Posted on 6/25/2014
Most cars and trucks have automatic transmissions, yet a lot of We service the Northland area drivers only have a fuzzy understanding about what a transmission does. Think back to the last time you rode a bike in We service the Northland area. You started out in a lower gear and shifted to higher gears as you went faster. Down shift for hills, stuff like that. Think of your legs as the engine – there’s an ideal speed you can pedal and you change gears to leverage the work you’re doing. Lower gears for power on hills or for starting out. Higher gears for more speed. That’s what the automatic transmission does – it automatically starts in lower gears and shifts up to higher gears to go faster on Missouri freeways. And automatically shifts back down to climb We service the Northland area hills, pass or start up again. SUV automatic transmissions have certainly gotten more sophisticated in recen ... read more
Posted on 6/18/2014
People from North Kansas City Missouri love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than a Missouri 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. Let’s look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip and what you might do to avoid them. It all starts with a thorough trip inspection by your North Kansas City Missouri service professionals at Northtown Auto Clinic. Let’s talk about some of the items on the trip inspection checklist. The most common vehicle component to fail is the tires. Of course, you can’t always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance ... read more
Posted on 6/13/2014
The automotive professionals at Northtown Auto Clinic would like to give North Kansas City motorists an update on some of the things happening in automotive fluids. You know, cars are becoming more sophisticated everyday – and fluids such as, oil, coolant and transmission fluid are becoming more specialized at about the same pace. The Kansas City do-it-yourselfer has to be pretty careful so that they do not actually harm their SUV with the wrong type of fluid. That is why so many Missouri car owners rely on the advice of their friendly Northtown Auto Clinic technician to not only get the correct family of fluids, but to suggest the formulation that is best for their car and their driving habits in the North Kansas City area. Let’s start with engine oil. We service the Northland area motorists who have been paying attention, will have noticed a number of new oil weights on the Missouri scene in the la ... read more
Posted on 6/11/2014
All those automotive fluids can be confusing for Kansas City car owners. Recent years have brought new grades of engine oil, types of transmission fluid, coolant, and brake fluid. The right fluid protects your vehicle and helps it perform at its best. The wrong fluid won’t work as well for North Kansas City motorists and could even cause damage. In addition to new grades of engine oil, many SUVs now leave the factory with synthetic oil. North Kansas City car owners should always use the grade recommended by their auto maker and type of oil in their engine. All coolant, also called antifreeze, used to be green. Now there are several other colors of coolant sold at Northtown Auto Clinic in North Kansas City. Each type is designed to protect the cooling system components that are particular to your vehicle. The wrong stuff can void your SUV cooling system warran ... read more
Posted on 6/3/2014
Hey Kansas City! Let’s talk about one of our Missouri summertime must-haves: your car A/C. It’s real easy for North Kansas City car owners to take their car’s air conditioner for granted. Just push the right buttons and out comes cool, dry, clean air. But your air conditioning system needs attention from time to time to help it keep its cool. Do you hear loud noises under the hood when you turn on your air conditioner? Do you only get cool air sporadically? If so, it is time to get your air conditioner checked at Northtown Auto Clinic in North Kansas City. When most Kansas City folks hear the words “air conditioning problems“, it sends a shiver up their spine. That is because the air conditioning system is fairly complex. It has a lot of parts and when it’s broken, it’s expensive to repair. What things can North Kansas City and We service the Northland area motorists do ... read more
Posted on 6/3/2014
Kansas City drivers love their cars. And one of the most enjoyable things about them is taking a 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 North Kansas City drivers 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 Missouri byways or freeways? Purple mountain majesties or fruited plains? What weather conditions are you likely to encounter? How many miles will you travel each day? How much weight will you be hauling – passengers and luggage. Pulling a trailer, roof top carrier, or ATVs? Will it be dusty? Prepared with answers to these questions, you can schedule a trip inspection at Northt ... read more
Posted on 6/3/2014
Richard Petty once told AutoNetTV, “You’ve gotta have good brakes. If you’ve got good brakes you can keep yourself out of a lotta trouble.” That’s why a regular brake inspection is on every North Kansas City driver’s maintenance schedule. An inspection at Northtown Auto Clinic will check your brake system and let you know if there are any problems. Of course, if you’re having trouble with your brakes, get your car into Northtown Auto Clinic inNorth Kansas Cityright away. Here are someessentialsymptoms forNorth Kansas City driversto watch for: If you are experiencing any of these, it’s time to get your brakes checked. To to your friendly Northtown Auto Clinic technician. There are two types of brakes: disc and drum. Disc brakes have a rotor that’s attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle. Drum brakes are most common on back wheels. Both types have pads or shoes that press a ... read more
Posted on 6/3/2014
Here is a questions for wise North Kansas City auto owners What is a cabin air filter? Is it: A filter for a house in the middle of the woods? A fresh, piney scent? A filter for the passenger compartment of your car? Clever you, it’s 3. A cabin air filter cleans the outside air before it comes into the passenger compartment. It filters out dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, pollutants, sparrows, detrimental exhaust gas and odors. These high tech filters can block particles larger than 3 microns. By contrast, a grain of sand is about 200 microns. Now not all vehicles in the Kansas City area have cabin filters. They are fairly new on the scene in Missouri. About forty percent of new vehicles come with cabin air filters, but the number is growing every year. Cabin air filters can make for a very nice driving environment for North Kansas City auto owners. Your ... read more
Posted on 6/3/2014
The coolant system is a vital part of your vehicle. It is also the second most common cause for vehicle failures. Even though coolant system failure is fairly common in North Kansas City, it is easy to prevent. Northtown Auto Clinic 2235 Taney Street North Kansas City, Missouri 64116 The most recognizable part of the coolant system to Kansas City motorists is the radiator. It is connected to the engine with hoses and is filled with coolant. The coolant draws heat off the engine and then passes into the radiator. Air passes through cooling fins to reduce the temperature of the coolant and then it’s back to the engine again. There are several ways for the cooling system failure. Most common is with the coolant itself. Coolant is comprised of water and antifreeze. The proper ratio keeps the coolant from either boiling away or freezing. Understandably, either can lead to ... read more
Posted on 6/3/2014
Here at AutoNetTV, we have national viewers, like your neighbors in North Kansas City, who write to us with questions or feedback. One common question we’re asked is: “What is a differential and what does it do?” You may have been told by your Northtown Auto Clinic service specialist that your differential needs service, or seen it as an option up on the service menu. Differential service at Northtown Auto Clinic covers a lot of things, so let’s first talk about what a differential does. As you drive through a turn, your outside wheels and inside wheels turn at different speeds. Kind of like the cars going around a race track – the ones driving in the outside lanes have a greater distance to travel than the cars in the inside lanes. The differential is what allows the outside and inside drive wheels to rotate at slightly different speeds so that the tires don’t hop or skip while taking c ... read more