Posts Tagged ‘automobile maintenance’

8 December

How To Maintain Your Automobile

There are several advantages to maintaining your car. Not only will it function much better, but you spend less in the years to come and if you opt to sell it you will have raised the value. Your automobile can also be considerably more reliable in day-to-day operations. It’s best if you leave the maintenance of your vehicle to competent and trained pros who have the expertise and the resources to identify problems and to correct them. This will help you in driving safely and in a fuel efficient manner. For people who also want to know something about car rentals, you can turn to a dealer of car rental or just check online with IT support Auckland.

When you’re buying motor oil, get a product that is defined as “Energy Conserving.” If you use the smallest grade of multigrade oil that is suggested in your owner’s manual, your energy performance will increase particularly if you’re starting up a cold engine. All of the mechanical systems on your vehicle have a bearing on your gas efficiency, particularly if it’s well maintained. Follow recommendations made by the manufacturer in terms of checking out the engine, your ignition systems, your brakes and your drive train, plus your exhaust emission systems.

You may not be familiar with the importance of appropriately inflated tires in providing you with safety and protecting your fuel efficiency. If only one tire is underinflated by 8 psi, the life of that tire may diminish by as much as 10,000 miles while your fuel intake can rise by up to four percent. A Canadian estimate implies that underinflated tires in Canada are the cause of more than $500 million in wasted gas.

Give your tires the attention which they deserve. Your tires need special attention during wintertime since the cold temperatures diminish the air pressure on your tires. In turn, this can lead to higher fuel usage, due to the increased resistance when you’re driving through snow or slush. Check your tire pressure regularly and particularly right after a sharp drop in temperatures.

Perform a check at least once per month to stop conditions that can cause you unnecessary expenditures and gas consumption. If your motor vehicle is badly maintained, your fuel use can rise by up to 15% and your greenhouse gas emissions by much more. Almost all modern day vehicles use fuel injection systems. A current study has shown that if you exchange a blocked air filter on a fuel injection system, gas economy does not improve. However, it will improve the acceleration efficiency of your auto.

2 September

Automobile Maintenance And Timing Belts

Sixth Avenue Auto

In order to extend the life of your vehicle and keep it running at peak efficiency, it is important to perform regular automobile maintenance. These days, most car manufacturers, either domestic or foreign, have onboard computer systems that alert owners to potential problems and remind them when it’s time for an oil change or a tire rotation. Long-term maintenance, however, goes beyond regular periodic check-ups. There is also required maintenance that is very infrequent, such as checking on your timing belt.

For those vehicles that still have timing belts, most manufacturers suggest replacement as infrequently as every 60,000-100,000 miles, a repair that can be easily overlooked with the availability of longer-lasting components and automated alerts. In most vehicles, the part is inconveniently located, often requiring a partial dismantling of the engine to access it, so periodic checks for excessive or unusual wear are overlooked and often deferred. This also makes the cost of replacing this crucial engine component pretty steep. However, remembering to take care of this detail can save the owner thousands in future auto repair.

The timing belt is a piece of fiber-reinforced rubber that turns the camshaft at exactly half the speed of the crankshaft. This ensures that the intake and exhaust valves move in time with the pistons, which in turn move up and down in the cylinders. The engine can only run properly when each of these parts is calibrated correctly and moving at the proper speed. There are two types of engines that use these parts: interference engines and non-interference engines. Though a slipped timing belt will mean engine failure in both, it can also destroy the insides of an interference engine by causing the valves to bend and the pistons to break. A repair of this magnitude can cost the owner 10 times the amount that the replacement would have.

The owner’s manual for each vehicle will spell out the recommended time when the belt should be inspected and replaced. Some manufacturers have eliminated it and instead install a more durable timing chain. Nevertheless, an inspection is recommended at some point because of the damage a broken chain can cause. While replacing a belt or chain, it is recommended that the water pump also be replaced, even if in excellent condition, because much of the labor required to access the water pump has already been done. Manufacturers and mechanics may be able to suggest other maintenance to be done at the same time.

Before buying a used car, it is critical to check the condition of the timing belt while diagnosing the vehicle for any other issues. In fact, it is often suggested that you insist the part be replaced before purchase. Once cars reach 60,000 – 100,000 miles, it seems that many vehicles require more expensive types of maintenance, so it is not unusual to find owners selling cars before this occurs. It costs about $500 to have the belt replaced, and at about a tenth of the cost of repairing the entire engine, replacing this component can save thousands in the long run and double or triple the life of the vehicle.

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