O'Fallon Auto Repair

What are the risks of driving with bad wheel bearings? It is best to avoid driving with a worn wheel bearing for any length of time. The wheel bearing is essential for connecting your wheel to your car, and any weakness in this connection could have severe consequences for your drive-axle and steering assembly – as well as for your safety! Why do wheel bearings fail? The main reasons that a wheel bearing fails are: Faulty installation – inappropriate tools such as a hammer or an impact wrench can cause damage to the exterior and or interior of the wheel end bearing causing the wheel bearing to fail prematurely.  Also, re-using the old accessories such as bolts, nuts, circlips, split pins, seals,… instead of replacing them with new ones can cause the wheel end bearing to operate under abnormal or unsafe conditions, increasing wheel end bearing wear and risk of a car accident.  Impact damage ... read more

Missouri requires both safety and emissions inspections to ensure that all vehicles on the road are safe and compliant with state standards. Safety inspections help ensure your vehicle is safe to operate on Missouri roads. Safety inspections are meant to check for any potential safety hazards in your vehicle. This can include anything from worn tires to malfunctioning lights. Basically, anything that could potentially put you or other drivers at risk on the road. The inspection station will issue a Certificate of Inspection and Approval that must be presented to a license office when the motor vehicle is registered.  A Certificate of Inspection and Approval is valid for 60 days starting with the date of inspection.  A valid Certificate of Inspection and Approval must be submitted at the time of application for title and license or registration renewal (unless exempt). A Certificate of Inspection and Approval is valid for 90 days starting with the ... read more

With sweltering summer temperatures just around the corner, now is a great time to get your poorly performing air conditioning system repaired before you depend on it to survive even the quickest drives across town. But even if your A/C system seems to be chugging along just fine, it’s still important to schedule regular maintenance!  When temperatures rise, there's nothing more refreshing than climbing into a cool, air-conditioned car. Over time, however, A/C fittings can become loose, and O-rings, hoses, and seals wear out and your A/C doesn't work. That's NOT cool at all!When your vehicle's air conditioning isn't working or is on its way out, you can look for these three signs that something might be wrong with your car’s A/C:IT HAS WEAK AIRFLOWExcess moisture in the evaporator core could cause the building of mold and other debris that block airflow into the interior of your car. A ... read more

Your mechanic recommended that an alignment service be performed on your vehicle and it’s a good idea to do so about every six months, but why? You don’t have to go off-roading to cause alignment issues. The wheels on your car or truck will get out of alignment over time. Especially with speed bumps and potholes everywhere. Over time, those misaligned tire and wheel assemblies will impact your gas mileage (MPG), cause tires to wear out faster, and reduce drivability. That’s why it’s important to get your vehicle properly aligned at least once or twice a year as part of your basic auto maintenance. If the suspension is out of alignment, there is uneven pressure on the tires that can cause your car to work harder on the tires than it needs to. This happens because there is more resistance between the tire and the road surface. That resistance can cause the tires to wear unevenly with the tires ultimately becoming worn on one side. It’s dangerous to dr ... read more

Every year, all across the U.S., more than 13-million automatic transmissions fail! YIKES!! Talk about scary! Nearly nine out of ten transmission failures are due to overheating and fluid contamination, according to the Automatic Transmission Rebuilds Association. The primary cause of transmission failure is oxidized ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid). Oxidation causes the fluid to break down and lose its protective qualities. Heat is the major cause of ATF oxidation. With today’s smaller, faster-running engines and increased stop-and-go driving, ATF is exposed to higher temperatures. That causes the ATF to breakdown faster. The transmission is the heart of the engine and provides a consistent power source to the rest of the vehicle. It is made of 800 different parts and requires an expert to identify any issues and fix them. There are a lot of small particles like metal shavings that get caught up or build up in the transmission fluid and as this passes th ... read more