O'Fallon Auto Repair

Your car’s suspension system consists of three primary components – shock absorbers, springs, and struts. All three of them help the control and handling qualities of your vehicle. Without shocks and struts, a vehicle would bounce hard, making driving extremely difficult, not to mention dangerous. Shocks and struts are considered critical to the safe operation of your vehicle – they are designed to help keep your tires on the road and you in control of your vehicle. Shock absorbers work by controlling the energy, or absorb the spring, of the springs to prevent bottoming out. So, when you hit a pothole, the bottom of your car doesn’t smash into the ground. The shocks, struts, and springs work together and keep the movement of the car under control as it moves down the road, over bumps, around corners and curves. Struts are a structural part of the suspension system mounted to the chassis of the vehicle to hold the shocks in place. They control spring and suspen ... read more

Signs of a worn wheel hub bearing vary in severity. Some may be difficult to detect, leading to damage. Noise is a classic sign of a bad wheel bearing or wheel hub bearing. “Snapping, clicking or popping“ This noise is typically heard when cornering or making sharp turns. This can indicate a worn or damaged outer CV-joint. However, it also can be related to excessive bearing endplay, usually associated with inadequate clamping. “Grinding while going” The noise is normally heard when turning or when there is a shift in load. Typically, this means there is mechanical damage in a wheel-end system. Related to a bearing, it means a loss of integrity such as roller or raceway damage. “Wheel vibration and/or wobble“ This is generally associated with a damaged or worn tire, wheel or suspension component or severe chassis misalignment. When related to the hub or bearing, this normally indicates the loss of ... read more

“It’s HOW much? Maybe I should just buy a new car then.” We hear that a lot when people come in to Hillside Auto Repair for an estimate. However, most of the costly repairs they are concerned with, could have been prevented! Simple things like oil changes and transmission flushes, checking for coolant leaks, checking for worn belts, all could have saved them thousands of dollars. And people often believe that newer car means cheaper because they won’t have any service needs or repairs. But that’s simply not true. Most people just don’t know how expensive car ownership is. According to Liberty Mutual, “An average American household can expect to spend about 1.5 percent of its annual income, or about $817 a year, on car repairs for its two (or more statistically accurate, 1.9) vehicles” For instance, for the first 25,000 miles, the average car owner can expect to pay $1,400 for maintenance. And then, for every block of 25,000 miles travelled after, the avera ... read more

Why come to Hillside Auto Repair with your import or luxury vehicle? Simple. We know them. We possess the skills and technology to not only diagnose any issues, but we also have the training and experience to service and repair them. We utlize the same equipment as the dealerships. We work with the care and precision that each vehicle was engineered with. Here’s a few examples of the work we’ve done: Mercedes CL550 – Tune Up, Control Arm Replacement Range Rover – Full Maintenance, Repair to Air Ride Suspension Lotus Esprit- Drivablity Concerns, Installed New Performance Fuel Injectors BMW X5- Full Maintenance, Fixed Oil Leak Porsche- Full Maintenance, Tune up, Emission Repair Currently we are running specials on Oil Changes for Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. Please call the shop to confirm details of the specials!

Well, if you’ve ever driven in a car that is extremely out of alignment, it may seem obvious. Having to turn the steering wheel just to keep the vehicle pointed straight is a nuisance at best and a flat-out hazard at worst. But even subtle misalignment issues will cost you over the long run in the form of fuel inefficiency and accelerated wear and tear on your tires. Here’s all you need to know to protect your car’s alignment, recognize when something’s off, and communicate with your auto shop when it’s time to take your car to the professionals. What Causes a Car to Need Alignment Services? Knocking your car out of alignment can happen as suddenly as bouncing over a pothole you didn’t see or sliding into a curb during a snowstorm. But it can happen gradually too as your car’s suspension parts experience unavoidable wear during your day-to-day commutes. This is an extreme example, but we’ve seen it! Is it Bad to Drive a Car that is Out of Alignment? ... read more