Does your car have a Winter Survival Kit The winter storm we experienced just this month brought back memories of a few years ago when local motorists got stuck in a snowstorm on I-95 for many hours. For those not prepared for winter driving it turned into a terrifying experience. Drivers had no water, they ran out of gas, and were cold and hungry. Be prepared for this kind of situation by preparing a “winter safety kit” for your car. Here are 11 things you should include in your winter survival kit: Warm clothes like gloves, hats, scarves, socks, hiking boots and a blank ..read more

What You Need To Know About the Braking Systems on Hybrid or Electric Cars By Brian England Hybrid and Electric cars use regenerative braking systems as well as standard brakes. Standard brakes rely on friction to slow the car down, similar to how the brakes on a bicycle work.   Regenerative braking systems, use the energy produced by the engine to charge the battery and slow the car down. Most hybrid & electric cars use the regenerative braking system for light to moderate braking, and only using the standard friction brakes as a backup.   While this extends the battery life for ..read more

Cooling Systems on hybrid-electric cars: what you need to know By Brian England What is a Hybrid Inverter Coolant Service? Hybrid drive vehicles must store that electricity in a direct current (DC) battery. Since the hybrid drive motor uses alternating current (AC), the hybrid inverter must be used to change DC power to AC power. This process creates a large amount of heat in the inverter as current is changed from DC to AC, so a cooling system must be used. This is much like the cooling system on an engine. In general, regular maintenance of draining and filling this system is enough u ..read more

By Brian England   Tesla vehicles are extra special luxury vehicles, and they deserve extra special care. At BA Auto Care, our expert technicians understand this provide services for  Tesla Model S, Model 3, Model Y, and Model X vehicles. Our Tesla auto repair and maintenance program includes all the vehicle systems. We are ready to look after your investment and keep your vehicle safe and reliable. Our team of ASE-certified technicians know your Tesla from top to bottom, from routine services like the cabin air filter replacement, alignment, tires and brake fluid replacement to th ..read more

Why you should pay attention to “check engine light” warnings By Brian England When a VW came in running badly with the “check engine light” on we started the diagnostics by scanning the computer for data. To our surprise, we discovered a long shopping list of codes. Since this was the car’s first visit to the shop, we performed a baseline check of the entire car. There were a few other issues not indicated by the initial scan, including a large oil leak. Since there were so many codes, we decided to clear the codes to see what codes came back during the second scan. It turned out the engine ..read more

By Brian England If you have visited BA Auto Care recently for a repair or preventative maintenance service, you’ve probably found a new microfiber cloth sitting on the seat of your car.  This is a 45th anniversary gift from us to you to show you how much we appreciate your business.   Your new microfiber cloth will help you keep the interior of your vehicle clean while we focus on keeping all your car’s operational systems running smoothly.   Follow these easy steps to use your microfiber cloth to keep your car looking its best:   Start by using the cloth to dust off all ..read more

By Brian England Throughout the history of auto repair,  a lot of importance has been placed on getting an oil change every 3000 miles.  Quick Lube shops are now prevalent and accepted in the industry, which makes getting an oil change convenient. However, here is the big question: Is getting oil service on your car every 3000 miles all the preventive car maintenance you need?   The answer is a resounding NO.  A simple check of your vehicle’s service manual recommendations versus the services offered at a quick lube shop is all the evidence you need to learn that the serv ..read more

by Brian England Getting a car repair estimate online looks easy. If you know exactly what service or repair you need,  then an online estimate can be helpful. Or it could make things very confusing. I recently checked out the cost of new front brakes on my wife’s 2016 Acura by searching online and prices ranged from $350 to $750! What a range!   That’s not much help. The problem is that auto repair shops use many different sources and types of parts.  Also, they follow many different procedures. A common misconception is that the original equipment manufacturer ..read more

The Truth About Today’s Tire Repair: Why Plugging the Hole is No Longer Enough Tire repair used to be simple.  You got a hole in your tire.  You drove it into the local repair shop or gas station.  They plugged the hole, and you were back on the road again. Safe, effective tire repair today has changed dramatically. The emergence of low-profile tires with aluminum wheels and pressure sensors has permanently sidelined plugging as a reliable tire repair option. These new performance tires take more loads and stress than their predecessors. Today’s tire repair process has evolved ..read more

Dog causes hybrid battery to fail Brian England, Mon, Feb 27, 2023 Detailed diagnosis by a BA Auto Care tech found the underlying cause of this “hairy” problem quickly and efficiently. A 2009 Toyota Prius came into the shop recently with the check engine light on. This is a common issue, so the technician downloaded the codes and data that related to the battery. After reviewing the data related to each of the codes, he determined that the Hybrid Battery was overheating. There was one particular code that related to the cooling fan system that cools the battery. The fan was working but was ta ..read more