Fort Collins Auto Repair

We've all heard a car or truck in our Fort Collins neighborhoods that needs a new muffler. But there's more to the exhaust system than just the muffler. The exhaust system has three main functions: Safely get hot exhaust gas from the engine out the tailpipe Treat the exhaust to remove harmful pollutants Muffle the engine noise Exhaust gas is poisonous. You don't want it getting into the passenger compartment. For example, carbon monoxide can be deadly. That's why you should never run your engine in a closed garage. If you have a leak in the exhaust system, exhaust could get into the passenger cabin and make you sick or even kill you. If you smell exhaust in the vehicle, roll down your windows and get it inspected. You may smell or see exhaust coming from the engine compartment or under the vehicle if you have a leak. Sometimes the sound from an exhaust leak is loud and obvious. Sometimes it's a ticking sound wh ... read more

Most Fort Collins drivers are aware that manufacturers have service intervals for your car. The engineers that design our vehicles have tested the various systems and components to meet durability and safety standards. Some of these standards are self-imposed and others, like those for emissions components, are government mandated. The maintenance schedules are designed to achieve the standards. Think of the benefits of following recommended intervals as falling into three general categories: Protection, Efficiency and Safety. Protection. Let's start with motor oil. First of all, the engineers recommend a particular weight and type of motor oil. All of their oil change recommendations assume using the proper motor oil. Motor oil contains detergents and other additives that clean the engine and provide corrosion resistance. Over time, the additives are depleted. The oil al ... read more

A lot of gas is wasted by Fort Collins vehicles in dirty fuel delivery systems. Let's start at the tank. The gas tank gathers tiny amounts of dirt, rust and sediment over the years of driving around Fort Collins. That's why there's a fuel filter to clean the fuel after it leaves the tank. A dirty filter will rob the engine of the clean gas it needs to run efficiently. The fuel intake components get coated with gum and varnish over time. This results in fuel being delivered inefficiently and some of that gunk getting into the engine. A fuel system service will leave your intake as clean as a whistle. The big fuel thief is dirty fuel injectors. They deliver fuel to the engine at a specified pressure and in a particular spray pattern. When they're clogged, the fuel doesn't get atomized the way it's supposed to and doesn't get burned as efficiently. See your owner's manual or ask ... read more

Today we want to talk about your engine air filter. That's the filter that cleans the air before it's burned in your engine. Many people in Fort Collins wonder how often they should change their engine air filter. The simple answer is "when it's dirty." That's a function of how much air has passed through the filter, so your vehicle manufacturer will recommend a mileage interval for replacing the air filter. But you can imagine that how dirty the air is would affect how quickly the filter gets filled. If you drive in Fort Collins where there's lots of dust, pollution or pollen, your engine air filter will get dirty more quickly and need to be changed sooner. That's why we check the air filter with every full-service oil change at Kens Muffler and Automotive. We can visually tell if the filter needs to be changed. Your filter can only hold so much dirt. Once the filter is full, dirt will pass thr ... read more

As we all know there are an awful lot of different warning lights on the dash of todays cars, and just like in the cockpit of an airplane, they all have a purpose and meaning. The thing that many people overlook is that the color of the warning light has ranking of importance as well as the light itself. For example, when you turn your cuise control on, many cars have a light to indicate that it is on, and many times that light is green similar to a traffic light (good to go). Some cars with traction contol option, have the ability to turn traction control on or off, and that light would normally be amber in color, again similar to traffic light (procede with caution). Other lights on the dash like brakes, air bag, SRS and so on, may turn on and be red in color, this indicates that there is a problem with one of these systems that can cause a safety issue with the car. This is an indicator that needs immediate attention, red means stop driving according to our traffic lights ... read more

At Ken’s we understand that second only to your home, your vehicle(s) are your biggest annual expenditure.* We also know how it feels to be driving down the road and experience something wrong with your vehicle that you weren’t expecting. That sudden knot in your stomach, wondering if your transportation is going to get you were you need to go or break down and leave you stranded. We know because we have traveled that road, felt that anxiety and didn’t like being at someone’s mercy for help. Our interest in Automobiles began from those feelings of not wanting to be controlled by things we didn’t understand or people that knew more about our cars than we did. You have probably felt that way too, when a mechanic tells you something that just doesn’t make sense. When they tell you this has been going on for quite a while and has caused some serious problems. But you’re thinking “Wait just a minute. This only started happening yesterday&rdqu ... read more