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Schedule Service Service Center Recognizing common transmission problems The transmission in your car is a complicated mechanical system. It controls how the power from you engine is distributed to the driveshaft and a small problem could result in major issues with your vehicle. So as soon as you notice any of these common transmission problems, you should try to find a way to get them fixed. Your car’s transmission experiences more wear and tear from daily use than most parts of the vehicles which is why it’s important to pay close attention to it and keep it maintained. If you’re in need of a service or maintenance on your transmission, be sure to contact us here at Speedcraft Volkswagen. To help you identify problems with your car’s transmission, we've compiled a list of 5 common transmission problems Lack of response You might notice that, while driving, your car hesitates or refuses to go into gear.  This is a clear-cut sign of a problem with your transmission. This problem is usually caused by a bad clutch that needs to be replaced, but it may also be caused by a more severe problem. Strange noises Another sign of problems with your transmission is hearing whining, clunking and humming. If your vehicle starts making a noise that you aren't used to while shifting gears, it’s a good idea to get it checked out. Leaking fluid The most recognizable problem with transmission is leaking fluids. This problem should be repaired as soon as possible. Leaking fluid that goes unchecked is one of the most common sources of transmission break down. The fluid in your transmission is essential to ensuring it runs properly. When your fluids are low or start to leak, it can cause serious damage. Dragging clutch If you have a manual transmission, you might experience a dragging clutch. This is described as the clutch disk failing to disengage the flywheel when the clutch is pressed. The problem makes it difficult or impossible to change gears and is accompanied by a grinding noise. It’s usually caused by too much slack in the clutch pedal, which is a relatively easy and inexpensive fix. Noisy transmission in neutral There are a few causes of a noisy transmission while in neutral. Fixing it could be as easy as adding or changing the fluid. However, if that doesn't work, you may need to replace worn out parts such as the bearings, gear teeth or the reverse idler gear. If you run into any of these common transmission problems and are in need of assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Speedcraft Volkswagen. Our expert staff would be happy to assist you with any maintenance needs. It should be noted that most of these problems can be avoided with regular maintenance. If you would like to schedule an appointment for a service, contact us here and we’ll set you up.

Easy maintenance tips to prevent car problems Sometimes accidents happen. But it’s important to do all that you can to prevent them from happening to your car. A lot of car problems with your vehicle can be solved with proper maintenance. By following these easy maintenance tips, we hope to help with preventing common problems. One of the more common problems car owners run into is their engine misfiring. This occurs when one of the engine’s spark plugs fires at the wrong time or not at all. Each spark plug is timed to fire at a specific time and a misfire can be caused by a number of things. Some causes of this problem are bad wiring, bad fuel delivery, a vacuum leak or a mechanical breakdown. The best way to avoid problems with your spark plugs is by having regular maintenance performed on your vehicle and ensuring that your vehicle is properly tuned. Another issue you may run into is an evaporative emissions leak. The evaporative emissions system control system is designed to trap the gas tank fumes. Problems with this system can occur when a leak is caused by corrosion in the vapor lines or a comprised canister. To fix this, the leak must be located and the part should be fixed or replaced. You can prevent this issue by making sure you gas cap is closed properly after refueling and rust does not build up on the system line. Catalytic converter failure is another preventable problem that drivers that drivers often run into that can lead to some expensive repair. It can result from rust and corrosion causing a leak or internal plugging caused by a carbon buildup. If this happens, the only way to fix it is to replace the converter. Keeping your engine maintained is the easiest way to avoid this problem. Be sure to keep up with regular scheduled tune ups and system maintenance. Maintenance at Speedcraft Volkswagen A lot of problems with cars are preventable with regular maintenance, but when they’re unavoidable, we’re there for you. Our expert staff would be happy to help you with any auto problems you might come across. If you run into any of these problems and are in need of a service or maintenance, be sure to contact us here at Speedcraft Volkswagen through our website or by phone. For more information about maintaining your vehicle, be sure to take a look at the rest of our blog entries.

Volkswagen recalls over 6,000 models due to faulty component Volkswagen has followed in BMW and Nissan's suit in recalling some of their vehicles due to problems with equipment supplied by Bosch engineering company. The parts in question are the nickel-plated fuel pumps. It has been discovered that the nickel plating has the potential to chip off the part and cause problems with the pump. The 2015 Volkswagen Golf is the most recent victim in a string of vehicle recalls caused by this problem. Along with the Volkswagen recall, other victims include the Audi A4 and GTI.  The total number of these models that need to be repaired add up to 6,204 units. Problems like this have been known to happen before. For this case, the pump’s nickel plating can possibly flake and fall off of the component. The nickel chips could end up causing friction in the pump and, if left unchecked, eventually lead to the component failing. No reports of accidents or injuries resulting from this issue in Volkswagen have been made, but this remains a serious problem. Even though these models don’t have the same exact component, all of them have feature the same nickel plating process. Because of this, all of them have the potential to be dangerous to drivers. Owners of recalled vehicles If you’re the owner of a model of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf, there is a good chance that it has been recalled. If you are the owner of a vehicle affected by the problems with the Bosch parts, you should be notified by mail soon if you haven’t been already. Unfortunately, Bosch does not currently have enough parts made to replace all of the defective components. Automakers are currently working with them in order to create more pumps to replace the defective ones. It is important to note that once parts become available, our service department will replace these components for affected customers free of charge. If you haven’t received notification of a recall, but still want to see if your vehicle is affected, you can do so easily on the Volkswagen website. The Volkswagen recall tool makes it easy to check up on your vehicle based on its VIN number. Your car’s VIN number should be located on the driver’s side dashboard, or on the sticker inside the driver doorjam. If you can’t find it in either of these places, the number can also be found on your registration form. With it, you can use the recall tool to view what recalls have been issued for you vehicle. If you have a used vehicle, you can also view if any recalls have been made on your vehicle in the past, and if the problem had been fixed.

Our new site makes it easier than ever to schedule a service appointment, order parts, and even shop for tires right online. If you have been keeping up with our recent blog posts, you already know that when we recently redesigned our all-new website that simplicity was our guide. The website is still just barely a week old. Here on the blog, we are taking a little time to give you a comprehensive tour of some of the key features we’ve added. We not only wanted to be sure to make your car shopping experience as easy as possible, but we also wanted to make sure we took the hassle out of servicing your car. Simplified Service Schedule and More is available with our convenient new online tools. If you’re in a hurry, click instead of call. The Speedcraft Volkswagen Service Department truly is a one-stop-shop for getting your vehicle in out, and you back to your life. Whether it’s a quick oil change, brake job, muffler repair, inspection, tire rotation or electrical service, we can handle it. Our skilled technicians aren’t just gifted when it comes to cars. They are also some of the best in the business when it comes to taking good care of customers. We might be biased, but our Service Department team can’t be beat. We know that the part of car ownership that is the least fun is the maintenance side of things. Between attempting to make an appointment in the middle of an already hectic schedule, and dealing with dishonest people trying to upsell you around every corner, it can really be a nightmare. We pride ourselves on making the service process smooth, easy, and dare we say, fun. You can Schedule Your Service directly from our site now. It’s a convenient feature, but more than anything we just wanted to make it as easy as possible for you. If you remember your oil needs changing in the middle of the night, feel free to hop online and schedule your next oil change. No need to wait for us to get into the office to make a call. You are encouraged to set up an account, but if you’re in a serious hurry or need some emergency work done, you can simply click to grab the next available appointment. What could be easier? Shopping for Tires and Ordering Car Parts is fun for a few, but a headache for many. You are always welcome to come in and talk with our Service Professionals about all of your concerns and needs for your vehicle. But if you want to shop for tires or parts on your own, we’ve added those features to the site for you. If you have any questions for our Service Department, or if you have any questions regarding our new site, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Gift Ideas for Car Lovers We did it, everyone. We made it through the whole year, through the Thanksgiving holiday, and now we only have about a month until the more festive holidays make their way to the Providence area. This obviously means that you’ll be shopping, and if you’re anything like us, a few people on your list will be car lovers. So what do you get for your local gearhead that they might not think to get for themselves? Here are four gift ideas for car lovers, from your friends at Speedcraft VW! 1) A GoPro If you are someone who enjoys taking your car off-roading or simply going on scenic drives, then there isn’t any reason that you shouldn’t have a GoPro. This camera is easily mountable, and with its ability to take 1080p videos at 30 frames per second, the clips are crisp and clear. And, since it’s equipped with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, they are easy to share and upload as well. 2) VW DriverGear What kid wouldn't love a VW Beetle power wheel? We’ve talked about this before, but Volkswagen has some of the most impressive swag of any automaker worldwide. Sweatshirts, watches, water bottles, remote controlled cars...the list goes on and on. And, since you can order from the comfort of your couch with our Parts and Accessories eStore, you avoid lines as well. 3) A VW Beetle Power Wheel Is your resident car lover...a child? If so, then why not get them a little Beetle of their own? Power wheels have come a long way since the rickety ones we remember, with spot-on design and a level of fun that your kids can’t find normally. May as well get their lifelong infatuation with Volkswagen off to a good start, right? 4) Racing Video Games Did you know that the average gamer is 30 years old? This means that the buddy you have who enjoys Formula One and working on his car on the weekends probably has an Xbox in his basement too. This year’s most popular titles include Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox only), as well as Grand Theft Auto: Rivals and Grand Theft Auto 5, available for both Xbox and Playstation consoles. For the more lighthearted crowd, meanwhile, Mario Kart 8 is now available on the Nintendo Wii U. (This one’s our favorite.) So, are you ready to do your shopping? If so, we hope that these ideas help in the process. And, if you’re looking for, say, something a little bigger, check out our outstanding lineup of new and used Volkswagen vehicles at Speedcraft VW! Happy holidays and happy shopping!

For all necessary parts and accessories, our new eStore can be trusted to find it! Volkswagen OEM Parts and Accessories eStore When was the last time you tried to buy new printer cartridges? Or, let’s say, you had to find a new spark plug for your lawnmower. Did you by chance head blindly to the store, assuming, as we so often do, that “You’d know it when you saw it”? If you have, you probably got home to find that, after a fair amount of cursing and kicking tires, you purchased the wrong one. Been there? We all have. With car parts, the same common misstep happens all too often. And when it comes to a vehicle such as Volkswagen, the parts are often more obscure and difficult to track down. Or at least they were, until now. That is because we at Speedcraft VW are now featuring an Volkswagen Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Parts and Accessories eStore, eliminating all of the legwork and frustration that often accompanies tracking down a part that you are desperately trying to find. Looking for new wheels? These are among the available accessories found in our new eStore! Whether it is a mechanical part relating to systems such as exhaust, brakes or electronics, or if its simply an accessory that you desire to add some personalized flavor to your favorite Volkswagen, we work quickly to find the part that you need. And you know that frustrating thing that sometimes happens, where the part you buy isn’t the one you actually need. We eliminate that worry, guaranteeing that you will get the right part the first time, every time. Furthermore, with our outstanding full-service automotive department, you can have all your parts installed safely and professionally right here in the Providence area. Many in the area already know Speedcraft VW as Rhode Island’s #1 Online Rated Volkswagen Dealership, and this latest move to an online OEM Parts and Accessories store is simply a natural extension of our previous efforts. We look forward to assisting you with your search for official Volkswagen parts, and look forward to seeing you soon at Speedcraft VW!