Yes, the rainy season is upon us. Here in the Bay Area it is expected to be colder and wetter than normal due to the la Nina weather event.

What that means is that you may want to check your tire pressures a bit more often, due to the fluctuations in the weather. Tire pressure drops because air just seeps through the tire on a regular basis, but the pressure also drops as the ambient temperature drop. Tire pressure loss is exacerbated by cooling trends, and the increase in condensation in the tire contributes to that loss also.

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It’s not a “tune up” anymore. Every so often someone will call and ask for the price of a BMW “tune up”. That is usually an indicator of a new BMW owner, as BMW service intervals are “inspections”. Most have been trained in the lingo of European repair.

For probably 80 years or so, the servicing on cars was referred to as a “tune up”. That was when spark plugs were changed anywhere from 3-6K miles! In the old days, there would be ads for “points and plugs”, a combined service that involved ignition points and condensers and spark plugs.

Obviously, times have changed and the term “tune up” can mean different things to different people. There can also be widely varying price differences, because of those variations. “Tune up” in the current arena of car repair is not relevant. Relevance is what everyone wants these days, and “tune up” is not it!

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I was no more than eight, still okay with holding my mom’s hand when we went to Fisherman’s Wharf for a day trip. Busy sorting through souvenirs and snapping pictures, something caught my eye glinting from the corner of a shop. There she was, bathed in shards of fog-sliced sunlight – my first mini. Covered in gold coins from roof to fender as a showpiece of the odd at the Guinness World Record Museum, I fell for her diminutive stature. My eyes danced over her cheerful lines and racy good looks. Then, tugged away for a clam chowder lunch, I swore I’d own her some day.

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In 1926 the two men, who both laid claim to creating the first automobile would merge. They formed the Daimler-Benz AG Company. By that time both companies had 40years of experience with motorcar production.

In 1886 Karl Benz obtained a patent for a three-wheeled vehicle with a 984 cc, single cylinder engine. In that same year, Benz invented the spark plug, while Gottlieb Daimler built a four-wheeled carriage with a 46 cc, single cylinder gas engine that he’d patented three years earlier. Amazingly, considering that the two men would turn out their motorcars in the same region of Germany, they were never destined to meet.

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Don’t be confused. Sure, you are in a hurry and that envelope appears to be a BMW mailer. Did they send you another letter about a service special or a great lease rate? Oooopps no – it’s a recall!

Your Recall information can be found at NHTSA.gov, but usually you will receive a letter from the manufacturer. There will be a campaign number associated with the specific recall of your year and model. At that time you will want to take it back to the dealer for the fix. Assuming you did receive the letter, be sure to have it with you at the time you make your appointment.

It is important to keep all of your BMW, MINI or Mercedes records of repairs or recalls in a safe place. We know of cases where clients missed out on a huge recalls that had to do with emissions. That can result in thousands of dollars spent because one did not read or understand the notice received. There should be a phone number on the recall notice, and by calling that someone will explain the process in detail to you. It is your responsibility to know and understand your rights when it comes to your safety recall.

Just today, we had a query why tires on a Mercedes would feel “squishy” when making turns. BTW, in the car world this is often called “side wall flex”. There could be several reasons, but here are the most common situations that could cause side wall flex during a turn.

You wouldn’t try to run a marathon in a pair of high heels would you? Or would you mountain climb wearing slippers? That would be crazy! Your car is no different.

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I think it’s fair to say, that it is a sad day in Cupertino. Just a few months ago, we were excited to see the vision of Steve Jobs new Apple campus (dubbed by the press as “the Spaceship”) come to life at our weekly City Council Meeting. Today he resigned as CEO.

According to his statement he believes that great days are ahead for Apple. We thank him for his contributions to Cupertino, the world and to our success in the community. We wish him peace as he transitions to another phase of his life. Bless you, Steve.

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During the the first quarter of 2011, the CAP aka the Consumer Assistance Program, (related to the Smog Check program) retired over 12,310 vehicles. How many of these were old BMW’s, MINI’s or Mercedes, that could have been saved if only they had been cared for lovingly during its life? We’ll never know the answer to that one.

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The maze of multiple mechanics….or the haze of multiple mechanics. Which is good? That one is bad….

What happens when you travel around town looking for one shop to cancel out what the other one said or showed you on your BMW or MINI?

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19% of people are using the Internet while driving according to a recent survey by State Farm Insurance Co. 74% reported making or receiving phone calls at least once a week while driving and 35% who reported sending or receiving texts at least that often.

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