Our services
Service
Knowledge
Financial/Peace of mind
Get in touch with the Garage team to schedule a vehicle maintenance service.
Call us on 604-733-1312, or submit a call back request.
Cars have become pretty reliable these days but, of course, they still need proper maintenance and, occasionally, things do go wrong. Our expectations of them have also advanced with the technological improvements and we don’t expect much to go wrong.
And when things do, we want the fastest, most reliable way to bring things back on track. We don’t have time to waste and, most likely, your car is an essential ‘tool for living’ that we really cannot afford to be without.
We know it can be a headache
Unexpected glitches and even scheduled maintenance can present headaches we don’t need, especially when we are called by the auto shop and asked to make decisions about work on a vehicle we enjoy driving but, frankly, have little technical knowledge of what happens under the hood or anywhere else in the vehicle.
That’s not to say we should, either. Modern cars are complex, with computer systems specifically designed to reveal little of their developing issues to the casual observer, until and unless things get so bad that a warning light comes on or something breaks.
Get in Touch
Our goal is to get your vehicle fixed as soon as possible, put a smile on your face and get you back out on the road again!
Give us a call today on 604-733-1312 to schedule a maintenance service, or feel free to stop by the shop. One of our friendly technicians would be happy to assist you.
Enter your name, phone number and receive a callback.
If you ask us at The Garage to do an oil change, it's very different. We look further than the oil change and not only make sure that your car is safe to drive, but also inform you of what may need fixing or replacing, and when.
We do a full visual inspection of your car and we will, for instance, let you know the condition of your air filters; let you know if we see any seepage of fluids; check to see if your brakes are in good working order and measure their wear; look at the steering etc.
We email you pictures and a condition inspection report so you can see for yourself what needs attention and you can make choices as to when you would like to address any concerns. You will be able to see what is urgent and what can be left for a while and dealt with later.
If you have questions about any technical aspect, you can talk directly to the technician who works on your vehicle.
Proactive maintenance is more cost-effective and gives you peace of mind!
If you want to keep a car for a long time, independent shops like The Garage are there to help you keep that car on the road, in really good condition, for as long as you want to.
The key to the successful extended ownership of any car is to have a good relationship with a trusted service technician.
We want the best for your car
For us, the best possible outcome, is for your car to last years.. 20.. 30 years. We want to build long-term trusting relationships with people, so that you keep coming back, and we keep your vehicle in tip top shape all the way to the end of its life!
Even before you buy a car, if you are planning to keep it for even 20 years (and most cars are perfectly capable of lasting that long in near-new condition)
The best thing to do is talk to a technician at an independent shop who services that model. Because the technician also works on vehicles that are past the manufacturer’s warranty period, they know what is good and what is bad about that model.
will know how frequently transmissions fail, how much tires cost, what software upgrades are needed and more. Dealerships probably won’t even have this information as they are just focused on sales and newer cars.
After you’ve bought the car, keep checking in with your technician so he or she can understand how you use it, adapt to how you take care of it and do the right things in a timely fashion so the car can survive you! You will also be in control of your budget and have peace of mind whenever you need to make a long trip.
Tell us about your experiences with entry-level cars, dealerships and independent shops. We’d love to hear!
For you the customer, well, as Kevin discusses in the video about the financial benefit for customers. The longer you keep a car, the more money you're going to save, especially if you do good quality maintenance. And that’s what we do!
When we go to work on your car, that's been well-maintained, it's easier, so we don't run into problems. We're not constantly worrying about breaking this bolt or busting that. It's like, "No, you got a good quality car that you took care of, it's easier to work on", so the technicians have a better day. You have a better day, because when your car comes in for service you don't get so many surprises. It's just, "Hey, guess what? Your car's still good." "Awesome."
In terms of sharing information about the vehicle's condition and maintenance requirements, at The Garage, we have invested in technology and training specifically designed to make sure that our customers get the fastest and best quality service, with absolute clarity on the customer’s part, in a way that puts them in control of their choices. And our customers love it!
1. The customer books their car in for maintenance or a repair.
2. The Garage performs an agreed inspection.
3. Our technicians inspect the car and records observations on a tablet.
4. An inspection report is stored in the cloud , which is immediately available to the service advisor and a link is emailed to customer.
5. The customer reviews their inspection report on their smart phone or computer and calls/emails The Garage to clarify and agree their service and repair options. Any agreed work is carried out.
For a start, it’s fast and connects our customers directly with our skilled technicians through our digital inspection report. (Try getting that kind of direct relationship at your dealership!) Secondly, the client can see at a glance on their smart phone what is OK on the car, what will need attention now, or down the road. Our ability to communicate what is needed for safe operation of the vehicle and postponable services is fantastic.. Simple, intuitive colour-coding makes it easy to establish the priority of any concerns noted by our technicians.
Despite what you may think, or may have heard in the media / online about car lifespan, we believe and know that is it possible to keep your car for 25+ years... "if" you pay to maintain it! There are you typical checks that we run for any maintenance
but there there are also other, not so obvious. It pays to have a trained technician who knows what to look for, so that we can prevent issues from arising. Have a read of our top 5 car maintenance shockers, to learn more
When you buy a new car you, are sold a fantasy. The fantasy is that the manufacturer's warranty will save you lots of unpleasant expenditure and keep the car in good shape. To an extent, the warranty keeps its promise as you enjoy a trouble-free driving experience for three, four or five years. The trouble is that when the warranty expires, you may have a problem, you may be surprised at the true condition of your car and awaken to the fact that you need a good vehicle maintenance plan.
The difference between warranty maintenance and maintenance derived from routine inspections by a qualified service technician
Learn more about new car warranties and maintenance in our blog post
Everyone wants to know how to maintain a healthy engine.
Think you can handle the maintenance yourself? Sure, YouTube might help you get a part of the way there. But vehicles are a lot more complex nowadays, you best drop in to visit the boys at The Garage.
They understand modern-day vehicle challenges and have the necessary knowledge and understanding to solve both mechanical and computer-related issues.
To properly diagnose a modern vehicle takes thousands of dollars-worth of electronic equipment, years of training and constant software updates. That’s the new toolbox—and this toolbox is no longer found in your neighbour’s workshop. It can only be found at an up-to-date service business that has made those investments.
So, save yourself the embarrassment of having a modern technician clean up any unfortunate mess you might make! Take the cheaper, stress-free option and just bring it in now.
“I always looked after my own cars. Change the oil, cleaned the spark plugs, all that kind of stuff. What is it about modern cars that make that not such a good idea?”
Check out this video blog where Kevin explains why home car maintenance not a good ideaWhy we change all the sparks plugs.
You have a misfire on one cylinder. Being a handyman / handywoman who knows about cars, you lift the hood and take a look. You have your own testing equipment that tells you which cylinder is misfiring. Great! Problem solved. Change the spark plug and all will be well. Right?
Wrong.
There are a number of reasons why you may have a misfire and even more reasons why replacing one spark plug may not be the best solution. One reason for the misfire could simply be a lack of lubrication on the cables leading to the plugs. Without regular inspections and service, corroded connections can be undetected until it is too late. In this instance, replacing the plug would not have fixed the problem at all. But it is best not to make assumptions even if this ‘fix’ had worked. There could be many other causes for this problem that could only be discovered by doing a proper vehicle inspection and evaluation of the findings.
Checking in on important fluid levels is critical to your engines survival. Like water to a fish, you car needs a healthy supply of a variety of fluids to keep it in good health.
Modern vehicle engines can be difficult to find your way around, but it is always in your best interests to keep a check on important fluid levels.
In this video, Ron Tremblay at The Garage shows Laura how to check the three most important fluid levels: oil, brake fluid and coolant.
Read the reviews from some of our happy customers.
We want the best for your vehicle and that starts with learning about your vehicles history.
We explain the nuts and bolts... in plain english, and why we need to investigate specific areas.
We won't stop until we find a solution to get you smiling and back out on the road again!
Inspections
Tune-Ups
Transmission Service
Diagnostics
Injector Maintenance