Grand Rapids Auto Repair

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

I was speaking to a young woman who is a senior in high school. Her vehicle’s check engine light illuminated on her dashboard and she stopped by to have us check into it. While a technician was checking the vehicle, we had a conversation about finding a college. She has been participating in college visits to find one that suits her. She had visited the college my daughter attended, and we spoke about that as well as some of her upcoming visits to other colleges. It was interesting because I had been reading about finding your strengths as it applies to the working world. The phrase I've heard lately is, “That’s in my wheelhouse.” It means that it's something which is within your area of expertise. I always thought it had to do with boats but after checking, found that it is a baseball term meaning a ball pitched right where you want it. You're most likely to hit the ball if it's in that area. The customer I was speaking to was saying she wasn't sure what she wanted to purs ... read more