As with all moving parts in your car, the steering rack is likely to wear down over time and experience fatigue. This will take a few years, but the tell-tale signs are in the responsiveness of the car’s steering. If turning the wheel seems to take more effort than it used to, or if the whole system seems strangely sluggish, then you know you have a problem with the steering rack.
Continue reading
The EGR (exhaust gas regulation) valve helps reduce emissions from your car. It effectively channels some of the exhaust gasses back into the combustion chambers of the engine, helping cooling.
Continue reading
Your car’s wing is an integral part of its bodywork. Small accidents or collisions could cause this part to buckle or bend, becoming completely useless. In the event that your wing is either too damaged to be fixed, or not really worth the money of employing a panel beater to fix, then changing this part yourself should be simple.
Continue reading
The exhaust downpipe is the piece of the exhaust that connects the catalytic converter to the final exhaust tip or flange. This is a very small piece of pipe that can often become damaged from rust, wear and fatigue.
Continue reading
What function does the exhaust back box perform in the engine? It takes the hot and fast moving gasses produced by the process of combustion and slows them down. This part is essential when it comes to running a smooth and quiet vehicle.
Continue reading
Your car’s brake pads will wear out relatively quickly. This is due to the friction that occurs when braking, with the brake callipers using the pads to stop the brake discs. The harder you brake and the more aggressively you drive, the faster the pads will wear out.
Continue reading
It is quite obvious when an electric window isn’t working. You simply won’t get any response out of the control unit. However, it might not be as obvious as to what’s gone wrong. If all the windows in your vehicle are suffering from a similar problem, then the chances are that the fuse is no longer working in the electrical system. Isolate the problem to one single window, and you’re more likely to be looking at a failure in the window regulator or motor unit, in which case the faulty part will need replacing.
Continue reading
The ABS is a computer controlled mechanism. Therefore the car is able to immediately tell if there is some kind of problem within this system, and will display the problem via the ABS error light on your dashboard. This should not affect the normal braking function of the car, which will allow the brakes to operate without the benefit of the ABS preventing locking in difficult conditions. The ABS sensor can be checked with a resistance meter to check the quality of the circuit within the part and this should show you whether or not to replace.
Continue reading
The oil sump is the part of your car that holds the oil for the engine. It’s that simple. You’ll notice that the sump is suffering from damage by one major tell-tale sign. Spots of oil will appear on the ground on which your vehicle has been parked. Over time these could even build up in your regular parking space as one large patch of oil.
Continue reading
Your car’s water pump performs an obvious yet essential function. There are a number of signs that can indicate that this part is on its way out. If you suspect your water pump is faulty then a piece of cardboard under the engine at night may well show up giveaway drip marks. Similarly a loose pulley around the water pump or a low pitched grinding noise are both symptoms of a faulty pump.
Continue reading