KANSAS CITY AND OVERLAND PARK AUTO REPAIR

North Americans love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than the road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it’s great! But there’s nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt. Now you can’t always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. The first step is to look at your trip plan from your vehicle’s perspective. What kind of roads will you be traveling – winding byways or super-highways? Mountains or plains? What weather conditions are you likely to encounter? How many miles will you travel? How much weight will you be hauling – passengers and luggage? Lugging a trailer or roof top carrier? Will it be dusty? Armed with the answers to these questions, you can start a trip inspection to help you prepare your Kansas City vehicle for your big adventure. A lot of our Kansas City customers prefer to go through this exercise with an automotive service advisor at Sallas Auto R ... read more

You may have an alignment problem if your car drifts or pulls to one side, your steering wheel’s off center, you have uneven tire wear or your car doesn’t feel like it handles right as you travel around MO. When all of your Kansas City vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Running into potholes, smacking a curb or other Kansas City street hazard are great ways to knock your car out of alignment. Then one or more of your wheels starts pulling in a slightly different direction and the problems begin. Driving for an extended time when you’re out of alignment causes your tires to wear unevenly and excessively. Sometimes the tire can be worn so badly that it will fail. At the very least, you’ll have to replace your tires sooner. You could end up with premature wear to your suspension system, which can be really expensive. The front wheel alignment is adjustable on all vehicles, and the back wheels are also adjustable on some cars. Now, let ... read more

While we realize that nobody enjoys spending their hard-earned cash on tires, it’s one of the critical functions of car care and car maintenance. While forking over some hard-earned dough for tires may be difficult, it’s well worth the alternative of having an accident, hydroplaning, or getting a flat tire because of poor tire maintenance. While just about every driver knows that tires must be cared for (like aired up and all…) many don’t know the signs of tire wear, and when they’re in need of replacement. So here are some helpful, easy tests, for knowing when your tires need replaced. Test #1 – Test the steering. While it can be a slight difference, if your car is having a difficult time steering or navigating the roads, it might be an indication that your tires need replaced – or at least balanced. Test #2 – Are you Hydroplaning? One of the number one purposes of car tires is to (yes keep the car moving) – but also to keep water away from the car in order to create traction on ... read more

The next time you’re driving slowly down a road with no other traffic lift your hands off of the steering wheel. Does your car pull to the left or the right? When you’re home look at your tires, is there more wear on the outside edge? Have you noticed that your steering wheel isn’t centered when your wheels are straight? If your car seems to pull to the left or right you probably need an alignment. If any of these is true you probably need an alignment. You may have hit a pothole or maybe a curb and messed up the delicately calibrated parts of your car’s suspension. Even if you don’t notice these warning signs it still may be time for an alignment. Check your owner’s manual to see how often the manufacturer recommends one. A good alignment can bring your car’s suspension into its proper configuration. Each component is positioned and adjusted so that the wheels are in alignment with each othe ... read more

Does your car feel like it is moving in one direction more than the other? Do you feel like your car is having to work harder than it should? You may not know it, but unaligned wheels can cause more damage other than moving your car in a direction other than straight. Getting your wheels aligned will help you avoid gas guzzling, purchasing new tires, purchasing new parts and putting your safety in jeopardy. Gas guzzling Did you know that when your car is not aligned, you use more gas? You are actually putting more pressure on your car to move forward, which makes it use more gas than necessary. Getting your car aligned can help you make our world greener. Cost of new tires When your car is not in proper alignment, you will see that the tires go bare on one side of the tire, instead of wearing slow and even. Since the tires wear on only one side, then will wear quicker on that one spot and need to be replaced sooner. New tires cost a lot more than the cost of alignment. Safety I ... read more