Crestview Auto Service receives a negative customer review on Facebook and Google +

                Crestview Auto Service are your Trusted Saskatoon Auto Service and Repair experts!

Our Trusted Saskatoon auto repair team at Crestview Auto Service pride themselves on providing excellent customer service, however, like any company these days we sometime receive negative online reviews. We value all comments and feedback, whether it is positive or negative, we strive to listen, learn and improve! 

Mostly our reviews are stellar 5 star reviews, but recently we were reviewed on Facebook and our Google+ page by Steven, a recent new customer.  Although we strive for excellence in customer service,  unfortunately there are times when we cannot keep everyone happy.  Steven brought in his vehicle to us for an SGI vehicle safety inspection , that was required as he was bring the vehicle in from out of province. After the inspection he was unhappy with our inspection and quote, and he has accusing us of taking advantage of him and "trying to rip him off".  For a business owner this is the worst kind of accusation,  questioning  our integrity.  So we  wanted to take this time to answer and to explain.  Here is Stevens initial review.  

'Hello Steven,

Thank you Steven for taking the time to leave a review and taking our call this morning to discuss your concerns, it helps us to improve our service. As you know, by law, vehicles entering the province must have the SGI Vehicle Safety Inspection completed and any deficiencies repaired before a licence can be issued. On the day we inspected your car, your frustration from being forced by SGI to have the inspection done was very apparent and understandable.  In response to your comments:

As you were advised, the rear tires are the same size but that is all, one is a winter tire and one is all season; this creates a real safety concern because of the differences in the traction coefficient from left to right and this does not meet the minimum requirements of the inspection, we recommended you only purchase one tire to match the best tire on the rear of the car, not 2 tires.

The price you were quoted for needed repairs to meet the minimum standards, was based on the SGI inspection results after we had inspected the vehicle, this is the only time anyone can give you an accurate price. Our pricing includes allowing for the extremely rusty condition of your vehicle. The exhaust, suspension, steering and rust are the major cost factors on your vehicle. You were also advised that you can have the repairs performed anywhere you choose, they just need to be done in a manor that satisfies the inspection requirements. Your vehicle has substantial rust issues in structural components of the frame and body and has patches on the frame that do not appear to have been performed in a safe, structural manner. We recommended that you have a “body integrity” inspection performed by an SGI licensed auto body technician before any mechanical repairs be completed. These types of safety and structural items are for the occupant’s safety and to ensure the vehicle does not cause an accident with anyone you share the road with.  Kurt Blight'

continues....

Crestview Auto Service We take a lot of pride in the quality of the work we do as well as in our integrity. We performed the inspection on your vehicle and reported the results exactly how we have been trained by the SGI inspectors themselves. We take the Provincial inspection process very seriously and stand by our inspection. We wish you well

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We want to reiterate that Crestview Auto Service is SGI certified and we uphold their standards, we cannot and will not deviate from these standards as they are developed to ensure road safety.

In addition,  we are a TrustedSaskatoon.com partner, nominated by our customers  we then passed a strict process of due diligence and as such, we are also contracted to uphold the 5- Trusted Guarantees of service.

In this case, due to the issue concerning rust/ the structure/ framework of the vehicle, we highly recommended it be checked by an auto body expert before any additional work be performed.  The driver's, its occupants and the public's safety on our streets and our highways will always trump the risk of upsetting a potential customer and any potential business they may bring. 
We take a lot of pride in our work and in our integrity so having an unhappy customer is always upsetting.  However, we stand firm behind the work we performed for the SGI certification,  our analysis, our quote and our recommendation.  In addition, we will not always be the "cheapest", but we so believe that using our certified technicians to service your vehicle WILL lower your overall and long term cost of owning any vehicle.  

5 Trusted Guarantees

1. Provide the service and quality promised.
2. Complete the job on time.
3. Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.
4. Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.
5. Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

Crestview Auto Service Saskatoon Car Care Advice: Water Pump

Let's face it, most of us do not think about  our vehicles until we run into a problem....and that problem may be a major inconvenience at best; an accident at worst. Having your vehicle serviced by people that you trust is an absolute must.   Let our team of highly trained technicians at Crestview Auto Service work with you to make sure your vehicle is ready for the road. 

Crestview Auto Service are your Trusted Saskatoon Auto Repair and service Experts!

The cooling system in an engine has five components: the radiator, the radiator cap, the hoses, the thermostat and the water pump. The water is literally the heart of the system. Just as your own heart keeps your blood circulating through your body, the water pump keeps coolant circulating through your engine.

The water pump is driven by a belt, chain or gear and only operates while the engine is running. It has a limited life span and sooner or later will have to be replaced. You can check your owner’s manual to find out how long your water pump should last. Some can fail at only 60,000 kilometers, but almost all of them fail by 160,000 kilometers.

Water pumps don’t gradually wear out; they fail. In other words, they’re either working or they’re not. A failed water pump has to be replaced.

Water pumps can fail in two ways: they can spring a leak or their bearings fail. Leaks can come from a cracked pump, but usually develop at the gasket where the pump attaches to the engine.

If you hear a low-pitched grinding sound coming from the water pump, it’s time for a new one. If you see coolant leaking in the area near the pump, it needs to be replaced. Also, coolant on the driveway could indicate water pump failure. Many water pumps aren’t visible because they’re under a plastic cover, so you may have to take your pickup to your Saskatoon service center or Crestview Auto Service to know if the water pump has failed.

If your water pump is run by the timing belt, then it should be replaced when you replace the belt. Most timing belts need to be replaced at around 100,000 to 150,000 kilometers. The labor for replacing a timing belt is about 90% the same for replacing a water pump, so it’s cost-effective to take care of them both at the same time.

Also, if your water pump develops a leak (if it’s powered by the timing belt), you have to replace the timing belt as well since contamination by coolant fluid damages the belt. It just makes sense for Saskatoon motorists to replace both of these critical parts whenever either one needs it.

Replacing a water pump at Crestview Auto Service is a car care issue that almost all of us Saskatoon car owners face eventually. They don’t last forever. On the other hand, we can extend the life of most of the components of our vehicle through important preventive maintenance. Just as exercise and diet keep our heart healthy, regular check-ups and fluid 

Drop in or give us a call at 24 - 23rd St E
Saskatoon, SK, 306-244-6522

Crestview Auto Service

“We’ll Keep Your Car Young a Long Time”

What's your comfort zone?

As car owners, we push a few buttons or turn some knobs, and voila, we have warm air blowing on our feet or cool air chilling our face. How does all that happen? Well, it’s all thanks to the air blend box. This box lives behind the dash and conveys just the right temperature of air right where it is wanted.

Let’s break it down. First there is the blower fan that circulates the air through the heating/air conditioning system. The fan can blow at different speeds, depending on how much hot or cold air is required to be comfortable. The blend box can either deliver fresh air from outside, or recirculate air from inside the cabin. Saskatoon auto owners often choose to recirculate air when first starting the vehicle until it starts to either cool down or warm up. In recent weeks it was recommended to only recirculate air in the vehicles due to the forest fires and the high air quality health index.

The next thing the blend box does is convey airflow over the heater core to warm the air, or over the air conditioner evaporator core to chill it – it can also blend both hot and cold to get it just right. From there the blend box can direct the air out into the passenger compartment through the floor vents, the panel vents, the defroster, or a combination. All of this allows drivers to customize the climate just the way the like it.

Some vehicles have different climate control zones, like one for the driver and one for the passenger – or even more zones for the back seat. Additional blend boxes are used for this. Climate controls could be manually adjusted or computer controlled depending on your vehicle.

The blower motor and all of the little actuator motors that open and close the various blend doors can fail and need to be replaced. Most new vehicles come with a cabin air filter. This filter cleans the air before it gets into the blend box. If you neglect changing the cabin air filter, it can get clogged, smelly, and even allow mildew and other microorganisms to build up in the blend box.

At Crestview Auto Service, we can carry out a heating/air conditioning system-cleaning service that will clean and disinfect the system, restoring a fresh clean scent. If you are not getting enough hot or cold air, let us inspect your system, diagnose the cause and set things right. Also, don’t forget to replace the cabin air filter on schedule. Keep in mind; if you live and drive in dusty conditions or where there is a lot of pollen or other pollutants, you may need to replace your cabin air filter more frequently. We are here for you.

Crestview Auto Service
24 23rd St E
Saskatoon, SK S7K 0H5
306-244-6522

www.crestviewautoservice.ca

Shocks & Struts (Part 2)

Are your shocks and struts in control of your ride? (*Part 2*)

Vehicle ride, handling and braking are directly linked to the integrity of your suspension components. Like many of the systems on your vehicle, struts and shocks wear very slowly; many people only realize how worn they have become after they have had them replaced. After replacement the vehicle feels like new.

As the internal components of shocks and struts wear, additional internal heat is created resulting in deteriorating ride quality, braking and handling. With this wear, the oil inside the struts and shocks aerates becoming more like foam than the liquid oil it is meant to be. The farther you drive the worse this gets. The air acts like a squishy ball, allowing excessive movement of the vehicle. When we step on the brakes or make sudden steering moves the vehicle starts to rock or roll, this lifts up one end and drops the other end. Any time this happens the tires, brakes and suspension are over loaded on the low side and you don’t have enough traction on the high side. This is the reason it takes longer to stop and you have less control with worn struts and shocks.

Unfortunately we cannot change the oil in the struts and shocks when it gets old like we do engine oil. You may have seen advertising from manufacturers advising you to replace struts and shocks after 80,000 kilometers; this is the reason; the oil is worn out resulting in the struts and shocks not working as they were intended to.

There are other considerations with worn struts and shocks; all of the extra vehicle movement creates wear in suspension and steering components, requiring replacement sooner than needed. The braking system will be over loaded in the front from having too much weight transferred from the back of the vehicle to the front when slowing down. This overloads the front brakes and causes the rear brakes to be less effective creating longer stopping distances. Additionally your tires will wear out far sooner than a vehicle with good shocks and struts.

Regular maintenance inspections, performed by experienced technicians along with the needed services will help you save time and money keeping your vehicle safe and reliable for many years to come.

At Crestview Auto Service “We’ll Keep Your Car Young a Long Time”

#‎shocks‬ ‪#‎struts‬ ‪#‎safety‬ ‪#‎YXE‬ ‪#‎Tires‬ ‪#‎Brakes

(P1) Canadian Tidbits

(P1) Tidbits of information about Canada you may never need:

Did you know? 

· 25 cents - The adult admission price of the first-ever auto show in Canada, held in Montreal in 1906.

 · $23.00 - The adult admission price of the 2015 Auto Show starting Feb. 13th, 2015.

 · $6.25 - Adjusting for inflation (25 cents in 1906) would be approximately $6.25 in 2015. 

(Information gathered from Government of Canada and the automotive industry, 2015).

#tidbits #inflation #carshow #Canada

Be prepared for winter...

September is here and that means winter isn't too far away. Over the next several weeks we will be posting about winter maintenance and what you should know; things to have in your vehicle in case of emergency; and information on winter tires. You can get ahead of the rush by scheduling your appointment in advance. Our website offers you the convenience to book online (www.crestviewautoservice.ca) or phone one of our service advisors at (306) 244-6522.
"We'll Keep Your Car Young A Long Time"

#tires #beprepared #maintenance #dontwait4winter

Choosing a service provider

What do you want from a maintenance program?

When people bring late model cars to Robison Service (or any independent service specialist) they are often seeking an alternative to dealer service.  Why? 

In my experience, dealership service personnel follow a game plan that is laid out by the carmaker and oriented toward maximum new car sales.  In other words, keep the new car buyers happy so they buy another car in 2 or 3 years.  The primary purpose of a new car dealer is to sell new cars.  Service may be an important tool to build client satisfaction but it’s not the reason dealers are there.

 Shops like ours – specialists who concentrate on one or two makes for service only – have a different orientation.  We are here to keep the cars under our care on the road and as reliable as possible for as long as our clients want to drive them.

With that different perspective it should not come as any surprise that the dealer and we would espouse different philosophies when it comes to preventative maintenance.

The manufacturer may call for a 15,000 mile oil change interval in a certain model car.  That may work fine for new cars.  But we cars that are 7-8 years old, with 70-80,000 miles on the odometers, and that 15k service interval hasn’t worked out too well.  Maybe the owner didn’t make it in a exactly 15k.  Maybe the dealer didn’t use the right oil.  Maybe the 15k recommendation was a little too aggressive.  Maybe . . . .

From our perspective, the maybes don’t matter.  Results matter.  We see the damaged high mile cars, and we see other cars whose oil was changed at 10,000 miles.  Those cars don’t show any wear or damage. 

The dealer represents the carmaker, and if they say “do oil at 15,000” that is what they do.  We are independent.  If the evidence of our service fleet causes us to believe 10,000 miles is a more prudent interval, we’ll say so. 

We also recognize that tests may facilitate even better fine tuning.  If you run 25 vehicles, and you sample oil from all of them at different intervals you will get a very accurate idea of how often to change oil for your fleet in the circumstances in which you operate.  You may be surprised at the number.

We may deviate from the manufacturer’s suggested service schedule based on our experience.  Does that mean the manufacturer was wrong?  No.  It means operating conditions differ in different areas, and service schedules may be optimized to reflect that.  In some cases, manufacturer service scheduled may be trimmed down to present a lower cost of upkeep in the early years.  If you only drive the car for those early years that’s good for you.  But if you plan to drive it for ten years, you’ll pay a price for that early economy.  We don’t have to follow that plan for long-term owners, while we can embrace it for short term lessees.

Flexibility has value.  We can apply that flexibility in a hundred different areas from filters to fluids; from software updates to system upgrades.

There’s room for more than one opinion when it comes to service.

Think about that as you consider what you want from a service provider.

John Elder Robison is the general manager of J E Robison Service Company, independent restoration and Bosch Authorized Car Service specialists in Springfield, Massachusetts.  John is a longtime technical consultant to the Land Rover, Porsche, and Rolls Royce Owner's Clubs, and he’s owned and restored many of these fine vehicles.  Find him online at www.robisonservice.com or in the real world at 413-785-1665

(Post 5) Tidbits

(P5) Tidbits of information about Canada you may never need:

• 150, the # of new vehicle models and major redesigns introduced by manufacturers from 2010 to 2012
• 260, the # of new vehicle models and major redesigns expected to be introduced between 2013 and 2015

(Information gathered from Government of Canada and the automotive industry, 2013)

#AutoService #Saskatoon #CarRepair #Service #CrestviewAutoService #Tidbits #TrustedPartner #JDPowerAssociates #NAPAautoPro #automotive #newdesign #redesign

Keeping a Car Reliable Forever

Maintaining an older car like an airplane - can it be done?  I think so.

The famous 1962 Buick Invicta - photo by John Elder Robison

The problem with the factory maintenance schedules for most modern cars is that they are designed for a finite lifespan, typically 4-6 years or 50-100,000 miles.  The manufacturer-provided schedules all end at that point, and it’s assumed people will make their own decisions from there to the point where the car is scrapped.

In addition, some manufacturer schedules minimize costly service activities in the first four years – knowing there will be a high cost for that later on – in order to present a “low cost of ownership” to the first operator of the car, who typically keeps it 3 to 4 years.  That’s not a very constructive approach for someone who wants to keep his car in near-new functional condition for 30 years. 

I suggest that the car-enthusiast world can learn something about long-term preventative care from the commercial aviation people who keep jet aircraft at or near as-built levels of performance and reliability for several decades.  They do this with rigorous inspection, combined with time and running-hour based overhauls and replacements.

This Air Force C5B is 28 years old, with no plans for retiring anytime soon - John Elder Robison photo

What are some of the changes we might make to a factory schedule, if we wanted indefinite lifespan?  Here are some areas we may consider but this list is by no means complete:

First of all, EVERY fluid should have a reasonable change interval.  Contrary to what some carmakers tell us, there is no such thing as a permanent fluid in a car. For some fluids we might use a test/time basis. That can be done easily for coolant and brake fluid, where we use test strips to measure ph or water absorption.  Both might be changed at 4 or 4 years, or when the test strip shows a marginal reading, whichever comes first.

For other fluids, like those in power hydraulic systems or driveline components we must make a schedule based on our best judgment, which may differ from car to car. 

With proper care, this Mercedes can last as long as its owner.  Robison Service photo

When a car is new it's easy to treat bare metal in exposed areas, and thereby reduce the chances of corrosion related problems years later.  Modern car's don't generally need what we used to call undercoating but treatment of suspension hardware and other bare parts will pay big dividends when those parts need to be dismantled for service later on.  Anyone who has cut suspension arms off a later model car because the hardware is rusted solid knows what I mean.

Rubber hoses of all kinds, and belts of all kinds should be on a replacement schedule.  This would include vacuum hose, AC line, coolant hose, and hydraulic, fuel and brake hoses.  Depending on the application, 7-12 years is probably the range at which these should be changed with some types of hoses lasting longer than others.

When hoses are replaced, clamps and seals should be renewed at the same time.  When belts are replaced idler rollers should be renewed too.  Whenever belts are changed, a leak and damage inspection should be performed.

Fuel pumps, coolant pumps, and cooling fans should be on a combination time/miles schedule.  Thermostats are another item whose replacement can be scheduled. Relays have a finite lifespan based on age and operating cycles and they should be scheduled for periodic change too. 

Relays age invisibly and fail without warning.  Replace them to avoid problems

Airplanes are designed to be re-powered without compromising reliability in areas other than the engine (which is clearly improved).  Cars – unfortunately – are not designed the same way.  Removal of a car engine involves disconnecting and reconnecting many fasteners and connectors whose lifespan is limited, and whose access is poor.  Removal of a car engine may compromise a radiator or a hundred other things, and you get into a cascading situation when trying to service one major component.  Aircraft engines – in contrast – are on pylons where all the service connections are in one spot, designed for periodic removal.  Given this situation, it’s unclear if long-term reliability is improved by scheduled overhaul of a car’s engine or major driveline components.

Then we have the suspension.  We know that bushings deteriorate, as do shocks and struts.  Scheduled overhaul of suspensions is a good way to keep the car feeling and handling as new.  The mileage at which this is done will vary from one car line to another, and there may be large enough differences in component lifespans that this job is staggered over several service intervals.

Brakes can certainly be serviced with a similar philosophy.  Master cylinders and boosters can be replaced periodically (perhaps at a 10-year interval) and calipers and wheel components can be overhauled (probably more often)  Pads and rotors are already part of factory schedules.

Brake and strut service on a Porsche - at Robison Service

When a car is not driven a lot of miles the tires are often ignored. "There's hardly any tread wear," people say, so the tires must still be good even if they are old.  Wrong!  Tires come apart inside as the rubber oxidizes and ages. That's why they have date codes - so we can use those codes to identify and replace aged tires prior to failure.  7-12 years is a suggested range for low mileage tire life, depending on application and environment. Worn or damaged tires must be replaced sooner.

Reading tire date codes - this tire was made in week 04 of 2009

A rigorous and regular inspection program is needed to identify leaks, corrosion, fractures, and the like.  Such a program would pick up broken exhaust hangers, broken motor mounts, and other potential sources of failure to proceed.  This inspection should probably be done at varying levels of thoroughness at several intervals.

For newer cars, there should be a regular time where software is checked for updates and all systems are scanned for faults, with problems addressed as needed.  Electrical systems should be checked for potential problems in the cabling (corrosion or loose connections) and batteries tested and replaced when test results drop below a threshold or the battery reaches 4 or perhaps 5 years age.  Alternators and possibly starters can be changed on a time/miles schedule which will depend on reliability in that particular car line.

Checking software in a Range Rover - at Robison Service

Once a particular car line has been in production for 4-5 years a review can be conducted and major issues listed.  Armed with that list, the model-specific weaknesses may be woven into the long-term maintenance plan to improve reliability going forward.

As the car gets older there will come a point where cosmetic restoration of mechanical parts becomes a normal part of the repair/overhaul process.  Prior to that, I recommend that all parts associated with a service be cleaned and cared for as required because that will be the only time many areas of the car receive any such service and the finishes will last longer if they get a modicum of care too.

Finally, the annual inspection should identify and correct any non-critical wear or failure – damage to paint or trim, problems with accessories, and visible signs of wear. 

We can also learn from Deming’s Quality Management philosophy and make changes to the service environment in order to do a better job performing and planning our maintenance.  A good TQM system would continually revise and update a plan like I have outlined to improve reliability while lowering cost by fine-tuning the program. That, however, is the subject of another essay.

Some cars are just transportation. Others are special, and we want them to live forever.   For the ones we want to keep, a plan like the one described above will maximize your chances of success.  The cost of this approach may seem high at times, but if done properly the huge (potentially mid six figure) costs of thorough mechanical and cosmetic restoration may be avoided or dramatically reduced.  If one person owns the car the whole time, his costs are very likely to be less in total.

The list above is by no means complete.  I welcome suggestions for improving this system of long-term automobile preservation, and I encourage anyone who wants to keep a car forever to adopt this or a similar plan.  

John Elder Robison is the general manager of J E Robison Service, independent restoration and service for Bentley, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, and other fine motorcars in Springfield, MA  Find him online at www.robisonservice.com or on the phone at 413-785-1665