Overland Park Auto Repair

When you pull up to a red light, your vehicle should stop and come to a smooth idle. You shouldn't notice much from your car besides the stereo and the low hum of the engine. The dashboard usually alerts you if there is a problem, but it may not always come through. One sign that there may be an issue is your vehicle starts to vibrate while it's idling. A rough idle can leave you concerned and scratching your head. To help pinpoint the cause, below are three common reasons your vehicle may have a rough idle.  Dirty Air Filter Your vehicle needs oxygen to function, so the engine filter is in place to prevent dust, dirt, and debris from entering the engine. The filter doesn't stay clean for long; as you take on the road, it gets filled with pollutants. The engine filter should be checked during routine oil changes and should be regularly replaced. If you go too long without replacing the engine filter, you'll notice a hit to your vehicle's perf ... read more

We don’t guess. We diagnose. This New Concept Auto Service motto grew out of the increasing number of customers who come to us because they can’t get an accurate diagnosis of their vehicles’ problems elsewhere. We are proud to be the “go-to” source for diagnosis. It wouldn’t even dawn on most of them to take their car to a place which can quote a cheaper price for repair. After all, they trust us for accurate mechanical or electrical troubleshooting, why not fixing the problems we find? From time to time we do have to deal with this issue. Here are some things we tell those who want to take their car to another shop: Price should only be one factor of your decision.We do not aim to be the cheapest shop in town, we aim to be the best. It’s important to us that we use only the highest-quality parts for your vehicle, because we want you and your family to be as safe as possible. At New Concept Auto Service, we invest heavily in our technicians’ training and test equipm ... read more

Last weekend we had nine young men from Boy Scout Webelo Pack 3267 visit New Concept Auto Service in Overland Park with a goal of getting their handyman merit badge. The morning included teaching the boys some basic car maintenance tasks. Led by den mother Liz Sears, the program started by showing the boys how to unlock and lift the hood, and included teaching them how to check the oil, replace a turn signal bulb, check the tire pressure, and safely replace a flat tire with the spare. I first stepped through how I would do each task and then let the boys collectively perform each task as a team. To check the engine oil level, you have to first get the hood opened. This turned out to be a learning experience I did not expect (it’s second nature for me of course). After you pop the hood latch from inside the car, you have to release the safety latch with one hand, just under the front of the hood while lifting it up with the other hand, and then you have to position the ho ... read more

So you know it’s time to replace those tires, but just where do you start? First off, match the code with the car as stated in the previous blog. I have seen thousands of tires on all kinds of cars in all kinds of conditions and here is what I have to say: Buy tires as a set, or in pairs, but stay away from buying one at a time (unless it is an obvious circumstance). BUY HIGH QUALITY TIRES from someone you trust! You also get what you pay for. Generally the quality of the tire increases with the price. I don’t promote poor quality, inexpensive tires. They are unsafe and, frankly, a poor value. If there is a rating system for myself of good, better and best, I only promote better or best. Brand new cars come with better or best level of quality tires from the factory as they were designed. However, you will find many tires of lesser quality and price available. Why? Because there is a market for them. Tire stores sell tires, I sell service. Here is a good example ... read more

Tires are round and black and smell funny. Everybody needs them because they all wear out. That’s what I heard from Bob, the first tire supplier I every bought from. He went on to tell me my good customers will come to rely on me to select what tire is best for them, so I better learn about them. I want to talk a little about my experience with tires, specifically, how to know what tire you have, how to maintain them, when to replace them, and how to pick what you need. Since the Rubber Manufacturers Association has declared June “National Tire Safety Month,” I thought I’d do my part to increase consciousness among drivers about tire safety. I’ll start with defining a tire by its standard designation system, or tire code. Let’s use one of my loaner cars as the example. The car is a 2000 Toyota Avalon. All car manufacturers have engineers who design what tire is best for a particular car. This info, along with designed tire pressure, is found on a placard attached to the ... read more