West Seattle Auto Repair

The Volvo S60 was best in show for all 2012 vehicles tested in the small overlap, moderate overlap, and full frontal impact tests. Although all vehicles tested performed similarly on the moderate overlap test, of the eleven 2012 midsize luxury and near-luxury cars evaluated in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) small overlap frontal crash test, only two (including the Volvo S60) earned the highest rating of “good.” In the test, 25 percent of a car’s front end on the driver side strikes a five-foot-tall, rigid barrier at 40 mph replicating what happens when a front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. S-60 Volvo small overlap frontal crash test These crashes primarily affect a car’s outer edges, which aren’t well protected by front-end crush-zone structures, and account for nearly one quarter of the frontal crashes involving serious or fatal injury to fro ... read more

photo by flicker user BigMarx SAAB Automobile Parts of North America, the original equipment manufacturer and supplier of SAAB parts, has really stepped up availability and distribution. As little as 3 months ago, we had about 30% success rate in receiving parts ordered. Now we can now get nearly 100% of all parts we order. This is a very encouraging turn of events! If you tried ordering an ignition key or other previously hard to find part and were told that it was not available, call us again! It may be available now

Does your car horn sound anemic, worn out, not loud enough? Swedish Automotive now carries Hella brand horns that can be retrofitted to most cars. These horns offer a robust sound, much louder than stock horns. If your horns are worn out or were never very loud to start with, it is easy to upgrade. Just let us know next time your car is in for service. Horns photo provided by flickr user exfordy

School is back in session. Here are a few tips to ensure our children make it to their destinations and back safely. The most important rule is to SLOW DOWN and don’t be distracted while driving. Follow school buses at a safe distance, they make frequent stops. Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to slow down and stop to load and unload kids. Slow down and be prepared to stop. Remember that children react differently than adults. They act impulsively and are easily distracted; they are not aware that their size can prevent drivers from seeing them and don’t understand what it takes to stop a moving vehicle. Children arriving late for the bus, or anxious to meet an awaiting adult, may dart out into traffic without looking or unexpectedly jump out from between parked cars. WA State law mandates the following rules for passing stopped school buses: Two-Lane Roads: All vehicles mu ... read more

Oil consumption is very common for Mini Coopers. Many Minis consume as much as one quart of oil every 700-1200 miles. Given the extended oil change interval on these cars, it is not unusual to lose 4-5 quarts of oil between oil changes. Mini Cooper S While there is an oil pressure sensor, there is no oil level sensor on the Mini. The oil pressure sensor light will not come on until the engine is nearly out of oil. It is critical to check your Mini’s oil regularly and not let the oil level become low. We are happy to check oil level at any time during our business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you have a question about your oil level, please feel free to stop by at any time. Mini Cooper S photo by flickr user bark

Saab in Motion The Washington State Auto Dealers Association (wsada.org) printed “Green Driving Tips” in the Seattle Times (Sunday, June 17, 2012). WSADA says the following habits may increase your fuel economy by up to 33%! Keep rolling in traffic . It takes up to 20% more fuel to accelerate from a full dead stop than from 5 mph. Look down the road to anticipate stops and coast as much as possible. Drive your car to warm it up. Today’s vehicles do not need a warm up period before driving. Even on the coldest morning, running your engine for 30 seconds is all your need before your vehicle is ready to drive. Avoid unnecessary idling. When a vehicle is idling, you are getting zero miles per gallon plus you are increasing engine wear and air pollution. Avoid rapid starts and stops. Ease into accelerations and brake smoothly, especially around corners. Combine trips. Avoid making multiple short trips ... read more

Occasionally, cars are brought to Swedish Automotive that have experienced “smash and grab” thefts. We would like to encourage you to never leave anything in your Volvo, SAAB, Subaru or Mini Cooper. Even items such as an empty gym bag or a back pack full of books can cause temptation and result in hundreds of dollars of damage to your car. Smash and Grab Plan ahead: if you know you will be away from your parked car, do not take items that will have to be left behind, or stow items in your trunk or rocket box before you arrive at your destination. We have yet to see a cargo carrier damaged by break-in, but it is imperative to stow your goodies before you arrive and park. Security covers, the shades that hide items from view in the rear of wagons do not prevent thefts and may even increase curiosity. Customers have reported incidents that have occurred in a “good area” and in less than 10 minutes, including while the driver is dropping off their child ... read more

Be careful with your late model SAAB keys (1999 and newer)! Treat them like gold! Should you lose or damage your old keys, we currently do not have a source for new ones. We are hopeful that these keys will eventually become available again and will let you know when that happens. For now, ebay and craigslist are your best bet

While it is always best to replace all 4 tires at once, we sometimes replace only 2 tires due to a blow out or unevenly worn tires. When replacing only two tires we always put the new tires on the rear and the old tires on the front. While this may seem counter-intuitive, please see the attached Pep Boys video for further explanation and illustration of what happens to the handling of your car when the new tires are installed on the front. Video source: pepboys.com