West Palm Beach Auto Repair

February is a sweet month filled with love, chocolates, flowers, and gifts. But some of the most fun gifts are the ones we found for the car lover in your life. Foreign Affairs Auto in West Palm Beach caters to European automobiles, so we couldn’t help but share these items that many auto enthusiasts would love. Bentley luxury products: If you and your car lovers are Bentley fans, you’ll love the gift collections available in their online store. From apparel and accessories to well-appointed luggage, the Bentley lover in your life will be thrilled with these Bentley gifts. Rolls-Royce merchandise: Since Rolls-Royce is a brand that has been around since 1904, they have an online store as well. If your car loving sweetheart also loves to play golf, you can purchase Rolls-Royce golf tees, as well as apparel and executive items. BMW accessories a ... read more

Have you ever made New Year’s Resolutions for your car? Your loyal car takes you all over town without any complaints. It’s there when you need it, and goes when you put your foot on the gas. So why not have New Year’s Resolutions for your vehicle? Here are some you might consider for 2019!  Get Regular Maintenance Changing the oil and checking all the fluids, making sure the hoses aren’t cracked... those are things that will help your vehicle last longer, and save you money in the long run. We don’t like surprises when it comes to our car, and maybe you don’t either — one way to prevent surprises it to get that regular maintenance.  Attend to Funny Noises or Smells Does your car creak when it goes around corners? Do you sometimes smell something unusual? Those funny noises and smells could be indicators of more severe problems. Our auto technicians have heard many strange sounds. When our customers describe the sounds to us ... read more

When people first move to the West Palm Beach area, they have a tough time wrapping their minds around all the palm trees. People really seem to miss their fir trees and pine trees, especially during the holiday months. But West Palm Beach has festivities for the holidays that you’re sure to enjoy. After all, the holidays are really about generosity, family, and holiday lights!  Sandi the Sand Tree Sandi is a stupendous 600-ton sand tree, a sight you don’t want to miss this December! Sandi will be 35 feet tall and will dazzle the crowds with nightly music and light shows beginning November 29th at the Clematis by Night Tree Lighting. You have the month of December to see Sandi. There will be lots of free events for the whole family, too.  Garden of Lights: A Winter Holiday Event  Mounts Botanical Garden will be lit up in the evenings this holiday season. Thousands of holiday lights will hang from trees, with lots of LED trees, glowing light balls and walki ... read more

Isn’t November and Thanksgiving a wonderful time of year? We love the giving and gratitude that takes place in November every year--and wish it extended to the rest of the year, too. For some reason, people are thinking about all the things they’re grateful for, and that creates a spiraling effect, where everyone is on a similar wavelength. Here are some ideas for expressing gratitude in your car and for your car.  The Wave or the Peace Sign When someone lets you in during rush hour traffic, that certainly merits a thank you. So giving drivers a quick wave is considerate when they’ve gone out of their way for you. We sometimes see motorcycles giving a nod or a wave, too, when we share the road by moving out of their way. Another popular signal is the peace sign or tipping the hat as a gesture of thanks.  Thanking People for Good Driving or Parking In some areas of the country, there are programs where police department g ... read more

Isn’t Halloween one of the most fun events of the entire year? We think so! Here are some hauntingly good things you can do in October!  Dress up Your Car Trunk We don’t know when this became a thing, but people have been dressing up their trunks. Some common themes are Finding Nemo, Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland. All you need are an active imagination and a local dollar store, where you can use balloons, cardboard, paint, and glitter! Don’t forget a bucket of candy for the kids! Trunk or Treat! While we’re on the topic of dressing up your trunk, trunk or treat is something that lots of schools now sponsor. Kids can go someplace safe and go from trunk to trunk in their costumes getting candy from each trunk. These events are held not only at schools, but at community centers and churches--anywhere safe for the kids.  Outfit Your Car Now, of course, anything you can do to your trunk can al ... read more

September 8 -- Family Saturdays: Graffiti, Pop and Lock - Community Mural How about a fun event for the kiddos and the whole family? This free event takes place at 10:00 a.m. at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. The event will include dancing (with a DJ), and plenty of opportunities for picture-taking for those who don’t want to get covered with paint!   September 9 -- Grandparents Day Want to teach the grandkids about your family history? At this event, there will be chances for the grandkids to interview their grandparents, and to participate in learning about family genealogy. This event is free with admission to the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. 3:00 at the Museum in Palm Beach.   September 16 -- Sunday on the Waterfront This free, fun, family-friendly event will feature Journey tribute band Chain Reaction. Sing along to the classics of rock to tunes like “Don’t Stop Believin’” and many other songs you’ve been singing ... read more

While a lot of people look at a map and think that a road trip to Miami is a great idea, there are many shorter trips right around West Palm Beach. Also, since August tends to be rainy, traveling very far in the rain might not be so pleasant. Here, then, are some ideas for road trips closer to West Palm Beach.  Jonathan Dickinson State Park This state park is north of West Palm Beach, and a short drive up Highway 1. Note that the park is open Thursday through Monday, so it’s a great getaway for a weekend. There are a nature center and plenty of wildlife. You can take a boat or a charter out to Trapper John’s campsite. You might want to skip the swimming since there are gators! You can picnic, use the bike trails, or visit the highest point in South Florida--Hobe Mountain. And lots of people recommend camping there, too, if you like to camp! Lion Country Safari Another excellent and fun road trip is Lion Country Safari, only about ... read more

There are pluses and minuses to hurricane season, which hits us every year and lasts from June through the end of September. On the plus side, we can see them coming so we have time to prepare. On the minus side, hurricane season lasts a very long time--six months! So it’s a good idea to prepare ahead of time, as much as possible. Make Sure Your Car is Hurricane-Ready What that means is bring your car in and have all the fluids checked and replaced, if necessary. Have the right amount of air in your tires. Ask us to check your A/C and all the belts in the car. Make sure you have a spare tire and that it’s adequately inflated. Get the windshield wipers replaced, too. Keep the gas tank full in case you need to leave in a hurry. Most importantly, do this at the beginning of hurricane season, not when you get a hurricane warning!   Have An Emergency Kit A big box or backpack full of supplies is a necessity for any time you need to evacuate. Jumper cables, flares, fl ... read more

  Have you ever been in a situation when your leased car was up for service and you were confused as if to bring it to the dealer or an independent? Imagine this- You buy or lease your new car from a dealership, and they tell you, "Make sure you bring it back here for regular maintenance so you do not void your warranty." Of course, you start to wonder whether getting you vehicle services at an independent repair shop will actually void your factory warranty and cause further problems down the road. It's a valid question to ask yourself, and unfortunately not many know how to answer. Did you know that there is a law from 1975 that protected this exact confusion? The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits dealers from refusing to honor your warranty if someone else performs the repairs. It was created to stop manufacturers, such as dealerships, from confusing consumers with misleading disclaimers and information ... read more

Though we are known as the Sunshine State, Florida gets more than its fair share of rain. Lately, we’ve had torrential rains across the state. We have been receiving calls from our clients, telling us about the mysterious water leaks in their trunk and on the floor mats. Leaving your windows and sunroof open during a thunderstorm is an apparent cause for a wet car interior. However, what about when the windows are all closed? How can your car get wet on the inside when the trunk is closed, the windows are up, and the doors are locked? It may be due to the car’s drainage system getting filled with debris; resulting in water leaks. Like a gutter on your roof that’s backed up with leaves, water may seep into ordinarily waterproof areas if the drainage system is blocked. All vehicles have a drainage system, and some vehicle brands consistently exhibit drainage design issues. The water leaks could be the result of a faulty sunroof drainage system. Alternatively, the are ... read more