At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, we know that a huge part of the ride quality of your car, truck, or SUV is how well it keeps road and engine noises out of the passenger compartment. Few things are more annoying on a long commute or road trip than the drone of tires on pavement, the constant sound of your car battling the air outside, loud semi-trucks, and so on.

If you drive performance or luxury vehicle (Subaru, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Land Rover, etc.) you’re aware that you have a complex and precision-engineered machine. When things start to go wrong, sometimes they go wrong in a hurry. Here are some things to watch out for, from R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY.

Do you have a noisy vehicle? If so, you may need a new muffler or exhaust system from our team here at R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro. The purpose of your exhaust system is not only to reduce the noise but also to redirect fumes away from your vehicle. Redirecting these fumes protects passengers in the car from toxins created by burning fuel.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless chemical that can escape from an unsecured exhaust system, and if inhaled can pose very serious health hazards. If you experience an unusually loud sound coming from your vehicle, it is vital to get your exhaust system checked immediately!

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.

If your car has climate control, then it also has a cabin filter. Cabin filters are simply air filters for the interior of your car, truck, or SUV. All air entering circulation through the climate control system first passes through this filter, to prevent your AC or heat systems from accumulating debris or blowing them out of your vents. The result is cleaner, quieter, and longer-lasting climate control systems, which keep the inside of your car as comfortable as possible. 

If you drive a car, truck, or SUV that runs on gasoline, there's a good chance you’ve run it low on fuel a few times (or more than a few times,) and maybe even run out of gas completely a time or two. At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we like to provide information applicable to you. Running a vehicle low on fuel is something we’re all guilty of, and most of us don’t think twice about it. But, can it be bad for your car?

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.

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.

Don’t you hate it when potholes sneak up on you? There is a lot of money being spent on vehicle damage due to potholes. Do you know what parts of your car could receive the most damage? R.C. Bratcher, Inc is the leader in Owensboro, KY for the service and repair of automotive tires. We know the kind of damage that can be done, so if you suspect something is wrong with your car or truck, it’s always a good idea to stop by so we can take a quick look.

Here are 10 steps to keep your car up and running from our team here at R.C. Bratcher, Inc! Whether you choose to do the maintenance yourself or take your car to see our professional service technicians, the non-profit Car Care Council recommends 10 basic maintenance procedures to keep your vehicle running its best. 

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.

A quality product is only as good as the quality of the installation. You’re dropping some serious money on an engine replacement, on a car that’s worth even more. R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY is here to make sure you get the quality install you need.

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.

At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we know how annoying little quirks and issues can be. A common problem vehicles experience is a cooling fan that doesn’t kick on and off when it’s supposed to. While a fan that won’t kick off is far less troubling than a fan that won’t turn on, it’s still a problem that needs to be fixed for a variety of reasons. Here’s why, and what you should do.

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.

If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, you know that your precision engineered equipment demands precision tuning. At R.C. Bratcher, Inc in Owensboro, KY, we specialize in high-end imports and performance vehicles and keeping them up to par.

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, cars are our passion, so naturally, we like to keep up with new technology on the market. At the moment, surprisingly the current trend is moving towards a goal you may not expect; self-driving vehicles. You’ve probably heard about self-driving cars a little bit here and there on the news, but it likely still seems somewhere in the realm of science fiction to you. However, the reality is that self-driving cars are on the way and maybe here sooner than you think. Already, almost all major automobile manufacturers are dumping billions of dollars into research and development for self-driving cars, and even companies like Uber are jumping on board.