Brake fluid plays a vital role in your car. This liquid transfers the force of the driver’s foot on the brake pedal through to the disc brakes. It uses a system of tubes and pressure, a little like those that you might find on a hydraulic piston, to operate all the brakes simultaneously. It is imperative that you have the right level of brake fluid in your car. If you do not have enough fluid then this may mean that you cannot reach the required levels of pressure in your system to safely operate your car’s brakes.
Power steering aids drivers by providing a level of power and support to the steering process, augmenting the effort supplied by the driver. This is usually automated via a system of hydraulics that uses a power steering pump and reservoir, which sits on the engine. The fluid within the hydraulics is then applied to the steering gear through a set of hoses, and the pressure is used to reduce the amount of force needed to successfully steer the vehicle. Continue reading →
Shock absorbers form an essential part of your car’s suspension system. They are mechanical devices that are used to smooth out bumps and impacts from the road surface that could affect you and your passengers. They work by converting the kinetic energy generated from the movement of the wheels into easily dissipated thermal energy.
All cars use transmission fluid. This is used to lubricate the gearbox and ensure the smooth running of your vehicle. You will need to check the lubricant levels in your car regularly – how you do this depends on whether your car has a manual transmission or an automatic transmission.
Windscreen washer fluid is a vital part of your car’s systems. It allows you to clean the windows in adverse conditions – whether these are a dry and dusty summers day where insects and pollen are impeding your visibility, or a murky winter spell where dirty water from the road is splashing on your windscreen.
Wear and tear on the front of your car soon adds up, and even a minor prang can leave your bonnet looking in a thoroughly disreputable state. You will be able to address much of this yourself with touch-ups or – if it’s bad enough – a complete respray. But in worse cases it’s far simpler to ditch the old bonnet and start again. Double-skinned bonnets are particularly hard to repair, since they cannot be hammered out. There are ways of ‘sucking’ out dents, but these are hit and miss – and, in any case, you’ll need to repaint afterwards anyway.
Batteries provide the essential power to a car’s spark plugs in order to start the engine. Whilst a failing battery will not generally result in your car breaking down on the road, it will prevent your vehicle from being started. We’d always advise that you do a quick visual inspection of your battery any time you open the bonnet of your car to check the oil, top up brake fluid or refill the car’s water tank. This way you should be able to anticipate any problems with the battery before they happen, preventing that awkward moment in the morning where your car won’t start.
The most common problem signs to watch out for with a battery are as follows:
– Cracked case or bulging battery cover
– Signs of electrolyte leakage on the outside of the battery
– Frayed, cracked or worn insulation on the cables for the battery
– Brown, rust-like corrosion on the battery’s terminals and posts
– Loose or missing fixing hardware
Any actual physical damage to the body of the battery means that you should replace the entire unit at your earliest possible opportunity. Damaged batteries can leak in the engine and corrode other parts, so any sign that the battery’s casing is not in good condition should be taken seriously. Equally you should replace frayed, worn or broken cables as soon as possible as these are a vital part of the engine’s starting system, carrying the charge that’s used to start the combustion process.
Keep the battery connector clean
In order to make sure your battery is in good condition you should check the top of your battery for dirt and electrolyte. Too much electrolyte on the top of the battery is usually caused by overfilling and is not a cause for concern – rather a sign that you should be more careful next time you fill your battery. However, you will need to remove any dirt from the top of the battery as this can form an electrical bridge that can cause the battery to discharge when the vehicle is at a standstill. Finally take a look at the fixings for the battery – any looseness could allow the battery to vibrate and the connections could be dislodged.
Older batteries that have to be topped up manually should be checked around once a month. As these batteries use a mix of water and acid in the cells to form the electrolyte the water can evaporate during the summer months. If the water drops too low then the battery will cease functioning. Use a screwdriver to pull of the cell cover to inspect the electrolyte levels – this should be well above the plates. Most batteries have an indicator that shows the correct level of the electrolyte. If the fluid does not reach this level then you should add distilled water – not tap water due to impurities within the liquid – to bring it up to the normal required level. When you add the water only use a plastic container or funnel as a metal one could touch the plates and cause the battery to discharge rapidly, which could injure you.
It is very rare for a battery cell to run completely dry. Usually you will only have to add distilled water to the battery and if you see that a cell has run completely dry then you should check the battery to make sure there are no cracks in the casing. Also never add acid to a cell that already contains electrolyte – this can damage the electrical balance of the battery and cause failure.
All combustion engines, no matter whether they are diesel, petrol, alcohol or bio-fuel driven, produce emissions. These often dangerous gasses are ejected from the vehicle via the exhaust system. This is connected directly up to the engine head via the manifold, and used to funnel all the waste fumes out of the pistons chambers. The exhaust has many parts – these include:
All engines require coolant to stop them from overheating. This is especially true of the summer months when the bonnet of the car is already hot due to the ambient temperature, but due to the combustion process the engine is also likely to get hot even during the coldest period of the year. To make sure there is sufficient coolant in your engine you should check your levels regularly – as a rule of thumb you should check it at least every 3,000 miles, although you should check your owner’s manual, which should advise on the frequency of your checks. Continue reading →
Even at low speeds, your engine sucks in a huge amount of air necessary for the process of internal combustion that drives the car. This air has to be clean and free from particles such as dust and dirt, or these could clog up the engine over time causing it to lose efficiency or even break down. As a result most engines use special air filters to clean the air that they take in, trapping all the dirt and dust that could cause damage. This part has a limited lifespan before it becomes completely clogged, impeding the flow of air to the engine, and needs to be changed.
Power steering aids drivers by providing a level of power and support to the steering process, augmenting the effort supplied by the driver. This is usually automated via a system of hydraulics that uses a 
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