Your tires are one of the most important parts of your car. They're your only real contact with the road. Blowing out a tire is dangerous, scary and can cause the car to spin out of control. Luckily, with proper tire maintenance, blowouts can mostly be avoided.

Checking tire pressure and wear to the treads is the most important step. Check your pressure when your car has had a chance to cool down, about three hours after you've finished driving for the day. It should be within the published range your car's manufacturer recommends. 

If your car isn't starting, it's sometimes the fault of your battery, and often, that's what many will assume is the issue at first glance. Sometimes it's not your battery that's dead, but rather an issue with your ignition. How can you tell if the problem is your starter? There are a few issues that may crop up if your ignition isn't working properly, and they can be used to identify the issue easily.

If your starter drive gear gives off a grinding noise, or your engine starts freewheeling, giving you nothing but a…

If you are going to be buying a car soon, it is important to know the basics about a vehicle first. That is why we here at BMW of Fairfax are here to tell you all about one small aspect of your car which often go ignored: your gaskets.

A gasket forms a seal between two parts within your engine, ensuring that nothing gets in or out that isn't supposed to be there. If you have a bad gasket, you should go to a dealer for servicing as quickly as possible. 

Whenever you take your vehicle in for an oil change, you may be encouraged to change the transmission fluid. Although you may be tempted to delay fluid replacement, it’s no joke that might put this vital system at risk if you do.

Just like engine oil, transmission fluid also goes through a punishing process. It ensures that our vehicles change gears efficiently, controls our engine revolutions per minute, and regulates transmission temperature. However, the chaotic environment causes the eventual breakdown and contamination of the fluid. 

Radiator cores are the central parts of your radiator. They route hot coolant through the center of the radiator where it is cooled by airflow from the fans and vehicle motion. Cores can be made out of many different metals, but two of the most popular choices are aluminum and copper.

Copper is too soft to form core-material on its own, so it is often combined with brass for structural strength. Copper and brass radiator cores tend to be heavier than aluminum cores, but also have slightly better heat removal capabilities. 

Anyone that has driven in the snow here in Fairfax, Virginia knows how important it is to have windshield wiper fluid topped off at a moment’s notice. Not only can the fluid be used to rid a windshield of unwanted ice and snow, but it can also help a driver to see better when their windshield gets covered with road salt and sand that are typically used by road crews to increase traction and melt ice. Although these products can help drivers to drive more safely on the roads, they can also cover their windows pretty quickly and make…

We don't always think about tires as much as we should. The truth is that tires are the only real contact our vehicles have with the roads of Fairfax, VA and beyond, making them quite possibly the most important thing on our cars!

The old adage is to stick a penny in the center tread of your tires. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, then your tire(s) is ready for replacement. What if I told you that your tires should actually be replaced before that point? 

Chances are very high that at some point we have all heard the term "horsepower", usually right after a number. The higher the number the better, right? Chances are that you don't know what a unit of horsepower is, the term is used quite a bit but the meaning seems to have been lost over time.

The holiday season has finally arrived in Fairfax, Virginia! Now it is time for feasts with the people you love the most! We here at BMW of Fairfax know what it is like to spend hours making the perfect green bean casserole and load it into the back of a car, only to find it has spilled on the way to family dinner! It is time for that to change. This year, don't make the same mistakes! Protect your food and your car with the following simple tips.

• Cover your dishes with spill-proof lids or aluminum foil.
• Place them…

Winter wiper blades are specifically designed to make traveling in freezing weather easier by clearing your field of vision effortlessly. If you have not already gotten your winter wiper blades, consider these reasons to get your pair from BMW of Fairfax today.

The blades that are on your vehicle all year are not equipped to handle heavy snow load.