KANSAS CITY AND OVERLAND PARK AUTO REPAIR

and…Are your new tires really NEW TIRES? Determining the age of the tires BEFORE you buy them is a great idea! It is important to find out so you can protect your investment and the safety of you and your family. Tires over 6 years old can have dry rot from the inside out. Just because the tread looks great doesn’t mean they are in great condition. Check the age of all 4 tires. Even though they may LOOK THE SAME – there is a decent chance they are not the exact same age. If your current tires on your vehicle are 10 years old or older they should be replaced immediately. So how do I determine the age of my tires… Since 2000, the week and the year the tire was manufactured is provided by the last four digits of the DOT number. Each tire has a required Department of Transportation (DOT) number on the sidewall. First two letters of the DOT number tells who the tire ... read more

Your car tires are an important part of your car, making it very important to ensure they are well maintained. Regular maintenance will significantly help to enhance the performance of your vehicle and minimize the risks of an accident. The question is, how do you make your car tires last longer? Here are some tips to help extend the life of your car tires. How to Make Your Car Tires Last Longer Implement proper driving habits Speeding and turning sharply can wear down your car tires faster. Avoid making fast turns or stops and make sure you evade potholes. Check uneven tire wear Tire wear is caused by several factors including uneven wheels and under/over inflation. You can avoid this by making sure that your car tires are properly inflated. Be sure to follow the car maker’s suggested tire pressure. Assess your tires on a regular basis to ensure there is enough tire pressure, especially if you often drive over long distances ... read more

Tires do a lot of work. They transfer engine power and braking forces to the road; they handle steering control; and they cushion all those bumps and jolts. They also support the entire weight of the vehicle, including you and your passengers. With such critical work to do, you want your tires to do their job well. And since replacing tires is fairly expensive, you want them to last as long as possible. How to increase car tire life There are three keys to long, even tire wear: The front tires on a car take the brunt of the steering forces. As they push through turns, the shoulders of the front tires wear down more quickly than the rear tires. Rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate. That’s especially true of front wheel drive vehicles whose front tires steer, and put the power to the road. SUVs and pick-ups, especially four-wheel drives, also tend to wear their tires more unevenly than cars because of their suspension and drive train set-up. You ... read more

If your summer plans include taking your boat to the lake, or hauling your camper for a family road trip, make sure you’re towing safely. Start with a little maintenance – not only on your vehicle but your trailer wires or trailer may need some maintenance too. Don’t wait until the car, kids and the coolers are loaded to find out something isn’t going to work! Start with… Cleaning the Connections As you clean your vehicle and hitch, make sure to clean all connections, check that all lights are working, and everything hooks tightly. If you have corrosion build up on the connector you can use Coca Cola to clean your connections… Just pour a little bit of coke onto any rusted or dirty buildup places and scrub away. If that doesn’t fix your connection problem you can give us call. Also make sure you have had your brakes checked before you hit the road. Gas Up Before Connecting It’s much easier to fuel up your towing vehicle before attaching your trailer. Make sure you fill up your tank ... read more

Summer’s here and all of us Midwesterners love nothing better than boating, camping and Civil War reenactments. Well, mostly the camping and the boating. Doing either will usually involve towing something behind your automobile. Towing is something that may seem scary but with some practice and common sense it can be done by even the most timid of drivers. Think safety when towing a boat or camper. Ideally, a truck or an SUV is the smart choice for towing that boat or camper. Even a compact pickup like a Ford Ranger is going to be better than just about any car. For heavier loads (say more than 4,000 pounds) a half-ton truck like a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado will meet the needs of just about any of the trailer-towing basics. Some mini-vans can be a good choice as well. Your best bet is to check the manuals of anything your drive, anything you tow and whatever it sits on. It just makes sense. Towing be ... read more