Pequannock Auto Repair

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among PEQUANNOCK drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should PEQUANNOCK drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around PEQUANNOCK?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero NJ temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in NJ?Do you drive often in dusty PEQUANNOCK areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around PEQUANNOCK?Do you drive in very hot or very cold NJ weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest PEQUANNOCK on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on PEQUANNOCK surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 miles/5,000 kilometers and t ... read more

Everyone in PEQUANNOCK, NJ, knows we are advised to go to our PEQUANNOCK dentist twice a year.  Oral-conscious PEQUANNOCK residents have a teeth-cleaning and examination. Once a year, we get x-rays to look for problems that can't be seen with the naked eye. When our dentist is done, he/she tells us what was found – "Everything's fine, see you in six months." Or "You've got a small cavity starting, let's schedule an appointment to take care of it." By the time you leave, you have a plan for addressing any necessary issues.This system works so much better than waiting for a painful problem before going into the dentist. Small problems are fixed before they turn into big problems. And you avoid those huge bills.If PEQUANNOCK folks understand the wisdom of using this system for handling dental care, why do many resist when facing the same system for our vehicle maintenance? Following the vehicle manufacturer's recommended intervals can be confusing. Fi ... read more

PEQUANNOCK residents' vehicles have to operate in a wide range of NJ temperatures which requires the engine coolant to be able to perform 'no matter what.' Think for a moment about the environment where the coolant does its thing. Very hot, high pressure, corrosive...And all the while, it has to protect the components of the cooling system from corrosion. These components are made from steel and aluminum, plastics and rubber. The coolant has to be formulated to protect against corrosion for all of these different materials. That's why vehicle manufacturer’s recommend different types of anti-freeze for our PEQUANNOCK, NJ, vehicles.There are several different 'families' of anti-freeze available to us here in PEQUANNOCK. Your owner's manual will tell you what kind you should use. Of course, the automotive professionals at BOCK AUTOMOTIVE will know the right kind for your vehicle.It's important to stay on top of this because coolant system failure is the most common m ... read more

Recalls are pretty serious for PEQUANNOCK residents and don't happen all that often. But sometimes cars have less serious problems that PEQUANNOCK residents still might want to know about. For these less serious cases, the vehicle manufacturer issues what is known as a Technical Service Bulletin – or TSB. These bulletins tell PEQUANNOCK service centers (including BOCK AUTOMOTIVE) how to repair a problem that occurs frequently or is especially difficult.Your PEQUANNOCK service center receives updated information through subscription plans, which are sometimes available in consumer versions too.Whatever your source, pay attention to PEQUANNOCK vehicle recalls to keep you and your passengers safe. No matter how well they're made, vehicles are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. Think of all the moving parts. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the vehicle manufacturer to issue recall notices to P ... read more

Have you ever noticed that your vehicle has a schedule in your owner's manual for what is called “severe service” maintenance? Let's define what severe driving conditions aren't: The easiest driving a vehicle experiences is traveling on the interstate for 20 miles (32 kilometers) or more at a constant rate of 65 miles per hour (105 kilometers per hour) in 75°F (24°C) weather with only passengers on board. Change any one of those parameters and you are adding stress to your engine. Change them significantly and you are driving under severe conditions.Let's look at the parameters one a time. First, the length of the trip. Short trips around PEQUANNOCK are harder on an engine than longer ones. As your engine cools down, water in the air condenses onto the engine. When you heat the engine again, the water evaporates off. This is healthy. But on short trips, the engine doesn't stay hot enough long enough for all of the water to evaporate. So it sta ... read more