Gardner Auto Repair

Your air conditioning system uses refrigerant to create cold air. The most common reasons Olathe drivers lose their cold air have to do with the refrigerant. The first is not enough refrigerant. Refrigerant is a gas in the system and very small holes in a hose, seal or coupler can allow enough to leak out to prevent the creation of cold air. Another potential problem for Olathe auto owners is contamination. Over time the inside of the rubber hoses can deteriorate and little bits of rubber can clog up various filters and other parts of the vehicle A/C system, preventing proper circulation of the refrigerant. And a component could also be worn or broken. So the first step for Olathe drivers who can’t cool their vehicle is a thorough air conditioning inspection, looking for leaks and worn parts. In fact, Federal law requires an inspection before adding refrigerant. Some states do not allow topping off a leaking system. Once any repair ... read more

Let’s look at selecting new tires in light of three factors: Function, Fit, and Value. Function: This gets at what your needs are for new tires: KS weather conditions, Kansas City terrain, Olathe temperatures, etc. Most new family vehicles in KS come with all-season tires. They can be used all year long and do pretty well in most KS road conditions – but they aren’t ideal at the extremes. Winter tires have a more aggressive tread for handling snow and ice on roads and they have a rubber compound that helps them have better traction as temperatures drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely better stopping and road-holding characteristics for Olathe vehicles than all-season tires in winter weather. Dedicated summer tires enhance warm KS weather performance driving for Olathe. If you drive off-road around Kansas City , there is a wide spectrum of tires from all-terrain (a good mix of highway and off-road capability) to dedic ... read more

How do you know your spark plugs should be replaced? Well it can be confusing because there are several types of spark plugs and some last longer than others. Your owner’s manual will have a recommendation for when your spark plugs should be changed. Here’s a little background from Bret’s Autoworks. Spark plugs are in the combustion chamber of your engine. They send a little spark between two electrodes at the end of the spark plug which ignites the gasoline. This little spark goes off thousands of times a minute. Over the miles, the electrodes on standard grade spark plugs wear away increasing the gap between them. When that happens, the spark isn’t as strong and the fuel doesn’t burn as well. Several Types of Spark Plugs The standard grade is copper core. They are great for quick starts and may last 12,000 to 13,000 miles. Single platinum spark plugs use platinum on one of the electrodes. These typically last 30,000 to ... read more