Grand Rapids Auto Repair

Critters and car repair Customers coming to an auto repair shop want varying degrees of information.  Some customers may want to have an in-depth discussion of the needed repairs with an explanation of what, where and why. Others want their vehicle to be repaired. No explanation needed. I recently took my granddaughter to the Critter Barn in Zeeland. She loves petting the bunnies and watching them hop around. We were fortunate enough to have one of the staff members show us the newborn bunnies and share some information about rabbit genetics and behavior. It was very interesting to me and I appreciated the staff being willing to educate us. However, my granddaughter who is three, just wanted to pet the bunnies. That is what she did while I chatted with the staff member. We both left the Critter Barn with the experience/information that we valued and were satisfied with our visit. The goal when a customer comes in is to ascertain what their level of needed information is, answer ... read more

Spring break Preparation Most people are dreaming of Spring Break as we deal with the grayness of Michigan winter. It’s fun to plan the trip to the beach for a week of sun, sand and surf. What isn’t as fun to think about is the road trip. Will we drive straight through or stop? Can we entertain the kids that long? Can we listen to “Are we there yet?” on repeat for hours? The big question should be, is my vehicle prepared for a long trip?  All the planning, reservation making and Google searches for ‘the best beach in_________? can be waylaid by an unexpected car repair on the way to our destination. Living in Grand Rapids means that you have some great family-owned repair shops that are available to inspect your vehicle and make recommendations to help you have a safe, reliable vehicle for your trip. From BMW to Land Rover, Honda to Ford, no matter or make of vehicle, having a pre-trip check over is a smart decision. We know the stress an unexpect ... read more

I found it on the internet! The internet is an amazing place filled with an answer to every question, right at your fingertips. Baking and need a substitute for the egg you thought you had?https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes. Planning a trip and need car games for kids? Here you go! https://www.familyvacationcritic.com/best-road-trip-games-for-families/art/ These are both examples of websites that are easily proven to be quality information. One thing the internet is not good at is deciding what is accurate information and what is not. Many people are ‘experts’, but are they? I made an avocado hummus recipe that was ‘amazing’ and ‘5-stars’. It was on a blogger’s website with rave reviews. You know what it did not have? Flavor. I followed the recipe to the letter, and ... read more

As I’m writing this, the sun is shining. Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, has also predicted another six weeks of winter. Many of us are thinking about Spring Break 2021. What does it even look like this year? Hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy this long awaited annual pilgrimage to the south. If you are headed south, now is the time to think about vehicle maintenance. It’s not the fun part of planning for your vacation but it’s necessary. Why? Lessening the possibility of a break down on your trip. It is worth a little bit of investment before you leave. Performing the necessary maintenance and repairs before you hit the road alleviates some of the stress. I recommend scheduling your appointment soon as I have learned after 20+ years in automotive, trying to get an appointment the week you are to leave may cause its own stress. You do not need that.  Plan and call today to be prepared to hit the road. Head for the sand and sunshine with confidence! Also ... read more

This little petunia sprouted this spring by the front door between our blacktop and the building. Las year we had a pot of black petunias by the door and a seed must have fallen into the crack. Along comes the rain and sun, germination, growth and blooming occur and we have a lone flower by the door. No one told this little petunia that spring 2020 was going to be unpredictable and not the year we expected or wanted. The petunia seed just dealt with the landscape in which it landed and did its job. We appreciate the dash of color and natural beauty every morning when we walk in. We feel the same way right now. Changes and unpredictability have been the hallmarks of our summer so far. What hasn't changed is the need to create a comfortable environment for our customers. We sanitize and utilize our space to create social distancing. We're in the process of creating an 'outdoor social distancing space' for those that would be more comfortable ou ... read more

The Spring That Wasn't Does anyone else feel like we just skipped over Spring 2020? No Spring break. No vacations, graduations, or family reunions. It was odd in the automotive repair world as we usually are busy with vehicle inspections for long trips and checking air conditioning systems for the upcoming warmer weather. None of these things were necessary. The A/C system didn't really matter because most vehicles weren't leaving their driveway, no matter the weather. You know what wasn't canceled? Time with family and the opportunity to get to the things on your 'home repair' list that you had put off until life slowed down. And then it did. Not by our choice, but it all came to a standstill for many people. With the many challenges that these times brought, they also brought some clarity to the things that were important.  Spring still showed up and the weather seemed to be similar to everything in 2020 so far. Unpredictable ... read more

Hi and welcome to my blog! I took a bit of a sabbatical that went a little longer than planned. Anyway, I’m glad you’re here! A little bit about me. I’m married to Jeff, one of the owners of Arie Nol Auto Center. Jeff has been here since 1976 when his dad, Arie Nol, started the business. I came on board in 2000 when Jeff purchased the business from his family. I have to admit up front that I don’t love cars but I do love business and people. I do have a lot of car knowledge because I work with an amazing team that I continually learn from. While this is a blog for an automotive repair facility, it is not necessarily an ‘automotive blog’. What type of content can you expect? It depends. Some weeks, it will have information about what is happening at Arie Nol Auto Center (referred to internally as The ANAC), issues we’ve seen with vehicles that are common and ways to avoid them, and sometimes, just a conversation about whatever needs to be chat ... read more

2018 is right around the corner. Time for new goals! Or not. Maybe they’re the old goals you didn’t reach in 2017. I’m putting my hand in the air on that one. Everyone starts out in January with the idea that it’s a new year and a new you! I don’t know about you, but I still have to drag my ‘old you’ into the New Year. She doesn’t always follow through with the ‘new you’s’ grand plans. They look good written in my planner. And yes, I actually write them down. Putting them in my notes on my phone just isn’t the same. We set goals as a business too. We’re always focused on improving customer service, hitting training hour goals, raising standards in areas we feel need improvement and reaching community support goals. I think these goals are easier to reach as opposed to goals I set for myself because we have accountability among our team. It’s easier when everyone is working toward the same goals. Sometimes we do have to carry the goals over to the next year because we ar ... read more

Working in auto repair during the holidays is busy because many people travel and need their cars to be ready for a road trip. While we try to remind people to plan ahead and get their vehicles in early, break downs occur and need to be taken care of so the trip out of town isn’t delayed. Our goal is to reduce the stress of car repair, but accomplishing this during the holidays can be a challenge. Working in auto repair during the holidays is busy because many people travel and need their cars to be ready for a road trip. While we try to remind people to plan ahead and get their vehicles in early, break downs occur and need to be taken care of so the trip out of town isn’t delayed. Our goal is to reduce the stress of car repair, but accomplishing this during the holidays can be a challenge. In the midst of all this busyness, there are moments that remind us of the goodness of so many people. Customers waiting in our reception area and chatting about family and h ... read more

Metal on metal. We say this on occasion to customers to describe the current state of their brakes.But what does it actually mean? ‘Metal on metal’ means that the brake pad has completely worn down and that the base of the pad is coming in contact with the rotor. The bigger question is, what does this mean during the operation of your brakes? What happens when you push down on that brake pedal? It means the braking ability of your vehicle is compromised. The non-technician description of what happens is that you push down on your brake pedal and the pressure from the brake fluid causes the caliper to push the brake pad against the rotor. Over time the brake pad wears down, as it should. There are several ways you can know that this is happening. You may have an indicator on your dashboard that is notified by a sensor on your brake pads that they are low. You may hear grinding or squeaking from your brakes. Why don’t you want to ignore these signals from your veh ... read more