Rockville Auto Repair

Keep your car looking like new… just like Greg’s S2000! We’ve talked before about how maintaining your car for the long haul makes great financial sense. But as your Honda, Acura, Toyota, Lexus or Scion ages, how do you keep it looking new? Just like the rest of your car, a little preventive maintenance goes a long way with your car’s paint. If you keep up with it, you can keep that “showroom shine” for years to come. Here are a few quick tips: Park your car under cover The number one “paint killer” is the sun. UV rays, over time, break down the protective coating on your car’s surface. They also cause your headlights to get cloudy. The best way to avoid this kind of damage is the park your car in a garage. Of course, not all of u ... read more

It’s time for our first installment of the “#Gregsplanation.” Greg will make a valiant effort to answer your questions in plain English. Each day, Greg takes time to care for himself, either through swimming or yoga, and while on his way to and from he turns on his camera. We never know what he might come back with. Stay tuned for more in the weeks and months to come! Today, Greg answers the fairly common question — “Why does water drip from underneath my car on hot days?” If you have a question you’d like Greg to take a swing at, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call

Here at Motor Works, we like to speak plain English with our clients. Acronyms can sometimes get in the way of clear communication, so we try to avoid them when we can. We get this question quite a bit… “What does VTEC mean?” The short answer is “Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control”. It’s a system Honda developed to increase performance and efficiency on its smaller engines. While Honda certainly led the way in developing this technology, other manufacturers have adopted similar systems over the years. I’ve you never pushed your VTEC-equipped Honda past about 5,000 RPM, you’ve probably never experienced what VTEC does for your car. Rather than trying to explain it ourselves, we’ll let CNET’s Brian Cooley show you…

A big week here at Motor Works, as two more of our clients joined the prestigious 200,000 mile club. Mr. Gannon-Miller has racked up 202,509 miles on his 2009 Honda CR-V. (That’s nearly 80 miles a day!) We’ve been servicing this workhorse since the day it was new. Tom’s wife, Mary-Lois, is no stranger to high-mileage cars. She’s our current mileage record holder among active clients, with her 1995 Acura Integra racking up nearly 340,000 miles! Mr. Burrus also topped a milestone. He even sent us a picture the moment he crossed 200,000 — and thankfully it looks like he pulled over before taking the picture!) His 2004 CR-V is still going strong with nearly 204,000 miles. Our 200,000 mile club isn’t that hard to join. Proactiv ... read more

The 2016 Honda Civic (courtesy of Honda of America) Have you seen the new 2016 Honda Civic? The 4-door sedan is on sale right now, with the Coupe, Hatchback and high-performance Type-R on the way. The auto blog Jalopnik just reviewed the ’16 Civic and they give it a resounding two thumbs up. The new Civic is full of tech, with tools like the Honda LaneWatch System Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Keeping Asssist and Adaptive Cruise Control. P ... read more

Our mission statement is at the center of everything we do here at Motor Works. So it’s no surprise that we have been recognized as “Ethics Certified” by Elite Worldwide, a group of the top auto repair facility owners from across North America. We’re pleased to proudly display the Elite “Ethics Certified” seal. It’s a testament to what we do, and we appreciate the trust you place in us. You can visit Elite’s website for more information on the Ethics Certification program

Here at Motor Works, we specialize in solving unusual problems. Here are two of the strangest — completely different problems with the same cause: Rodent damage. The Problem… This wiring harness is about 6 inches too short, thanks to Mr. Mouse. First up is a 2011 Honda CR-V. Our client told us his parking lights weren’t working. The brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights were all fine. He replaced some bulbs and found a blown fuse as well. We thought it was perhaps another shorted bulb situation, so we removed all the rear bulbs to inspect them. But there was still a short somewhere in the system. A quick look in the engine compartment and we had our answer. A rodent had chewed through the wiring harness that supplies power to the driver’s side front marker light (which comes on with the parking lights). This shorted the wires together causing the blown fuse ... read more

Doesn’t get much better than this! As you probably already know, our technicians maintain current certifications by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. What you may not know is that they also are working continuously to better themselves in other areas. Master Technician Chris Soares has been working hard, taking college classes when he’s not at Motor Works. His hard work and dedication really shows! We are incredibly proud of Chris and his efforts

1995 Acura Integra — Still going strong after 20 years and 334,000 Miles! Here is a shining example of the benefits of proactive maintenance! 334,000+ miles and it’s still running like a champ! Emails like this is are WHY we do what we do. What a way to start the week! Thanks MaryLois! We fully expect to see this Integra through 400,000 miles and beyond. Honda and Toyota products are some of the toughest and longest lasting cars on the road. Love your older car? We’ll keep it in like-new condition for you

“Before” – Notice the headlight is foggy and discolored. Now that Daylight Saving Time has come to and end and it’s getting darker earlier, have you noticed your headlights aren’t quite as bright as they used to be? It may not be the bulbs — it might be the lenses. Most newer cars use plastic headlight lenses and over time they fog, dull and discolor. This is due to exposure to ultraviolet light and environmental contaminants (Yes, our air is dirty!) Some studies say it can reduce the brightness of your headlights by up to 80%. This fogging and discoloration is similar to cataracts on your eyes and can be a serious safety concern if left unattended as it limits the light output and can make it difficult for oncoming traffic to see you, not to mention making it difficult for you to see debris or animals in the road. Yikes ... read more