A question we get asked quite a bit at the shop when people come in or see us in the community while wearing our Loren's Auto Repair shirts is... "Do you work on Subarus?"
We love that questions because the answer is always a resounding "YES!" We really love Subarus. We believe that Subaru makes a quality vehicle and with the roomy interiors and All Wheel Drive options, they make very good cars for Northwest Montana.
Another question we get quite a bit is "what should I be doing to keep my Subaru running strong?"
This is a great question because it seems like we live in such a disposable society. It's amazing all the stuff we end up throwing away. New stuff comes out so fast, we just toss the old and move on with the new. I remember when we were kids growing up in Kalispell, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of what we had in order to make it last. You can probably relate; "hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, be sure to put away your toys", etc... if something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough, we had to do without.
Our parents couldn't afford new cars very often, so they tried to make them last as long as they could. Now a days, cars are made more reliable, which is a good thing. They just don't break down as often as older vehicles did. And the good news for us is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles or more with proper care and maintenance. The engineering's there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the recommended maintenance schedules.
Another question we get quite often is; "is it really that bad to get off schedule?" Well, it all adds up. For example, every time you go an extra couple thousand miles between oil changes, you've created an opportunity for sludge to form and clog passages. Then some parts don't get lubricated and can wear out faster.
Another item that tends to be skipped is a cooling system service. When this happens, the corrosion inhibitors become depleted, and the radiator and other cooling system components wear out prematurely, putting you one step closer to a failure. Similar thing are true for other vehicle components like transmission service, power steering service, fuel system cleaning – really everything has a maintenance schedule.
The good news is that it's never too late to get back on track with your maintenance and to hold off further damage. It's just another example of our parents being right. (Surprising how often that happens.) And it really does start with the oil change, just like Dad said. When you get a full service oil change we can top off all your fluids and inspect the vehicle for other items that are on your maintenance schedule. It serves as your safety net; go in for oil changes on time, and let the Service Advisors at Loren's Auto Repair in Kalispell help you keep track of the rest.
Of course, some things are going to wear out along the way, such as batteries, alternators, and such, but that stuff is cheaper than a new car payment. And taking care of problems early means they have less time to cause other problems. It's like having high cholesterol; you don't want to wait for a heart attack before you address it.
Loren's Auto Repair
1309 US Hwy 2 West
Kalispell, MT 59901
406-755-7757
