Your Warrington Porsche, Audi, and VW dealer believes in taking care of your vehicle so that safety isn’t a concern. Your brakes are perhaps the most important piece of safety equipment on your vehicle, and are critical to everyday travel.

Fortunately, there are audible warning signs when your brakes need to be serviced. Paying attention to the noises your Porsche, Audi, or VW makes can not only save you headaches down the road, it may even save your life.

The first thing you want to listen to from your brakes is a high pitched squeal. This usually means your brake pads need to be replaced. That sound comes about on purpose; there is a piece of metal in your pads that will rub against the other parts of your brakes and make that noise. While you might hear a similar noise when your brakes are wet, if you’re hearing it often, you probably need to replace your worn out brake pads.

Another noise to listen for is a grinding noise. A grinding noise usually means serious business. It means your brake pads have totally worn off. If your brakes grind, it won’t be long before they fail altogether. It’s time to get in to have them replaced, right away.

Listen carefully to your brakes, and they’ll tell you when it’s time to replace your brakes.

Everybody always talks about checking and changing the oil in their cars, but most drivers forget about their transmission fluid. Transmission fluid in your Porsche, Audi, or VW is as important as the oil and it’s almost as easy to check.

The first thing to remember about checking your transmission fluid is that your car should be running. Park your car on a level spot, put it in “Park” and let it idle for a few minutes.
While the car is idling, look for the transmission fluid dipstick. It’s usually towards the back of the engine, which means it’s closer to the dashboard when looking underneath the hood. The transmission dipsticks are often colored yellow or red, too. On older cars, however, it may just be a metal hook. Other than the oil, however, the transmission fluid dipstick is the only other one you should see.

Pull the dipstick out and clean it off with a lint-free rag. Put it all the way back into the holder. Then pull it out again to get an accurate reading.

If your car hasn’t been running long, the level of the fluid should be in the “Cold” operating range. You should see this marked on the bottom of the dipstick. If you’ve been driving the car for awhile and it’s heated up, the level of the fluid should be in the “Hot” area of the dipstick.

You should also notice the condition of the transmission fluid. If it smells burned or if it looks brown or black, bring it to your Philadelphia Porsche, VW, and Audi dealer.

Whether you have just driven home your new Audi, Porsche, or VW car or whether still driving a used vehicle, it is important to keep up with your maintenance. Checking your fluids is easy and requires no tools except perhaps for some paper towels. Check your fluids after returning home from a trip of at least a few miles so that the fluids are at the normal operating viscosity. Here’s what to do.

1. Check your oil. Remove the dipstick from your oil reservoir, and wipe it clean. Replace the dipstick back into the reservoir and remove it again. There will be markings such as engraved text or holes to indicate “low” level and “full” level. If needed, add oil to the oil reservoir to bring the level to the “full” mark without overfilling.

2. Transmission fluid. For automatic vehicles, transmission fluid must be checked to ensure proper working levels. Much like changing your oil, the transmission fluid is stored in a reservoir with a dipstick. While the car is running, remove the dipstick, clean it off, and replace it again. Next remove the dipstick again and check the markings on the dipstick.

3. Engine coolant. Please ensure that your vehicle has completely cooled down before checking the engine coolant. This system is pressurized, and if you remove a radiator cap that is still hot or even warm you could be scalded by coolant. Most new cars will have a reservoir, otherwise remove the radiator cap from the radiator and visually check the levels. If they are low, use a 50/50 mixture of water and coolant to refill. The reservoir will be marked, but if your car doesn’t have a reservoir fill the coolant to about an inch below the neck of the radiator.

4. While you’re at it, check your windshield washer fluid. Caught in a storm or with a windshield covered with debris is not a great time to realize your out of washer fluid.

By taking 5 minutes to check these fluids you will be able to save yourself from thousands of dollars in potential damage and repair costs.

If you’re not comfortable checking your own fluids, stop by our Philadelphia Audi, VW, and Porsche dealer for full service and vehicle maintenance.

Do you know how often you should change your car’s oil? About once every 3 months or 3,000 miles. A well lubricated engine will perform better over time and it is imperative to ensure that you keep good, clean oil running through it so that you do not develop problems.

The first thing to know about changing your oil is to never change your oil while the engine is hot. Hot oil can burn you badly. Wait until the engine cools down.

When it is time to change your oil, gather up all the tools you will need first. You’ll need the following to perform an adequate oil change:

• Ratchet or open end wrench
• Oil filter wrench
• A bucket, recycling container or something to catch oil when it drains
• Funnel
• New oil filter
• New oil (about 5 quarts for most vehicles)
• A clean rag

The first step to changing your oil is to drain the old oil out. Take your bucket or recycling container and place it under the oil pan. At the bottom of the oil pan is a bug bolt that unscrews. Using the open end wrench, unscrew the bolt until the oil starts to drain into your bucket.

Next, tighten the drain plug back into your oil pan. Make sure it is snug but not too tight.

You’ll have to crawl under the car to reach the oil filter, but it’s time to remove it. Place your bucket under the oil filter because it will still be full of oil. Take your oil filter wrench and wrap it around the filter and turn counterclockwise until the filter comes off.

Take your new oil filter and lubricate the gasket at the end of it with new oil. Just a little is enough, but you want it well lubed. Fill the oil filter about 2/3 of the way with new oil then screw it in place with your hand (clockwise rotations). Make sure it it snug but not too tight. If the oil filter is too tight you will strip its threads and cause a leak; if it is too loose, on the other hand, it will leak. So make sure it fits just right.

Now, unscrew your oil cap (on the top of the engine) and pour in your new oil. Fill it up about 3/4 of the amount that your owner’s manual says your car will hold.

Now check your oil. If it isn’t full, fill in more oil until you get it at the right level. Put your oil cap back on and you’re done.

Changing your oil isn’t difficult, but it can be a dirty job if not done right. If you don’t catch the old oil then you’ll have a huge mess to clean up (not to mention a potential problem with the EPA). Of course, if you don’t want to do it yourself you can always call a professional mechanic to change your oil for you.  For a speedy oil change in the Philadelphia, PA metropolitan area, stop by your Warrington Audi, Porsche, VW dealer for maintenance.

Keeping an eye on things in your Porsche is a great way to save money on otherwise costly repairs. The hoses on your Porsche are an integral part of your vehicle and bad hoses can cause damage if not identified in time. Here are some instructions so you can check the hoses on your Porsche and catch any weaknesses, leaks or damages before it’s too late.

Look for the radiator. This is going to be towards the front end of your Porsche. Once you locate that, you should see two hoses connected to it – one on the top and one on the bottom.

Squeeze the hoses with the engine cold. Notice the texture of the hoses. You are checking to see if they feel soft and smooth or brittle. Brittle hoses mean they need to be replaced. This is true of any hoses on your Porsche. Also, check for cracks, splits, tears or frayed ends. If you see any of these, replace the hose(s) immediately.

Check the clamps on the ends of the hoses. They should be dry and in good condition. If they are wet or rusty, replace them. Also, make sure they are tight to prevent leaks. They should not be movable if they are tight enough.

For best results, replace the radiator hoses when you replace the radiator or water pump.  If you’re not the do-it-yourself kind of person and you live in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, check the web for service specials and stop by our Warrington, PA Audi, Porsche, and VW dealership for maintenance today.

Did you know that changing the various filters in your Porsche could be the best thing you can do to extend its life? According to many auto experts, filters play a huge role in the life and overall well-being of a Porsche. Here is a brief explanation of three vital filters and what they do.

Porsche air filters are designed to trap and remove any dirt that passes through the air before it gets through to the carburetor on older models. On newer models, air filters are designed to protect the fuel injectors. You should replace these about every 20,000 miles in your Porsche. If you live in dusty areas, you should have your Porsche’s air filter checked regularly and replaced when it gets dirty regardless of how long you’ve had it in your car.

Porsche oil filters helps remove rust, soot and other particles that could damage the engine on your Porsche. These should be replaced every 3,000 miles or whenever you get your oil changed.

Porsche fuel filters protect your injector from contaminant. If particles get through, they can cause a great deal of damage to your Porsche. These should be replaced every 30,000 miles to prevent loss of high speed power, stalling and hard starting. Some auto experts suggest getting them changed on a yearly basis for the best performance from your Porsche.

If you think it’s about time to have some filters replaced in your Porsche, bring it to your Willow Grove area Porsche dealer for a complete checkup.  Make sure you check out our service specials before you drop in.

Oil is the lifeblood of any automobile. Luxury cars like Audi are no different. That’s why you need to know how to troubleshoot any problems with the oil you may encounter with your Audi cars. Here are just a few oil-related tips to help you catch any potential problems early and keep your Audi car running smooth.

1. Start with the dipstick. The best way to see if your oil level is where it’s supposed to be is by looking at the dipstick. With your Audi car off, pull the dipstick out and wipe it off. Insert it back into the car and pull it out again to get an accurate reading. There should be an area designated as the operating range. If it’s low, it could be a sign of something wrong.

2. If your Audi car is leaking oil, try changing the seals and gaskets first. This is often the cause of oil leaks and the least expensive place to start eliminating possibilities.

3. Choose lower viscosity oil for cold weather climates. Higher viscosities are better for hot weather climates because they help maintain the pressure needed for lubricating engine parts in at higher temperatures.

These are just a few things to remember about your Audi oil. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always bring your car to your Philadelphia-based Audi dealer for a complete checkup or diagnostic service.