Farmington Auto Repair

Drivers of sophisticated, high-end European vehicles in the Farmington, MI, area know that regular maintenance is essential to keep their Mercedes, Audi, BMW, or any other European car running as it should. European car alignments, however, are a service that often gets looked over. Cars often don’t go out of alignment immediately, but rather slowly, over a period of time. This slow process makes it hard for the driver to pick up on a misaligned suspension. For this reason, it’s a good idea to add an alignment to your European vehicle’s yearly maintenance. Advanced Auto Sports is an expert in European car alignments, and we can’t emphasize enough how vital they are to your Euro car’s well being - especially if you live in the pothole-riddled Farmington or Farmington Hills area! Read on to find out more about why regular alignments are essential for your European car!   Preventive Benefits If your car’s alignment is off, the rest of the suspe ... read more

How do you enjoy fall in Farmington, MI? We love taking in nature, roasting marshmallows, decorating pumpkins, and celebrating Halloween, of course! There is one other essential thing to do in the fall that we couldn’t neglect to mention: caring for your car! We are passionate about car care, so that’s why we love this time of year. October is, in fact, National Car Care Month! Right now is the perfect time to get in any work that needs to be done on our vehicles before winter snows blow in. Here are a few things to make sure you have covered:   Caring For Your Tires   Your tires will be in direct contact with wet and snowy roads, so you want to make sure you aren’t driving on dangerously subpar tires! Over time, the tread on our tires begins to wear down, and we end up with balding tires that do little to grip the road. If you notice that your tires are getting worn, it’s probably time to replace them.    Additionally, since we live in ... read more

At Advanced Auto Sports, we’re very interested in our community. We love to give back, and one way of doing that is through the Brakes for Breasts program. Brakes for Breasts is an organization that allows independent auto repair shops all across the United States to raise money for breast cancer research. 100% of the money raised goes to support research for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Fund! Although we’re not participating this year, we’ll be doing this next year! For the entire month of October, brake pads are free at participating auto repair shops. All you pay is for labor and other parts. Each auto repair shop donates 10% of the labor to Brakes for Breasts, which adds up to quite a lot of money. In 2017, the 114 auto repair shops involved raised nearly $115,000. There are other reasons to have your brakes inspected and replaced in October. We’re thinking of the little goblins and fairies that are running around looking for candy! Any time ... read more

Oil changes are essential to the longevity of any car, and avoiding them can put your engine in jeopardy. If you want your BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes, or any other European vehicle to be performing at its very best, you have to maintain the engine with oil changes. Not sure what that might look like for you? Allow us to explain further! Lubricating the Engine Have a BMW, Mercedes, or another European vehicle in Farmington Hills and wondering why it needs an oil change? Well, one of oil’s main tasks in your engine is to make sure that all of the moving parts are completely lubricated. If there is a shortage of oil in your engine, it is likely that metal pieces will rub and create friction. This can have catastrophic results, including extreme damage to the engine or even engine failure.  Cleaning Out Contaminants  Have you ever noticed how different oil looks coming out of your engine as compared to what it looked like going in ... read more

Keys to Having a Great Road Trip! Taking your European vehicle on a road trip this summer?  Whether you’re planning to visit somewhere in our great state, like Mackinac Island, Ann Arbor, Holland, Frankenmuth, or Grand Rapids, or you’re journeying across the country, we at Advanced Auto Sports in Farmington Hills want you to have a great time! That’s why we’ve put together a list of ways you can make your road trip great. Before you leave the Farmington Hills area and hit the open road, take a quick read! 1. Don’t get stuck on the side of the road! I’m pretty sure no one ever plans for their BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or any other vehicle to breakdown while away from home. But our staff at Advanced Auto Sports get calls all the time from people who are passing through Farmington Hills and unexpectedly breakdown. They and many others likely could have prevented that headache, unexpected (and expensive) repair, and lost time ... read more

DO I NEED A BRAKE FLUID CHANGE? You’re taking a leisurely drive through your neighborhood… just kidding, we all know driving through the neighborhood means we’re probably headed to the grocery store, running the kids to school or sports practice, or headed to work. We’re usually so busy running errands that it becomes easy to forget about maintenance for our trusty steed. One of the things that is especially easy to forget until you notice a problem is brake maintenance, although its certainly one of the most important things to ask your mechanic to check! Read on to find out a little about how your brake system works, and why its important to change the fluid every now and then.   HOW DOES YOUR BRAKE SYSTEM WORK? There are two types of brake systems commonly used, the drum brake system and the disc brake system. They both operate through fluid pressure, and both are important to service. Disc brakes have 3 major comp ... read more

WHEN DO I NEED AN OIL CHANGE? Ah oil changes; a commonly accepted and acknowledged part of car care. Most people know that they have to change their oil, but with advances in technology and different types of oil available, it’s a little more debatable exactly when you should get your oil changed. The obvious answer is to bring your car in to your trusted mechanic, like the ones at Advanced Auto Sports, and have them take a look at your vehicle. Read on to learn about different types of oil, and what they can mean for when to get your oil changed!   WHAT KIND OF OILS ARE THERE? There are three basic kinds of oil; full synthetic, synthetic blend, and non-synthetic, or conventional oil. If your car is a high-performance vehicle, like most European cars or a very high-end vehicle, you probably will use full synthetic. It is also usually good for vehicles that will experience extreme climates, or have demanding jobs (hauling/racing). Full syn ... read more

What the heck is a differential? While you might not hear about this piece of equipment very often, its actually really important to your car! Picture yourself driving down the road on a beautiful spring day, when you hear a growling, or whining noise coming from your engine. “uh, oh,” you think, “it’s time to head to my mechanic.” Well, you’re exactly right! One possible cause could be the fluid of your differential needs a change. Read on to explore what a differential is, how it works, and its maintenance requirements so you can keep your car on the road and in its best condition!   What is a differential? The differential is the piece of equipment responsible for making sure your car wheels rotate at the correct speeds when you make a turn while driving. You might be thinking, “rotate at the correct speeds? Isn’t that what a gas pedal does?” Well, when you make a turn with your car, the wheel on the inside of the turn wil ... read more

First of all, what is a power steering flush? How does power steering even work? When you’re driving, the only time you might ever think about power steering is when it’s not working! Read on to learn a little bit about power steering, what it does, how it works, and why you might want to have a trusted technician perform a power steering flush.   What is power steering? Power steering is the mechanism in your car by which you’re able to move your steering wheel with ease. In the old days (before the 50’s), the only way to steer the wheels of your car was to put your back into it. That’s right, all the weight of the wheels plus any kind of friction in your steering system was against you. It wasn’t until 1951 that power steering was invented. The early system was based on hydraulic pressure. We have now also developed hybrid-electric and electric power steering systems, which are much more energy efficient. Without going into too much detail ... read more

The cooling system in your engine is extremely important. Because the engine’s main source of power is combustion, there is quite a bit of heat generated. This isn’t the only source of heat, however. There is also heat generated from the friction created when other parts of the engine and surrounding components interact and function. This heat is capable of deforming most metal parts, and definitely non-metal pieces, like timing or drive belts. Because this heat is so powerful, and can be so destructive if not controlled, engines are designed with cooling systems. The water pump, engine fan, vents, and places where air can pass through are all means of keeping things cool under the hood. How does the cooling system work? The cooling system starts with the water pump. The pathway that it follows is through the engine block where the hottest parts of the chemical reactions, combustion, takes place. The coolant starts in the water pump and goes through the engine block, picki ... read more