Baby it’s cold outside and you’re not looking forward to leaving the warmth of your home or office and sliding into the freezing-cold seat of your VW. If you’re like many drivers, you think that warming up your car not only will enhance your comfort level but will prevent engine damage. So how long should you warm up your Volkswagen before driving it? The answer will probably surprise you. How Long Should You Warm Up A VW in Cold Weather? A study conducted back in 2009 by The Washington Post concluded that the average driver let his or her car warm up for more than 5 minutes when the mercury dropped below freezing. Ask around, and that practice is still very common today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to set the record straight. According to the EPA, the best approach is to warm it up for a maximum of just 30 seconds. The only exception to this advice is when a car’s windows are iced over and idling is necessary to defrost them so a driver c ... read more

Anyone who lives in New York knows that winter can be brutal. The last thing you want is to find yourself stranded in your car in sub-freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions. While it’s always smart to avoid driving in treacherous winter conditions, it’s not always practical to stay home and wait for the weather to improve. That’s exactly why it’s important to maintain your Volkswagen in cold weather. VW Maintenance for Winter Temperatures If you’ve not yet taken your vehicle for its winter checkup and need a skilled shop that specializes in Volkswagen, we can help. We’ll give your vehicle a thorough winter check up. Our Process: Evaluate your battery, starting and charging systems, brakes, hoses, belts, and many other components. Check the air pressure and tread depth of your tires, and let you know if your tires are suitable for winter driving. Make sure you have proper antifreeze to keep your car running in frigid temperatures. Check the level and condition o ... read more

When it's time to service or maintain your BMW, you probably take it to a qualified BMW repair facility to have brakes serviced, tires rotated, and fluids and filters changed. However, if you are handy with a wrench, you may ask yourself questions like, “Can I Replace a BMW battery myself?” and “Why do I need to have my BMW battery changed by an expert?” The answer to the first question is easy. Yes, you probably can, but you shouldn’t. You’ve made a significant investment in your vehicle. It’s unwise to cut corners for the sake of saving a few dollars. Read on for the answer to the second question. The Battery is the Heart of Your Vehicle: It Deserves Professional BMW Battery Replacement While it's possible for many people to buy a car battery at an auto-repair shop, remove their old battery, and hook up the new one, it is far wiser to entrust this job to an expert BMW repair and maintenance facility. One reason is that a professional BMW service center wil ... read more

Regardless of the make, model, age, and odometer reading of your BMW, the key to keeping it running reliably, safely, and smoothly now and well in the future is having it scheduled for maintenance according to factory recommendations. A handful of BMW owners have the expertise and tools to perform some jobs, such as oil changes. That’s not the case for the vast majority of BMW owners. When the perform-maintenance reminder illuminates, most BMW owners ask themselves a critical question: “Do I have to head to the dealership or can I look for an independent shop for BMW maintenance and service near me?” Misconceptions Can Cost YouIt’s a fallacy that in order to keep your warranty valid you must have your BMW serviced at a dealership. Of course, most dealerships aren’t quick to point this out. It’s in their best interest to allow BMW owners to believe pursuing independent BMW scheduled maintenance will void their warranty. The fact is, it’s simply not true. Whether you ... read more