Yes, you can; however, you need to make sure that the shop you are using is going to use the proper manufacturer-approved oils, filters, and so on. The service interval is also important and should be followed or even over-maintained. We believe here that 5K mileage oil changes (with synthetic oil) will be beneficial in extending the life of a vehicle beyond the cost of the service. Repairs or recalls while the car is under its factory warranty will need to be done within the dealer network in most cases. You should also keep records of maintenance work performed in case a repair is needed while under warranty. 

Published in the Marblehead Current on 8/6/2025

The brakes in your car could make a variety of noises for many different reasons. If they squeal or grind when you are applying the brakes, then it could be that the brake pads are worn to their minimum thickness, or there's an issue causing brake pad misalignment due to corrosion and wear. Brake pads need to be able to move freely in their channels in the caliper brackets. If heavy corrosion is causing the pads to bind in the brackets, then the friction surfaces may not contact the brake rotor evenly, which can create unwanted noise and reduced or irregular performance. Seized caliper guide pins, seized caliper pistons, warped brake rotors, and damaged or missing hardware can create a myriad of noises, vibrations, and symptoms as well. Noisy or symptomatic brakes should be inspected by a qualified mechanic to make sure that something serious isn't happening, which may affect the safety and roadworthiness of the vehicle. 

Brake pad misalignment can be caused by a variety of things. Here are some reasons why it might happen to your vehicle:

Accumulation of rust

• Rust acts like a file to your baes, and causes them to get ground down. The brake caliper cannot then evenly apply pressure, resulting in one brake wearing faster than the other. 

Worn/seized slide pins

• This occurs when the high-temperature grease in your brakes dries out or washes away. Moisture and road debris are able to enter, causing corrosion of the pins, which leads to them becoming sticky or seizing completely. One brake pad then does most of the work. 

Seized caliper pistons

• Old brake fluid or moisture causes rust to form on the pistons, preventing smooth movement. The piston is then unable to fully retract when the brake pedal is released, leaving it in constant contact with the rotor. This causes accelerated wear in one brake pad, and it also might cause a burning smell. 

Warped brake rotors

• The brake rotors can warp due to excessive heat from pressing on the brake pad, hard braking, improper maintenance, manufacturing defects, or driving on rough roads. These conditions include potholes, speed bumps, and other obstacles in the road. 

Published in the Marblehead Current on 8/20/2025

If you follow the recommended scheduled maintenance given by auto manufacturers, you will find that the work is kept to a minimum. This is due to manufacturers wanting to keep the price of ownership down and prioritizing the vehicle making it to the end of the warranty period as opposed to ensuring it will run as long as possible. The more services they recommend, the higher the cost of ownership becomes. If you intend to keep your vehicle long after your warranty period, this schedule is not the best to follow. 

Oil changes are one of the most frequent maintenance services you will get done on your vehicle, and that is for a reason. Oil levels drop over time, and the oil gets contaminated, causing premature failures. At Precision Motor Werks, we feel that for vehicles running synthetic oil, an oil change every 5k miles is the sweet spot, or roughly every six months. Besides ensuring that your oil does not cause any other faults in your vehicle, changing your oil at a lower interval allows you to keep an eye on everything else besides just the engine. At PMW, every oil change comes with a complimentary check over that ensures you have a safe and reliable car, something that quick lube shops do not provide. With this checkover, we will check all fluids as well as take your vehicle on a test drive and assess its performance to then provide recommendations. Oftentimes, people forget that other services should be adjusted if you plan on keeping your vehicle past the warranty period. Transmission services often get forgotten about, then cause issues later on that are costly. Book an appointment with us for an oil change to make sure you have your vehicle as long as possible!

We recommend all of our customers, especially those who are going off to college, get an AAA membership. With this membership, you are able to get your vehicle towed, have your tire changed, and they can get your car jump-started. It is important to know how to do many of these things, but to make sure you are the safest possible, an AAA membership ensures that there is somebody you can call in case of emergencies.

A long drive can be severely impacted by the quality of the tires. Over time, the tire treads can wear down, and the tire will start to look smoother than it should. The ride quality suffers and becomes especially dangerous when the roads are wet. An easy way to test if you should get your tires replaced is the penny test. If, when you insert a penny into your tire’s tread groove, with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you, and you can see all of his head, it is time to get your tires replaced. Most tires also have a built-in indicator to gauge if your tires have any life left in them. This can be found at the bottom of the grooves, and when the tire tread wears down and is level with these indicators, it’s time to replace them. If you see cracks or bulges on the tires, you should get your tires replaced. It is also important to check your tire's air pressure, which can be found on a sticker on the driver's side door. It is helpful to have an air pressure gauge in the car to measure this and determine if your tire pressure is low. Before leaving for college, we encourage you to learn how to use it by looking up a YouTube video or using Google. We recommend keeping an air pressure gauge in your car. This one from Amazon is affordable and easy to use.

A car's oil should be regularly checked in order to make sure the car is running as it should. It is especially important before a long ride. To check your oil, you must make sure the car is parked on level ground and the engine has been off for a significant amount of time and has cooled off in order to avoid burning yourself. Then, once you have popped the hood, locate the dipstick on the engine, usually marked with a colored handle like yellow or orange. Some cars might not have a dipstick. We recommend looking at the owner's manual to see if your vehicle has a dipstick or if there is another way to check your oil. Remove the dipstick, wipe the lower end of the stick clean with a towel, then reinsert it all the way. Then remove the stick and observe the level at the bottom. On the dipstick, there will be markings, usually titled “min” and “max”, and once you have removed the dipstick, the oil level will be apparent on the stick. If the level is below the “min” mark, you should add a small amount of the correct oil and then recheck until it has reached the appropriate level. Use your owner's manual to find the proper oil for the vehicle as well as where to add the oil to the engine. Also, inspect the oil if it is discolored, as this will indicate if your vehicle needs an oil change. Most shops will leave an oil change decal on the inside of the windshield with a recommended date to get your oil changed. We recommend oil changes every 5,000 miles for vehicles that take synthetic oil and 3,000 miles for those that take non-synthetic oil. We recommend having a spare quart of the proper oil, a towel, and a funnel in the trunk of your car. Whoever will be driving the car and taking it out of the state should be comfortable checking their oil regularly to prevent failures. 

If you check your oil and see discoloration or, in general, are due for an oil change between now and the next time the car will be in town, make that appointment as soon as possible. This will ensure the car runs smoothly and does not give the driver any problems while away from home. With an oil change, we also offer a complimentary inspection, so the sooner the oil change is done, the more time you have to make future appointments to get the necessary work done.

Having a spare tire in the back of your car will come in handy in case you get a flat. Even if you don’t know how to change a tire, someone else will, and it will save a lot of time if you already have the appropriate tire on hand. Make sure to check the air pressure of the spare tire so that if you need to use it, it will be drivable. It is also important to ensure that the lock lug key is in the vehicle. Without this, you will not be able to remove your tire from the car. Again, it is important to have an air pressure PSI gauge, the appropriate oil (found in the owner's manual) and a funnel, paper towels, because replacing oil and tires can be messy, and glass cleaner to make sure all parts of the road are visible through the windows. Some aspects of the vehicle you cannot have spares for, but you can make sure that they are working properly. Before you leave, make sure your washing fluid is full and check all lights to make sure they are all working. 

The difficult thing about regularly going to the same mechanic for years is that it’s hard to find somebody else you trust with your vehicle. There are shops all across the country that offer reliable work at reasonable costs. Before temporarily relocating the car, make a list of all the shops near your college as well as a list of questions to ask them. This way, you are not scrambling to find one that will give you quality work at a quality price, as your car is falling apart. If you are unsure if the shop you have found is reliable, have our technicians help you out and figure out if they will provide you with reliable care.

The best thing you can do for your car before going on a long trip, but specifically before leaving town for an extended amount of time, is to have a technician inspect the entire car. At Precision, you can schedule a checkup with our technicians, where they will go above and beyond to make sure that you are aware of every minor issue with your car. Sometimes, issues are only found when looked at from the inside; they might not make themselves apparent to the driver. By scheduling this appointment early on, you can give yourself enough time to get all the necessary work done before the car leaves Marblehead. Not all of the work needs to be done at once. Some work might be more pressing than others, and you are able to wait until the next long weekend or break from classes. If this is the case, make those appointments in advance to ensure you are able to get put on the schedule. Our technicians will explain in detail the potential upcoming work that can be done on the car so that you can be sure your car lasts as long as possible.