Author: DART auto

This R56 Mini Cooper came in with a bad stumble on acceleration which we determined to be a faulty ignition coil. While diagnosing we removed a spark plug and found the plugs looked original at 65k miles. The manufacturer recommends spark plugs at 60k miles, but as you can see they are badly worn compared…

This Porsche Panamera 4S came in for a 40k mile service, which includes replacing the engine air filter. The headlights and bumper must be removed on these vehicles to access the airbox, but this will ensure the vehicle is breathing properly for the next forty thousand miles.

This 2009 Mini Cooper S had the timing chain tensioner back out of the engine causing valve damage.  There are various problems with the timing system on these R55 powered Mini Coopers made from 2007-2014.  The tensioners can back out or fail hydraulically (there is an updated tensioner designed to reduce the chances of this…

We had recommended that this customer replace their accessory belt and belt tensioner because there was a noise coming from the tensioner and there was irregular belt wear.  Unfortunately, the customer declined these repairs and returned several months later on a tow truck.  The belt did fail.  On BMW 3 series and 5 series cars from 2004-2016…

This 740i BMW came to us with pretty bad oil leaks and check engine light indicating problems with the cam timing vanos system. We recommended resealing the timing covers and inspecting the timing components. Once we had the upper timing covers off we were able to see that the plastic ramps on the timing chain…

This customer brought in their 1986 911 Carrera after tearing a rear sway bar mount at the track. The factory sway bar mounts are notoriously weak for any sort of spirited driving,and this car had already been repaired once, so the customer opted for investment cast Windrush Evolutions sway bar brackets. These cast pieces are…

This 2008 Porsche Cayenne Turbo came in with a catastrophic coolant leak. Anything poured in the reservoir came right back out the bottom of the vehicle. The newer generation of Cayenne did not suffer from the same plastic coolant tube failures of the earlier models, but we were able to find that a hose connection on the…

The Porsche 996 turbo is a great car that can be had at a very attractive price considering it is a true supercar that can be driven in everyday traffic picking up the kids, running to the grocers or have fun driving in the mountains.  Its weak point is the coolant tubes that are glued into castings…

As Porsche continues to come out with new hybrid and soon all-electric cars we are constantly training to keep on top of the latest technology.  We are also updating our diagnostic equipment and service information to handle these newer technologies.  Sal was factory trained at BMW to work with hybrid cars and is expanding that knowledge here…

This R56 Mini Cooper S came in for basic maintenance but a loud chain rattle was discovered during service. The common faulty timing chain tensioner and timing chain cassette were replaced to prevent catastrophic engine failure.