It’s one of the more common questions that comes up in the service bay: does my VW have a timing belt or a timing chain, and when does it need to be replaced? The answer depends entirely on which engine is under the hood, and getting it wrong in either direction, replacing something too late…
Route 50 is one of those drives that makes summer in Clarksburg worth it, winding past Jane Lew, Salem, and on toward Parkersburg with plenty of scenery and not a lot of cell signal along the way. But a long highway drive in summer heat is exactly the kind of trip that puts tires to…
There’s nothing quite like a fall drive through the Alleghenies, with Route 33 winding toward Elkins or the long descent off Laurel Mountain opening up into a valley view that makes the whole trip worth it. But the same grades that make these drives memorable also put serious strain on your brakes, and a brake…
VW’s factory engine air filter interval for TSI engines is set at 60,000 miles or six years under normal driving conditions. Harrison County, West Virginia is not a normal driving environment. The Harrison County Mine Preparation Plant in Shinnston has the potential to emit over 268 tons of PM10 particulate matter per year. Add the…
The roads around Clarksburg and Bridgeport are not easy on drivetrains. US-50 between Clarksburg and Grafton winds through narrow elevation changes and wooded curves that load and unload the AWD system with every bend. Secondary roads throughout Harrison County add potholes, gravel, and off-camber surfaces that put the 4MOTION system to work in ways it…
The VW Taos is one of the more capable compact SUVs in its class, but its 1.5-liter turbocharged engine comes with a non-negotiable requirement that a surprising number of owners overlook: the oil that goes into it must carry the VW 508 00 specification. Using the wrong oil in this engine is not a minor…
Last month, a 2020 VW Atlas came in with severely warped front rotors and glazed brake pads after a summer of mountain driving around Clarksburg. The owner had been riding the brakes on every descent, never once using the Tiptronic manual mode available on the shifter. After repeated heat cycles on routes like Stealey Road…
If you drive Route 20 every day, you already know that sinking feeling when your brakes start pulling or squealing on a steep descent. The truth is, standard brake pads were not designed for the kind of sustained downhill pressure that Bridgeport drivers deal with on a regular basis. Heavy-duty brake pads can cost $150…
There’s a particular kind of road condition that only locals understand — the kind that shows up twenty minutes after a summer storm rolls through Harrison County, where a perfectly drivable gravel road becomes a moving slick of mud and loose stone that coats everything underneath your vehicle from the front splitter to the rear…
Last October, a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta arrived at our service bay three days before its registration renewal deadline after its owner had put off scheduling the state inspection for two months. The vehicle failed on two counts: a cracked windshield that had been spreading slowly since a rock strike on US-50 near Clarksburg and a…
