1. Oil Change Intervals: Have your oil changed at Villa Marin Buick GMC so your oil life indicator can be properly reset. Maintaining clean engine oil is extremely beneficial to your engine. For best performance and reliability Key recommends: Change your engine oil every 3,000-5,000 miles for vehicles using regular oil. Change your engine oil every 5,000-7,000 miles for vehicles using synthetic oil. Change your engine oil every 3,000 miles on 2003 and older vehicles. Note – if your “change engine oil” message is displayed you should change oil regardless of mileage.
2. Owner’s Manual: Your owner’s manual is a fantastic resource for information on proper maintenance. Take advantage of it. Understand the maintenance requirements of your vehicle. Take time to read and understand all of this important reference.
3. Aftermarket Accessories: Be cautious when installing accessories not manufactured by Buick, GMC or GM. Installation of these accessories may affect your warranty. If you have purchased your vehicle from a private party or another dealership be cautious to ask if the vehicle has been modified with aftermarket equipment. These accessories such as sunroofs, radios, cloth tops, etc. are not under warranty by GM and may result in repair costs to you, the owner.
4. Best Tires: For best ride, stick with original equipment (OE) or factory recommended tires for your vehicle. Villa Marin offers a 30 day price guarantee on tires. Installing OE or factory recommended tires will ensure your vehicle provides the smoothest ride and best performance possible. We have seen mixed results when customers purchase tires from other sources. Our service consultants have experience with many tires and will select the tire that will give you the best ride and best performance.
5. Tire Pressure Monitor Systems: If your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system make sure to read and understand how this system operates. The tire pressure monitoring system is designed to alert you to a tire pressure that is too low or too high. If your tire is loosing air quickly due to a road hazard you should stop in a safe area and seek emergency assistance. If your tire pressure is slightly too high or loosing air very slowly you should adjust the air in the tire to the proper inflation. If there has been a recent dramatic outside air temperature change the day your tire pressure changed you may want to defer making adjustments until the temperature returns closer to average. If “service tire monitor appears” your tire monitor system may need service. Please call to schedule an appointment. The tire pressure system is mounted in the wheel and takes a lot of abuse from the road. Do not be surprised if you require replacement sensors during your ownership of the vehicle.
6. Rapid Oil Change Facilities: We do not recommend using rapid oil change facilities for Buicks or GMC's. Since our vehicles are less common than most economy cars many facilities do not have experience with them. Also, many rapid oil change and independent shops will try to pressure sell services that may not be required on your vehicle. These shops typically employ technicians with less training and less experience. We frequently encounter customers who are coming to us from a quick lube or independent shop for a second opinion and we find that the other shop’s recommendations were wrong!
7. Internet Information: Be cautious with information obtained on your vehicle from the internet. Frequently this information is posted by individuals with no technical training. Also, discussion forums tend to present misleading information about repair issues and recalls. We have had many phone calls from customers who believe they have received correct information from the internet related to recommended repairs on their vehicle or related to recall information which has turned out to be incorrect.
8. Storage Of Your Vehicle: If you are storing your vehicle for more than one week you should disconnect the battery or be prepared to jump start the vehicle when you return. The best solution for storage is to use a trickle charger. Newer vehicles equipped with Onstar, navigation and other electronics draw a significant amount of power when the vehicle is sitting idle. Also you should ensure your gas tank is full and add a fuel treatment if your vehicle will sit for an extended period of time or is not driven very much. Villa Marin Buick GMC offers a fuel system cleaning which can also be beneficial related to vehicle storage and low mileage driving.
9. Fuel Economy: The best way to achieve good fuel economy is through proper maintenance and conservative driving habits. It is virtually impossible to have a problem with your vehicle that will result in lower fuel economy without some other symptom or service light warning you. If you are concerned with your fuel economy we recommend: Keep your tires properly inflated. Keep your vehicle’s fuel system clean and perform all maintenance recommended in your owner’s manual. Keep the exterior of your vehicle clean to reduce wind resistance. Drive sensibly, avoiding speeding or rapid acceleration and braking. Observe the speed limit. Remove excess weight from your cargo areas. Use cruise control on the highway. Purchase gasoline from a reliable source. For more information visit www.fueleconomy.gov.
10. Checking Oil Level: Many newer vehicles are on an extended oil change interval of more than 3,000 miles. With longer oil change intervals it is more important than ever to be aware of your oil level. In fact, your owner’s manual states that it is the owner’s responsibility to check the oil at every fuel fill up. A small quantity of oil is consumed in every engine as a normal part of operation. This can add up over time and can result in low oil levels the longer you stretch the interval between oil changes. Your vehicle measures the oil pressure in your engine and cannot automatically measure the oil level. You may have enough oil pressure and still have low oil level. The only way to verify your oil level is by visually inspecting the dipstick. If you would like us to check your oil level just call a service consultant for an appointment or stop in the service lane and we can check that for you.