Do Your Car a Favor...

And follow these four simple tips, provided by Reader’s Digest, that could help to extend the life of your car.

Service it regularly: This may seem like a given, but getting your car serviced regularly will help it drive longer. You may not be able to tell when it is time for a service since your vehicle will probably drive exactly the same. The problem occurs when you wait too long and end up on the side of the interstate waiting for a tow-truck. In other words, stop ignoring that check engine light.

Park in the shade: Garages are always the ideal place to park your car, but if one isn’t available, you should look for a shady spot. This minimizes interior damage from UV sunlight while keeping your car cool when you get back in. There is nothing worse than grabbing a burning hot seatbelt on a summer day. Sun also breaks down your car’s paint and causes it to fade. Keep your car looking newer, longer by finding a shady place to park it.

Be kind to your battery: Draining your battery will cause your car to die earlier then you want it to. Make sure you take care of it by not leaving your lights on and making sure all cables are connected correctly. Also keep the battery clean. A dirty case can cause it to drain. Just wipe it with a damp rag every so often.

Pay attention to the filters: There are several filters in your vehicle that are important to preserving the car’s engine. Important filters that should be checked and changed frequently include the oil filter, air filter, fuel filters and transmission fluid filters. Ask your repair man to check these when you get your car serviced. It will save you problems with the engine in the long run.

There are many other tips Reader’s Digest has for drivers to want to extend the life of their car. As long as you have it serviced regularly and you take care of it, you should get the most out of your vehicle. If you are interested in reading more tips, check out the full article here.

The Importance of Servicing Your Vehicle

As drivers, we each carry certain responsibilities. We ensure we adhere to the road rules, provide courtesy to fellow motorists and, importantly, put safety first – and this includes ensuring that your vehicle is in roadworthy condition.

It is essential that we all know how to check air pressure and keep an eye on our engine oil levels, but cars are complex pieces of machinery that need to be regularly maintained by an experienced professional. Without correct maintenance, your car is a potentially dangerous machine. In addition, regular servicing can save you a lot of money long-term.

1) New car warranty protection

Here are a few more reasons why regular servicing of your vehicle is absolutely essential.

All new cars come with a warranty. However, these warranties are only valid if the service requirements of the vehicle are met.

Service requirements of individual vehicles vary depending on the manufacturer’s specifications (outlined in your vehicle owner's manual). While it is true that new vehicles should be more reliable than older vehicles, you cannot assume that this means they do not require regular servicing. New car warranties require regular and specific servicing, and not adhering to these conditions (such as having your service carried out by qualified staff, according to the manufacturers’ specifications, and using genuine or appropriate quality parts where required) may void your warranty. Over time, this could be a very expensive mistake!

2) Save on gas

Cars are complex pieces of machinery, and small changes can often result in a large impact on a vehicle’s performance. These changes are inevitable over time due to natural wear and tear, but regular servicing can ensure that these changes are addressed before they become significant. Natural wear and tear can lead to a gradual but significant loss of efficiency, resulting in your car using more and more fuel to travel the same distance.

Regularly servicing your car will mean fewer visits to the gas station and leave more money in your bank account – for a new pair of shoes or a carton of beer!

3) Prolong the life of your tires

Minor and major services should always include a tire rotation and balance. This involves moving the rear tires to the front of the vehicle, and the front tires to the rear. The front tires should be balanced to prevent vibration at high speeds.

Tyre rotation is essential to not only ensuring you always have the best tyres on the front for safety purposes, but will also increase the longevity of your tyres by evening out their wear. Tyres aren’t a cheap investment, so you really want to maximise their lifespan with regular rotation!

4) Ensuring safety for you and your family – and others

Every day we buckle up automatically, without remembering that we are behind the wheel of a potentially lethal machine. Sometimes we need to take a breath and reflect on our responsibilities as drivers - these extend not only to the manner in which you conduct yourself on the roads, but also to maintaining the condition of your car. Poorly maintained vehicles significantly increase the risk of serious accidents, and while there are a number of things that you can do yourself to keep your car in good condition, these should be seen as a supplement to a professional service and not a substitute. Regular servicing by an experienced and qualified mechanic will ensure that you have done everything within your power to ensure the safety of your family and fellow motorists.

5) Prevent breakdowns

A car is similar to the human body. Unless it receives enough of the right fluids, it will break down. But your car doesn’t just need fluid - it needs clean fluid to run at its peak performance.

It is amazing how many breakdowns could have been avoided with simple and regular car maintenance. That seems obvious, however it is common to see a car stranded on the side of the road with the owner impatiently waiting for assistance.

Many breakdowns are not related to the fact that today’s car engines are more complex or involve sophisticated components – a large number of cars still break down today because fluids are allowed to reach low levels or simple repairs are not taken care of in a timely manner. Regular servicing can pick up any irregularities and ensure there are no safety requirements that could develop into a problem – such as worn brakes, shock absorbers or tyres, oil and coolant leaks or worn wheel bearings.

Regular servicing will ensure the most basic functions of your vehicle are maintained, and the general checkover of all vehicle components will ensure that any visible issues will be reported before they cause you a problem.

6) Preserving the resale value of your vehicle

How many times do we hear about how much our vehicles drop in value the minute we drive off lot? This doesn’t have to be the case! No matter how long you have your car for, you will almost certainly want to sell it in the future. A complete, regular service history will make your vehicle much more attractive to prospective buyers, and you not only find it easier to sell but will most certainly receive a higher price if you have looked after it properly.

843-402-6747

Call us today to schedule your service 

or use our online appointment scheduler 

Mel Leyshon: http://www.productionautomotive.com.au

Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Thanks Our Customers!

Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Employees would like to thank all of our customers for their wonderful and sincere comments. We genuinely desire our customers to know that we value them and care about them. We recommit ourselves everyday to exceed the expectations of our customers.

Hope you enjoy these comments as much as we do !


Secilia Y. “All I have to say is keep up the good work.”

Paul R. “Everyone is friendly & courteous in everyway.”

Jacqueline R. “Very happy with salesman & dealership, would buy another car from this dealership.”

Ronald H. “My salesperson Shawn is an asset to the Charleston, SC Rick Hendrick team. It was a pleasure to meet and do business with him. He is honest, truthful and caring. The members of the Hendrick Team that I met were professional and a pleasure too associate with.”

Elizabeth K. “The staff is unbelievably courteous and professional. We have bought many vehicles in different states and have never run across such conscientious service.”

Michael G. “Overall a great experience, thanks.”

Patricia F. “My salesman, Joey, was awesome, best experience ever!”

Ward U. “JD was the best salesman I have ever had & yes I will be back to buy from him again. Thanks JD!”

Willis L. “Thanks for the Chevy Silverado, great business.”

James M. “Nelson is a very good salesman. He took good care of me 100%.”

Josh M. “I am extremely satisfied with my new vehicle and the service that I received.”

Merrill G.: 4 on Q16 Jerry H. “Very Good!

Richard C. Criswell: 4 on Q16 Jerry H. “Thanks for your service!”

John L. “I was greeted with very friendly & professional service & would recommend Rick Hendrick Chevrolet to anyone.”

Marion K. “1st class business for attitude & physical appearance.”

Stacey G. “I love my car.”

Ronald K. “They had a good variety of vehicles and came to my assistances even after they had just closed.”

Walter C. “My service consultant should be given a pat on the back for doing an excellent job.”

Michelle S. “Highly recommend Joey to anyone looking to work with the best sales consultant ever!”

Beryl A. “I finally got James as a service helper, now I know why there are so many letters in the service area. He is the best!”

Paul F. “We were out of town, they contacted rental services took care of that & overnighted the part, had it fixed the next day. Great!”

Robert D. “A great place to buy a vehicle.”

Joseph L. “Just another opportunity to complement Rick Hendrick Chevrolet for outstanding service.”

Amanda G. “Thank you for everything! J”

Christopher L. “Always fantastic service.”

Douglas S. “Thank you for your help & concern in my purchase!”

Donna M. “This is the second time I have purchased a vehicle from Rick Hendrick and both times I have been treated with a great deal of respect. And I can tell there is a lot of appreciation for me buying one of the vehicles. It has been lots of fun getting to know my Malibu. Keep up the good work!!!”

James T. “The salesmen were very helpful and professional. Furthermore, even though I found my own financing, the financial officer was very helpful. This is the second time I have purchased a vehicle from Rick Hendrick and it was very pleasant..... Thank you.”

Norma R. “My family has done business with Rick Hendrick for years. The service department manager Chris & his staff always take good care of us. Also, Nelson, our favorite salesman, always makes sure our needs are met.”

Terri B. “Great Experience.”

Vincent H. “Service personnel were of the highest caliber - Very professional & prompt."

David K. “They are always pleasant when you come in & will help you in anyway that they can. I always enjoy going in when I need work done."

Loring B. “JD was a pleasure to work with & I’ll come back & buy another car from him. Thank You JD.”

Herbert M. “Nelson is the best salesman there is.”

Jerome S. “A1 excellent center. I love doing business with them.”

William H. “I want to first say thanks to Jimmy for the help on the Internet. Then to Shawn, thanks for all the help and the time helping me find the truck I wanted, you bent over backwards to help me. You made it all work out, thanks.”

Eugene M. “Good Job!”

Bill T. “Was treated very professionally and my truck was ready when promised. I have been driving it for a few weeks after the service and everything that needed corrected was done and works great.”

Jefferson S. “Keep up the good work.”

Benton B. “Excellence.”

Peter M. “We are completely satisfied. We will stay customers of Rick Hendrick until we get too old & they take our keys away.”

John K. “Thanks James, again, you make owning a Chevrolet special.”

Dianna C. “Our dealership for about 20 years.”

Kimberly S. “Thanks to Jerry & Martin for taking good care of our Corvette.”

Carolyn R. “As long as I can drive, I will buy my cars from Rick Hendrick Chevrolet.”

William C. “The Service Department personnel are the best in Charleston.

Ashley T. "Jerry was great, very helpful."

Robert C. “I have nothing but praise for Jerry and the rest of the service department staff and technicians! I love my HHR, even though as I take this survey it is in the shop again, for what seems to be not a common problem, but a defect in the HHR/Cobalt line. While it seems Chevy did nothing to safeguard me, my dealer took up the slack, as usual. Rick Hendrick Chevy has my total support, Chevrolet needs to work on getting the same level of support.”

Terry H. “Completely satisfied with everything. Service time, professionalism, very courteous, everything you would want from a dealership.”

Rick M. “We have brought the car in for minor adjustments and even after having Hendrick replace our transmission we are very pleased with the performance of our car and thank you to everyone involved.”

James G. “The staff of Rick Hendrick always makes coming there a pleasant experience. I look forward to when I am going to purchase my next vehicle from them.”

Jacob P. “Whenever I go to James I get the best service. Please thank him for me.”

William C. “The service department personnel are the best in Charleston.”

Sheila R. “I enjoy the fact that the employees, from the sales department to the service department, really show their compassion and professionalism to all their customers. I have seen it for myself.”

John R. “This is my second purchase with Rick Hendrick Chevrolet and they do stand behind their customers and product.”

Susan P. “I like Rick Hendrick Chevrolet; they always make me feel at home.”