CHAPTER 9: Tech talk

The first is this: you simply must have your car serviced regularly – much like your scheduled dental appointment; it’s silly to allow your car to miss a service. Your car is a big investment and it makes sense to treat it with tender loving care. So check the owner’s manual, which will specify servicing intervals – and then stick to them. Remember, it’s also much cheaper in the long run to maintain your car properly rather than to wait for it to break, and then fix it.

While your car is under warranty, you must take it to an authorised dealer. Taking it elsewhere is just plain nuts, because then your warranty will be

invalidated. Which you don’t want. It’s also a good idea to go to an authorised dealer because they have all the necessary equipment to work on your car.

Jill learnt this the hard way: she spotted a bargain basement deal on a service – what a nightmare that turned out to be. Yes, the service cost next to nothing – but she ended up having endless hassles with her car because the workmanship was substandard.

In days gone by, cars were very simple and no complex equipment was needed. That couldn’t be further from the truth today. For example, your car’s engine is quite likely controlled by an Electronic

You don’t need to be a mechanic or a mechanical engineer in order to keep your hot hatch or snazzy sedan in tip-top running condition. But you do need to understand a couple of technical basics…

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If you run an engine without oil, it can seize – which, in

non-technical terms, means it literally curls up and dies!

Control Unit (or ECU) and, if the engine is not running optimally, the dealer may need to hook up sophisticated diagnos-tics equipment and run specialised software in order to fix the problem.

It makes sense to service via an authorised dealer as this will boost the value of your car when the time comes to sell. It is common knowledge that the resale value of your car can be improved if you have it serviced at an authorised dealer and your service book is stamped. Remember to check that the dealer has not forgotten to stamp your book!

Also, when you do business with an authorised dealer, you know that certain standards are maintained. Notes Joseph Cueter, operations manager for Ford’s Customer Service Division, Asia Pacific and Africa: “Ford factory trained technicians know your Ford vehicle best and can advise you on how to protect and care for your car with regularly scheduled maintenance.”

But you cannot relinquish all responsibility to the dealer. You need to

take charge of some basic bits and pieces too: there are some rudimentary duties that you can perform to ensure that your car operates efficiently.

EnGinEPopping open the bonnet or hood will often tell you… exactly nothing! That’s because, with many modern cars, the engine is obscured by plastic covers which prevent you from tampering with technical components.

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But there

are some things you

should check, and the two most important items are oil and water levels. Your car’s engine simply cannot survive without these two liquids. It’s also a good idea to check the level of windscreen washer fluid as well as the brake and power steering fluid. Don’t know where to find these? All is revealed in your owner’s manual. If you read the manual and you’re still clueless as to their location, stick your pride in your pocket and pop over to the dealer, who will explain all.

But firstly the all-important oil. The National Roads and Motorists’

Association (NRMA) in Australia recommends that you check the oil level while your car is parked on a level surface. Start the engine, let it run for a short while, and then turn it off. While your engine’s still warm, remove the dipstick, and wipe it clean with a lint-free rag. The dipstick is normally pretty easy to find. It’s that long, flexible rod normally near the front of the engine compartment – and it often has an orange hoop at the top. Be careful to reinsert the dipstick fully, otherwise you’ll get a false reading.

Remove the dipstick again and check the oil level. If it’s reading low, top up your oil using the correct grade as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Very important: if no oil shows on the dipstick, do NOT run your

engine! If you run an engine without oil, it can seize – which, in non-technical terms, means it literally curls up and dies!

Check the radiator coolant level in the plastic reservoir – it should be between the high and low marks. You should never ever check your coolant level when the radiator is hot (this could lead to nasty burns). This is one of the most common vehicle-related accidents; it happens around the world almost on a daily basis, simply because car owners are unaware of the associated dangers. It is vitally important that you heed this advice.

TyrEsDon’t forget those bits of black rubber! The tyres on your car are safety critical items. So it’s really important to keep them in peak condition.

This means sticking to the correct tyre pressures and, once again, this will be stipulated in the owner’s manual and/or on the inside of the door. Look for uneven tyre wear and nails in the tread. Inspect the sidewall for cuts and bubbles.

In the tyre tread you will find places where there is a small rubber bridge – this is called a tyre tread indicator. When this segment of rubber is the same depth as the tread you should

• You should change your car’s oil every three months.Thisisn’tnecessary.Syntheticoilsdon’tbreakdownsorapidly.Checkyourowner’smanualandbeguidedbyitsrecommendations

• You need to let your vehicle engine warm up in cold weather.Nottrue.Theenginewarmsupwhileyoudrive.Runningyourcaranylongerbeforehandisjustawasteoffuel

• Premium fuel is a treat for your car. Wrong!Unlessyourvehicleisspecificallytailoredtotakeadvantageofthehigheroctanelevelinthefuel,you’rewastingyourmoney.Usewhatisrecommendedinyourowner’smanual

• The number listed on the sidewall of your tyre is the recommended tyre pressure.False!Inmostcases,thisisactuallythemaxi-mumpressureallowedforthattyre.Therec-ommendedpressureisusuallylistedontheinsidedoorpanel–checkyourowner’smanualtobesure

• Buy fuel in the morning and you’ll save money. Whensomeonetellsyoutofillupinthemorningwhenfueliscoolestandmostdense(becausefuelissoldbyvolume),justtellthemthey’retalkingnonsense.Thebeliefwasyouwouldgetmorefuelforyourbuck.Butfuelishousedinunderground,non-metallictanksandtheyaren’tthatsensitivetosunlight

Some age-old snippets of advice are nothing more than maintenance myths. Here are five common fallacies:5

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pedal spongy (this means the brake pedal is not solid when depressed, but bounces softly)? Does the car tend to pull to one side under braking? Can you hear an unusual grinding sound?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, go to the dealer or an approved brake fitment centre. And ask them to sort it out now!

shock absorbErsThese nifty devices (which you cannot see unless you look under the wheel arch) are part of the suspension. They work in conjunction with the wheel spring. They are responsible for the road holding and handling characteristics of your car so they’re also pretty important to your car’s (and your!) wellbeing.

You cannot replace or repair the shocks yourself; this must be done by the dealer. But you can certainly check if they’re functioning optimally. The best way of doing this is by getting a strong person to push down independently on each corner of the car and then suddenly release the downward pressure. The car should lift to its normal ride height position at a uniform rate – if it bobs up and down a few times, chances are good that your shocks are faulty.

replace the tyre. Legal requirements differ from country to country but, according to the Automobile Association (AA) in the U.K., most countries require a minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm. It recommends a minimum of 2 mm for road safety reasons. It is extremely important to have enough tread on your tyres: without enough tread, tyres cannot do their jobs.

Remember to always check the infla-tion of your spare tyre. We recommend that you keep an emergency tyre sealant – it’s often referred to as a “tyre bomb” canister – in your boot. This handy tyre sealant inflator re-inflates a flat tyre in a minute or two. It cannot be used for a sidewall puncture (this is a puncture in the side of the tyre).

If your tyres show uneven wear pat-terns, get the wheel alignment checked.

LiGhTsCheck that all your lights work properly. Get a friend to stand outside your car and help you check your park lights, high and low beams, indicators, brake lights and fog lights. Unless you have some mechanical ability, do not attempt to replace faulty globes or bulbs (it’s a tricky job; you could end up damaging the expensive plastic clips that form part of the lights, for instance).

WindscrEEn and WipEr bLadEsIf your windscreen is chipped – do not leave it. It’s very important that you have maximum visibility on the road.

Clean the wiper blades with a rag dipped in household detergent regularly. It’s not vitally important to use fancy windshield washer fluid – a few drops of dishwasher detergent mixed with water will do the job perfectly. If, in wet weather, your wiper blades leave lines and do not clean the windscreen properly, this means it’s time to change them. These are readily available from your local spares shop. They will most probably even help you fit them – it’s a five-minute job. So you don’t need to go to the dealer and pay for this service.

brakEsThe brakes are seriously important components! That’s because they can keep you from becoming another road statistic! So, if you suspect you may have a problem with your brakes, attend to this immediately.

There are many things that impact on good braking, and firstly you need to understand what is wrong. Is the brake

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