KANSAS CITY AND OVERLAND PARK AUTO REPAIR

Did you know that today’s cars carry more computer power than the Apollo 121 Lunar Module that landed on the moon in 1969? New cars have as many as 12 networked computers and over five miles (eight kilometers) of wiring. In fact, for the last decade or so, computers have been controlling about 85% of your vehicle’s functions. Cars have sensors for manifold air temperature, coolant temperature, manifold air pressure, airflow, throttle position, vehicle speed and oxygen content. All of this electronic wizardry is pretty complicated. So how do you know when there is a problem? It’s simple – the Check Engine light comes on. The computer monitors all the sensors and uses that information to decide what to adjust such as the fuel mix, spark timing and idle speed. In addition, the computer monitors its own circuits. When it finds a fault, it turns on the Check Engine light and stores a trouble code in the computer. It can be pretty disturbing when the Check Engine light comes on. We wonder ... read more

Sometimes the age of a belief is reason enough to accept it as fact. Certainly, things such as apple pie being the most “American” of all desserts are widely accepted. Other things are blindly accepted without conscious thought or research, such as the fact that it is cheaper to cook at home than it is to go out, mutual funds are safer than investing in stocks and U.S. Savings Bonds are a good safe investment. With conscious thought and calculation, we find that most of these things are not as true today as they once were. Recommended Oil Change Timelines and Miles Some myths take longer to dispel than others and that is the case with recommended oil change timelines and miles. The fact that you should have an oil change every 3,000 was the agreed upon manufacturer’s guideline from most car makers. What we fail to realize is that this was applicable to cars manufactured in the 1950’s. If you pull out your car manual, something few of us do, you will likely be surpris ... read more

So you’ve bought a used car in the Kansas City area. How do you know what you’re getting? It is hard to know what you’re getting because people in the Kansas City area sell cars for different reasons. Think about why you’ve sold cars. Did you just want something new or were there problems that you wanted to run away from. Maybe it was a little of both. Used cars with 25,000 to 35,000 miles on them are often lease returns, corporate program cars or vehicles that have done duty in rental fleets. We feel pretty confident because they’re newer and may still be under warranty. But how well have they been maintained? If you plan on owning a car for a long time, you’ll keep up on the maintenance so that you can avoid expensive repairs down the road. But, if you know you’re only going to have the car for two or three years, you may not be so committed to maintenance. It would be easy to think that skipping an oil change here and there wouldn’t ruin a b ... read more

Modern cars and trucks run on 12 volt electrical systems. 12 volts is enough to get the job done without having so much power that there is danger of electrocution. But today’s vehicles have more electrical components and do-dads than ever before. This really strains your electrical system, making it hard for the battery to keep up. Think about it: electric seats, seat heaters, power locks, windows and sun roofs. And then we have all the power outlets for our cell phones, computers, and DVD players. We also have navigation systems and powerful stereos. Plus there are all the engine and transmission computers, traction control, stability control, anti-lock brakes, sensors and on and on. Even the security system is running off the battery while the car is turned off. Fortunately, battery technology has given us resilient batteries that are able to meet these strenuous requirements. But the fact is, batteries just wea ... read more

Don’t you hate it when you hear that squeal from under the hood? It usually means there is a problem with the serpentine belt. The serpentine belt powers a lot of engine accessories. It runs the alternator-which charges the battery, the water pump-which cools the engine, the air conditioning and the power steering pump. All pretty important parts. It is called a serpentine belt because it snakes around a bunch of engine components. Serpentine belts are especially tough. They can last for years and go for tens of thousands of miles. But, with time they wear out. If your belt breaks while you are driving, everything will come to a halt within minutes. You have to stop the car or it will overheat, potentially causing major engine damage. And it probably won’t be at a convenient time or place. You might even need to get your car towed to a Kansas City automotive service center. That is why manufacturers recommend a belt replacement on schedule. You real ... read more