October Already?! Time to Buckle Up (and Bust Out the Jeff Cap)

It’s officially spooky season—and we’re not just talking about your kid’s attempt at a zombie costume or the number of leaves now permanently living inside your car. 🎃

Halloween is creeping up, football is in full swing (GO BIRDS! 🦅), and yes, that is our Eagles flag flying proudly out front—right where it belongs. Feel free to honk in solidarity or drop off a Wawa hoagie in tribute.

Pumpkin spice has infiltrated every corner of society. Coffee? Obviously. Candles? Sure. But my side of ranch the other day had a faint note of cinnamon and nutmeg, and I haven’t emotionally recovered since. If my brake fluid starts smelling like pumpkin pie, we riot.

So while you’re busy figuring out if that old Jeff cap can somehow pass for a Peaky Blinders costume (spoiler: it can), don’t forget to schedule your car care now—before weekends are filled with trunk-or-treats, Tailgates, and last-minute grocery runs because you thought you bought enough Reese Peanut Butter Cups.

We’ve got your back—and your brakes, battery, and blower motor too.

Let’s make October a screaming success (see what we did there?).

A Message From Joe

If you really want to understand someone, don’t ask them what they do. Ask them why they do it.

Why do you go to work every day? Why do you love the person you love? Why do you spend your Saturday mornings fiddling with old lawn mowers, baking sourdough bread, or running five miles uphill like a crazy person?

The “why” behind what we do tells you more about a person than any job title, resume, or social media profile ever could.

But here’s the thing—most people don’t have an answer. They’ll say, “I don’t know, I guess I have to.” Or “My friend’s into it, so I just kind of go along.”

To me, that’s like driving without a destination. You might cover a lot of ground, but you’ll never really get anywhere.

I believe if you’re not doing something with real passion, it’s almost impossible to be truly great at it. Because when life gets hard—and it always does—passion is what carries you through the rough patches. Passion doesn’t clock out when the going gets tough. It rolls up its sleeves, digs in, and says, “Let’s figure this out.”

My “why” has always been simple: I love helping people.

That flame was lit when I was a kid, still living at home. I’d see something break—a clock, the phone, the family car—and I couldn’t help myself. I had to try and fix it. It wasn’t about being the hero, it just felt good to contribute. To know I made something better.

It grew from there. Friends would bring me their bikes, scooters, and transistor radios (Google that one, kids). Usually, it was just a wire that needed to be reconnected, but to me, it felt like magic. I’d hand it back, they’d smile, and I’d get this warm feeling that said, “Yeah, this is what I’m meant to do.”

Later, it was lawn mowers and mini bikes… and eventually cars. Still no charge. No invoice. Just a handshake and a thank-you—and even that wasn’t required.

And before Joe Davis Autosport was ever a business, my garage was the neighborhood pit stop. If your car was making a weird noise or wouldn’t start, chances are it ended up at my place. I never thought of it as work. It was just what I did. What I loved to do.

Even now, after all these years, the hardest part of running a business is accepting money for what I do. It still feels like I should be saying, “Ah, don’t worry about it—just happy to help.”

But the truth is, I’ve been lucky. I built a life around my “why,” and that’s made all the difference.

So let me ask you: What’s your why? 

What gets you out of bed in the morning? What lights that fire inside you—the one that keeps burning even when the world rains all over your plans?

Don’t settle for borrowed reasons or default settings. Don’t do something just because you always have. Find that thing that makes you lose track of time, the thing you’d do for free (but hopefully don’t have to).

Because life’s too short to be aimless. And too long to fake it.

“When you know your why, you’ll find your way.” — Michael Hyatt

Find your “why,” follow it relentlessly, and you just might find yourself along the way.

And if all else fails—start by fixing something. If nothing else, it’s a great excuse to buy more tools.

Joe

Rare Earths, Real Problems

There’s a bit of panic in the air this October—and we’re not just talking about the Phillies playoff pull. Behind the scenes of the auto world, something small but mighty is making waves: magnets.

Not just any magnets—rare-earth magnets. You won’t spot them on your fridge, but they are inside your Audi’s sound system, your BMW’s parking sensors, your Mercedes’ power seats, and a hundred other places modern European cars rely on.

So, what’s the issue? 

In short: global supply is getting tight. China currently controls 90% of rare-earth magnet production, and lately, they’ve decided to play a little keep-away with the rest of the world.

The result?

Automakers are scrambling, part prices are creeping, and future repair timelines could start to stretch.

Why should you care?

Because these magnets are inside the very systems we fix every day—from power mirrors to ABS sensors to the speakers that allow you to sing ABBA. If part shortages hit again (remember the chip crisis?), it might mean long waits for repairs that could’ve been simple today.

Think of it like this: Halloween candy is easy to find in early October—but wait too long, and you’re left with a sad bag of off-brand lollipops. Your car’s tech is the same way. Getting ahead now means fewer headaches (and fewer rides in your back-up minivan).

Shop Poll

What was your favorite Halloween costume?

Joe (Owner): “An Old School Rockstar”

Ryan (Shop Foreman & Mercedes-Benz Specialist): “I’ve never celebrated Halloween”

Justin (Technician: BMW, MINI, & Volvo Specialist): “A Zombie”

Chris (Service Writer): “A Panda”

Peter (Technician: Audi and Volkswagen Specialist): “A Cello”

Avery (Social Media/CRM Specialist): “Indiana Jones”

Jonah (Graduated Shop Apprentice/Summer Tech): “Emmet from The Lego Movie”

Why European Cars Hate Cheap Gas

If you’ve ever filled up your Audi, BMW, or Mercedes with the cheapest gas on the corner and felt like your car instantly rolled its eyes at you… you’re not wrong. European cars really do act differently depending on what kind of fuel you give them.

So, why are these cars so dramatic? Grab a coffee (or a premium latte—because your car would approve), and let’s break it down in plain English.

1. European Cars Are Basically Fitness Freaks

Think of a European engine like that friend who’s super into CrossFit. High-performance, finely tuned, always chasing peak results.

To keep up that energy, it needs premium fuel—usually 91 octane or higher.

“Octane” is just a fancy way of saying how resistant the fuel is to blowing up too early inside the engine. Cheap gas (87 octane) can explode before it’s supposed to, which the car industry lovingly calls knock. Knock is bad. Knock is like trying to do a sprint with a side stitch—it slows everything down and, over time, can cause damage.

Bottom line: Your BMW isn’t being dramatic. It actually does need the good stuff to stay in shape.

2. Knock Sensors: The Babysitters Inside Your Engine

Okay, so what happens if you do put cheap gas in? Enter: knock sensors.

Imagine you give your car boxed wine instead of champagne. The knock sensors are like the friends who whisper, “Okay, let’s just get through tonight and not embarrass ourselves.”

These little gadgets detect when the fuel is exploding too soon and tell the engine to dial back performance so it doesn’t hurt itself. The car will still run, but it’s basically sulking in the corner, not giving you its best.

It’ll feel slower, less smooth, and—if your car could talk—it would probably be muttering, “Never again.”

3. ECU Tuning: The Brain Doing Damage Control

Every modern European car has an onboard brain called an ECU (engine control unit). Think of it like the stage manager at a theater—it makes constant adjustments so the performance looks smooth, even if things are chaotic backstage.

But here’s the catch: if you keep feeding your car cheap gas, the ECU can only cover for you so much. Over time, bad fuel means:

• Your car feels slower
  

• Your gas mileage drops
  

• Your engine parts wear out faster
  

So that $6 you saved at the pump? It’ll come back to haunt you.

4. Should You Always Use Premium?

Short answer: Yes, if the owner’s manual says so.

Premium gas isn’t just about snobbery—it resists knock better, burns cleaner, and often has more detergents to keep your engine healthy. Regular gas won’t make your car explode overnight, but it’s like giving an Olympic athlete fast food every day. It’ll still function, but nowhere near its best.

Meet Logan!

Logan joined Joe Davis Autosport as a Shop Apprentice in 2024. After graduating from Penn Tech this past spring, he stepped into a full-time Technician role in July.

• Length in Automotive Industry: 6 Years

• What Led You To Becoming a Technician: “I began working on small engines (atvs and dirt bike) and it snowballed into an addiction to knowing how things work. Cars were the most practical and interesting to me.”

• Death Row Meal: Italian Hoagie from WAWA

• Top 3 Movies: Happy Gilmore, The Conjuring, & Smokey and the Bandit

• A Goal for 2025/2026: “Build up My Home Garage”

• What’s one “Hot Take’ (a strongly worded, often controversial, and possibly provocative opinion) on The Automotive Industry: Mileage on a vehicle means a lot less than most think

• Something You’re Passionate About Outside of Work: Guitar, Golf, & Philosophy

• Go-To Music Genres: County or EDM

• Bucket-List: Buy A Bus and Travel the Country

• Best Piece of Advice: “The meaning of life is to give life meaning”

Fueled by Facts, Useless but Fun

Your Car Has a Secret Arrow

Check the little gas pump icon on your dash—see the tiny arrow next to it? That arrow points to which side your gas tank is on.

So next time you're in a rental or your friend’s car and feeling lucky... just glance down and avoid the gas station cha-cha.

Missed September’s Newsletter?