Marysville Auto Repair

Dodge 2500 September 2015 Transfer case… How many pieces do you need? This week we had a Dodge Ram 2500 that came in with no gears at all, for diagnostic and repair. The truck had used 4 wheel drive to get unstuck from out on some muddy roads and when the customer disengaged the lever, the 4 wheel drive indicator light stayed on. We believe this customer didn’t understand the full scope and meaning of what the warning light meant. He ignored the light and drove the truck going highway speeds for over 2 weeks, causing the truck to lose all gears. As the tow truck brought the truck in and the tech put it on the lift he could plainly see the transfer case no longer existed. It was in pieces! Branden called in the troops to take pictures and use the truck as an example of “What not to do” and “why indicator lights are important”. We were able to get the below pictures and want to share with our blog readers here in “Marysville, WA” and bey ... read more

Car of the week blog: Week 2: 5/21/15 Bud’s is here to report in for week 2 of Car of the Week! It is funny how things happen but… his week our featured vehicle is another 2005 Subaru Legacy. The customer came in because of a “knocking sound”. They could tell that there was something wrong with the car but didn’t know what. They may have searched “why is my car knocking” or “what is that knocking sound” on Google before scheduling an appointment, maybe not. Either way, they knew that our techs have the knowledge and tools to figure out the issue. This Subaru Legacy came in for diagnosis because of the noise it was making. Usually when your vehicle is making a noise, there is already something wrong. When our mechanic got to this vehicle for inspection and started it up he could definitely here the knocking sound. He proceeded with the 29 point inspection that every vehicle th ... read more

Recently we had a 2008 Dodge Avenger in the shop. The customer’s complaint was that there was a “coolant leak”. They stated that there was coolant leaking from the radiator cap. During inspection, our tech determined that there was a blown cylinder “head gasket”. The head gasket seals the engine block and the cylinder heads. When the engine over heats, has excessive miles or is just getting old, the head gasket breaks down and can leak. When there is a leak in the head gasket fluid can get out and it is now considered “blown”. Many people know that a “blown head gasket” is bad and expensive but they don’t know why. It’s easy to question why one gasket can affect so many components but this really is the case. Since the head gasket seals some of the most essential pieces of the engine it needs to be in working order at all times or the engine fluids can leak, combine or let contaminants in. This was the case for this veh ... read more

So, this past weekend our team had the privilege of attending the 2015 Automotive Training Expo, also known as simply ATE by local automotive professionals. ATE is a weekend event here in the Pacific North West that caters to independent auto shop owners and their teams. There are management and technical classes as well as lots of time for meeting new and interesting people in the industry after class time is over. Technicians are able to pick the brains of other techs and owners are able to recruit trainers to come help improve their shops. Service writers are able to take classes to ensure they have the skills to offer the best customer service around! Bud’s is so lucky to have an owner who believes in constant and continuing growth. With key note speakers at each event meal, every team member was offered new perspectives and a chance for open discussion with different teams. The keynote speakers were just the icing on the cake as far as Bud’s team was concerned though ... read more