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

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.” – Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln is someone that can be quoted for many different situations. I think because his words were so simple yet so true, even today. In his day, an ax was an important tool used by people on a daily basis. It could be used for protection, acquiring fuel for your fire, and building your home. Your muscles were what powered this tool so your ability to perform a task was limited by your physical strength. The tools that we use in our business vary from a wrench or mallet to a computer. The correct tools are required now more than ever. We’ve gotten to the point where some tools are very vehicle specific. Some are even based on the year, make and model of the vehicle. What implications does that have for today’s car owner? One thing it does is limit your ability to work on your vehicle. As technology advances and cars become more technologically sophisticated ... read more

Jeff and I had the opportunity to spend two days in Death Valley. We wanted to visit someplace different. It fit the bill for sure -- rattlesnakes, no water and long stretches with no sightings of other human beings. We read up on the do's and don'ts of hiking in Death Valley National Park. Having your vehicle well maintained and your fuel tank full was strongly recommended. Did I mention there is no cell service? GPS also doesn't work well, if at all. I realized how much we rely on our technology. We had planned ahead and had maps. Well, we actually took pictures of the map with our phones. We made sure our phones were charged at all times, but they were really only useful for the maps and for taking pictures. We couldn't even Google the snake we saw and couldn't identify! We had a rental car and were completely at the mercy of whoever maintains the vehicles. That is an unusual feeling for both of us, but also a good reminder of how dependent our customers are on our techn ... read more

We are using a new software program in our shop. It has some really interesting capabilities which will make us more efficient and bring added value to our customers. But it's new software, and we have to learn how to use it. It's not always pretty. The temptation to go back to the old 'known' way of doing things is strong. However, nowadays, there is rapid progression in how we do everything. It's very evident in the automotive industry. We are very dependent on our vehicles because our lives are busy. Therefore, we need our vehicles. If someone had told me when I was sixteen years old that I would have a small computer in my pocket that acted as a phone, game board, internet connection and a myriad other things, my first question would be, 'What's an internet?' Those portable information centers allow us to be busier and receive more information than any human in history – all without actually 'speaking' to anyone. We can now send you a picture of what is malfunctio ... read more