bmw calgary - Motorwerkes

Brake Noise: Common Types and What They Mean for Your BMW

1 March 2018

The sounds that a vehicle makes can tell you a lot about its condition. Cold temperatures make mechanical noise even more common than usual, especially when it comes to your brakes. There are a few different things to listen for, and it’s important to know what they could mean.

Screeching and Scraping

Out of all the forms of brake noise you’re likely to experience, these are probably the most common. They tend to be characterized by either high-pitched squealing or long, dragging scratches. Screeching and squealing can be caused by a wide range of culprits, from accumulation of residue to a worn brake pad. Scraping could be the sound of a chunk of debris obstructing the space between the pad and the drum or rotor. However, you could be hearing the wear indicator, a piece of metal which grinds against the rotor to warn you when your pads have reached their demise. In this case a replacement is necessary as soon as possible.

Thumping

This can sometimes be a tricky one to figure out. It’s not nearly as common as screeching and scraping, but it’s still very much worth your attention. It’s characterized by a more rhythmic vibration or thud rather than a long, piercing squeal. It often comes from the rear, but this can vary depending on your vehicle. More likely than not, it’s due to a warped rotor or drum. When this part becomes misshapen over time due to excessive braking and accumulation of heat, its surface becomes more irregular, preventing it from rotating smoothly. When you hear that thumping, you should have your brakes checked out right away.

Grinding

Grinding is perhaps the most worthy of concern. As opposed to the thumping and high-pitched sounds mentioned above, it’s more of a slow, low-pitched growl. If you hear this, you need to stop driving and take your vehicle to a BMW-certified technician immediately. Your brake pads aren’t simply worn down to the end of their life span—there’s no pad left at all. If this isn’t addressed quickly, highly expensive damage to the drum or rotor could result, not to mention an accident. Ideally, no driver should have to hear this sound, as it means that the health of their brakes has gone totally neglected. Always have them serviced on time!

Need someone to take a look at your BMW’s brakes? We’re now proud to offer a price match guarantee on this and any of our services. Bring us an estimate from a local competitor within 30 days and we’ll beat that price by 10%. Call us at (403) 453-0269 to find out more!

New Year’s Car Care Resolutions

1 January 2018

Have you set any New Year’s resolutions for yourself? If you have, they probably don’t address car care, but don’t forget that your BMW is an important part of your day-to-day life. As a significant investment that you depend on to get around, it deserves a few resolutions of its own!

Sticking to Routine Maintenance

Few car care resolutions could be as important as this. If there’s one thing that will have the most significant positive effect on how much you get out of your BMW all year long, it’s holding yourself to the maintenance schedule that it needs to be at peak performance. Follow the interval of miles between oil changes, fluid top-offs, brake checks, and everything else that a vehicle simply can’t perform well without. It may not seem like a big deal to be a bit behind on one or two routine items, but it will start to add up. Besides, going off your maintenance schedule just doesn’t do your BMW justice!

Investing Wisely

One of the most harmful habits you can get into when it comes to caring for your BMW is investing in the wrong parts, the wrong maintenance, and the wrong technicians. This tends to happen most often when drivers want to cut corners and save money here and there. BMWs are vehicles that offer a powerful and high-quality driving experience. As such, they demand approved parts, specialized maintenance, and certified technicians who know how to provide an experience that lives up to the BMW name. If you make it a resolution to invest in these essential elements, your vehicle will pay off for you the way it’s designed to.

Knowing Your Stuff

In addition to wise investment, knowledge is power. An enthusiastic desire to learn about BMWs, how they work, and what they need is what ends up defining the most devoted fans out there. If you own a BMW but aren’t particularly motivated to know you stuff and get the most out of it, you’ll be missing out on all the good stuff! Make it a resolution this year to take note of and follow all of the advice that your BMW certified technician gives you. Allow that advice to enrich your understanding of your vehicle on the whole so that you can ensure a long life for the top-class driving machine at your fingertips.

There are some New Year’s resolutions that we abandon or give up on, but your BMW deserves only the best treatment it can get. For repairs, maintenance, upgrades and more, call (403) 453-0269 today and the Motorwerkes team will help you stay true to your word all year long!

Switching Your MINI to Winter Tires

22 November 2017

MINIs are known for the excellent level of control they offer drivers, thanks to their compact size and “wheel-at-each-corner” approach to suspension design. Still, no vehicle can compensate for unsafe driving habits, and failing to switch your MINI to winter tires is a pretty good example.

What’s the Difference?

One of the first things to bear in mind about winter tires is the material that they’re made from. Their compound has a higher percentage of rubber and is therefore softer, which means that they grip the road better than their warm-weather counterparts. The tread and siping, meanwhile, are carefully designed to avoid buildup of slush and manage the movement of water across their surface in order to maintain a solid grip. The low temperatures and unstable surfaces of winter driving conditions can wreak havoc on tires that are not built for them.

Choosing the Right Ones

Winter tires all express varying levels of quality and different approaches to design in their siping, tread, and overall shape. The first thing to remember when choosing a set for your MINI is that you quite often get what you pay for. If you want a durable tire that can offer you optimized performance and safety, you should invest accordingly. Secondly, remember that some MINI models do not come with a spare tire, so it may be a good idea to choose run flat winter tires if this applies to you. Michelin’s X-Ice Xi3 run flat is a good example.

Driving in Winter

Regardless of how well you invest in your winter tires, never forget the importance of smart winter driving. It may be easy to get carried away when you’re driving a vehicle that can corner as well as a MINI, but you should nonetheless be careful on turns and keep your stopping distances as safe as you can. Even in a car so compact, keeping an eye on how close you follow the vehicles ahead of you is especially necessary in icy conditions. With a good set of winter tires and even better driving technique, you and your MINI will be ready for winter!

If there’s one season when driving can be the least pleasant, it’s probably winter. However, if you stay safe and get your maintenance from the right technician, you’ll run into far fewer problems! To give your MINI the best service, give Motorwerkes a call at (403) 453-0269 today.

Does Your BMW’s Heater Core Need Service?

15 November 2017

The fall and winter seasons bring colder temperatures, and that means that the cabin of your BMW will need to be heated in order to give you the most pleasant driving experience. However, like any part of a vehicle, the heater core will at some point need service. How do you tell when?

What Is the Heater Core?

The cabin of your BMW is heated through the carefully engineered redirection of the heat that is produced in your engine. Your cooling system pumps a combination of water and coolant through the engine and radiator in order to emit heat to the outside of the vehicle. As the cooling system does this, it also directs the hot fluid mixture to the heater core in your dashboard when your heating system is engaged. You can think of the heater core as a second radiator which, instead of emitting heat to the front exterior of the vehicle, emits that heat to the inside of your cabin through a controlled mechanism.

Problems and Symptoms

Any issues with regulation of heat in your car should be paid close attention, such as a lack of heat in the cabin despite engaging the heater, rapid consumption of coolant, or even overheating. This is because your heater core and coolant system are closely intertwined. While some of these issues can be attributed to things like a broken blower motor or faulty radiator, you shouldn’t rule out a broken heater core. One of the most common signs to watch out for, however, is an unpleasant, “sweet” smell. This is the smell of your coolant, and that’s never a good sign.

Necessary Servicing

While you may think of your heating system as being primarily focused on comfort and therefore not essential, it unfortunately isn’t so simple. Differences in temperature between the interior and exterior of your vehicle can lead to fogging of the windows and windshield. A faulty heater core that goes unserviced runs the risk of leaking hot coolant vapour into the cabin, therefore introducing fog and compromising your visibility, which can be especially dangerous during winter. Besides, who would ever want to drive an unheated car during winter in Calgary?

Have you noticed any issues with the heating system in your BMW? Whether or not they match up with the above examples, it’s important to consult a BMW-certified technician as soon as possible. Give Motorwerkes a call at (403) 453-0269 for help with this and much more!

Maintaining the Value of Your BMW

8 November 2017

A high-performance luxury car is not an investment one should take lightly. When you own a vehicle as sophisticated as a BMW, keeping its condition and value as high as possible is important if you’re looking to sell and upgrade to a new model. Here are a few tips to consider.

Know Your Habits

The first step of optimizing the value of your BMW lies in being as aware as possible of how you treat your vehicle on a day-to-day basis. In other words, it’s not just about the obvious forms of damage. Try to keep the mileage down by avoiding excessive back-and-forth trips. Park in a sheltered structure whenever it’s possible. Have your BMW professionally washed and detailed when necessary, and always keep an eye on your interior. Don’t let trash, dirt, dust, or plant debris build up. You should also, of course, drive responsibly. The better you are at avoiding accidents, the less damage you’ll rack up.

Don’t Fall Behind on Maintenance

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of routine maintenance when it comes to resale value. Whether it’s fluid changes, oil changes, filter changes, or basic repairs, all of the little things need to be accounted for. Don’t just meet the bare minimum, go a step further and get personalized tips from a BMW-certified technician based on the model and age of your vehicle. No one wants to purchase a used vehicle that has suffered excessive wear and tear thanks to negligent maintenance habits. Thankfully, this dilemma is highly preventable!

Keep Records

If you’ve been on top of every essential maintenance concern and have even made some improvements or upgrades, it won’t do you much good if you don’t have the paperwork to show for it. Equally as important as taking care of your BMW is maintaining thorough and organized records of all the work that has been done on it, receipts and beyond. This is something that anyone purchasing a used vehicle is highly likely to request, and the more detailed a paper trail you can offer, the more confident they will be in their purchase.

Even if you’re madly in love with your BMW, it’s wise to plan for a change of heart, especially with so many exciting new models on the horizon. Having a trusted BMW-certified technician is essential, so call Motorwerkes at (403) 453-0269 to get the most bang for your buck!