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.
Most modern cars run on petrol or diesel fuel. This is contained in a tank usually located at the rear of the car. It needs to be regularly filled in order for the car to run. In order to ensure the good performance of your vehicle you should always try to keep your petrol tank at least 20% full – any less than this and impurities at the bottom of the tank can get into your engine and damage the pistons. If you suddenly find your car is losing petrol more rapidly than before, you should get it checked out at a service centre as the tank may have developed a leak. The process of filling your tank is fairly easy – it is the same for diesel fuel as petrol – in our example if you’ve got a diesel powered car just substitute the term diesel fuel for petrol.
Take note of where the petrol cap is situated on your car. When pulling up to the pump, unless the unit specifically features long fuel lines you’ll need to make sure that your cap is facing the pump. Be sure to select the right kind of fuel for your car- there is nothing worse than filling a diesel engine up with petrol or vice versa as this can destroy your engine.
Release the cap for your car’s petrol tank. In older cars there may well be a flap over the cap that can be opened manually and then the cap itself can be removed with a separate key. In newer cars there’s usually a special handle, sometimes located by the driver’s door, other times in the glove compartment, which can be pulled to release the petrol cap.
Remove the cap from the car and place it somewhere where you can locate it easily. Most people like to rest the cap on the top of their car or somewhere similar. It’s now just a case of placing the nozzle gun from the petrol pump into the opening and checking that all the counters on the pump are at the zero level before you start pumping.
Squeeze the trigger on the pump nozzle – this should start a mechanical process that will pump the petrol into your tank. Watch to ensure the counters on the body of the pump are going up – indicating the flow of petrol into your tank. There are two types of nozzles. Some have a special locking latch that will hold the trigger in place, then when your petrol tank is full you’ll hear a click and the trigger will automatically release. If you’re using a manual nozzle you should squeeze the trigger until you hear the click yourself.
Finally replace the cap and make a note of the amount of money that’s noted on the display of the pump. Pay the attendant in the kiosk the appropriate amount. Make sure you have enough money before you start pumping petrol into the car as you will have to fill out a number of forms if you cannot afford to pay your bill and return to the petrol station or face legal action.
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.
Your car tyres should always be well maintained. As these are the shoes of the car, giving you good traction on the road surface, it is essential to make sure that they are always working at an optimal pressure and that their tread is in good condition. If you do notice that the tread has degraded badly, then you should replace your tyres, taking care not to mix types across the car, as this can cause a loss of grip.
It is an accepted fact that cars are extremely dangerous places for both drivers and passengers. Over the years there have been a number of campaigns to get drivers and passengers to take more responsibility for their safety, including government drives to get people wearing their seat belts. However, most of the safety systems in cars are designed with adult users in mind, even though a large percentage of car owners also drive their children around. What can we do to make our vehicles safer for the younger generations?
According to the Motoring press, Mercedes are ready to set the car world alight once again with their new GLA, which is being touted as a serious SUV styled for the younger generations. Some may claim that this is so called “lite” version of the famous Mercedes GL class SUV transport – a vehicle that’s been a favourite with the market and the critics for a number of years. With its formal release not planned until the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid September, the motoring media are a-buzz with their previews of the car. Some of the bigger magazines and newspapers have already put their opinions on paper and the web, and we’ve picked out enough of the vital stats to give you our own brief look at this much awaited car.
Last week I was driving on the M6, when a black Bentley swept by majestically and I noticed its rear number plate, T123. I said to myself “nice car, but those number plates must have cost a packet.”.
As I drove along, I started thinking about personalised number plates and the first time I’d ever seen one of these unique vehicle registrations. My mind was cast back to the time when I was a student in the 1970s, visiting my wife’s uncle. Parking my Continue reading →
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