We are excited to share that we have been voted top shop again by South Sound Magazine ! We had a great time at their awards banquet. We were also recently voted #1 top shop by Seattle A-List out of 291 contenders! And have also been voted a top 5 automotive repair shop by King 5’s Best of Western Washington for 3 consecutive years! We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has come to the shop over the last 20 years and supported us, we truly appreciate your business. Category : Auto Repair

One of the questions we are asked most often is; Do you provide warranties for your work? The answer is almost always yes. When you’re looking for a repair shop to work on your vehicle, it is very important to find one that you trust, which includes them backing up their work. When an automotive shop decides to guarantee their work for a certain period of time, this means that they trust the quality of the parts and service they are providing. If they are willing to commit to this, that should place you one step closer to committing to them. What is the difference between a warranty and a service guarantee? Warranties Warranties typically apply to physical items such as parts. If a repair shop provides a warranty for the parts they are placing in your vehicle, that typically means that they are providing you with quality parts. Because most shops do not produce or manufacture their own parts, they are responsible for finding suppliers that they trust. When a shop offers warranties on their parts, this means that they have done sufficient research in finding a supplier that they trust. Service Guarantees Service guarantees are exactly what you might assume, they are guarantees on the service provided, regardless of the parts and materials used. In auto repair, service guarantees reference the work that automotive technicians do to repair your vehicle. Sometimes repairs are completed with little to no parts used, which means that the majority of the repair is in the hands of the technician. When a shop offers this type of guarantee that most often means that they trust the individuals who are completing the repairs on your vehicle.  With a few exceptions such as used parts, Midland Automotive provides Warranties and Service Guarantees on the majority of our repairs. We have done our research and found the top suppliers and our team of ASE Certified repair technicians are the best at what they do. If you have any questions about this or anything else related to your vehicle, please do not hesitate to call! Category : Auto Repair

Whether leaving to visit family, check out a new camping site or maintain a family tradition, many people travel out of town during major holidays. Something to keep in mind if you are going to be driving during the holidays is to make sure that your car is ready! Most car repair shops are closed for major holidays, so if you have car trouble far away from home you may find yourself incurring major costs to tow and wait to have your car repaired (not to mention that it can ruin your holiday!) Here are a few major things to check out before you plan on traveling. The Basics There are a number of different elements that keep your car running efficiently, and a few of them you can check yourself! Get a tire gauge and make sure your tires are running at the correct pressure. Also, check the tread and make sure it passes “ The Penny Test “. Then, pop open your hood and check your oil. Most oil dip sticks have a handy line that shows if your oil is at the proper level – remember to look at the color. If it is turning muddy and brown or running low it is time to get it changed! Also check out your windshield wipers. You don’t want to get caught in a rainstorm with dry, cracked or poor quality wiper blades. Thorough Inspection If it’s been awhile since you took your car in to be checked out, it might be a good idea to have a quick inspection before taking off for that holiday trip. Take your car in to a local shop and have them give it a thorough inspection. If they don’t find anything, the cost is worth the peace of mind, and if they do, you may be saving yourself from having major problems down the road! Odd Noises & Other Symptoms Have you been ignoring an odd noise coming from your car for awhile? Before you travel, make sure to take it to your local repair shop and get it checked out. The best (and most cost effective) repairs are caught and fixed early on, before a problem gets too bad. It is best to keep your car in its best working order at all times, because the earlier you diagnose a problem, the earlier you can get it repaired. Remember to get your car checked out before any major trips, and have a happy holiday! Category : Auto Repair

After months of voting the votes are in! We have been voted in the top 5 repair shops in Western Washington out of 475 nominees by King 5’s Best of Western Washington! A big thank you to everyone who voted for us! Category : Auto Repair

We know that all of our customers have dozens of options when choosing a repair shop. Before making that decision, we believe it is important to ask a few questions to make sure that the shop is right for you. What is their warranty? It is important to ask if your repair facility has a warranty, and ask whether it will cover both parts and labor. It is also important to ask how long does the warranty will last. If a shop does not guarantee their work for any period of time, you may want to proceed with caution. If they don’t believe in their work, why should you? Is the shop AAA certified? AAA has strict standards when qualifying repair shops to be part of their network. If a shop you are looking into has been certified by AAA, this most likely means that they are of a higher standard. If AAA trusts the shop enough to associate itself with the shop’s reputation, it most likely means that the shop has had a high enough quality of work to have earned it. Does the shop employ ASE master certified technicians? ASE stands for Automotive Service excellence, and is a non-profit that focuses itself on testing automotive professionals to make sure that they have the highest level of repair standards. If a shop is strict enough to only employ master level ASE certified technicians, this means that they are dedicated to maintaining a high quality standard of repair. Also, don’t simply ask if all of the technicians are certified. If a shop has done its due diligence and ensured that all of its technicians are certified, all of their credentials should be displayed proudly at the shop. Is the shop in good standing with the BBB and are there any valid complaints against it? Most business professionals have heard of the BBB, or Better Business Bureau . The BBB is a non-profit organization committed to providing unbiased evaluations of local businesses. This is also a method in which customers and other businesses can lodge formal complaints against companies, which means that if a business has a high rating and no valid complaints lodged against them, they are most likely operating at a greater standard of quality. Category : Auto Repair

We have more than 100 years of combines automotive repair experience in our shop and too often vehicles are brought in to us that were just purchased used and already have a number of problems. Unfortunately, it is common to be sold a vehicle with undisclosed problems, only to discover that with all of its problems the car isn’t worth nearly what you spent for it. Here are 4 reasons to have a vehicle inspected BEFORE you purchase it: To inspect for hidden damage that may be undetectable without a complete inspection To check for signs of poor maintenance or improper previous repairs To see if the vehicle will pass an emissions test To test for major work that may be needed (this may result in a lower purchase price if the vehicle is in good overall condition to purchase) Category : Auto Repair Tags : inspection , maintenance, repair

Unless you are leasing your vehicle, maintenance is important for prolonging the life of your vehicle and even saving money long term. This means that you should be aware of how your vehicle is supposed to operate and be sure that you take it in to your auto repair shop if it is making odd noises or having other problems. Here are 5 tips to make sure you keep your vehicle properly maintained: 1. It can save you money to give us a clear accurate description of your symptoms for repair. A clear descriptions of your vehicle’s symptoms is key in helping your repair shop determine the cause of the problem. If you tell them you hear clinking in the back left, and really the problem is a thumping in the front, the shop will have wasted time looking for the problem in the wrong area. 2. It will cost you less to maintain your vehicle than to repair a poorly maintained vehicle. If you do your best to have your vehicle repaired as soon as it has a problem, chances are that the repair will be much more simple. For example, if you have a small crack in a small piece of a larger component, the smaller piece can probably be replaced independently if it is found right away. However, if the problem is left unattended, after time the small crack could cause a total failure in the larger component leading to thousands of dollars in repairs rather than hundreds. 3. Driving with worn out or under-inflated tires or loose steering and suspension components can be dangerous or even deadly. Maintaining proper tire pressure, steering and suspension are key to the safety of operating your vehicle. These are often some of the simplest things to maintain, simply ask your repair shop to confirm that they check each of these components each time you get an oil change. Also, be constantly aware of the feel of your vehicle and note if it changes. This may be a sign that something is not aligned properly. 4. Figure out the How, When and Where of an Intermittent problem When a problem is intermittent, try to establish a pattern of failure, for example: how often does it happen, how cold or hot does the engine have to be/how cold or hot is it outside, what conditions seem to make it happen – over bumps? up hills? around corners, when accelerating or coasting, etc. These small details can help us pinpoint the problem so the repair will cost you less. 5. Yearly Inspections There is really no such thing as a “tune up” anymore. The best thing you can do for your vehicle is have a full inspection approx once a year (usually about $100.00), follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule, and bring it in to us if you ever notice anything unusual (noises, warning lights, vibrations, etc). Category : Auto Repair Tags : repair