If you drive a standard shift car, truck, or SUV, there’s a good chance reliability was a factor in your decision to get a stick shift. However, from time to time, even a manual transmission needs to be serviced; when it does, R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro has you covered.

Once your transmission has been replaced and you’re shifting smoothly once more, you’ll probably want to keep it running smoothly. Here are some tips from R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY to help keep you reliably on the road.

Trucks aren’t like cars...your average personal vehicle usually holds about 5 quarts of oil, and you are supposed to change it every 3-5k miles. However, the same logic doesn’t apply to large trucks. At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we know how important proper oil changes and diagnostics are to keep your truck on the road, for hundreds of thousands of miles. Here’s what you need to know:

While most fleet vehicles are chosen for their reliability, low maintenance, and durability, sometimes maintaining several of them at a time can become overwhelming. Just keeping up with the maintenance schedule alone is a task and then to ensure you keep your scheduled routes for those fleet vehicles is another task in itself. Let R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro put your mind at ease, with our fleet maintenance programs for any and all fleet vehicles. We will take the stress from your business fleet program and get your fleet trucks and fleet cars running at optimum performance with a routine that works for your business that often REDUCES costs!

Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs! 
1.  You see steam rising from the engine!
2.  The Check Engine Light is on!
3.  The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
4.  You hear grinding or thumping noises.

Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we strive to keep your truck as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

Coolant flushes are an important maintenance procedure, necessary for keeping your truck reliably on the road. At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, we know that coolant flushes are a key aspect of preventative maintenance that goes a long way.

Nothing works if your transmission doesn't work!  Simply put you are going nowhere without it and it is the one thing that both car and truck drivers alike never think twice about until it really acts up or they have no power or simply don't move forward.  Most of us have a newer car or truck with an automatic transmission in it vs. a standard transmission so do not notice that it is slipping gears until the problem is really serious so the question is how do you get the most out of your transmission?  The obvious answer is to take care of your transmission with scheduled service per your owner's manual recommendation but we have put together a simple checklist for our Owensboro drivers to help them become "transmission aware" as it were.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, we know how much efficiency matters. When it comes to your truck, it’s equally important. Obviously, a huge chunk of your operating cost is fuel consumption, which is largely dependent on the truck's design. Fortunately, there are ways to greatly increase the efficiency of your truck, regardless of shape or size.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we know the key to making your vehicle last; good maintenance. An overwhelming percentage of the problems we see, especially the really catastrophic ones, are a result of poor maintenance. While properly maintaining a vehicle can seem like a bit of a hassle, it is absolutely worth the payoff. Good maintenance is the only difference between a car that lasts 80,000 miles and a car that lasts 400,000 miles. Preventative maintenance and repair when a problem occurs are your two concerns, and both will keep your car on the road far longer if observed properly.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, we know how important it is that your fleet benefits you as much as possible. One of the easiest ways to ensure this is by minimizing breakdowns. Breakdowns are expensive, time-consuming, and throw a wrench into operations; and as anyone who operates a fleet knows, time and efficiency are the most important factors in getting the most out of your fleet. Here are some tips on minimizing breakdowns in your fleet, from R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY.

Your car’s radio and headlights, plus a slew of other important functions, are powered by an electrical current generated by your vehicle’s engine. A vital part of generating electricity is having a place to store it while it’s not being used. This is where your car battery comes into play. The battery of your vehicle holds electrical energy while the car is off in order to help the engine turn over and create a spark to start internal combustion. Without a working battery, your car will not be able to start. If you allow our team here at R.C. Bratcher, Inc to perform proper maintenance, an average car battery can start your car reliably for roughly four years.

Once you know what's in your transmission, and what’s connected to it, it’s much easier to understand how it works. Let's take a look at how it all comes together. At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we want to make sure you know how your car works so you can keep it in great condition.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we pride ourselves on specialty knowledge and ability. Once you’ve settled on a transmission to invest in, it’s important not to cut corners on the homestretch. We’ve got you covered here and you can expect top quality repairs for your top quality product.

Road trips are a lot of fun, and often unpredictable. For all the miles you will be driving we always recommend preparing for any situation. With this checklist from R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we understand that big trucks mean bigger risk on the road. Here are some tips to remember, to reduce the likelihood of an accident next time you’re on the job.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, we understand how important safety is in the world of truck driving. The stakes are higher in a big truck; potential for damage is obviously far greater, to you, your cargo, and other people on the road. Here are some easy tips that go a long way.

Automatic transmissions aren’t easily understood outside of specialists like those at R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY. While it would be impossible to teach you enough to make you a transmission expert in a series of articles, what we can do is give you the fundamental knowledge you need to have a good idea of what your transmission is doing, and how it works.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, we’re not only here to fix your truck when something goes wrong...we’re here to help you understand your truck a little better, too. Here are some tips concerning your thermostat - how it works, what to watch out for, and what to do about it when one fails.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc, there’s a reason we’re the top rated truck repair center in Owensboro, KY; we do it all. While many shops shy away from the more complicated aspects of truck repair, we have the tools and people to get the job done.