Gardner Auto Repair

 One of the few things that can make a morning commute worse in the winter is if the heat stops working inside your car. Have you ever turned on the fan for it only to blow cold air and wondered: “Why is my car heater not working?” If yes, then you know the struggle is very real. Not only is it terribly uncomfortable driving in a cold car, but it can actually be dangerous, as you can’t defrost the windshield, either. Here are some things that could be causing your heat not to work. 1. Coolant System Your engine’s cooling system works, in part, by the coolant traveling through a heater core that heats the inside of your car. Basically, it’s a small radiator that hot coolant flows through. The fan inside your car then blows heat off of it to give the cabin heat. If your ca ... read more

  We sure can show you the problem! We have a new video inspection that sets us apart from the rest! You will see exactly what our techs see. We send the video to you via text or email, so you have a better understanding of the repairs that are needed.  Just another reason Bret's Autoworks is the place to turn for honest auto repair. 

It’s always exciting to get a new car – even when it’s used. But it can feel like you’re going out on a limb a bit when you buy a used vehicle. I mean, people sell vehicles for a lot of reasons. Maybe they just wanted a new car, maybe there was something wrong with it, and maybe there was something wrong with it. It’s a great idea to order a report from a vehicle history service. This can uncover title problems and may reveal serious accidents or flood damage as well as any recall notices for the vehicle. Maintenance and repair records are a plus, but most sellers don’t have them. Of course, the best thing is to get a professional to perform a used vehicle inspection. The inspection will go much deeper than just how good the vehicle looks and drives. You’ll get a feel for the vehicle’s overall condition, the status of major safety systems and an ... read more

As you know, your vehicle has factory scheduled maintenance items. These range from oil changes to timing belt replacement to brake inspection. These recommendations are usually made for certain mileage or time intervals. For some vehicles, certain recommendations are clustered around major intervals like 30,000/60,000/90,000 miles (50,000/100,000/150,000 kilometers). Following factory recommended service goes as long way towards preventing breakdowns and keeps your vehicle operating as safely and economically as possible. What you may not know is that you can have ALL of your factory recommended service performed right here – even while your vehicle is still under warranty. That’s right; your factory warranty is protected wherever the factory recommended service is performed. And following the recommended inspection schedule helps us uncover any potential concerns and allows us to make necessary repairs before they become big, expensive problems. So if your new car comes ... read more

Diesel engines are appearing in more and more vehicles around Gardner, KS, and in nearly every category from compact cars and pickup-up trucks to high-performance luxury vehicles. In much of the world, 40% or more of passenger vehicles are equipped with diesel. North American is beginning to appreciate the power and fuel economy benefits of diesel engines. Many maintenance items for diesel engines are similar to gasoline engines. One notable difference is the requirement of Diesel Exhaust Fluid or DEF. Modern clean-diesel engines burn very cleanly to reduce soot and other pollutants. A side effect is the production of nitrogen oxides which are harmful to the environment. DEF is added to the exhaust and reacts with nitrogen oxide to produce harmless water and nitrogen. Diesel vehicles have a tank to hold the DEF. A small amount of DEF is metered into the exhaust as the engine runs. When the DEF starts to run low, the DEF tank must be refilled. Because DEF is so important to environme ... read more

Question:My Check Engine light is on and my boyfriend thinks he can get the code read and know what part to replace to fix my vehicle. I say it's not that. Who's right? Bret's Autoworks Answer: Good news – you are! Just look at it logically: there are hundreds of things that can go wrong with your vehicle. Some are simple and some are quite complicated. Let's take a step back. Over 80% of engine functions are computer controlled. The computer receives information from dozens of sensors. When a sensor reading is out of range, a trouble code is entered in the computer and the Check Engine light is illuminated.   It's a common misconception by Gardner and Olathe drivers that the trouble code will tell you exactly what is wrong. For any given trouble code, there is any number of faults that would trigger the code. For example, a code indicating a misfire ... read more

Today's vehicles have more electrical components and do-dads than ever before. This really strains your vehicle's electrical system, making it hard for the battery to keep up. Think about it: electric seats, seat heaters, power locks, windows, and sunroofs. And then vehicles 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 vehicle is turned off. And of course, summer heat in KS can take a real toll on battery life. Fortunately, battery technology has given us resilient batteries that are able to meet these strenuous requirements. But the fact is; batteries just wear out over time. Eventually, every battery gets to the point where it cannot hold ... read more

So what's the most distracting food in the car? Is it: (A) A Hamburger (B) Coffee (C) A Soft Drink (D) Twizzlers Well, all but the licorice make the top ten, but coffee's the number one food distraction. These distractions cause 25% of all car crashes, over a million and a half each year. All the top ten distracting food items are messy. Motorists might spill, then try to clean up. If you've got to eat on the run, take five, then drive. And keep drinks in spill-proof containers. So taking a food break… Or filling out accident reports. It's a no-brainer.     We want Gardner, Olathe and all drivers to keep their eyes, and their minds, on the road

Question:My Check Engine light is on and my boyfriend thinks he can get the code read and know what part to replace to fix my vehicle. I say it's not that. Who's right?     Bret's Autoworks Answer: Good news – you are! Just look at it logically: there are hundreds of things that can go wrong with your vehicle. Some are simple and some are quite complicated. Let's take a step back. Over 80% of engine functions are computer controlled. The computer receives information from dozens of sensors. When a sensor reading is out of range, a trouble code is entered in the computer and the Check Engine light is illuminated. It's a common misconception by drivers that the trouble code, there is any number of faults that would trigger the code. For example, a code indicating a misfire on cylinder three could be due to a bad spark plug, a failed coil ... read more

Today at Bret's Autoworks we're going to talk about windshield wiper blades. Now that may seem like a pretty mundane topic, but think about how important your vision is: We protect our eyes. If we need contacts or glasses, we took care of them too.   And, well, wiper blades are critical to our vision when we drive around the  Olathe and Gardner area. We really ought to think about wipers as part of an important safety system. We should think about maintaining safety – not just responding when our wiper blades fail.  How many times have you been caught off-guard by the first storm of the season with a streaky windshield you can barely see out of? Or with no washer fluid? Wiper blades live outside the vehicle, exposed to heat and sun in the summer and cold and ice in the  area winter. It's no wonder that they get dry, brittle and torn. We recommend changing wiper blades twice a year – before they're so damaged that they don't ... read more