Things to Consider While Your Vehicle Sits

Your vehicles probably aren’t getting a lot of use right now. Even if you don't depend on your vehicle, you should still get out and drive it. You may be asking yourself why? Isn’t that a waste of gas? No. Vehicles need exercise just like living things or their systems atrophy. 

These are the top four things you should be worried about when your car sits for a long period of time:

1. Battery
2. Brakes
3. Engine oil
4. Tires

Learn more here!

Schedule Service on Your Domestic, Asian or European Vehicle Today!

Regular maintenance and service on your Domestic, Asian or European vehicle allows us to diagnose issues before they become severe and possibly more expensive to repair. Make an appointment at ArborMotion to schedule service today!

Stay Safe on the Road During Construction Season.

Auto repair is considered an essential business and during the Stay at Home orders you are allowed to bring your car in for maintenance and repairs!

We all know that in the state of Michigan each year we have major construction in spring and summer. When we are able to get back on the road the orange cones will already be out and we can anticipate long delays and general inconvenience. We also need to think about the construction workers and their safety. At ArborMotion, we can help with that! We can make sure your brakes are up to date, that you have good tread on your tires, check your fluids and also make sure all of your lights are working properly.

When you approach a construction zone, use extra caution, and slow down where people are working near the road. Obey all directions by flag people. Treat all construction workers with respect and remain calm if traffic is delayed. Be patient with posted construction speed limits. They’re frustrating, but the lower limits are for everyone's safety.

As always, remember that we hand wash every vehicle with your service, who doesn't love a bright shiny vehicle on a beautiful sunny day?

Schedule Service on Your Domestic, Asian or European Vehicle Today!

Regular maintenance and service on your Domestic, Asian or European vehicle allows us to diagnose issues before they become severe and possibly more expensive to repair. Make an appointment at ArborMotion to schedule service today!

Bring Your Car to ArborMotion for Spring Maintenance!

Auto repair is considered an essential business and during the Stay at Home orders you are allowed to bring your car in for maintenance and repairs!

It might be true that spring rains bring April and May flowers, but in Michigan they can also bring dangerous driving conditions. This is especially true at night!

At ArborMotion, we care about our customers and their safety. Here are some tips for you to stay safe this spring. Think about getting your vehicle in for service soon.

1. Double check your car's equipment. Check your tires, headlights, taillights and windshield wipers. We can do an inspection to make sure you are safe on the road.
2. Slow down. Your vehicle's stopping time is much slower on wet roads.
3. Turn on your headlights. Turning on your headlights will not only increase your visibility, but also increase other driver’s ability to see you.
4. Use your windshield wipers. This is common sense, but some people forget to turn them on in light rain.
5. Watch for standing water. We don't want anyone hydroplaning. If you do start to hydroplane, let off the gas!

Schedule Service on Your Domestic, Asian or European Vehicle Today!

Regular maintenance and service on your Domestic, Asian or European vehicle allows us to diagnose issues before they become severe and possibly more expensive to repair. Make an appointment at ArborMotion for your spring inspection today!

Women at the Mechanic

There has long been a stereotype about women and mechanics. It goes something like this – women are being taken advantage of and pay more for their repairs than male customers.

At ArborMotion, we’re 100% transparent with all our customers. Our system allows you to not only read technician’s notes in real time, but to easily see the breakdown of the bill and services.

It can be overwhelming walking into a repair shop, especially when you’re not so car savvy. We make it easy for all our customers, answering any questions you have in. We want to make sure you leave our shop with a better understanding of what caused your car’s issue and how we repaired your vehicle.

Here are a couple of tips for our fellow female customers to make sure you have an outstanding experience at the shop!

1. When you go into a shop, bring all the information you need. The service advisers are asking questions to better inform the technician about the issues with your vehicle. This ensures they understand your issue completely so the more information you can give the service adviser, the smoother the appointment!

2. Ask the service adviser/technician to show you the problem. Our interactive software allows you to view pictures and even video of your vehicle and any issues it is having. We want you to be 100% informed about what’s happening with your vehicle.

3) If you’re not sure about something, just ask! You want to do business with a mechanic who will give you the information you need and answer all your questions.

Schedule Service on Your Domestic, Asian or European Vehicle Today!

Regular maintenance and service on your Domestic, Asian or European vehicle allows us to diagnose issues before they become severe and possibly more expensive to repair. Contact Us to schedule an appointment today!

There’s No Time Like the Present to Start Planning Your Summer Road Trips!

In the last month, we got hit pretty bad with winter weather. Rain turned to snow, which turned to freezing rain. It was bad! 

And if you’re from Michigan you know that wasn’t our last winter storm. To get us all out of the winter blues, let’s start thinking about some awesome summer road trips that we can take! 

Picture it! You’re driving down the open road, sunglasses on, wind in your hair, radio blasting your favorite tunes; it doesn't get better than that!

Here are some of the best summer road trips to add to your summer bucket list! 

1. Route 66 is a classic! You start off in Michigan and go all the way to LA. This trip can be done in two weeks. There are plenty of attractions along the way, so take your time! Make sure you stop and see America’s oldest church, the cool car display in Texas and the world’s largest rocking chair in Missouri! 

2. The Great River Road takes you right along the Mississippi River and through ten states! This one is for all you nature lovers out there. You go through wildlife resorts and river towns and you end in New Orleans, which means you can grab some great food. 

3. The Loneliest Road takes you from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California. You’ll go through twelve states and four state capitals, but the stretch in Nevada is where you’ll need a riding companion. Make sure to take your camera, because there are miles of mountain views, dusty highways and small towns that make for great photo ops!  

4. How about a more local day trip? Very local to us is a nice cruise along our very own Huron River Drive just west of North Main street here in Ann Arbor. If you keep on going west and a little bit north of Dexter, you will run into some of the best day-trip driving roads in Michigan. Look on the map for the area of North Territorial Rd and Hankered Rd. Those of you who’ve driven it will know what we mean, it is a curvy tree lined road with many elevation changes and it’s lot’s of fun. If you continue westward, you will run into the Waterloo Rec area with all its beautiful roads and scenery too. If you are not familiar with the area, don’t worry because you cannot get lost and you will discover the most beautiful roads and scenery in Michigan that you didn’t realize was so close!

Michigan still has a winter storm or two coming for us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have summer on our minds. Keep these trips in mind and your summer is sure to rock! 

Schedule Service on Your Domestic, Asian or European Vehicle Today!

Regular maintenance and service on your Domestic, Asian or European vehicle allows us to diagnose issues before they become severe and possibly more expensive to repair. Contact Us to schedule an appointment today!

Gifts for the Car Enthusiast

It’s that time of year again! Snow is flying through the air, Christmas music is on the radio and neighborhoods are lighting up! 

But the older we get, the harder it is to figure out the perfect gift for friends and family for Christmas. It is so easy and fun as a kid, the newest video game, stuffed animal, Polly Pockets (where are my 90’s babies?).  

If you have a car enthusiast in your life, here are some ideas just for them:

• A subscription to Top Gear Magazine. Everything you need to know all in one place! No matter what your favorite car is, they got you covered. From electric cars to the oldies, this magazine is a win. 

• If you have someone who really likes to keep their vehicle clean, get them a set of new floor mats. This makes it much easier to keep the crumbs out and a clean fresh look in. We especially like Weathertech mats, check them out HERE 

• For people who love a clean car not only on the inside but also the outside, think about a car care kit. While this choice requires some work, it does allow their vehicle to shine all year, regardless of what the weather has in store. 

There are so many options for all the car lovers in your life! Make sure that not only does their holiday shine bright, but so does their vehicle, inside and out. 

Schedule Service on Your Domestic, Asian or European Vehicle Today!

Regular maintenance and service on your Domestic, Asian or European vehicle allows us to diagnose issues before they become severe and possibly more expensive to repair. Contact Us to schedule an appointment today!

Virtually Driving In Reality

It's December, it's already too cold for Motorsports and it's only going to get colder. In Tennessee, they held the 25 hours of Thunderhill this past weekend, and in all the pictures and videos I saw, people were wearing winter coats over their race suits. That is a hard pass for me. It's too cold to be at a race track this time of year. I suppose if you live in Florida or California it may be warm enough, but living in those states you have other issues to worry about, like face-eating freaks high on bath salts and on the other coast, emissions laws. I shudder just thinking about those types of things. It really gives me the creeps. Anyways, right now, in the midwest, it's too cold for racing, and that brings up the question that this edition of Hittin The Apex will cover, which is what the hell do we do in the winter? Well folks, there is only one answer available, Simulated Racing. All other options are not good ones. Ice racing, rallycross, rallying and indoor karting are all dumb. Having said that, it would be wise to have the disclaimer we have her at HTA, which simply states "I don't care if my opinion goes against yours. I have my opinions, you have yours and it isn't my fault your wrong". Back to the matter at hand. If you don’t want to be dumb, get a simulator. There are so many options for simulators, there really is no excuse not to get one. The basics start with video games for the same Xbox or Playstation your kid is spending all their time on. As a matter of fact, I suggest you figure out which game system your kid has, go find a game that you like and has the tracks that you would want to drive on, buy it, come home, kick your kid off the console out into the cold to play or whatever, take the game into your room and have at it! Anyone in your house that protests these acts clearly doesn't support you, and as such they don't deserve your attention. If you are thinking about a higher level of simulator, you and I have just one more thing in common my friend. I have visions of a simulator setup that has an actual racing seat, steering wheels, pedals and a shifter, with at least three screens hooked up to a real deal simulation site like iRacing. Seriously, check out iRacing, I will wait. It's pretty badass isn’t? Virtually any U.S. track is available, with the ability to compete in sanctioned races with other drivers such as yourself without having to leave your home! Short of really racing a car, it doesn't get any better than that. Ever have dreams of driving down the front straight of Road America, hitting top gear while your puppy is sitting in your lap? That's weird, but now you can do it without the dangers of Scruffy jumping out to chase a squirrel! What better way to hone your driving skills then spending hours running lap after lap of (insert your favorite available track here) without having to travel, prep a car, pay the entry fees, get a hotel room or have minimal consequences by running off the road? There isn't a better way, I googled it. Many amateur and even professional drivers log hundreds if not thousands of hours on simulators, just to fine tune their skills. Now, I am not going to suggest a manufacturer of a simulator or brand of computer to use, mostly because I don't know for sure what is best and no one pays me to promote. If anyone would like me to promote something I am available for just about anything they want to give me. I will say though, do your homework, ask a racer, get on the forums and check it out. Something relatively new that I think is very cool is that SCCA actually sanctions an iRacing league with different series in it, that requires you to be an SCCA member, thereby giving some sort of standard so people won't be out there wrecking everybody's race. Like your kid would do. Or you would do. Don’t lie. Simulating in a league like iRacing takes out the AI drivers of video games and puts you in a real, virtual race against other people in their basements with their dogs on their laps. This makes all the difference in the world when it comes to honing your real driving skills in the winter. You can be dumb and look for lost lugnuts with frozen fingers in the snow or be smart and drive Laguna in your underwear in your warm basement. The choice is yours.

Until next month! 

Read more of Nick's blog posts here!