Greenwood Village Auto Repair

by Larry Brown, Davis Repair   Here at Davis Repair, where our family takes care of your family’s cars, we’re all into doing everything we can to save the planet.   It’s the last thing we think about as we drift off to sleep at night, and it’s the first thing we think about when we get out of bed each morning.   Well, okay… maybe saving the planet is NOT our Number One primary concern.  Maybe it’s only Number Two or Three.  But saving money is right up there on the top of our list, too.   Around our shop, we like money almost as much as we enjoy busted knuckles and greasy hands.  Or those car manufacturers (you know who you are!) which crank out cars destined to spend more time in our shop than they spend on the road.   (LOVE those!)   Saving green by “going green” is great… because we get to pass that savings on to our customers!   So if you’re like me&hellip ... read more

When it comes to their vehicles, some Centennial drivers don’t have a maintenance mindset. You know you need to take care of your cars, but it just seems really hard to get in the habit of scheduling maintenance. Centennial drivers generally accept that many things in life require regular care, but haven’t applied this knowledge to maintaining your vehicles. For example: your lawn. You water it every other day and mow it every week. You weed the flower beds and rake the leaves. There are other things that Centennial residents are diligent about. Going to the dentist twice a year. Clothes to the dry cleaner. Flu shots. Taking your kids to their doctor for a checkup before school starts. So Centennial drivers really are maintenance minded. They just have to learn to apply that mindset to cars. I mean, if you never brush your teeth or go to the dentist, you’ll become painfully aware of your neglect when you get a big cavity ... read more

Most auto owners don’t even think about their car air conditioning system unless it fails. That’s because many Centennial and South Denver motorists don’t really understand that auto A/Cs need periodic service. Let us share some of the reasons why they fail. First, like every machine, your car, truck, or SUV’s air conditioner parts need – you guessed it – lubrication. The lubricant is actually mixed in with the refrigerant (that’s the stuff that makes the air cold). Remember that even if the air conditioner is still blowing out cool air, the oil that lubricates the parts may be used up: and unlubricated parts can fail in any vehicle. Here’s a tip for Centennial motorists: Run your air conditioner every so often, even during our freezing Colorado winters. This circulates the lubricant to help keep the seals from drying out. The air conditioner actually removes some of the mois ... read more

Davis Repair is excited and proud to announce our participation in the Green Garage Challenge, which is a program in conjunction with the US EPA Energy Star program. With this program we get a load IQ smart meter so the program administrator can monitor our electrical use. If we go over our 10% savings target the administrator will notify us so we can evaluate our energy usage for that day. We are always looking for ways to reduce our environmental footprint. After we get training we will be able to offer customers an inspection and a green seal for their vehicle

Part of the engineering that goes into designing a vehicle includes testing its components to ensure that they meet durability and safety standards. Because of this, manufacturers have a good idea how long the parts in your vehicle will last under normal driving conditions. For this reason, they give us guidelines to follow regarding how often to inspect the various parts and systems on our cars, trucks, and SUVs. Vehicular components are required to meet certain standards. The government mandates some of these standards, while others are set by the auto industry. Recommended car maintenance schedules are designed to help motorists maintain these standards. Disregarding routine maintenance or procrastinating on preventive maintenance will result in lowered performance and reduced safety for any vehicle. Maintenance schedules are designed to ensure three areas of vital automotive performance for vehicle owners: protection of the vehicle itself, fuel economy, and safe ... read more

Imagine you’ve left Centennial and you’re up in the arctic on a dog sled. Your dog team is pulling straight and true. You can cover a lot of ground quickly. Now imagine what would happen if one or two of the dogs wanted to go their own way and were pulling off to the side. That would slow you down. You would have to work harder to keep the sled going where you wanted it. The dogs are all working as hard as before, but you’re covering less ground with the same effort. You’re wasting kibble. The same is true of your truck when the wheels are out of alignment. That wheel that’s pulling to the side is dragging down the rest of the vehicle; so you push a little harder on the gas pedal to keep up your speed. You’re wasting gas. So have your wheel alignment checked at least once a year. It is vital to get it checked right away if you feel the car pulling to one side. Sometimes we all bump a curb o ... read more

Centennial drivers’ current vehicles have over a century of engineering behind them. They have evolved into complex and powerful machines. Developments in their engines, however, have coincided with advances in many other vehicle components, including the fluids. It’s essential for Centennial car owners to always use the right type of fluid for their truck. Your service advisor and your owner’s manual are resources for auto advice on exactly what types of fluid your vehicle needs. Improper fluids can damage your vehicle and void your warranty. Some of the fluids that have changed significantly in recent years are cooling system fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid and motor oil. Each of these comes in many varieties now, and it’s vital to know exactly which one your truck needs. Cooling systems were once made of iron, steel and rubber. One coolant could be used to protect all of the ... read more

Every truck on Colorado freeways has a differential, and it is important to the proper operation of the vehicle, but most Centennial drivers don’t have a clue what it is. The differential compensates for differing wheel speeds. For example, when you turn, the inside tire on the turn travels a much shorter distance than the outside wheel. So the inside wheel of the truck must move at a slower speed than the outside wheel. Without a differential, the wheels would hop and scrape while turning. Have you ever seen the large bugle-shaped object in the middle of the rear axle of a truck? That’s the differential. In a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the differential is located on the back axle. Four-wheel drive vehicles and SUV’s have differentials on both the front and the rear axle. You might expect that the differential is located on the front axle of a front-wheel drive vehicle. You’d be right. But the differential is c ... read more

Hello Centennial car owners. Have you ever had your check engine light come on? Did you panic? Or just scowl and ignore it? What should you do? Pull to the side of the road and call a tow truck? Or just keep driving? What does that little light really mean for Centennial auto owners? First of all, the Check Engine or Service Engine light does indicate that something is wrong. That’s why it is called a warning light. But the something that is wrong might be a loose gas cap, or it might be serious truck engine trouble. That’s why Denver drivers often don’t know how to respond to it. The check engine light has two modes: it flashes or it stays on. A flashing light is serious. You need to get your vehicle to Davis Repair in Centennial ASAP. No, you don’t need to call a tow truck, but, yes, you can’t wait to get your car serviced. If your check engine light is on and flashing, you should not tow trailers ... read more

Hello Centennial drivers, let’s talk about batteries. Car batteries are just like any rechargeable battery; they will eventually wear out and die. If you are shopping for a new battery for your vehicle, here’s some auto advice to help you. There are two measurements to consider when purchasing a new battery: cold cranking amps and reserve capacity. The power required to start a cold engine is measured in cold cranking amps. The number you need is determined by what kind of vehicle you drive and where you live. In general, higher-cylinder engines require more cold cranking amps than lower-cylinder engines. In other words, an eight-cylinder engine needs more cold cranking amps than a six-cylinder one. Also, diesel engines require more cold cranking amps than gasoline engines. The Denver weather also determines the number of cold cranking amps you need. The colder the truck engine, the more power it takes to get it started ... read more