At Indie we have seen pretty much every manufacturer of replacement parts available. Through experience and experimentation, we know which parts are best. When we say OEM (original equipment manufacturer), the replacement part is made by the same company and the same materials as the part the car was built with. They don’t always have to come out of a blue Volvo or Saab box. We are able to save our customers money by sourcing parts from the same manufacturer, saving the high mark up of the blue box.

 

After-market parts are made by a company different from the original. For the most part, we have found very few aftermarket parts that have an acceptable level of quality for us. A cheap part is just that, poorly made. Saving a few dollars now but replacing a part over and over or driving with a prematurely worn part is not worth it. In particular, we have seen premature failure of most cheaply-made suspension, timing belt and water pump replacement parts. We’ve seen these fail in as short as a 6 months. If you want to spend less time in the shop and drive confidently, use OEM parts.  

We use a trusted vendor for used parts and most of the time can offer a lifetime part warranty, and most are available overnight. Through our experience we know which parts are a good choice to source used. We will always let you know if used parts are a good option for a particular repair. Not only are used parts much more affordable, we love the re-use aspect. We have shipments of used parts every week, and often will stock components that are commonly needed.

We have found the magic number is 5000 miles. Both Saab and Volvo have had issues with engine sludge and consumption. It is normal for turbo charged engines to consume some oil, especially with high miles. Changing the oil more frequently can actually reduce consumption. When oil levels are low and become contaminated, the car can consume it at a faster rate. This will also contribute to sludge build up. By keeping your oil full and clean you will greatly lengthen engine length. We use a 7500 mile synthetic blend oil. By replacing it at 5000 miles you can stay ahead of the game. It is fairly common for our customers to not check their oil level between servicing and because of that it is common for a car to be several quarts low by a 5000 mile oil change. If you were to extend that another 2500 miles you may be down to only ½ your oil capacity.

PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation. In simple terms, it’s pressure build-up in the oil compartment of the engine. We check PCV pressure with a special tool during our oil change. In a good working system, a slight vacuum is applied to the crankcase to allow it to breathe. Crankcase vapors go through a special box and are condensed to allow the oil to return to the system. Commonly, over time, the PCV breather box and lines become clogged. When crank case pressure becomes positive the vapors are burned rather than condensed and the pressure can also force oil leaks. A clean PCV system will reduce oil consumption and sludge build up. With high mileage, it is common to have to remove the oil pan to fully clean out the system.

At Indie we provide a very precise alignment. Our alignment machine is top-of-the-line and is capable of measuring angles beyond simple machines. Quite often at a tire or quick lube shop, only the very minimum is checked or even adjusted. If components are frozen they are typically not adjusted. Some shops offer a “front end alignment” and only adjust the front wheels. For a proper alignment the rear wheels need to be true before any front end adjustment can take place. If you align the front and leave the rear out of of adjustment you really haven’t done anything. This is a disservice to the customer not only for excessive tire wear, but safety as well. When we align a car, we start by making sure all the adjustments are free and functional. Because we specialize, we know where all the adjusters are and how they function. If there are any worn suspension components they should be replaced first. After alignment we confirm by road testing your car and will print out alignment results to keep on file. Alignment is always necessary after a suspension repair. We also recommend alignments about twice a year for proper tire wear.

An engine timing belt is a toothed belt used to control the precise timing of the engine intake and exhaust valves to open and close. A serpentine or accessory drive belt is the grooved belt which turns components like the power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, and generator which keeps the electrical system charged while driving. Volvo uses what is called an interference engine. This means that the internal components operate in such tight tolerance of each other that if they are not timed perfectly they will collide and severely damage internal engine components. If a timing belt fails, the result is typically cylinder head replacement and could be as bad as whole engine replacement. It is very rare to see the actual timing belt fail. More commonly, the bearings that the belt pulleys and water pump ride on seize and cause the belt to fail. Just imagine, that pulley is spinning on a bearing similar to a skateboard wheel when the engine is running, not just driving. This is why all the components that touch the timing belt get replaced at the required interval. The serpentine belt requires replacement along with the timing belt. Serpentine belt failure can disable power-steering and your electrical system, leaving you on the side of the road. We have seen serpentine belts fail, then debris from the belt enters the timing belt cover and causes the engine to jump out of time. It is rare to see timing belt issues with original equipment parts fail prior to their recommended replacement interval, usually 105k-120k miles.