Graham Auto Repair

Digital Vehicle Health Inspection At Graham Auto Repair our Automotive Technicians will complete a Digital Health Inspection of your vehicle with every service. This is a courtesy service with no additional cost for you. During the vehicle inspection our Technicians take pictures of everything that they find. The inspection includes a walk-around where they inspect things like the overall body condition, the headlights, windshield, tire depth, vehicle mileage and warning lights. They also perform a Test Drive where they inspect the horn, chassis, parking brake, engine performance, shifting, steering, braking, and acceleration. They check all of your fluids, including the engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid and power steering fluid. They inspect the battery, spark plugs, air filter, drive belts and cooling system hoses. They check for fluid leaks and perform a visual inspection of the brakes, tires and struts. After the vehicle inspection is complete, o ... read more

Happy National Donut Day Today for lunch our Team celebrated #NationalDonutDay with Legendary Doughnuts!     If you are looking for a local shop near Graham, WA - check out Legendary Doughnuts! They currently have 7 locations. Here is their website with locations: https://www.legendarydoughnuts.com/locations/ Happy Friday from Graham Auto Repair! Check out our TikTok Video!     Follow us on Social Media:       ... read more

Graham Auto Repair is ATI’s Top Shop 2020 What is “Top Shop 2020” The title of Top Shop 2020 was awarded to us from ATI. Graham Auto Repair is one of 1800+ Auto Repair and Collision Shops to be part of ATI. ATI stands for Automotive Training Institute. We joined ATI in February 2012. They deliver personal coaching to help us reach our goals. By being a part of ATI we have access to excellent training tools for our entire Team. Continual training helps us deliver exceptional customer service on a daily basis, both internally and externally. 2020 marks our 3rd year in a row of being presented with an award for Top 12! Thank You From Our Team! 2020 is our first year as Top Shop and we are all very excited! We are so thankful for everything that we’ve learned by being a part of ATI. It is a blessing to receive recognition for all the dedication and passion that our Team puts into Graham Auto Re ... read more

Memorial Day 2021 "They died so we can live. Honor them. Don’t let their sacrifice go to waste." In memory of many, in honor of all. Thank you. Your bravery and service will never be forgotten.                       

What is Brake Rotor Resurfacing? When your Brake Rotors are no longer in optimal condition, you may have more than one option. One option is a Brake Rotor Replacement. There may be some cases when it’s possible to Resurface the Brake Rotors instead. What is Brake Rotor Resurfacing? It's a process where we remove a small amount of the Brake Disc’s material using a Brake Lathe. This process will remove any corrosion and/or Brake Pad deposits. It will also smooth out any surface irregularities that can cause vibrations. How do you know if you should have your Brake Rotors Resurfaced or Replaced? That will partly depend on the condition of your Brakes. It's not always going to be possible to Resurface them. We will first need to inspect them to ensure that the Brake Discs are free of cracks and grooves. They will also need to have enough material left to maintain safe operational thickness. Either way, it's important to ensure that your Brakes are performing at the ... read more

Why is My Car A/C Blowing Hot Air? There may be huge gaps in time when you don’t need the Air Conditioning in your car. Especially in Washington State! When it gets hot you finally reach for that A/C button … You wait expectantly for that refreshing cold air! If you are reading this blog you are probably not that lucky. You may be asking, "Why is my cars ac not blowing cold air??" There are multiple things that can cause your car's A/C to stop functioning properly. It could be caused by low Refrigerant (also called Freon) or by a breakdown of the Compressor. There could also be a problem in the Electrical System or with the Cooling Fan. These are just a few examples. To find out what's going on in your A/C System you can schedule an A/C Service with us at Graham Auto Repair. How Can We Help? At Graham Auto Repair we have an Air Conditioning Service to diagnose your A/C concerns. I will give you a quick run-down of the steps that are performed during t ... read more

How Often Should You Change Your Brakes? Brake Pads and Brake Shoes will wear out over time. The more often they are used, the thinner they will become. As they thin out they are no longer able to generate the same amount of friction and heat. This makes it harder for you to stop your vehicle quickly, which will increase the distance that’s required for you to stop. There are many factors that contribute to how quickly our Brake Pads or Brake Shoes need to be replaced. Our driving habits and the environments we drive in both make a difference in how fast they thin out. The material our Brake Pads or Brake Shoes are made from also makes a difference. Different materials have a different amount of durability. Let’s talk about the different warning signs that you can watch for, to know when it’s time to change your Brakes. 1. Vehicle Warning Light One sign you should watch for is the Brake System Warning Light. If this warning light comes on it could mean more t ... read more

Graham Auto Repair in Yelm, WA Have you heard the news? Our Team is joining the Yelm Community in 2021. At the end of March we had the opportunity to meet with Paul Dunn from the Nisqually Valley News. He interviewed us and published an article about us! The above Photos are from the Nisqually Valley News Article, posted on April 1, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Dunn. Shared with permission. Pictured Left: Owner Troy Vaninetti hanging the "Join Our Team" sign in the window of our Yelm Shop. Pictured Right: Owner Troy Vaninetti and Digital Media/Recruiting Manager Lacie standing in front of the new Yelm Shop. You can read the full article here ... read more

April 2021 Mobile Blood Drive Graham Auto Repair is hosting a Mobile Blood Drive April 24, 2021. Before you Donate Blood: Make sure that you eat well, drink plenty of non-caffeinated fluids, and bring your picture ID. If you are under the age of 18, you must have a signed, "Parental Permission to Donate" Form. Important Note: You must sign up in advance to donate blood. Walk-in Blood Donations may not be accepted at this time. Thank you! Click This Link to Sign UpOr copy/paste this URL into your browser: https://donor.crbs ... read more

How Do I Check My Oil? It is important to Check Oil Often. In today’s blog we are going to give you a few steps to follow so that you can Check Your Oil today. If you are asking, “How Often Should I Change My Oil?” you can  read our blog post here. Step 1: Prep Your Car First thing you want to do is park your vehicle on a flat, level surface with the engine turned off. Let your car cool down before Checking Your Oil. Pop the hood open and get ready to Check The Oil! Step 2: Find the Dipstick Next you will need to locate the Dipstick. This may or may not be easy to find. Sometimes it will have a colored handle that is yellow or orange. If you do not see it, you can check your owner’s manual for it's location. Step 3: Clean the Dipstick Next thing you will want to do is clean the Dipstick off so ... read more