FAQ’s
Can I use an independent repair shop while my car is under warranty?
Absolutely! An impartial periodic check of your vehicle protects your long term interests, particularly if you plan on keeping your car for a long time. If your car is under warranty, we will prepare a list of any items covered under the warranty that may need attention for you to present to the dealer. An unfortunate fact of life is that most dealer technicians won’t look too hard at your car for defects while it is under warranty. Warranty repairs don’t pay as well as retail repairs do!
How often should you change your oil?
Have you noticed how oil change intervals suddenly stretched to 15,000 miles when the manufacturers began to foot the bill for your maintenance? That’s a long period of time and mileage without even a safety check (which they won’t do for free.) We have seen those vehicles subjected to the manufacturers’ recommended maintenance schedules at 70, 80 and 90,000 miles. Click here to view pictures. We are dealing with the consequences of these extended oil change intervals such as failed valve lifters, frozen Vanos (variable valve timing) actuators, pieces of oil filter material clogging oil pump pickup tubes, and so on.
A more frequent maintenance schedule is not only important for safe operation of your vehicle, but will pay handsome dividends in longevity for the long-term owner. German Car Repair, Inc. recommends an interim oil change, depending on your type of driving, at 5,000 to 7,000 miles, even if your car requires synthetic oil. This maintenance interval also allows our technicians to inspect your vehicle for proper function and safe operation.
My warranty is about to expire. Should I have the dealer check the car over?
Well, it depends on who you are comfortable with. It is always a good idea to have an impartial, qualified facility inspect your car. German Car Repair Inc. offers a Pre-Warranty Expiration Inspection that includes a complete inspection of your car and we will document any warrantable items that require repair. Why pay for something yourself that wasn’t detected under the warranty period? Click here to schedule an appointment for a Pre-Warranty Expiration Inspection.
Extended warranties. Are they worth it?
An extended warranty is essentially an insurance policy. Read the fine print and do your homework on the warranty company. We cannot stress this enough. There are a few good after market warranties out there, but there are many very dissatisfied people who haven’t got the coverage they thought they were purchasing, or worse, the warranty company folded its tent and left them without coverage. Purchase a policy while your car is still under the manufacturer’s warranty; you’ll get more coverage for less money. Ensure that wear and tear items are covered and that you pay one deductible per visit, not per repair. German Car Repair, Inc. honors most extended warranty policies and will gladly do the claim filing for you.
I’m purchasing a pre-owned car. Is a Carfax report enough?
No! Car Fax relies on the insurance industry and State DMV’s for their information. Carfax has no way of tracking a vehicle’s life other than these institutions — no maintenance history, no fender benders in which an insurance claim has not been filed, no record of abuse. In other words, Carfax can tell you if the car you’re looking at has been totaled and has a salvage title, how many previous owners it has had, if there is a record of odometer rollback, if it has been in an accident severe enough for an insurance company to get involved, or has had a police report filed. We have inspected cars in our shop with a clean Carfax report that have had frame rails replaced. Always have the vehicle inspected by someone familiar with the marque. German Car Repair, Inc. specializes in: BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, and Mini. We know the product, and we know what to look for in terms of potential problem areas. The fee spent on a Pre-Purchase Inspection is often recouped many times over in negotiating leverage. Sometimes it also saves a lot of heartache for the prospective purchaser who finds out before the sale that the car he was all set to buy wasn’t the deal he thought it was.
My car is under warranty, and the dealership told me they must service the car.
Not so – you may choose to have your car serviced by any qualified independent repair facility. German Car Repair, Inc. meets all manufacturers’ requirements to keep your warranty current and we use only original equipment quality parts to maintain your vehicle. Unless you have a service contract with your dealer for free maintenance, you may service your car with us.
Are you thinking about purchasing a pre-owned Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, VW or Mini?
The most important thing you can do before completing your transaction is to have the vehicle inspected by a qualified third party. German Car Repair, Inc. offers a Pre-Purchase Inspection that will bring to light any undisclosed problems with your prospective purchase. We search for evidence of prior accident damage and repair and previous flood damage. We run a complete evaluation of the current mechanical condition of the vehicle, and conduct a thorough road test to check general drivability and safety systems. German Car Repair, Inc. will also prepare an estimate to rectify any mechanical or service needs the vehicle may have at the time of inspection. Whether the vehicle is offered for sale by a dealer or a private individual, we can identify problem areas or maintenance issues that the vehicle may have. This information is critical in order for you make the correct decision about your purchase. It may mean a reduced price on the vehicle through negotiation, or a non-sale, if the vehicle has major undisclosed flaws such as major structural issues from a previous accident history, or rust. Obtaining this valuable information would prevent you, the buyer, from acquiring someone else’s problem. If a seller is reluctant to allow you to have the vehicle independently inspected, walk away from the deal. Chances are it’s not the car for you. Click here to schedule an appointment for a Pre-Purchase Inspection.
Is your car warranty about to expire?
German Car Repair, Inc. offers a Pre-Warranty Expiration Inspection. Let us inspect your vehicle for any items that would be covered under your manufacturer’s warranty. Why pay for a repair that could have been covered by your warranty? German Car Repair, Inc. will prepare a report of any warrantable defects for you to present to your dealer for repair. Many third party extended warranty companies also require a vehicle inspection report before underwriting a policy, and if you are considering an extended warranty, this would be a perfect time to do so. Extended warranty companies are more comfortable underwriting a vehicle that is still under the manufacturers’ warranty. It poses a smaller risk to them (pre-existing defects are less likely to be present), so the length of the warranty and scope of coverage available to you are greater and cost less compared with purchasing a policy on a vehicle already out of warranty. German Car Repair, Inc. honors most extended warranty policies.
