Gardner Auto Repair

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

Let's address a very important maintenance item for everyone – timing belt replacement. It's important because letting this one slide can lead to very expensive engine damage. Your timing belt choreographs the timing of your combustion process. Your pistons travel up and down in the cylinder. Intake valves open at the right time to let in air and fuel; they close at the right time to allow the fuel to burn and then the exhaust valves open at the right time to let out the exhaust. All this happens thousands of times a minute and it's your timing belt that makes sure the valves are opening and closing at precisely the right time. If the timing is off, your engine won't run. And that's the best case. The worst case is that a valve is opening at the wrong time and collides with the piston. The res ... read more

Let's talk about air conditioning service and repair issues for the Kansas City area. Most of us in Gardner and Olathe don't give our air conditioning a second thought as long as it's making cold air. But it's a complex and expensive system that we should think about before it starts blowing hot air. The refrigerant in the air conditioner contains a special oil that lubricates and cools the A/C parts. When enough refrigerant leaks out, your air conditioner still makes cold air, but the parts don't have enough oil to protect them and they wear out faster than they should. So it's important to service the air conditioner as recommended. Replacing old refrigerant has another benefit: refrigerant tends to gather moisture and become corrosive. That causes leaks in the system which can be expensive to repair. Fresh refrigerant protects the air conditioning components and keeps the system operating at peak efficiency so ... read more

What is the danger of underinflated tires? Flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances can all be the result of driving around KS on underinflated tires. Now, it's hard to tell when a radial tire is underinflated but your friendly and knowledgeable Bret's Autoworks can help you. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds – which is significantly underinflated. Tire Pressure Monitoring System-TPMS Your newer vehicle or light truck might be equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This technology has been used by race car drivers for years. They are able to head off problems from underinflation by closely monitoring tire pressure on the track. Obviously, TMPS systems don't come free for car buyers. U.S. government studies have estimated the net costs of the TPMS system itself, maintaining the system, replacement of worn or broken parts and tire repair cost increases. The costs are partially ... read more

  Let's talk shocks and struts. Shock absorbers and struts last a long time for drivers and wear out pretty slowly for most vehicles. They're easy to take for granted, but your shocks and struts do a very important job so you need to pay attention to them. They keep your tires on the road; and your tires are what connect your vehicle to the road and allow you to safely handle your car through turns, over bumps and even stop in time. What happens when your shocks and struts are worn? Your tires bounce excessively over bumps. Your vehicle will wallow through corners, your front-end will dive when you stop and your rear-end will squat when you accelerate. All this hurts your ability to control your vehicle. And your ride just isn't as comfortable. Tire Wear Worn shocks or struts cause excessive tire wear so drivers will have to replace their tires sooner than they should. Worn shocks and struts also stress other ... read more

Ever get musky odors coming from your car's air vents? It's fairly common for  Gardner and Olathe drivers. Moisture can accumulate in the air conditioning/heating ventilation system allowing mold, mildew, fungus, and bacteria to grow. Disinfecting and deodorizing is a process. Depending on how bad the problem is, there are a couple of approaches Bret's Autoworks may take to get rid of the unwanted smells. For mild situations (especially on newer vehicles), a special deodorizing disinfectant is introduced into the ventilation system. This may be an aerosol or a mist application. The treatment kills the offending organisms and deodorizes the system. Sometimes in older vehicles, a good deal of mildew or other microorganisms can grow on the air conditioning evaporator which is housed in the heating/air conditioning air blend box behind the dashboard. In cases like this Bret's Autoworks fills the blend box with disinfecting foam that can eliminate stubborn organisms a ... read more

Imagine you are driving on a snowy or rainy KS road. You need to slam on your brakes and your rear wheels lock up. Chances are good that the rear end of your vehicle will try to pass the front end and you can easily lose control. What would happen in the same circumstance if your front wheels locked up? Well you certainly would not be able to steer properly and your front end would go to wherever momentum leads it. The ABS modulates your brakes on and off as many as 15 times a second. This keeps your wheels from locking up while providing the greatest amount of braking possible. You are better able to steer your vehicle and maintain control. Olathe service advisors often talk about the 3 S's of anti-lock brakes: Stomp – Stay – Steer. Stomp on the brake, Stay on the brake and Steer normally. Modern anti-lock brake systems  utilize a computer to receive information from sensors and control the ABS. There are wheel speed sensors at each wheel rep ... read more

On rare occasions we find ourselves looking for a new member to complement our team.Although we have technicians who have been working for us for many years every once in a while we find someone who we feel will be a "perfect fit" in our shop. Enter Jake Hamm, a young man who fits well into our beliefs of "excellent customer service" and honesty and integrity! Jake's family moved to the Gardner area when he was in 6th grade.  He attended Gardner / Edgerton high school and took several Automotive Technology classes. It was clear he loved cars and it especially took root when he purchased his first car, a Pontiac Firebird. Jake graduated from high school and took a job at the local Ford dealer where he worked in the Quick Lane Service area.  Jake played sports with Luke Fischer, son of Shawn Fischer the owner of Bret’s. When word got out that Jake might be interested in a more challenging line of work he interviewed at Bret's, and the re ... read more

New tires are a big ticket item for most drivers. You're not only concerned about the price, but you want to know that it'll be a long time before you need to buy new tires again. And of course there's the safety aspect as well. The tires do a lot of work – they carry the weight of the vehicle and you and your passengers around. They need to be up to the task. You want to be sure they hold the road and provide good traction. Drivers who carry heavy loads or tow a trailer need a high load tires to be up for the job. The tire professionals at Bret's Autoworks think it's important that  drivers understand the effect of price on a tire's performance and durability. The major tire brands sold in the area that you're familiar with are known in KS as&nbs ... read more

Reports say that the median age for cars on the road is over nine years and that two-thirds have over 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers). In recent years those numbers have continued to rise here in Gardner and across KS. Many Gardner & Olathe  residents are keeping their vehicles longer. The KS economy has influenced that, but the fact that modern cars and trucks are more durable and reliable means that owning a high mileage vehicle doesn't have to be a painful experience for Gardner or Olathe.  Gardner & Olathe drivers with over 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) on their vehicles often ask us at Bret's Autoworks about what service intervals they should follow. Let's start with the special needs of the older vehicle. The reality is that time and mileage will take its toll. The engine and transmission will have more sludge. The fuel, steering and brake systems will have gum and varnish built up ... read more