Girl in a Mechanics World

Yeap, I did it!

In Girl in a Mechanics World by Steves Auto Repair and Tire

Last Tuesday I answered the phone, like I normally do, it was a customer that wanted pricing on tires. Our service manager was out for the day and I have never done tire pricing!

I logged onto our system and quoted the customer some brands and pricing. I told the customer we would have them no later than 3pm. He said he would be at the shop around 5pm due to traffic which was fine with me because I was so excited that I ordered and built my first ticket, I even sold him an alignment to go with his four new tires and oil change. But 5:00 rolled around and the customer never showed up or called and shortly after we closed.

On Wednesday, I didn’t hear anything from him either. So when Thursday came I thought that maybe the tires would get sent back but thankfully they didn’t. My customer that I was awaiting for finally showed up. I quickly checked him in because I didn’t want him to change his mind. We installed all 4 tires, mounted and balanced them of course, proceeded with the remaining alignment and oil change. He picked up the vehicle and seemed very happy with our choice of tires and services. It made me feel amazing that it was “My baby” from the beginning to the end of the transaction, maybe this will be the beginning of learning and achieving more active parts in the service writing dept?! Stay tuned, I will have to update you on my next “baby”.

Working Mom!!

In Girl in a Mechanics World by Steves Auto Repair and Tire

Nowadays, it’s not a big deal be a working mom but, being 23 and doing most of it on your own can be a little hard. Life is so much easier having bosses that understand and that are flexible with your schedule. I can say I do a pretty good job at juggling my job and my daughter at the same time and sometime they cross paths. Maybe once a week I pick up my daughter, Layla from the the sitter and I bring her to work with me for about 15 minutes until my mom picks her up. It’s so cute how the guys play with her even though she’s so terrified of them. But I think she’s warming up to them.

Working Mom!!

Previously, I was working at a dental office and I never had this flexibility because I worked with so many mothers that my doctor couldn’t be as lenient as they are here at Steve’s Auto Repair or the dentist would be running a day care rather than a dental office. For example; beginning this week, I had to start coming in at 9am when my normal time is 10:30 because Teresa our service writer had to go into surgery. Unfortunately, it was on the Monday and Tuesday that I didn’t not have someone to watch Layla because her sitter was going to get induced. When I told our manager, Scott I didn’t think I could come in for that reason he told me he really needed me but understood. I’m actually surprised he didn’t offer to watch her himself since he’s just that much of an awesome person. But in the end I found a way. Just the fact that he was willing to give me those two days off knowing we were all ready short a person was so nice. It makes my life as a working mom so much easier.

 

Girl in a Mechanic World: What a pothole can do to your car

In Girl in a Mechanics World by Steves Auto Repair and Tire

So after all these huge amounts of rain over the last 4 days, the roads are going to be so full of potholes it’s going to be like an obstacle course around here!

When you just get over the freeze from winter, and now with all of the rain and warming up, there is bound to be some major road damage! I actually counted over 44 potholes between my house and here at Steve’s Auto and Tire.

Although I kept trying to dodge them they were just everywhere! It was like a minefield out there! You can only imagine what kind of damage a pothole can do to your vehicle.

When you hit a pothole, it can actually cause your tire to bust, or create an “impact bubble” which is where it causes a burst of air to push through the sidewall of the tire creating a lump in the sidewall.

Unfortunately, this kind of damage is not repairable; you have to get a new tire. In addition to that, you could end up with a bent or cracked rim too, and you might have knocked your car out of alignment, so you have to get that checked too, you know, while you are in buying a brand new tire!

If the alignment goes undetected by you, it can cause your tires to wear out super-fast, not to mention you will be driving with a crooked steering wheel in some cases.

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including BMW and Mercedes. Services include oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.

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Six Car Car Myths I Bet You Didn’t Know

In Girl in a Mechanics World by Steves Auto Repair and Tire

Here are six car myths.

Car myths

1. Fixing your car at home is the same as taking it to a shop

While fixing your car at home- for example a brake job- is less expensive, you don’t get your car up in the air to take a look at brake lines and brake hoses, you are most likely not going to do a brake fluid flush you are most likely not going to have a tester to measure if the brake fluid is bad. You are usually not going to be checking for other things that might be wrong with the vehicle. Thus, this may actually cost more money if these things are overlooked and are necessary for the vehicle to continue to run well.

2. Transmission flushes are bad

If you are going to get rid of your car at or around 100,000 miles then you do not have to change the transmission fluid but if you want to keep the car (as many of us do) for 150,000 miles or more you need a transmission flush to make the vehicle last.

3. Fuel injectors do not need to be cleaned

If you happen to have the good fortune of living somewhere that there is no traffic then this is probably correct, however if you are in stop and go traffic with lots of idling depending on your vehicle it is likely that you will need to clean fuel injectors in order for the vehicle to run correctly

4. You can use any oil in your car

Today’s engines have much closer tolerance and for some vehicles if you use the wrong weight of oil you can have engine performance problems.

5. Dealerships can fix your car better than independent shops

Like any business both of these rely on the people who are actually working for them. Auto techs have a wide range of skills and experience and like most professions there are good and bad, honest and dishonest.

6. You have to go to a dealership to perform vehicle maintenance to keep your warranty valid

As long as maintenance is performed on schedule according to your owner’s manual the vehicle can be taken to any shop or even done by the owner if records are kept.

Forget the myths – know the facts.

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including BMW and Mercedes. Services include oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.

Did you hear something?

In Girl in a Mechanics World by Steves Auto Repair and Tire

Car symptoms infographic.With seasons changing, the record-high number of potholes in some cities and the start and stop traffic, I wanted to share this infographic we have made at Steve’s Auto Repair and Tire to help give you some ideas of the cries your car may be making for help.

Please note, that with diagnosing any problem, it is hard to drill down the cause without testing the vehicle by a ASE certified mechanic. That said, this can be used as a rough guide to see what your car symptoms may be telling you. So, as you crank down the windows and sing to your favorite warm weather tune- take a moment to listen to your car. It will thank you for the attention.

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including BMW and Mercedes. Services include oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.