While the summer months fall further behind us, the onset of winter is evident as folks don multiple layers to head outside and sticks go back on the ice.
But it’s not all fall fashion and hockey season that’s here, as Bristol Auto Performance is already in the midst of gearing Pontiac vehicles up for the colder months. From winter tires through to storage, plus alignment and undercoating, their mechanics are already busy providing high-quality, cost-effective service.
Manager Riley MacGregor said their customers’ visits for a winter tire change-over begins with a full inspection. This way, the mechanics can ensure the driver they’ll be cruising smoothly through the chillier times.
“Whenever we bring them in, we’ll evaluate their tires from last year to see whether or not they’ll make it through this winter or whether they should have a new set,” said MacGregor. “If they need a new set, we’ll set them up because we have the best priced tires in the Pontiac and the Valley, hands down.”
He said they’re able to offer the best prices on their tires because Bristol Auto Performance is a direct dealer with Cooper Tires, meaning they buy in bulk. Due to this, the shop has over 4,000 tires in stock all the time, plus offshore tires, and can offer better warranties for their customers.
On top of this, despite storing those few thousand tires, they also offer free storage for tires.
New to their shop, having just installed it about four months ago, is their John Bean V3300 Diagnostic Wheel Alignment System, allowing for a complete one-stop shop experience for vehicles.
This machine diagnoses the exact problem with a vehicle’s alignment, allowing the mechanic to address the issue directly, and saving customers their hard-earned cash in the long run. MacGregor said it’s a noticeable improvement to operating your vehicle after an alignment, but most importantly, it means tires will not be subject to uneven wear.
He pointed to speedbumps, pot holes and worn-out roads as the culprits behind a need for an alignment, adding that it doesn’t take much for even the most careful driver’s vehicle to get a bit off-balance. For the price of an alignment, it amounts to a fraction of having to replace tires or fix bigger problems from this kind of wear.
While many shops may have a similar machine, MacGregor said their difference is the guys running it.
“You need to know your stuff when it comes to [the wheel alignment]. You can’t just know how to use the machine, you need to know how the parts on the vehicles work,” said MacGregor. “You need to know, if you come into a situation where you only have so much adjustment to this part, well you need to compensate for it somewhere else. If you don’t have the mechanical knowledge to actually know about the vehicle you’re working on, you’re completely exempt from doing the alignment.”
Speaking of this experience, the shop has plenty of it, with MacGregor pointing to some staff wtih over 25 years of working in the field.
“That’s how we come up ahead, our guys they’re veteran mechanics,” he said.
“They’ve seen how the vehicles evolved, from the older stuff to the new,” he continued.
While MacGregor admits their shop is plenty busy – servicing everything from the aforementioned work to small engine repairs and vehicle sales – their fulltime staff allows for their speedy service on all manners of needs.
“We’re busy, but we have enough people on duty, and enough room, that we can accommodate everybody fairly quick,” he said.
MacGregor makes sure the whole package is offered upfront, especially at this time of year. From the often-neglected oil change to a simple undercoating, which offers protection from rust and helps the longevity of fuel and brake lines, there’s plenty of work done to help drivers have a safe winter of driving.
“For a few hundred bucks spent in the fall, it’s going to make up in the long run,” said MacGregor. “We’re not the busiest shop in the Pontiac for no reason.”