Florissant auto repair

Planning a trip anytime soon? With summer here, it is the perfect time to hit the open road, traversing through Florissant and beyond. The team at Gary’s Auto Service has compiled a list of day trips that you and your family can take this summer:  Springfield, Illinois: The state capital of Illinois is within driving distance of Florissant and is perfect if you are looking for a change of scenery, complete with many attractions of Abraham Lincoln.  Hannibal: This was the boyhood home of Mark Twain, and you can relive Huck’s adventures by browsing the museum decided solely to Twain and his childhood home.  Meramec Caves: Missouri is known as the cave state, and these caverns are an excellent example of this state’s claim to fame.  Hermann: Dripping in German heritage, this area is filled with wineries, complete with live music and outdoor terraces.  The Katy Trail: This walking tracks is over 200 miles long, winding throughout Missouri and bey ... read more

Winter is coming, and we don’t just mean the season finale of Game Of Thrones. We mean the actual winter, where there is snow, and ice, and stuff like that. You know, that time of year when we have to use our credit cards to see out our windows, and where we bemoan our frozen existences while driving to our places of employment. What’s a responsible motorist to do in the face of this rude interruption to autumnal festivity?  Check all fluids. Make sure your vehicle is well lubricated: even in the winter, the coolant needs topping, the brakes need plenty of fluid, you want to check the oil, and let’s not forget the ever-present transmission.  Check tires You’d never venture into the realm of ice without good shoes, so why would you send your trusty vehicle out without good tires? Get your tires the love they deserve by bringing them to us for a quick check on alignment, as well as a measurement on how the treads are holding up.  Check suspension ... read more

  August means preparing for another school year. If you have teens beginning to take on more responsibility by driving themselves to school or other activities, you may be wondering how you can help keep them safe on the roads. It can be a scary proposition to send your kids out driving. Here are some ideas to help. Most importantly, talk to your kids. Talk to them individually about staying safe on the roads, and what they will do in a given scenario (say, for example, if they are pulled over, or rear-ended.) This can go a long way towards empowering your teens to make safe choices. Peer pressure: Discuss with your kids what they should do if they find themselves in an unsafe place situation with friends. What will they do if one of their friends is texting while driving, driving erratically, or playing the music too loud? Is your teen able to speak up for themselves?  Buckle up: Every passenger, every time. No excuses--no one gets to ri ... read more

We can’t believe how fast the year is going. Spring is almost coming to a close, as the grass is green, the flowers have bloomed, and the sky seems to be a permanent shade of brilliant blue. The temperatures are going to continue to rise, and the sun continues to shine, as spring turns into summer.   And summer means school is out, and most of us are already planning our summer vacations and road trips. Before you embark on your adventure, make sure your vehicle is ready to go. Get your car ready for summer vacation with these 10 tips:   Don’t forget your tires. Your tires are one of the most critical components of your vehicle that if damaged or worn can jeopardize your safety. Bring your car to Gary’s Auto Service, and our technicians can take a look. Your brakes are imperative to the safety of you, your family, and your vehicle, and during winter, your brakes suffer through a lot of abuse. Give your car a little extra TLC with a car wash. Get ... read more

In the merry month of May, when all the trees are in bloom, our thoughts turn to the wide open road. With the rough winds of winter behind us and summer upon us, there’s really no better time to plan for that great American tradition: The road trip! Read on to learn Gary’s Auto’s hot tips for planning an epic road trip that won’t get you stranded!   First of all, check your fluids! Make sure that your power steering and brake fluids are topped off--and clean. Nothing would be worse than getting stuck miles from civilization and realizing your power steering has gone the way of the dodo because of lack of fluid!   Secondly, take a look at climate control. We all remember those miserable trips in the family station wagon, going down some remote highway with all the windows down in 100-degree heat, because there was no AC. Well, 1985 called, and it wants its roadtrip back. But you can’t keep the family cool if you don’t keep your coolant l ... read more

  Like people, cars need to breathe clean air. Because dirt, dust, and pollen can be taxing on your engine, it's critical to check your car's air filter. It's often neglected even though it's one of the easiest and cheapest repairs you can do on your car.   When your air filter is dirty, air can't get to the engine and this causes much more fuel to be used up. Keeping away the dirt and debris that causes wear and tear will prolong the lifespan of your engine and the amount of cash you fork over at the gas station.   Internal combustion engines require air to perform. Fuel doesn't burn without oxygen to give that igniting force that allows the engine to get powered up. The air needs to be as clean as possible for your engine to run optimally. This is why a clean air filter is essential. The filter is made of porous, paper-like material that catches and prevents dirt from reaching the engine while allowing the clean air to pass through.   ... read more

Happy Holidays from everyone at Gary’s Auto Service!   We know the holidays are really about rejoicing with those you love and that holiday shopping really should be an afterthought. But the gift of giving can bring you great joy, especially when you know you’re getting the right gift for that special person.   Think about it. For a couple of hours, you’re actually thinking about making others happy. How cool is that?! You anticipate their smiling faces when they realize that, rather than buying a quick gift card (because, after all, they know what they really want), you took the time to consider who they are and what they might like. That’s the joy of gift giving.  The art of giving them something they would not ordinarily buy for themselves, perhaps something they never even heard of.     It is with that in mind, we wish you an imaginative, rewarding gift-shopping experience and offer these ideas for the car lov ... read more

October is one of our favorite months, thanks to Halloween. We love seeing the little ghosts and goblins visiting each family’s car at the annual Trunk or Treat events at our church and other churches in the Florissant area. Normally, we would write a blog on Halloween driver safety, but we thought we’d take a different approach:  The Top 10 Tips for Driving Safely at Night.   After Daylight Savings Time ends, we all have the extra hazard of driving in the dark when we get off work. Two of the biggest accident days of the year occurs when the time changes. So, let’s share some helpful safe driving tips:   Look around. Before backing out of your parking space, turning a corner, or crossing an intersection, be sure you take a good look around to avoid pedestrians, bicyclists, animals, and other distracted drivers.   Drive slowly. At night, it’s harder to see people who are wearing dark clothing, or animals that are crossing the street. Whe ... read more

One of the biggest decisions we make is purchasing a car. It’s a huge investment and a stressful process from start to finish. At Gary’s Based on car sales and pricing from the past several years, it looks like August is one of the best times of the year to purchase a new car.   Due to a combination of the seasons changing from summer to fall, so there is less interest in car buying among most drivers. On top of that, most dealerships are looking to clean out their inventory to make room for newer models during August. This cost difference is exaggerated for SUV purchases, which drops over $400 compared to the average annual cost. If you’ve been looking for the right time to buy, this is it!   Although many car shoppers have considered times like Black Friday, New Year’s, and Christmas sales to be the best time to purchase a new car, the advertised discounts don’t add up to nearly as many savings as you can get by purchasing in August. The ... read more

  Traveling with kids in the car can be a messy, stressful prospect, especially when it's a long road trip! At Gary’s Auto, we love to keep it organized, so we’ve applied some of that logic to road trips with our own families! Here are a few pointers from us on how to keep things fun, happy, and tidy the next time you travel with the kids!     1. Never underestimate the wonder of Ziploc baggies. You would be surprised how many uses you can find for these! Use them to pack each day’s outfit for the kids to keep things organized. You can also pack up snack ahead of time and use the baggies for resealable storage rather than having chips everywhere.     2. Bring car-friendly activities and fun! We suggest investing in an in-car organization system like ... read more