Monday, February 20, 2012

Tips To Extend the Life of Your Car


Care and Maintenance Tips Keep Your Car Running in Top-Notch Condition
We’ve compiled our best expert advice, surprising tricks, and car care tips to prolong the life of your automobile!

1. Be patient during the break-in period

You’ve bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer’s lot:

During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer.
Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breakin. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.
2. Drive with care everyday
Being car considerate shouldn’t stop after the break-in. Drive with care every day and your car will reward you with longer intervals without repair.

Do not race your car’s engine during start-up.This is a quick way to add years of wear to your engine, especially if it’s cold outside.
Accelerate slowly when you begin your drive.The most wear to the engine and drive train occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
Warming the engine by letting it idle in the driveway is not a smart idea.The engine doesn’t operate at its peak temperature, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion, soot deposits on cylinder walls, oil contamination, and ultimately damaged components.
Put less strain on your engine and automatic transmission by shifting to neutral at red lights. Otherwise, the engine is still working to push the car even while it’s stopped.
Avoid driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly, especially when it’s very hot or very cold outside. Such driving behavior will result in more frequent repairs.
Extend the life of your tires with careful driving. Observe posted speed limits. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on the road. Don’t run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when parking. And, of course, don’t burn rubber.
When turning your steering wheel, don’t hold it in an extreme right or left position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage the power-steering pump.
Consolidate your short driving trips. Most of the wear and tear — as well as the pollution your car generates — takes place in the first few minutes of driving. Doing several errands at once, during low traffic hours if possible, will keep your engine happier longer.
3. Buy gas at reputable service stations

Ask whether the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and dance, find another gas station. Some stations don’t have pump filters, making you more vulnerable to dirty gasoline. Other stations may not mix alcohol and fuel properly — or worse, water down their product. Find a station you trust and stick to it.

4. Don’t fill up if you see the tanker

If you happen to see a gasoline tanker filling the tanks at your local gas station, come back another day or go to a different station. As the station’s underground tanks are being filled, the turbulence can stir up sediment. Sediment in your gas can clog fuel filters and fuel injectors, causing poor performance and possibly necessitating repairs.

5. Go easy when you’re stuck

When stuck in mud or snow, don’t make the problem worse by damaging an expensive component. Gently rocking in an attempt to free the car is fine. But if it looks as though you’re really stuck, don’t keep at it. Throwing your car from forward to reverse repeatedly, as well as spinning tires at high speeds, can generate lots of heat and spell trouble for transmissions, clutches, and differentials. It may be cheaper in the long run to call the tow truck rather than risk big repair bills down the road. It’s a good idea to carry a traction aid in the trunk, such as sand, gravel, or cat litter.

6. Lighten up your key chain

Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others. Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.

7. Choose a good car insurer

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, disaster inevitably strikes — typically in the form of an accident. Make sure that your car will be repaired to the best possible standard by finding an insurer that will pay for parts from the original manufacturer and guarantee the repairs it authorizes.

8. Keep an auto log

Keep a pad and pencil in the glove compartment and use them to record your gas fill-ups and mileage. If you notice that your gas mileage worsens, mention it to your service man. It may be an early warning sign that something is wrong with your car.

9. Preserve your car during long-term storage

If you are not going to use your car for more than a month, store it properly to prevent unnecessary damage and repairs upon your return.

Fill the gas tank to help prevent condensation from accumulating in the gas tank. Add a fuel stabilizer and drive the car around a bit to distribute the additive to engine parts.
Wash and wax the car thoroughly to protect the finish.
Place a vapor barrier on your garage floor. A 4-mil polyethylene drop cloth will do.
Disengage the parking brake to help avoid brake corrosion.
Put the car on jack stands to take the weight of the vehicle off the wheels and tires.
Disconnect and remove the battery to keep it from draining. Place the battery on a trickletype charger. Or periodically drain the battery, using a small light bulb, and then recharge it with a low-volt charger.
Plug the tailpipe with a rag to prevent moist air from infiltrating into it.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Car Care Basics That Anyone Can Do




Contrary to the popular belief, not all car care tasks take a lot of time and require a lot of car skills. As a matter of fact, basic car carecan be done by just about anyone, even those with very minimal knowledge of mechanics.

For example, regular washings are a huge part of basic car care. By keeping the outside of your car clean, you are not only keeping your car shiny and looking like new, you are keeping your paint from getting scratched. This is because the debris that can accumulate on the outside of a car over time can act as an abrasive, rubbing off the protective clear coat (if your car has one) and digging into your paint. To be sure, car care does not get much easier than taking your vehicle through a car wash!

One of the other easier components to car care involves regularly checking your oil levels. Believe it or not, you are actually supposed to do this every time you fill up your gas tank. Many people do not do this or fail to do it, and by the time they take their vehicles to a professional to have their oil changed, the engine of the car has been damaged already by the lack of oil that was available. Depending on how frequently you fill up your gas tank, you might not really need to check it each time, but you should definitely do it at least once a month as part of your car care routine.

Speaking of routine car care, when is the last time you changed your windshield washer blades? This should be done at least once a year, and it takes less than five minutes to do. Moreover, changing your windshield wiper blades is one of the most affordable and easiest components to car care. Over time, particularly in the cold winter months, the rubber on the blades can get hard and it will soon crack, scratching the glass of your windshield. Before this happens and you have to get your glass repaired, change them out.

Filling up your reservoir with windshield washer fluid is another easy car care basic. All you have to do is buy the fluid and dump it into the right tank. You do not want to fill it up with water, as when the weather gets cold the water can freeze and expand, bursting the plastic reservoir.

By: Phoenix Delray

Friday, January 20, 2012

Pemanduan Ketika Kecemasan


BREK GAGAL BERFUNGSI

* Seseorang pemandu menekan injak brek, tetapi injak brek terus menyentuh lantai.
* Pamkan injak brek dengan segera, bagi memulihkan tekanan brek.
* Sekirannya gagal, tarikkan brek tangan beransur-ansur, tukar gear rendah dengan menggunakan kuasa pemampatan enjin untuk memperlahankan kenderaan.
* Sekiranya, brek terus gagal berfungsi ketika berada di atas bukit, bukit curam atau kenderaan itu membahayakanpengguna Jalan raya yang lain, segera carikan objek untuk digesel seperti semak ditepi Jalan , rel adang dan bahu Jalan, agar kenderaan dapat dikawal dan memperlahankannya.
* Gunakan hon dan lampu untuk memberi amaran kepada lain-lain pemandu dan penjalan kaki.

KENDERAAN TERBABAS

* Sekiranya bahagian belakang kenderaan terbabas, lepaskan pedal pemecut dengan segera.
* Pusingkan stereng mengikut arah belakang yang terbabas itu.
* Jangan gunakan brek dalam keadaan ini.

PEMECUT TERLEKAT

* Jika jalan raya selamat, cuba tarikkan injak pemecut yang terlekat dengan hujung kasut anda.
* Sekiranya tidak boleh, matikan suis enjin dan gunakan brek untuk cuba memberhentikan kenderaan.
* Pegang stereng dengan kuat, supaya tidak terkunci semasa suis enjin dimatikan.
* Berhenti segera ditempat yang selamat dan baiki injak pemecut yang rosak.
* Jikalau gagal hubungi mekanik.

BONET TERBUKA

* Brek secara beransur-ansur.
* Naik ke atas bahu Jalan.
* Lihat melalui tingkap untuk panduan dan berhenti memandu.
* Sentiasa pastikan bahawa bonet itu ditutup rapat selepas kenderaan digerakkan.

TAYAR PECAH

* Pegang stereng dengan erat.
* Jika tayar belakang yang pecah, kenderaan akan tidak stabil iaitu membelok ke kiri dan ke kanan.
* Brek perlahan-lahan dan berhati-hati.
* Brek dengan tiba-tiba menyebabkan kenderaan berpusing dan sukar dikawal.
* Naik ke atas bahu Jalan perlahan-lahan di kawasan rata dan selamat untuk menukar tayar.
* Jangan tukar tayar di kawasan bahaya.
* Nyalakan lampu kecemasan atau meletakkan alat-alat kecemasan yang lain agar pemandu kenderaan lain akan mengetahui ada kecemasan di hadapan.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Cara Menghidupkan Kereta Apabila Bateri Lemah


Pemilik kereta akan berasa gelabah apabila keretanya tidak boleh dihidupkan kerana bateri lemah atau ada masalah lain pada enjin. Kegelisahan bertambah ketara apabila masalah itu berlaku ketika anda terburu-buru untuk ke pejabat, hospital atau memenuhi temu janji.
Ada sebab mengapa enjin jika tidak dapat dihidupkan walau pun kunci sudah diputar ke arah ‘start’. Apabila enjin tidak dapat dihidupkan dengan mudah kerana bateri dan/atau motor starter dalam keadaan rosak, biasanya enjin dapat start dengan prosedur berikut:

1: Menghidupkan enjin dengan menolak kenderaan bagi kereta manual. Meskipun bateri dalam keadaan lemah, enjin akan dapat dihidupkan dengan cara menolak kenderaan apabila bateri sekurang-kurangnya masih dapat dapat menerangkan lampu besar.
Pertama, nyalakan suis kemudian mintalah bantuan dua atau tiga orang untuk menolak kenderaan anda ke depan. Apabila kenderaan sudah berjalan cukup cepat, maka lepaskan pedal. Apabila enjin sudah dapat berfungsi, pijaklah segera pedal sementara itu pijaklah pedal minyak untuk meninggikan putaran enjin. Menggunakan prosedur yang sama, kereta juga dapat dihidupkan dengan cara ditarik kenderaan lain. Apapun, prosedur kedua-dua teknik itu tidak dapat digunakan untuk kereta automatik.

2: Satu lagi cara ialah dengan menghidupkan enjin dengan pertolongan bateri dari kenderaan lain. Jika ada kenderaan lain dengan bateri yang baik dan tersedia kabel yang cukup panjang, maka enjin dapat dihidupkan dengan menghubungkan terminal positif dengan positif dan negatif dengan negatif dari kedua-dua kenderaan itu. Kaedah ini dapat dilakukan apabila kedua-dua bateri mempunyai kuasa yang sama. Ketika suis kontak starter diputar, lazimnya motor starter berfungsi tetapi ada ketikanya gandar enjin tidak berputar. Dan dalam keadaan lain pula, ketika suis kontak starter diputar, enjin dapat berfungsi tetapi tidak berjalan dengan baik dan kemudian mati dengan tiba-tiba. Dalam keadaan itu, antara kerosakan yang mungkin berlaku adalah kerosakan pada motor starter, gigi motor starter atau roda daya rosak. Kejadian itu bukan kali pertama terjadi. Dalam keadaan lain ketika suis kontak diputar, motor starter berfungsi dan gandar enjin berputar cepat tetapi enjin tidak dapat berfungsi atau ketika suis kontak starter diputar, enjin dapat berfungsi tidak berjalan dengan baik dan kemudian mati dengan tiba-tiba.

Dalam kedua-dua kes itu mereka mungkin berhadapan dengan kerosakan pada sistem penyaluran bahan bakar (sistem petrol) atau sistem penyalaan. Apabila motor starter berfungsi dan dapat memutar gandar enjin dengan baik, tetapi enjin tidak dapat berfungsi, maka hal itu menunjukkan kerosakan tidak berlaku pada bateri dan peralatan start. Biasanya, apabila proses mampatan dapat berjalan lancar, enjin tidak akan secara tiba-tiba rosak. Justeru, kerosakan harus dicari pada sistem penyaluran petrol dan sistem penyalaannya.

Bila keadaan itu terjadi, perkara yang harus diperiksa adalah: adakah minyak dalam tangki, adakah minyak dalam karburetor cukup? Jika cukup, ini bermakna kerosakan mungkin terletak pada sistem penyalaan.

Jika melimpah pula (karburator basah), enjin sukar dihidupkan kerana minyak yang masuk dalam ruang pembakaran terlalu banyak. Minyak melimpah biasanya terjadi kerana tutup jarum yang mengendalikan kemasukan minyak ke ruang pelampung (dalam karburator) tidak berfungsi, mungkin kerana tersekat habuk. Jika melimpah adalah sebab kegagalan enjin dihidupkan, keluarkan minyak daripada karburator, bersihkan kotoran di tutup jarum dan masuk semula minyak.

Enjin yang karburetor melimpah boleh dihidupkan dengan cara berikut. Pijak pedal petrol sepenuhnya, jalankan motor starter. Minyak yang masuk dari karburetor ke silinder melalui saluran isap dapat dihilangkan dan selepas itu enjin dapat berfungsi. Kawal injak minyak sedemikian sehingga putaran enjin terlalu tinggi. Meskipun demikian, ada kemungkinan enjin tidak dapat berfungsi, sedangkan karburetor tetap melimpah. Dalam hal ini, bawalah ke mekanik anda untuk dibaiki.