O'Fallon Auto Repair

If you drive the streets of O'Fallon, MO, from the hustle near Highway K to the quiet curves of Bryan Road, you trust your vehicle to get you there smoothly. But lately, things feel... off. You might notice a rough idle when you’re stopped at the light at Mexico Road, a hesitation when you step on the gas, or maybe even a drop in fuel mileage. Before you panic and assume the worst, there’s a good chance your car is suffering from a very common, yet often overlooked, malady: a dirty throttle body. As an automotive blogger, I get asked all the time: "What is a 'throttle body service,' and can I just spray some cleaner in there myself?" Let’s dive into the grimy details, talk about why O‘Fallon’s weather and driving conditions might be clogging up your engine, and most importantly, figure out if this is a Saturday afternoon DIY project or a job for the trusted technicians at Hillside Auto Repair. The Respiratory Sys ... read more

You’re cruising down Highway K or navigating the roundabouts near Fort Zumwalt West, and you hit it, a pothole left over from winter or a sharp dip entering a shopping plaza. It wasn’t even that hard of a bump. You barely spilled your coffee. But suddenly, a warning light glares at you from the dashboard: "Cruise Control Unavailable," "Front Radar Blocked," or "Collision Mitigation System Malfunction." Your first thought is usually frustration. Great, another expensive sensor is broken. Your second thought is confusion. It was just a little bump; how bad could it be? The Delicate Dance of Your Bumper Cover To understand the issue, you should look to the nose of your modern vehicle. That sleek, painted bumper cover isn't just for show. Behind that plastic, usually mounted on a bracket, is a radar unit. This unit is the "eye" of your adaptive cruise control, constantly emitting signals to maintain a ... read more

Here in O’Fallon, winter isn’t just a season; it’s a test of endurance. It’s scraping a quarter-inch of frost off your windshield while the Weldon Spring winds cut right through you. And the true morning ritual? Climbing into your icebox-on-wheels, firing it up, and waiting… and waiting… for that blessed wave of warm air from the vents. If you’re shivering and asking, “Is this normal?” you’re not alone. The line between a standard winter warm-up and a sign of trouble is thinner than the ice on Lake St. Louis. Let’s pop the hood and get to the heart of your heating system. The Science of the Shiver: How Your Car’s Heater Works First, a crucial fact: your car’s heater is not a primary system. It’s a brilliant byproduct of your engine’s cooling system. Here’s the 30-second version: Your engine runs and generates a massive amount of waste heat. Coolant (antifreeze) abs ... read more

You're walking to your car after one of our classic O'Fallon weather swings, maybe a humid afternoon followed by a cool evening, and you see it. A faint fog, a few droplets, a mysterious cloudiness inside your headlight or taillight. Your first thought might be, "Did my car develop a cataract?" or "Is this a sign of major water damage?" Take a deep breath. While it can be alarming, condensation inside light assemblies is a surprisingly common automotive quirk. But understanding why it happens and when it shifts from "quirk" to "problem" is key to keeping your vehicle safe and your lights shining bright on Highway K or I-64. The Science of the Sweaty Headlight: It’s All About Breath Modern headlights and taillights aren't sealed, vacuum-tight units. They're designed to breathe. Why? As bulbs heat up during use and cool down afterward, the air inside the assembly expands and contracts. To prev ... read more