BRYAN, Texas — Abel Villarreal, General Manager of B&B Automotive in Bryan, knows a thing or two about cars.
“I’ve enjoyed being in automotive, I’ve learned more over the last three years about vehicles than I’ve known in my entire life, especially the importance of maintenance on your vehicle," Villarreal said.
As he's finishing up on his last few vehicles in the garage, Villarreal tells 15ABC’s Chris Talley before getting behind the wheel — you should first check your car’s battery.
“By nature, folks are going to automatically think about the vehicle starting and there’s no sense in going across the state or country and get somewhere where the vehicle doesn’t start," Villarreal said.
"The first thing they think about is the battery and we check to see the health/life of it and if we see any issues with it.”
While your car may start up properly, Villarreal said you can't assume your fluid levels are good to go.
“Things like your transmission fluid and making sure it’s in the best condition possible and making sure you have the right amount of coolant as well so that there are no issues with your vehicle overheating,” Villarreal said.
Once things under the hood all check outx don’t forget about your tires.
Villarreal tells me brakes are the most forgotten part of maintenance, and could cost you in the long run.
“If you start hearing a squealing noise there is a metal rod inside of the brake pad called a ‘squeal indicator’ letting you know it’s getting to the end of it’s life," Villarreal said.
And if that’s a lot to keep up with, Villarreal says that B&B Automotive is here to help.
“We do offer a ‘road trip inspection’ that we can do that mainly consists of those safety items, fluid levels and testing your battery to make sure that’s not going to be a problem while they travel," Villarreal said.