A mobile mechanic for Lenexa, based north of the river in Kansas City, Kansas

Josh works out of the Piper area on the west side of Kansas City, Kansas. Lenexa is south of there in Johnson County. You cross the Kansas River, go through Shawnee, and Lenexa starts on the other side. I-435 is the straight shot down, and K-7 is the other way in on the west side.

Lenexa is one of the towns Josh comes out to. When you call or text, give him your part of town so he can plan the drive.

I-435 runs through the middle of Lenexa. I-35 cuts along the east side, K-10 marks the south edge where Lenexa meets Olathe, and K-7 runs through the west side. A lot of people who live here hop from one to the next every day.

That is ramp, merge, speed up, brake, over and over. Then the lights on West 87th Street Parkway once you get off. Brakes take most of that wear. Pads thin out, rotors get hot and can start to pulse under your foot, and a squeal turns into a grind if it waits. Grinding means it is time to stop driving on them.

Lenexa has a lot of warehouses, offices and business parks along I-35 and I-435, so plenty of cars on its roads belong to people who live somewhere else. If you live here, dropping a car at a garage usually means a ride to work and a ride back to pick it up.

With a mobile repair the car stays home. An oil change in your own driveway means no second car to arrange and no sitting in a quick lube line on your day off. While the hood is up, the engine air filter is a quick look too, since a clogged one is easy to miss.

The east side of Lenexa, closer to I-35, has the older neighborhoods. Head west toward Woodland Road and Monticello Road and the subdivisions get newer, out by Black Hoof Park and its lake. Most homes either way have a driveway or a garage. A flat spot with room to walk around the car is what Josh needs to work.

Here is what Josh does at your house. A few big engine jobs are more than a driveway can handle, and if yours is one of them, he will say so before anything starts.

• Brake pads and rotors, and the squeals and grinding that come with worn ones
• Oil changes and engine air filters, on the schedule in your owner's manual
• Check engine light diagnosis, so you know what the code points to
• Alternators and starters
• Serpentine belts, pulleys and tensioners
• Radiators, radiator hoses and coolant flushes
• Transmission fluid and power steering fluid
• Gaskets, timing belts and chains, camshafts and engine replacement