Keeping copies of service records for your vehicle is a good habit.  Recordscan be useful when you’re selling the vehicle, or trying to negotiate the value of the car with an insurance company.  But it can be difficult to keep all of that paper in one place.  We now have added a feature to our website that allows you to access past service records, your current inspection report, and also allows you to schedule appointments and update contact information.   This enables us to offer paperless record-keeping; instead of taking printing a copy of the invoice when you pick up your vehicle, you may opt to simply access to records online.  

Before you can access the records, you must create an account and add your vehicle information.  The website to login is http://www.myhighroad.com. This is also accessible by clicking on the ‘My Account’ tab on our website.  Press the ‘Register’ button.  It will take you to the sign up screen, which will ask for your email address, a password, your name, the vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number), license plate number and zip code (from our computer records).  Once you fill in the screen with the proper information, press ‘Complete Registration’.  If you need your vehicle’s VIN, license plate or ZIP code in our records, feel free to call or email us and ask.

 The website will take you to your personalized vehicle screen, where you can view past invoices and inspection reports (since January 2005).  If you have more than one vehicle serviced with us, you can also add another vehicle to your profile.   You can also set up appointments for your vehicle(s), and you have the option of selecting items off of your inspection report to have repaired at the appointment.  Using this feature enables quicker, more accurate repairs and appointment setup.  Lastly, if you’re contact information or mailing address changes, you can make updates to this information through MyHighRoad as well!

We’re excited about this new feature, and we hope that it enables you to manage your vehicle service more efficiently than ever!  And next time your in for an appointment, let us know you’d like to go paperless!

At High Road Automotive, the success of their waste disposal program is easily measured.  Just look in any trash can, and see what’s in there – and what’s not.  Recyclable paper is in short supply, as well as grease and oil. In fact, there isn’t anything that makes it into the garbage that can be recycled.

Not only are the paper products, oil, batteries, antifreeze, and brake fluid recycled, but also the grease out of driveshafts and suspension fittings.  Components are disassembled, with metal parts saved for scrap.  Used oil filters are crushed to remove the last ounces of oil before they are recycled; even spray cans are cut in half, to properly dispose of their contents before they go in the metal bin. A squeegee and dustpan are used to pick up liquid spills (instead of absorbents). Everything, from what kind of cleaner used, to what company is contracted to haul off waste gets constant scrutiny.  Even the runoff from the vehicle wash area gets special attention.  It goes through two steps of sediment removal, and then a step where the oils are eaten by the biological action of petroleum-eating microbes.

And their focus on environmental impact doesn’t stop there.  Technicians check for potential problems that may reduce a vehicle’s fuel economy at every regular service interval.  This includes checking the tire air pressure and alignment, looking for worn parts, and accurately diagnosing issues that may have a negative impact on the vehicle’s gas mileage and tailpipe emissions.   Currently, all of High Road’s technicians are certified by the Washington State Department of Ecology as Emissions technicians.

The environmentally conscious push is nothing new to Fred and Tom Wilson, co-owners of High Road Automotive.  Fred says:  “We looked around at what was happening in the industry… we wanted to be the best.  And we’ve been working on making our waste management program the best in the industry ever since.”  Tom adds, “We started changing the way we were doing things back in 1989… now Metro brings groups of inspectors in here to show them how good an auto shop’s disposal practices can be.”

High Road is also a 5 star rated member of the Envirostars program.  The Envirostars program is an association of local businesses, non-profit organizations, and the government who have been working together to find common solutions to environmental problems in all kinds of businesses.  Members gain access to the latest information, as well as share their knowledge with others.

Customers, too, play a part in the overall picture. By seeking out and supporting businesses which take care of the environment, members of the local community can have a positive impact.  

Although automobile service becomes more sophisticated yearly, it will always include dealing with hazardous substances.  Shops do what they can to minimize the production of such waste, and try to find the most environmentally-sound ways of disposing of what they are forced to generate.

Traditionally, every year around Thanksgiving, we organize a coat and blanket drive to support Seattle Union Gospel Mission.  Well, it’s that time of year again, and you (our faithful customers) have always made this a success.

From now until December 28th, if you bring in a gently used coat or blanket to donate, we’ll give you coupon for 5% off your vehicle’s next invoice.  These coats and blankets are donated to and collected by the Seattle Union Gospel Mission, who will distribute them to the homeless over the holidays.  We love being able to support the Mission every year, and we need your help!

We are frequently asked about whether or not snow tires are a good investment, whether they improve safety in snow, and whether a set of snow tires is right for your vehicle. The answer: it depends.  Snow tires provide significantly improved traction over most all-season or summer highway tires.  Snow tires are constructed with unique treads and rubber compounding that provide maximum possible grip in snow.

Within the several types of snow tires, there are some further options.  Should you get the newer soft-rubber non-studable type or the old hard-rubber studable type, and if so, should you have the new tires studded?  Do you buy another set of wheels and have them installed on those, or just swap them onto the existing wheels?  Again, it depends. The newer soft-rubber types of tires have advantages in overall traction performance but also have significantly shortened useable life.  Hard rubber snow tires are less expensive and last longer.  Adding studs to hard-rubber type snow tires improves traction on hard ice but they offer no benefit in soft, wet snow.  Studies show that studs also drastically reduce dry and wet pavement stopping distance, and they are extremely damaging to roadways.

If you anticipate a large amount of ice driving, having your snow tires studded may be a good idea but since most of us in the northwest see little of hard ice conditions you may want to forgo the studs and add chains to your kit for those more rare situations where only steel on the ice will get a grip.  If you intend to use snow tires regularly during the winter, buying an additional set of wheels may be a wise decision.  If the snow tires are mounted on a second set of wheels, switching them back and forth is much quicker and less expensive than having us remove the summer tires and install the snow tires on the original wheels.  Also, the snow tires can be easily removed after weather conditions improve, which improves the longevity of the snow tires.

Most types of snow tires wear out much faster (especially the soft-rubber type) and have much shorter usable life than all-season tires.  The improved specially-compounded outer layer of rubber on the soft-rubber type only lasts until 5/32nd’s or 6/32nd’s of an inch of tread depth is left.  This means that snows tires will last only a couple of winters, especially if they are driven on dry pavement most of the winter.

So, are snow tires right for your vehicle?  If you anticipate driving in snow this winter, a set of snow tires will add significant amounts of traction, and a good measure of safety.  Deciding whether to have the tires studded or to install the tires on a second set of wheels should be made based on your specific needs.

We can help you find the right tires, and sort through the different choices involved with snow tires.  Feel free to call or email us for more information.

NOTE: Some of the information in this article was derived from information on WSDOT and TireRack.com websites; for detailed information we encourage you to visit these sites.

I have had the same tires on my car for five years; in that time you kind of forget the why you choose that particular model.  The new ones are sportier, they respond to steering inputs with alacrity. The old ones were soft and unresponsive; I called them my old guy tires.

This is one of many examples of the myth of commodity.  The idea that all filters, tires, oils and such are created equal.  Not so. My new tires are very different from the old ones, the oil we put my engine yesterday is better than the less expensive types that are available.

Even in commodity items, you have a lot of options to choose from. But not every option is as good as another.

Have you ever wondered what the N is for on the gearshifter?  It’s not useful for parking. It’s not needed to push the car when the engine is off (you can do that in any gear).  It’s the safety gear. If anything were to happen that prevented you from slowing the engine down by letting off the gas pedal, just shift to neutral. The engine might not like spinning so fast but the brakes and power steering will still work normally. If you turn off the engine, the brakes and steering will still work, but will require significantly more effort to use, as these systems are powered by the engine.

So, if the engine won’t slow down, just shift to neutral.

Hello! Welcome to Ask the Technician, High Road Automotive’s new blog where you can ask our technicians any car related question you may have. In addition to answering your questions we will also be posting general information about the automotive industry and critical information relating to the cars that we work on, such as Service Bulletins and Safety Alerts, so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest about your vehicle While our speciality is Japanese cars, you will find that much of the information posted here is applicable to most types of vehicles. As always, we will attempt to explain these highly technical topics in clear and easy to understand langauge, but if you are having trouble with any of the terminology, we invite you to make use of our Glossary, which can be found in the Resources section of our website. We hope you will check back with us frequently as we will be updating this blog with new content and answers to your questions on a  regular basis.