Pride Repaired my tire in a timely manner!

Fantastic, Professional Service‎‎

 By Matt - Jul 27, 2010

Brought vehicle in with a screw in a tire. Was told at Walmart that they were unable to fix it. Pride repaired in a timely manner and went out of their way to make me, a new customer, feel comfortable and taken care of.‎

 

Another happy Pride Auto Care Customer.. Thanks for letting us know Matt

Pride is excited to have another happy customer in Littleton CO

Quite simply the best‎‎

 By Curt - Aug 2, 2010

I've been getting all my car repairs and maintenance at Pride for several years, and I can't say enough good about them. They are utterly honest and straightforward -- will tell you exactly what you need and don't need, charge you fairly for what they do, and perform the work at the highest level of competence. My life would have been much easier down through the years if I had known about them. Plus the owner and crew are genuinely nice guys. It's interesting that they chose the name "Pride" for their shop, as they can certainly have pride in what they do!‎

 

Fall Auto Maintenance Tips: 5 Ways to Prepare Your Car for Winter

by Marjorie Steele, Social Media Manager

Despite the beautiful 70 degree weather and sunny skies, we all know it's coming: winter. It will come with its ice and below freezing temperatures - and it will come, as all Michigan weather does, quite unexpectedly.

While few of us are likely ready for winter to begin, I think we can all agree that having our vehicles be prepared for winter when it hits is a good idea. The first ice storm of the year is definitely the wrong time to be changing those bald tires, and frustrating my-car-won't-start mornings can be easily avoided with a little preventative maintenance.

To that end, here are 5 relatively easy (and inexpensive) maintenance steps you should take this fall:

1) Fix starter issues. Have any start and/or idling issues examined and resolved. Rough starts, uneven idling and stalling are often easier to fix than you would think; many times a simple filter change, fluid change, new starter or new wire can take care of wintertime failure-to-start problems.

2) Battery and cable check. Have an auto technician take a look at your battery to make sure it's got enough power for another winter - but don't stop there. While he's at it, ask him to scrape away any and all corrosion from posts and cable connections, clean surfaces and connectors and tighten cable connections. Start problems are often caused by simple dirt and corrosion; even your car battery requires a little thorough cleaning from time to time.

3) Comprehensive routine maintenance. At Cars for Keeps, we have a service we call a "pit stop". When performing a pit stop, we check pretty much everything on your vehicle which can possible be checked, including lights, tires, wipers, belts, hoses and fluids. We analyze all your vehicle's fluids - even engine oil - to make sure they're still doing their job. This is a great way to identify fluid leaks, low fluids, faulty connections and any other problems before they snowball into a cold February inconvenience.

4) Check / change tires. If you've lived in Michigan for any amount of time, you're probably aware of how important tires can be when it comes to winter driving safety. Driving on summer tires and even all weather tires can make driving during inclement winter weather extremely dangerous. Snow tires are softer and "stickier", providing you with much better traction on packed snow and ice. So do yourself a favor: keep two sets of tires for your vehicle - one for summer, one for winter. And don't wait until the first snowstorm hits to have your summer tires swapped for winter tires.

5) Prepare yourself. While we certainly hope for the best, it never hurts to prepare for the worst. Take 5 minutes to equip your car with a winter emergency kit, including ice scrapers, spare blankets, kitty litter (for traction), a flashlight, flares, water, rope and a few nonperishable goods. Who knows? These items may help you out of a ditch, or they may help someone else in need.

A Woman’s Point of View: Helping Hands

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

It has suddenly dawned on us at Cars For Keeps that summer is coming to a close rather fast. We are all madly planning our vacations before we lose them to winter’s cold blast. How can normal, intelligent people lose track of time like that?

So, along with our normal, everyday multi-tasking, we are training each other to do the most essential tasks in our jobs. First and foremost is to meet our customer’s needs. And to make it look effortless, like we have been doing the other person’s job forever. Don’t ever let them see you sweat!

The big test will be when Dennis, our Service Manager, takes his vacation this first of September. It's going to be be a loooong week. But never fear; my stalwart and knowledgeable co-worker, Robert, will step into Dennis’ shoes that week as he has done before, and has always preformed his duties well and to our customer’s expectations.

Our accountant, David, is stepping up to cover technical record keeping, payroll and closing the days’ business. He went home today with his head spinning with too much information thrown at him from crash courses. He is a real trooper. There will be ‘cheat sheets’ allowed.

Our head mechanic, Michael, is also taking a well deserved few days off. The newbie mechanic, Leslie, is stepping up to the plate to make sure that each customer receives the same knowledgeable and professional work that is expected at Cars For Keeps.

As you read this blog today, I will be heading home from a leisurely and restful week in Macinaw, knowing that there have been helping hands on the job, and doing it well. Thank you guys.

Win a Weekend Getaway: Cars for Keeps' Summer Travel Story Contest

Back to school season can be tough on everyone. As the summer ends, so do vacations, languid weekends and open schedules. Professionals have to go back to their jobs, moms and dads must swing back into their routines, and we're all left to stare longingly at the vacation photos we've posted on Facebook.

That's why we at Cars for Keeps are offering a free weekend getaway at Grand Haven's Lakeshore Bed & Breakfast. One lucky couple will spend two nights (flexible dates) in the suite of their choice at the Lakeshore mansion, and *gasp* we're even throwing in $100 in cash for spending money - or for babysitter fees.

The Lakeshore Bed & Breakfast sits on one of Lake Michigan's many white sand beaches. Want to see more? Visit the Lakeshore B&B website.

What's the catch? Just tell us a story. Specifically, your favorite summer travel story, either from this year or from years past. Tell us a tale of hilarious misadventure, roadside breakdowns, amazing moose sightings - anything, so long as it's a story about vacation traveling. Write a story as long or short as you'd like (but please keep your epics less than 500 words) - we want to hear it!

How do you enter? Click the image link below, complete the entry form and write your story. (and don't forget to tell your friends!)

Buying a New/Used Car vs. Maintaining the One You Have - Which Costs More?

by Dennis Sweet, Cars for Keeps Customer Service Manager

Hello again!

I hope all of you are having a great summer. Here at the shop, we've noticed a change in our customers' auto repair trends over the last several months. It seems that more people are putting more of their financial resources into fixing the cars that they already own, rather than buying new (or used) cars.

New/used cars: to buy or not to buy.

Maybe it's just because we're an auto repair shop named "Cars for Keeps", but repairing and maintaining the vehicle you already own makes a lot of sense to us. By maintaining your current vehicle rather than buying a new/used car, you can be assured you know some or all of
the vehicle's service history. You know how it has been driven and where, and you also know what its "quirks" are.

Ideally, buying a brand new car would ensure there's "no service history", but you may also be signing up for system bugs and problems (did someone say Honda brakes?) the manufacturer hasn't yet found. If you by a used vehicle, its history and quirks will be known to you little - if at all.

Most used vehicles need anywhere from $2000 to $4000 worth of work to get them back
in the shape they should be in. Maintaining the vehicle that you already have, on the other hand, keeps the repairs down and no payments or interest. New vehicles often require you service your new car at dealerships, which are famous for being overpriced, to maintain vehicle warranties.

So if you've been thinking of getting rid of your vehicle in exchange for another one, we encourage you to weigh the decision carefully. Is it going to be more cost-effective in the long run to fix up the car you own, or to start all over on new or used car?

If you have any questions about how much it would cost to fix up your current vehicle - or what kind of repairs would be needed on a new-to-you used vehicle - we'd be happy to give you a free quote. Give us a call or stop by.

Your friendly neighbor Service Manager,
Dennis

Rolls Royce in the 2010 Basketball Hall of Fame parade

Sports fans know Springfield as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Each year, a new class of players and coaches is inducted in a nationally televised ceremony. The biggest event is the induction itself, and I'm always pleased that Robison Service plays a role.

For the last nine years, we have organized the parade that brings the inductees and their families to the red carpet in front of Symphony Hall. We've always called the parade a Rolls Royce parade in honor of Rolls Royce, who built cars here in our city in the 1920s. As you will see, for this year's parade, we added a few Mercedes and a Jaguar drophead to the mix.

Watch the 2010 video here