Graham and Yelm Auto Repair

Today at Graham Auto Repair we got to celebrate a Birthday for one of our Automotive Technicians! Meet our Automotive Technician Bret! Bret joined our Team at Graham Auto Repair in November 2020. He is married to Kellee and they have three kids: Jessica, Michael, and Douglas. Their family has a Rottweiler named Scout! Bret was born in Puyallup and he grew up in Roy, attending the Yelm High School. He got into repairing vehicles by working on his own Motocross Bikes. As time went by he really got into Hot Rods! He has been working in the Automotive Field since April 1986. His favorite thing about working in this industry is having a good end result. When Bret finds himself with spare time he enjoys riding dirt & street bikes. He also likes to work on his Corvette & his 1942 Mercury! Their family enjoys camping, fishing, and going to the beach. We are ... read more

  Experienced Automotive Technician Job Thank you for your interest in joining our Team! We are seeking an Automotive Technician with at least 4 years of professional, on-the-job experience. Are you a Tech who is looking to join a team that’s more like family? Are you looking for a career where your Mechanic skills are appreciated, your personal time is valued, and continued paid training is expected? Graham Auto Repair is growing! We are looking for experienced Technicians to partner with us and take our well-established shop to the next level! If you are interested in learning more about joining our team please read more details below. You can Apply directly on our website! Why Should you Join us at Graham Auto Repair? - We have a Sign-on Bonus for qualified Technicians, depending on your experience. - We have a very comp ... read more

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