Northeast Columbia Auto Repair

Photo by Hunter Newton on Unsplash   Welcome to the May blog for Brown Motor Works Northeast! We hope spring has been kind to you and you are working your way towards a productive summer. With the pandemic beginning to lift and people finally beginning to get their vaccinations, it looks like we might be in for a jam-packed summer all over the U.S.   And with summer on the horizon, it’s a good moment to consider what needs to be done to your car before the sun is at its most destructive in August. Left unchecked, the sun’s rays can be pretty harsh on a car’s interior and can make driving a painful experience. Here are our top three suggestions for keeping it cool this summer:   Good planning can spare you the heat ... read more

Welcome to Brown Motor Works Blog! It’s so frustrating to think of others enjoying their shiny new 2021 BMW X5 when we’re starting to see the age of our 2011 X5. Everything we’re noticing about the 2021 X5 makes us want one. It’s a gorgeous car. Understandably, you’d want a more recent, shinier model. But sometimes, greed and desire for new things can get the best of us. Our X5 has been loyal to us over these many years. It may not have all the flash of the 2021 model or the bells and whistles, but it does have many great features. And it’s ours. We’ve paid for it. The X5 is a sport utility with all-wheel drive. You have five passengers capacity and with a lot of interior space. Your BMW is a car you can keep for years because BMWs are luxurious, classy, and have great curb appeal, as long as they are maintained.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea that we should have the latest model, and if we don’t, we’re fall ... read more

When you first get a BMW, one of the things that impress us is the factory-installed sound system. There are usually three ranges of complexity, but all three are Harmon Kardon systems that deliver excellent audio entertainment. The three standard BMW audio systems range from a simple stereo Harmon Kardon system with no tweeters and no amplifier, to a Hi-Fi configuration of a Harmon Kardon system, to the premium sound system with woofers under the seats. The YouTube channel, “What’s Your Forté,” has a wonderful guide to getting the most out of the sound settings of your Harmon Kardon system, no matter what configuration is operating inside your BMW. BMW vehicles are known to have excellent sound qualities, but now we’re talking about more than just the stereo system. BMWs show their high level of quality in the sounds they make, including the purr of the engine and the sound of a closing car door. BMW means quality, and if you don’t hear good soun ... read more

February 2021 is a scary time for most people in Columbia. With a new COVID19 variant threatening at the same time that the vaccine is finally getting distributed, we’re in a race to save ourselves. We must keep being safe and protecting the weak among us until the vaccine reaches all of us. As we roll into February and Valentine’s Day promises us a moment of validation and affection, love is an essential factor in our everyday lives. It’s important to show your love instead of your fear, not only for your friends and neighbors but for yourself. As we age, fear sets into our lives because we have more to lose. We tie our fortunes into the equity in a property, and we raise a family. We are suddenly aware of our mortality and the vulnerability we ignored in our twenties. We have legitimate fears for the first time in our lives. We must develop coping skills and learn to be brave if we want to achieve more. That’s the importance of love. Choosing to be empathet ... read more

Welcome to 2021! We thought we would ring the New Year in with a collection of our all-time favorite commercials for BMW! This has to be one of the best car commercials ever-- “We Make Joy.” This untitled commercial for Father’s Day will tug at your heartstrings. We’ll begin with The Small Escape, a story of a BMW Isetta that was used to smuggle freedom seekers out of Soviet-run East Germany and into West Germany during the time of the Berlin Wall. It’s a remarkable true story. Next up is a collection of BMW’s funniest ads, including a funny public breakup; a very babied Beemer; an unexpected split between two identical twins; Katie Couric and Bryant Gumble sending up their own hilarious first encounter with email; and a frustrated golfer resigned to his fate. This very short ad features a case of mistaken identity. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3x9s8Q4CMdI" frameborder=" ... read more

We made it! Welcome to December. After months of COVID19 running everything, fear, and a hotly-contested election, we are finally nearing the end of this terrible, remarkable year. There’s just 31 days until this terrible year is finally behind us and we can all concentrate on 2021. But the year ahead looks foreboding. We’re facing a recession. We still don’t have a COVID19 vaccine in the poorest quarters, and until we do, we’re still facing this pandemic getting in the way of business and safe living. 2021 is uncertain for anyone who has to work to support themselves or their family. Young people planning weddings will have to decide to either make their weddings smaller, risk their being cancelled, or postponing them for a year, maybe more. Rather than wallow in the doom and gloom, we need to take the best things that came out of this past summer-- our resourcefulness, our genuine concern for each other-- and build on these things in 2021. For instance: we c ... read more

When we think of Thanksgiving, we might think of pilgrims and Native Americans around a table, holding hands and saying grace before they feasted together. In reality, the first Thanksgiving was only 400 years ago on November the 9th. It happened on the deck of the Mayflower, when the pilgrims saw the eastern shore of what would one day be Cape Cod. They read Psalm 100 together from the Bible to give thanks to God for the end of a harrowing, 65-day journey across the Atlantic. Some will see Thanksgiving in terms of their life experience: the kids getting up early to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the giant family dinner, everyone gathered to pose for a photo, a roasted turkey big enough to feed the crowd, the ball game on later in the day, and everyone lying around in food comas from a glorious meal. We tend to think of the tradition of asking everyone around the dinner table to say what they are grateful for this year. This year? We’re grateful for you, our cus ... read more

No one likes to be caught out in the middle of nowhere with a broken down car, not to mention during the fall and winter months! That’s why, no matter what time of year it is, you should always have a car emergency kit on hand. Keep reading to see some of the most important things to have in the perfect car emergency kit in this month’s blog from the pros at Brown Motor Works NE.  To begin, you’ll want to cater your emergency kit to your car’s condition and age, as well as the driving conditions you normally face. However, no matter where you are, there are some things that should always be included, including jumper cables, flares or triangle reflectors, a flashlight, and batteries. You may need to jump your car (or someone else’s!), and you want to make sure you’re safe while you do it. You may also want to include a yellow safety vest if you need to go outside your car! You should also make sure to include a first aid kit with a day or two ... read more

Since its beginning in 1933, Volkswagen's history has been long and storied. As a company, it began with the idea of a 'people's car.' With Hitler's rise to power in Germany through the Nazi regime, that idea came to fruition. In a meeting with Ferdinand Porsche and representatives of the Daimler-Benz Corporation, Hitler demanded they create a strong, reliable, and affordable car for the German people to buy. And that's what Ferdinand Porsche aimed to do.    Beginning with the 'beetle,' as many liked to call it, Porsche continued on designing new and improved automobiles for the German military and citizenry. This continued on for several years, with a Volkswagen factory opening in Wolfsburg as a result. After the end of the Second World War, the company fell under British control during their occupation of Wolfsburg. In 1945, the British authorities put in an order for 20,000 cars to the factory. From then on, Volkswagen was on its way to mass ... read more

  There are a multitude of fluids that keep your car running like a top. Still, these five essential fluids are integral to your vehicle's overall health. This list may be debatable, but here is a simple breakdown of five of the most important fluids for your car:   Engine Oil: All vehicles run on some kind of oil, which makes it so necessary for you to get your oil checked regularly, no matter the make or model of your car. Your engine oil lubricates your engine, ensuring that it runs smoothly and avoids overheating. To check your engine oil, go for a quick drive and let your engine cool. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, insert it back in all the way, and pull out. The oil should be past the oil line, and be yellowish and clear in color. If it looks particularly dark or has particles in it, it might be time for an oil change. If not, you can top it off with your recommended oil brand listed in your owner's manual and call it a day!   Radiator Fluid: Ra ... read more