Category: Used Cars

The OEM Auto Warranty And You

The OEM Auto Warranty And You

If you own a Delaware vehicle with a warranty, beware! Many dealers and manufacturers suggest that you need to get your maintenance services at a dealership in order to keep your warranty. That simply isn’t true! You can have your vehicle serviced at your trusted, local service center without affecting your warranty. A federal law, called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, prohibits a manufacturer from voiding your warranty just because you got parts or services from a non-dealer. In fact, a manufacturer can’t require you to use their brand of oil filters, lubricant, or any other part in order to maintain your warranty protection. This protection is true for aftermarket extended warranties purchased on new or used vehicles. This protection also applies to leased vehicles. There are similar laws in Canada as well.

If a manufacturer can prove that the replacement parts or service lead to a vehicle failure, they can void a portion of the warranty. Of course, Buckley’s Auto Care uses quality parts and fluids that meet or exceed manufacturers’ specifications.  A lot of people do not know that service centers subscribe to data services that tell them exactly which parts and fluids meet manufacturers’ specifications. These services are updated constantly so that your Wilmington automotive service center always knows what you need for your car. You can be assured that your vehicle will receive high quality replacement parts that’ll keep you safely on the road.

Proper maintenance is so important to safety. It can also prevent costly repairs and save you money over the long haul. Just because you don’t have to go to a dealer to get your maintenance service performed doesn’t mean that you don’t need to have it done at all. In fact, some protections from your warranty require that scheduled maintenance be performed. If you miss having important work done, you may lose some warranty coverage. Refer to your owners’ manual and vehicle warranty for more details. And keep good records of the work you’ve had done.

The protection you receive under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can save you hundreds of dollars each year. The average hourly labor rate for service is nearly twenty percent lower at independent service centers such as Buckley’s Auto Care. We are conveniently located at 1604 E. Newport Pike in Wilmington. So why go anywhere else?

Jun 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Buying A Used Vehicle in Wilmington

Buying A Used Vehicle in Wilmington

used carSo you’ve bought a used car in the Wilmington area. How do you know what you’re getting? It is hard to know what you’re getting because people in the Wilmington area sell cars for different reasons. Think about why you’ve sold cars. Did you just want something new or were there problems that you wanted to run away from. Maybe it was a little of both.

Used cars with 25,000 to 35,000 miles on them are often lease returns, corporate program cars or vehicles that have done duty in rental fleets. We feel pretty confident because they’re newer and may still be under warranty. But how well have they been maintained?

If you plan on owning a car for a long time, you’ll keep up on the maintenance so that you can avoid expensive repairs down the road. But, if you know you’re only going to have the car for two or three years, you may not be so committed to maintenance. It would be easy to think that skipping an oil change here and there wouldn’t ruin a brand new engine. Then it’ll be someone else’s problem when it comes time to pay for the damage.

It would be very tempting to skip the 30,000 mile service if you knew you’d be turning in your leased vehicle in a couple of months.

If the vehicle didn’t come with maintenance records, you need to assume the worst. Most likely the coolant system and transmission have never been serviced. The cabin air filter has probably not been changed and a fuel system cleaning may be in order.

You’ll want Buckley’s Auto Care to check the air conditioning, battery, engine air filter, serpentine belt and hoses. A Pre-Buyers inspection at Buckley’s Auto Care is well worth the cost. Prices range from $49.95 and extend out to $150.00 for certain models.

And if your “new” used vehicle has more miles on it, an inspection is even more important. Check your owner’s manual or talk with your service advisor at Buckley’s Auto Care (call 302-999-8285) about what should have been done. Please don’t forget the timing belt; that can be very expensive if it fails.

Buckley’s Auto Care will help you with a plan to take care of critical services and get the rest caught up. If your budget won’t allow you to take care of everything right away, we can help you prioritize your needs and get it taken care of over the next several months. And remember to keep your maintenance records. They’ll help you get top dollar when it’s time for you to sell.

Buckley’s Auto Care
1604 E. Newport Pike
Wilmington, Delaware 19804
302-999-8285

ONLINE APPOINTMENT – Click Here

Jun 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Don’t Kick That Elderly Car To The Curb Just Yet!

Don’t Kick That Elderly Car To The Curb Just Yet!

Before you start to think that this will be some kind of instructional post about putting grandma or grandpa out to pasture, just keep reading a little bit further. This isn’t about kicking real people anywhere, no matter how old they may be. It’s just a little bit of a way to describe what car owners struggle with when they have to decide when it’s time to say goodbye to their motorized longtime companion.

There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t hear the words “but I’m thinking of getting rid of it” or “It’s time to let the old girl just go.” Needless to say, that months or maybe even a years go by and that same “old girl” is still being dated by it’s original owner. Some things will never change.

But when is it really time to say goodbye to your car? Do you go by mileage? How many years you’ve owned it? How much the cost of maintaing it has become? What about just being plain old tired of it? All can be good reasons, but before you go ahead and scrap the mass of metal, do you have a good plan for replacement? Have you thought of what the cost of replacement will be? Do you buy new or used? Hmmmm, sure does get tougher when you put those questions in to the mix, doesn’t it.

Here’s some helpful tips that may help you decide just what the next course of action could be, and I’ll try to be as analytical as possible. I know that buying a car is an emotional situation for most and an inconvenience to many, so I don’t want to put to much stress in an answer.

First off, don’t let mileage scare you into getting rid of a vehicle. Even if it’s over 200,000 miles, there may still be life in that baby and if there is deal coming down the road, or you’re still saving for that dream car, then keep going until the wheels fall off. I’m emphasizing a really high mileage count here, but we see people all of the time completely panic stricken when the odometer reaches the 100,000 mile mark. It’s as if the owner believes that when a car reaches that 100K milestone, it’s ready for the gallows with a swift execution to follow. And, the words, “I’m trading it in” is spoken to let us know that they don’t want any of it’s blood (oil) on their hands. It’s too funny. All vehicles today can easily surpass 100,000 miles with ease if they are properly maintained. It’s absolutely false to say that vehicles start falling apart at higher mileage. (Secret: ALL CARS begin to break and wear down as soon as they reach MILE 1)

Trading or getting rid of car to lower debt is one of the next big mistakes a car owner can make. It used to be that when a larger than normal repair or maintenance bill was presented to the customer or even considered for the future (say six months down the road) I would get this look from some owners where they just roll the eyes to heaven, and state “that’s it! I can get another car for that price.” Right, and I’m buying the Empire State Building for only $129.95 a month! I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve had to sit down and struggle to get logic either into the owner or at least try to understand their logic in wanting to get rid of a vehicle for let’s say a service of $500 or so. I would always ask, “What’s more? $500 or $15000.00″ You’d be surprised at the answers. The truth is, trading when you owe on a car is the WORST thing you can do, especially if your goal is to eliminate debt. All you are doing is rolling any balance into the cost of the new one. Or, as I have seen, the balance is rolled into the financing of a USED VEHICLE. Wow, talk about a lose-lose. Fortunately, with all funding drying up for those with poor or no credit, those type of deals are just about dead. Good. Their demise means that those who attempt such deals will actually be saved by not refinancing old, valueless vehicles.

Look, there are times to eliminate a real burdensome vehicle. But not under situations like the ones mentioned above. We really do have customers who’s mileage is way over 150,000 and they have no problems driving it to the local shopping center or the downstate beaches. If it’s well maintained, there’s no problem.  But if it’s a case where the repairs are becoming frequent, the mileage is very high, a major drive line component is necessary to repair (think engine or transmission) and you have no desire to get back behind the wheel of that jalopy, then it’s best that you put that “elderly” car to the curb.

If your older vehicle needs attention, just give Buckley’s Auto Care a call at 302-631-0532 or make your appointment online by clicking here.

Jun 10, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
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