it's because you don't know how vital a cabin air filter is to your car's heating and ventilation system, or you just don't know how dirty it is! All the same, this service can make a significant difference in your car's overall performance.   What is a Cabin Air Filter Anyway?   Modern cars are equipped with cabin air filters designed to keep harmful pollutants such as dust and pollen from the air inside your vehicle. They filter and clean up the air as it moves across your vehicle's heating and ventilation system. With time, these substances will eventually accumulate within the cabin air filters reducing their efficiency. You might then begin to notice strange and unple ... read more

Photo by Artiom Vallat on Unsplash   Welcome to the blog for May! We’re chatting about the things as mechanics and BMW owners we wish other drivers had told us before buying our own first BMW.   Do you remember the first Bimmer you owned? If you’ve never owned one before, it can be hard to relate. They are gorgeous cars and will likely fill you with pride. But like all makes and models, BMWs have their issues. It’s best to deal with those issues upfront so that nothing comes between you and your love of your car. Here’s our advice:   BMW’s are great cars, not perfect cars. As excellent as they are, they need maintenance and support to thrive. You can trust your Bimmer to come through for you, bu ... read more

Welcome to the April blog for Bimmer Rescue! We hope you are healthy and doing well this far into 2021! With spring in bloom, vaccines rolling out steadily, and stimulus checks out again, folks who may have missed out on a break for March may be looking for road trips they can take.  But given that COVID-19 is still an issue despite these factors, some people may prefer being close to the shelter of home when they need it. The Richmond-Times Dispatch had plenty of ideas for great getaways close to home. Looking over their many suggestions, we boiled these down to five of our favorites day-trip destinations in the Richmond area: Shenandoah Caverns - currently open for visitors, the caverns are beautiful, formed millions of years ago in ribbon formations that most visitors liken to bacon strips. The surrounding site is a thriving tourist community of shops and Americana. The site hosts weddings and events, but most of their special events have been canceled until ... read more

Welcome to your March blog! And how about a welcome for the coming of Spring, which begins at the equinox on March 20th? A March Spring is the time of  ‘out with the old, in with the new’ all over the Northern Hemisphere. Do you and your family have any annual spring cleaning rituals? At Bimmer Rescue, we want to challenge you to extend that house clean-up to your BMW. It’s a gorgeous, luxurious machine, and even if you have used your BMW less this year, it deserves a little TLC. We recommend the following course of clean-up: A complete clean. A full car wash and wax, with a vacuuming of the car’s cabin and engine. Detailing. A full wipe down with a powerful cleaner to remove any potential COVID-19 germs as well as anything else festering. Anything that doesn’t have an organized spot in the car should be removed. Minor dents and scratches. If your BMW has been knocked around a bit-- people opening ... read more