North Kansas City Auto Repair

Diesel engines have been used extensively in Europe and Asia for many years. They haven’t been as common in Kansas City because of the high sulfur content in our diesel fuel. But the government is now mandating lower sulfur content and, as a result, we are going to see more North Kansas City auto owners driving diesel-fueled vehicles on the road, especially in passenger cars and SUV’s. Diesels are popular in North Kansas City because they get better fuel economy than gas-powered engines. They also last longer. Modern diesel engines are quiet and powerful. And if you associate diesel engines with black smoke, then you’re not up with the times. That smoke is a thing of the past. Diesels don’t produce any more pollutants than gasoline engines. The pollution standards for diesel-powered vehicles are as strict in Missouri as for other vehicles. Also, diesel engines can run on bio-diesel fuels a ... read more

Our vehicles are not massage chairs. While we may enjoy a good vibration in an overstuffed recliner, us North Kansas City car owners generally want as smooth a ride as possible in our vehicles. One way to achieve this is to keep a vehicle’s wheels in balance. When a tire is mounted onto a wheel, it is usually out of balance. This means that as the wheel spins, there is a slight wobble to the path of the tire. For best handling performance and safety on the road, North Kansas City drivers want to minimize this wobble as much as possible. So we balance our tires. To balance a tire, your friendly Northtown Auto Clinic technician spins it on a machine or drum to determine where it is off-balance. He then attaches weights that counter-balance the uneven weight. Most North Kansas City motorists are surprised at how much balancing improves the smoothness of their ride. High-quality tires generally hold their balance well. But over time, wear ... read more

Anyone that drives a car in North Kansas City knows that engines get hot when they run. But did you know that engines need to be cooled to keep running? Heat inside an engine can cause the metal parts to expand, which can seize up an engine and make it stop running. It can even ruin the entire engine! Good car care requires keeping your SUV cooling system in good condition. A vehicle’s cooling system circulates water and antifreeze (coolant) through the engine where it absorbs heat. It then flows to the radiator where the water and antifreeze are cooled by the air that flows over the radiator. Then it circulates back into the SUV’s engine to absorb more heat. Why shouldn’t Liberty car owners just use water? Because water boils at temperatures that are often reached inside of an engine. Steam won’t cool your SUV engine and is hard to contain within the cooling system. The antifreeze keeps the water from boiling ... read more

Sometimes busy North Kansas City residents dream about going back to the “simpler” days of our grandparents. But if you could travel back in time and take a road trip around Kansas City in a Model T, you might change your mind. The improved designs and quality of today’s automobiles have significantly reduced the amount of time North Kansas City auto owners spend at the side of the road during breakdowns. With proper maintenance, today’s vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before. Some of those improvements, however, have led to higher repair costs. For example, older cars often broke down from vapor lock. Gas vaporized while traveling from the gas tank to the fuel pump. No gas, no power. The car quits going. The solution was simple — you just sat by the road until the car would start up again. Today’s North Kansas City car owners would hardly tolerate that kind of inconvenience; and it’s likely that yesterday’s North Kansas Ci ... read more

The drive train in your vehicle includes all the vital components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. Those components differ depending on what type of vehicle you drive, namely, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The preventive maintenance your driveshaft needs will also differ by what type of vehicle you drive. Let’s start with front-wheel drive. In this vehicle, the transmission and the differential are combined in one component, known as the transaxle. The transaxle is connected to two half-shafts (axles), which are then connected to the wheels with a constant velocity (or CV) joint, which is protected by an airtight rubber boot. Northtown Auto Clinic service for this type of driveline includes servicing the transaxle and inspecting the CV boot. If the boot is damaged, the CV joint will need to be insp ... read more