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Posted By Admin ,
Monday, 28 February 2011 | Comments (0)
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Maintaining your car is critical when you think about how much money you can save in the long run. Don’t wait until your car is broken to get it fixed. Do a quick routine maintenance check every couple of months to make sure that your car is healthy and working properly. These checks can be done at home or by an affordable mechanic. If you are not sure how to do it at home, find online videos to help you with the process.
1. Brake Fluids: Check the brake fluids. If there is not enough brake fluid, remove the old fluid and then add some more in. The break fluid can be checked by the rear side of the engine.
2. Transmission Fluid: Use a dip stick to check if you have enough fluid.
3. Battery Cables: Check that your battery cables have not corroded. Use a toothbrush to wipe away any white substances.
4. Tyre Pressure: Check your tyre pressure regularly. Tyres that are not inflated properly can hurt your gas mileage.
5. Air Filter: A dirty air filter actually makes driving more expensive (you use more gas). Clean the filter out often.
These five checks should be done on a regular basis so that you can keep your car in tip top condition. The more we maintain our car, the longer we can keep it running without any problems.
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Posted By Admin ,
Monday, 28 February 2011 | Comments (0)
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Buying tyres for the first time can be a daunting prospect. You have no idea what the different sizes means or what all the fancy lingo stands for. Tyres are an essential part of your buying regime simply because they are very important. You need strong, quality tyres that will last you and keep you safe on the roads.
Size of the tire: Each car has a specific tyre size that it needs. You can find the code on your car somewhere or in the information pack that is provided with it. Make sure that you confirm what size tyres you need before purchasing them. You don’t want to be stuck with the wrong size.
Be Savvy: It is important that you know where to buy the tyres. There are a lot of automobile shops that sell over-priced tyres simply because the shopper doesn’t know any better. Before buying your first set of wheels, make sure that you shop around before dropping the cash.
Load Capacity: Each tyre can carry a certain load (the weight of a car). Make sure that the your tyre can accommodate the size of your car.
These few tips will help you buy the perfect tyres for your car!
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Posted By Admin ,
Wednesday, 16 February 2011 | Comments (0)
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Cars (and vehicles) are an incredible invention - think what life would be like without them. They are used for business and for leisure. Without cars how would we get around? How would parcels be delivered? What about holidays abroad!
An important part of a vehicle is the tyre. Without this a vehicle would struggle to run. It’s important you take care of your tyres and the effects they can have if not correctly inflated.
Many tests have been conducted to see the effects on traction a poorly inflated tyre has. When a tyre is running on the flat side, your vehicle has more traction on the road. Useful for conditions like rain, ice and snow but not so good on the petrol.
As opposed to the cost on petrol of under-inflated tyres, over inflating a tyre can be a costly mistake. When tyres are over-inflated, they are much more likely to burst. It’s not just the cost of replacing blown tyres but many people have lost their life when over inflated tyres have blown whilst being in motion.
The best way to treat tyres is to consult the manufactures guidelines and follow these.
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Posted By Admin ,
Tuesday, 18 January 2011 | Comments (0)
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We’ve all got certain habits that take cash right out of the bank for us. We’re used to doing things in a certain way, even if we don’t realise the cost. Here are the most obvious habits that are costing you money:
Changing your oil every 3000 miles: A lot of drivers are under the impression that they need to change their oil every 3000 miles. This is far from the truth. Car manufacturers are now making cars that can go 7000 and even 15000 miles without an oil change. Check what your manufacturer requires and work with that amount.
Using a Dealer For Services: We all want to go by the book but sometimes it costs way too much to go to the dealer for services. It usually works out a lot cheaper if you go to an independent motor repair shop that can help. They are much cheaper than the dealer and will always give you a good deal. Just make sure that the motor shop has a solid reputation.
Do it yourself: Replace your wiper blades and air filter yourself. These are basics practices that you can learn. It will save you a lot of money down the line.
Change these three habits and you’ll find a nice chunk of change back in your pocket in no time. |
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Posted By Admin ,
Thursday, 21 October 2010 | Comments (0)
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We all want to make sure that we maintain our cars for as long as possible. It’s expensive to buy a car and therefore they need to be treated with the utmost care. These foolproof ways will make sure you maintain your car for as long as you have it.
1. Change the oil
Depending on how often you drive and for how long you drive, you should be changing your oil at least once a year. Ask the dealer you purchased your car from on how you should go about it. Changing your oil regularly is one of the best ways to ensure that your car will drive more smoothly.
2. Air Filter
One of the quickest ways to maintain your car is to make sure your air filter is clean. A quick test to see whether your air filter is dirty or not - is to remove the filter and hold a bright light to it. If you cannot see through the filter it needs to be replaced.
3. Clean Your Radiator
In order to ensure that your radiator won’t overheat, remove any debris that can be found around the radiator. Once you’ve finished moving the debris wash the outside of the radiator with a detergent solution.
These three tips are the easiest foolproof ways to maintain your car.
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Posted By Admin ,
Thursday, 21 October 2010 | Comments (0)
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Regardless of where you live fuel consumption can be a very expensive part of your budget. Yet, we need cars and want them to save us time and hassle. There are certain ways to decrease your fuel consumption and increase the efficiency of your tank. These five tips will certainly help any cars with a thirst for fuel.
1. Don’t Use Your Aircon
Instead of pumping up your air conditioner as soon as you get into the car, consider going back to what nature has to offer. Open up the window and let cool air blow through your car. It might not be as cold as an air conditioner but for most quick trips this will suffice. This is only applicable when you’re going at lower speeds.
2. Simply Slow Down
One of the easiest ways to save on fuel is to slow down. Stop driving your car like you’re in the formula one. It isn’t necessary and speed is one of the biggest reasons fuel is used up so quickly. Instead of driving ten over the speeding limit, try driving ten under. You’ll see a big difference in a couple of weeks.
3. Clean your Air Filter
If your air filter is dirty it can restrict the amount of air going into the engine. This ultimately harms the performance and the economy of your car. Teach yourself how to check your air filter - but don’t worry, it’s easy to check and change.
4. Keep an eye on your tire pressure
After a certain amount of time your tires will lose air. A big reason for tires being under-inflated is the change in temperature which can cause air loss. Car users don’t check their tires often enough. Make sure you check your tires at least once a month. If you have under-inflated tires you will need more gas to keep your car moving and it will increase the rolling resistance. |
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Posted By Admin ,
Monday, 13 September 2010 | Comments (0)
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Many drivers have a phobia of driving on motorways and will get to extreme lengths to avoid using them. The Telegraph has an interesting post on this.
The AA claims that drivers in Britain drove an extra 600 million miles last year in an attempt to avoid driving motorway routes.
Mark Peacock of the AA give drivers that avoid motorways something to consider, By steering clear of them [motoraways], drivers not only face a longer, slower journey, but are potentially putting themselves at greater risk on A-roads..
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Posted By Admin ,
Monday, 13 September 2010 | Comments (0)
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Your driving test is probably one of the scariest exams you can do and there’s certainly plenty to worry about - costs, peer pressure, effort involved in retaking it, the number of things that can go wrong, getting a good examiner, the list goes on and on. So here are some top tips to help you through this.
1) Keep your cool!
Patience is a virtue. Take your time and learn how to drive properly. Driving is something most people can do well with enough dedication. If you are in a rush to learn and pass, there’s a good chance you will fail. If you give it plenty of time, relax and enjoy (as best you can!) then you’ll pass with flying colours.
2) Understand the basics
Don’t try to run before you can walk. Get to grips with the essentials. Understand techniques that you are going to use over and over so that you don’t have to think about these, this leaves the thinking for the more technical manoeuvres.
3) Do your homework
Eat, drink and sleep driving. The more you know about it the better. If you have use of a computer then read as much as you can. Understand why things are done a certain way as this will help you to comprehend the importance of them.
4) Don’t be afraid to ask for advice
One of the best ways of gleaning new information is to ask people in the know. They should be able to give you a clear enough answer that may save you learning the hard way.
5) Drive on all types of roads
The more experience you can get, the better. If you get too familiar to one type of area/road/terrain, it could be a big shock if you are asked to drive somewhere unexpected during an exam.
6) Ignore the rumours
Try not to listen to horror stories. A lot of the time people only talk about the test when they’ve failed. When people have passed they don’t tend to volunteer information. Listening to rumours will usually give a biased negative impression on things.
7) Do a mock test
Doing a mock test with a different instructor is a good indication of how well you are doing.
8) Practise outside of lessons
the more practise you get the better. You can often figure things out better outside of lessons if you are given more time to digest and understand.
9) Keep it quiet
It’s a good idea not to tell the world and its wife that you are doing your test. This stops you from feeling pressured. If you don’t pass, nobody knows. If you do, you can tell everybody then.
10) Drive in various conditions
If possible, you should try to get used to various driving conditions. Driving in the rain or at night is very different than driving in perfect sunshine.
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Posted By Admin ,
Sunday, 22 August 2010 | Comments (0)
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Having the correct air pressure in a tyre is considered as important as keeping a car regularly maintained - and affects performance on the vehicle. Inflating a car tyre is quite simple to do at any garage - there are machines which can be set to inflate to the maximum pressure you wish. Getting the pressure right is the tricky part.
The correct tyre pressure for your car can be found in one of three places - either on the tyre itself near the hubcap or rims, printed in small numbers. Failing that, your car should have a sticker located on the door with the correct tyre pressure. If both these methods are unsuccessful, you can consult your owner’s manual.
Ensuring that tyre pressure is correct will help you to get the most out of your tyre’s usage and will save on petrol due to the fact your car runs smoother and requires less force to move. Having the correct air pressure in your car tyres will also reduce the chances of a tyre ‘blow out’ whilst your vehicle is in motion, meaning it makes your car safer.
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Posted By Admin ,
Sunday, 22 August 2010 | Comments (0)
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To understand the advantages and disadvantages of a diesel car over a petrol car is to understand the mechanics of the two engines. First, the engines; a diesel engine is a compression engine - internal combustion uses heat to start the ignition which burns the fuel. A petrol engine is different in that it is built using spark plugs.
Diesel engines typically show a higher performance due to the compression ratio, this also means less fuel is burnt while performing the same work as an equal petrol counter-part. Diesel is a much thinker liquid than petrol and as such does not ignite as easily. This is considered safer as there isn’t much chance a diesel car could explode, for example.
Diesel cars do tend to be more expensive to buy and maintain and are known to be noisier than petrol cars.
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