Greenwood Village Auto Repair

If you're reading this article in Centennial, Colorado, then you probably care about your vehicle and how it runs. Even though you care, there is still that moment of dread when your professional service advisor at Davis Automotive Repair tells you the manufacturer recommends some additional service. Your heart beats a little faster, your blood pressure rises. You worry about spending more money than you had planned. And you worry that if you say "no," you might be harming your vehicle or risking your family's safety. At the risk of sounding like your dad, you really should have done your homework. Service recommendations are in your owner's manual. But it is not like you want to keep your vehicle auto maintenance schedule on your nightstand for bedtime reading.Vehicles are complicated machines and it takes some effort for Centennial residents to keep them running well. That is why they have maintenance schedules that explain how to keep your vehicle performi ... read more

Colorado service centers have a menu board that lists the services they provide. Some Centennial drivers may not be familiar with all of the items on the board so here is a quick description of some of the typical services that might be listed.Davis Automotive Repair fuel system cleaning: Over time, the vehicle fuel system gets gum and varnish built up. A fuel system cleaning gets rid of that and cleans out the fuel injectors. Saves gas, by the way.Davis Automotive Repair headlamp replacement: Halogen and standard headlamps gradually fade. It's usually good to change them every year or so.Davis Automotive Repair inspections: Centennial drivers get inspections for many reasons. Maybe they're going on a trip or just want to make sure their vehicle's ready for a Colorado summer or winter. Maybe they just bought a used vehicle and want to give it the once over. An inspection may reveal some things that are b ... read more

Today's Davis Automotive Repair article focuses on severe service maintenance. Many Centennial drivers are not aware of them and yet there are also very vocal advocates in Colorado who think that severe service schedules apply to everyone. Somewhere between a complete lack of awareness and the dire blanket statements lies a reasonable approach to severe service maintenance at Davis Automotive Repair.To back up a little, vehicle owner's manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance: things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil after a certain distanced traveled or after so many months. Centennial drivers understand this very well. What they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.Now when you hear 'severe service,' you may think it doesn't apply to yo ... read more

Most Centennial folks occasionally have days when they've got a bunch of errands to run. Yesterday was my day off and I needed to fill the gas tank, pick up some groceries at my Centennial market, swing by the ATM and get the kids from school. I could have made four trips . . . but that would have been totally inefficient. Instead I got unusually organized and planned my stops. I hit the ATM first and got gas next. Then I went to the supermarket and picked up the kids on the way home. I was proud of my wise use of time and money.What does this have to do with your car? Well, back in the day, each of your engine's accessories, like the alternator and air conditioner, were powered by separate belts. A vehicle might have five or six belts. These days, vehicles have a single belt to run all the accessories. It's called the serpentine belt. A pulley attached to the vehicle engine's crank provides the power to turn the serpentine belt. On the engine in the video, the first accessory in line ... read more

Have you checked out the price of new vehicles at Centennial car dealers? Ouch! Add financing and insurance and a new ride may not seem so attractive. A lot of Centennial, Colorado, folks are hoping to make their cars last a lot longer.Fortunately, with the current state of automotive engineering and manufacturing, there's no reason a modern vehicle can't be made to last for a 150,000 miles (250,000 kilometers) or more for smart Centennial drivers.The old adage: 'a stitch in time saves nine' is really true for Centennial residents when it comes to car maintenance. A great example is coolant service.Over time, coolant becomes corrosive and actually starts to damage your radiator and other parts. Smart Centennial drivers have their cooling system service taken care of right on schedule at Davis Automotive Repair.Ditto for your power steering system, brake fluid, air conditioning system, differential and transmission. Of course, oil changes should be done right on schedule to av ... read more

In our auto video today we'll be talking with Alan Peterson about myths surrounding automotive maintenance. You can lump these myths into the statement that "modern vehicles are so reliable, they are virtually maintenance free."Any good myth has some elements of truth. No offense to Centennial Bigfoot fans, but this maintenance-free myth has more evidence than most. If we look at some isolated areas of auto maintenance, we could conclude that maintenance isn't so important. But other areas would just as easily lead you to believe that maintenance is more important than ever.Here are some examples for our friends in Centennial. Some vehicles in Centennial no longer require chassis lubrication. They're made with self-lubricating materials and have sealed joints. There's literally no way to grease those joints. -Chalk one up for the myth.On the other side, some vehicles come with sophisticated variable valve timing. A lot of complicated parts are up ... read more

When it comes to their vehicles, some Centennialresidents don't have amaintenance mindset. They know they need to take care of their cars, but it just seems really hard to get them to remember to do it. Centennial drivers generally accept that many things in life require regular maintenance but just may not have applied it to their vehicles.Here's something that will help: The key to good vehicle maintenance starts with the oil change. Think about it – when you go in for a full-service oil change, your friendly and knowledgeable Davis Automotive Repair service advisor will check all your fluids. If one of them is low, he can look for the reason. If your serpentine belt is cracked, he'll see it and let you know. Corroded battery cable – they've got you covered. And at Davis Automotive Repair, we check to see if your ve ... read more

Today in our Davis Automotive Repair blog, we're going to talk about following recommended service intervals. Your vehicle isn't the only aspect of your life in Centennial with recommended intervals: Let's start with twice yearly dental check-ups and regular physical exams. How about laundry, watering the lawn and paying the bills?Now, what would happen if you didn't follow these intervals? Well, you'd get more cavities. You may not discover health conditions that could be more effectively treated with early detection. And you'd have to wear dirty clothes, be embarrassed by your brown lawn and have your utilities shut off.Clearly, there are some things in life that we have to take care of regularly. If we don't, there are negative consequences. Our quality of life in Centennial takes a hit and it inevitably costs more money.So why is it so hard to remember to follow regular preventive maintenance on our vehicles?Probably a co ... read more

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Centennial drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Centennial drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Centennial?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero Colorado temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in Colorado?Do you drive often in dusty Centennial areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Centennial?Do you drive in very hot or very cold Colorado weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Centennial on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Centennial surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 miles ... read more

If you've ever been driving around Centennial and had a headlamp go out, you've probably just wanted to replace the bad bulb. If your car uses halogen headlamps, they dim over time. So if you just put in one, they won't have the same brightness, which can be distracting and will affect your field of vision.To have your headlights inspected, visit us at Davis Automotive Repair. We're at 6867 South Emporia Street in Centennial, Colorado 80112. Or give us a call at 303-790-4789.Experts at Davis Automotive Repair recommend replacing your halogen headlamps every year. It's easy to remember if you do it when Daylight Saving Time changes in the fall. That way you'll have bright headlamps for those long Colorado winter nights.There are other types of headlamps in addition to halogen. There are the old standard bulbs that have been around for decades. These are OK, but you can usually upgrade to halogen. They cost a little more but you can't believe the differe ... read more