Springfield Auto Repair

Welcome to the April blog! This month, we’re thinking about the temptations of Spring and jealous hearts.  We depend a great deal on our cars. This has been especially true in pandemic. Our little contained environments may not entirely shut out COVID-19, but they at least give us the confidence to operate in a stressful situation, making us feel safer. When our car lets us down, it can damage the trust we have in it. We’re only human, and sometimes, it’s easy to blame the decline of a car on the car itself. The irony of this is lost on us, as our vehicles are entirely dependent on us to care for them. It’s hard not to fall in love with a newer model when you’re angry with your current car. If you feel let-down and cheated, it’s easy to want to break from your current car and go for something newer, shinier, with better features and the factory warranty still intact. It’s important to remember that the day will come when time and tide ... read more

“Bring the whole family.” It’s often an overused expression in business advertising. When you show up somewhere, you find out the atmosphere isn’t suited for children after all and doesn’t make you feel like a home away from home. At Complete, we are a family-- or, at least, family-like. We treat our employees exceptionally well to foster an atmosphere of growth and support with their lifetime dreams and ambitions. We like coming to work in a place where everyone feels good about the work we are doing and wants to achieve great things, together.  We hold a high standard for our interactions with customers, making sure you feel at home and welcome. It’s a matter of pride that we look after each customer with the kind of care we want our parents to receive when they take their vehicle for service. Our Service Advisors are attentive, friendly, interested, and professional. Our auto mechanics are friendly and honest. When you bring your vehicle t ... read more

February 2021 is here at last, and romantic love is in the air! Spring is on the way, Valentine’s is two weeks away, and the Super Bowl is just a week away! Even with all of the things COVID19 has done to try and ruin our rites of passage, America is still working, still protecting each other, still thriving. For many people, the past few months have been a dark and scary time. Springfield’s population has an optimism that carries them through the worst parts of history, and it’s time that we call on that. It’s essential to show love right now and deal with anger. Let’s look at five ways we can show love to one another in February and the benefits: Looking out for each other. All it takes is a small gesture of care to give a person the sense that they are not alone in this world. Acknowledge the people you see, make space for each other, offer to hold a door open. Just a small campaign of this kind of love can ripple out in our communit ... read more

Congratulations on making it to 2021! With the new year here, we thought we should offer some friendly advice on dealing with the unexpected event of snow on your travels, and what to do if you get stuck in the snow, to get out. Snow can surprise you. You go to bed to a perfectly clear sky and wake up buried in fresh powder. And then, driving down a covered road, you might have trouble distinguishing the asphalt from the grass, and find yourself stuck in a snowbank. Or perhaps your wheels have hit a patch of snow where there’s no traction from pavement to move forward. You’re just slipping deeper into the snow as your wheels are trying to find their footing. Here are 4 steps to getting yourself out of the snow: Remember to check your tailpipe before you start. Before you begin a drive, be sure to clear snow and ice from your tailpipe. Exhaust caught in the tailpipe can back up into your car and kill you. When you approach your car to get in with deep snow, don’t fo ... read more

Gift giving in the holiday season can be tricky. So many of us absently buy the things we want online, making it difficult to find the perfect gift for a friend. If you’re still looking for that perfect gift for a car lover in your life, we’ve taken the time to round up seven of our favorite picks for Christmas presents this year!   Socks are a much nicer gift than they get credit for. A good pair of socks is a wonderful thing. These Qrupoad “Gas” and “Clutch” Novelty Socks are a hilarious and fun gift, especially for a driver new to manual transmissions! Many states have made hand-free drivi ... read more

With Thanksgiving on the way, it’s a good time to talk about the importance of gratitude, and including our cars in that. Thanksgiving grew out of the moment 400 years ago when the pilgrims on the Mayflower saw the Cape Cod shore after 65 days of rough sea and damage to their ship. One of the pilgrims led the others in the reading of Psalm 100, and that’s why we have Thanksgiving: the grateful travelers were finally on solid ground again. Practicing gratitude is important in all our relationships. To have respect and show appreciation is an important lesson to teach our kids, of course, but it’s just as important that husbands, wives, and partners remember their grace and not take each other for granted. The things we do for each other to improve our lives and to grow our fortunes should not be overlooked. As we take a day to thank each other, don’t forget that there’s a family member stuck in your garage who could use some attention for the dependabilit ... read more

With fall and winter approaching, it’s time to consider what to do to prepare your car for snow and icy conditions that will come soon to Springfield. Are you prepared for a light snow? Ice on the roads? What will you do if the car stalls in a blizzard?  Here’s some suggestions for getting you and your car winter-ready again: Train yourself to check the MoDOT website before each trip The most important thing to update for cold weather is you, the driver! With as many devices and gadgets as most people own nowadays, it makes great sense to make a check of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)’s Traveler Information website before leaving on a trip. The MoDOT website gives real-time updates on road conditions you can prepare for while still in the safety of your own home. (The best disaster is the one you miss altogether, after all.)  Here’s a tip: add a winter keychain item as a reminder-- something like a winter scene, a polar bear, a S ... read more

You’ll hear it all the time:  Preventive maintenance. But what does that mean, exactly? When we were kids, our parents told us to take care of our toys. We can remember our parents encouraging us to be more “gentle” with our more expensive toys due to fear we would break them. You can relate, right? As adults, we all eventually learn that when you take care of your equipment, your equipment takes care of you. That is why you have to sharpen your knives and scissors every so often. That is why you have to upgrade your smartphone’s software. That is why you need to replace your vacuum cleaner bag when it gets full. That kind of stuff is how we generally take care of our belongings so they will continue to serve us for a long time. The same can be said of your vehicle. When you take good care of your fleet of family or work vehicles, they can better take care of you. Preventive maintenance gives you peace of mind, knowing that you are taking proactive measu ... read more

Summer is flying by -- we can't believe it is August already! For many of us parents, August means back-to-school season, and soon enough, our little ones will be heading back to school in late August. We recognize how busy August can get for parents, which is why the team at Complete Automotive wants to help ease your stress levels. During this busy month, we don't want you to worry about your vehicle's condition. Leave that to our technicians.  When it comes to auto repair, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you are driving your kiddos around, whether that it is to school or even to the grocery store to grab those last-minute snacks, your precious packages need to be protected while cruising through the streets. To protect you, your children, and your vehicle, preventative maintenance is an absolute must.  Before you are in the midst of school season and just swamped with a never-ending to-do list, stop by Complete Automotive. Our technicians will p ... read more

Can you name off all the fluids in your car?  Most people immediately think of oil, gas, and washer fluid. But there are eight different fluids in most gasoline-powered automobiles. In this month’s blog, we want to talk about these 8 fluids and what you should know about them. Gas Oil Washer Fluid Air Conditioning Coolant Radiator Fluid Transmission Fluid Brake Fluid Power Steering Fluid Gas is the fluid that serves as fuel. It is the most regularly consumed fluid in your car. You can buy diesel fuel plus usually three different grades of gasoline from lower to higher octane. Unless you’re driving an electric vehicle, it’s pretty obvious why your vehicle requires this fluid to operate. Oil is the fluid that keeps your engine running smoothly. Like the blood in your veins, the oil gets pumped throughout the engine to lubricate the many moving parts that create heat and friction. Over time, your oil needs to be changed because it gets used up and dirty ... read more