Car Parts and Accessories

Most time, when you purchase a new car, we get our first ten thousands of kilometers or five years guarantee or warranty from the car manufacture. It is great to have our new car under warranty, because we know if our car suddenly broken down, we will have our warranty to be rescued.

So many friends of mine like to buy new cars as long as it is under the factory warranty, later they will sell it on the second car market. It is kind of waste. Because selling the old car at a lower price than its real value which has been used for several years, and buying a new car just for a peace of mind are wasting our money.

Considering an extra car warranty out of the initial warranty period is a lot of people’s dream. Insurance can be a peace of mind for any unexpected accidents, while extra warranty can be a peace of mind of sudden broken down. If car owners can have both at one time, then owning and driving a car can be unworried at all. (more…)

So far, so many people looking for a car to buy will complaint the hard work of buying a car. It is not the financial burden; it is hard work to look for.

Yea, this is a common thing among all consumers. The most thing causes this problem is the short of info. As the car market finial consumer, you maybe find yourself trapped in your nearby car dealing market. You have to get car dealer by dealer, still being disappointed. It seems easy to go around for looking, finally you will feel wasting time and money by looking around and still can’t find what you want.

I remembered last summer, one of my best friends saw an exciting car ads. He was really looking forward to make a deal stated on the ads. When he decided to visit the nearby car dealers, all he got was sold out. He was so disappointed. (more…)

When you pay close attention to the car repair market, you know they are more than overcharged. Last summer, I had a new oil pump changed; my mechanics asked me 1600 bucks just for the oil pump which he told me that was a favor or free installment. When I asked him to include the spear price in my invoice, he refused. Later I googled the price of the same model car oil pump, the market price is about 350 bucks. Will you believe what they offer for me?

That is how they and misuse their professional title to overcharge car owners. Actually they may not be intelligent than we are. I know a lot of garage car shop owners are working as a prentice somehow from their high school dropout and manage to open a small garage corner shop. So if we can just give a small amount of time studying our car, we can be expert too. (more…)

We had our second car 6 years ago. Life just kept us busy and busy. We always thought maybe it was time to buy another car. There are so many options. Thinking about buying a car is like thinking of catching a fish on the Atlantic Ocean.

For people like us, had no knowledge about a car at all, it is hard to know where we should look for; what kind of car might be suitable for our life; how to judge we are doing a good investment.

After the serious thinking and talking, car search seems the most difficulty work to do. Then what we really like to do is just forgetting it.

Unlike other people, they used to live their “fantasy”, chasing the fashion and hardly owning a latest model car. For us, a good working and low mileage secondhand car is fine. We rather like an economic city car. Life would be pretty health if you waste less time behind the wheel. (more…)

I didn’t know what the last time I had a clean and fresh looking – bus trip. Amazing me, the road transportation is so dirty these days. I knew there wascar washing service. I start to doubt if there is truck or big vehicle washing service. If there was, it must be very tough work to get it cleaned. (more…)

There are some spectacular 4×4 mountain routes in Southern Africa, and the scenery and plantlife to be seen en route make them well worth tackling. The Sani Pass in Lesotho (Kaoko Scale rating 3) and Van Zyl’s Pass in Namibia (Kaoko Scale rating 4) are two well-known (and notorious) routes. (more…)

Snow is not a common occurence throughout most of Southern Africa, the only exceptions being the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho and parts of the Drakensberg, KwaZuluNatal. Off-road driving in snowy conditions requires the off-roader to make use of the same techniques as for driving on sand and mud. (more…)

Adding a canopy certainly helps to protect your luggage. There are two types of canopies available: 1) the colour-impregnated, UV-stabilised, epoxy resin (or glass-fibre) canopy, and 2) the steel canopy. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on your needs. (more…)

When you are buying a 4×4 for regular use in the bush, you will need to decide whether the vehicle’s suspension system should be fitted with leaf or coil springs. (more…)

It is important to cover these conditions together as they invariably occur together. Throughout most of Southern Africa, we are faced with fast-flowing rivers and streams that quickly become torrents during the rainy season. Mud invariably follows, and can be dangerous. (more…)

You are bound to get stuck at some time or other, so be prepared for it. Vehicles tend to get stuck mostly in sand or mud, although there are exceptions. I will focus here on techniques to recover your vehicle from sand and mud. (more…)

At one time, the market was flooded with cheap Chinese and Russian jerry cans. These cans were made from inferior metal that rusted easily and caused serious damage to engines because rust contaminated the fuel. It is therefore better to invest in the more expensive South African or German jerry cans. Even so, when pumping petrol or diesel over to the main tank, you should always cover the filler hose with an old nylon stocking to filter out any unwanted particles. (more…)

Mesh cover for the radiator No 4×4 vehicle should be without a mosquito metal mesh cover fitted to the radiator. On a Land Rover, it can be attached to the grill; on a Land Cruiser, a light frame into which the mesh is mounted can be added to the front of the radiator. Most other vehicles will use either of these methods to cover the radiator. The mesh cover effectively prevents grass seeds and insects from clogging up the orifices in the radiator. (more…)

The spare wheel: The question of where to keep the spare wheel is always a problem. The best idea is to attach it to the tailgate of the vehicle or, in the case of single- and double-cabs with rails, to the side of the rail. It is important to find the right place for the spare wheel, as it could obstruct your visibility in the side mirror. (more…)

These tents have become very popular in Southern Africa as they are easy to erect and store, and safe from prowling wild animals and crawling insects.

• The attaching brackets that hold the roof tent to the vehicle’s roof should be flared and delta-shaped, as these are stronger. The frame should be made from aluminium. (more…)

GPS: A GPS (Global Positioning System) is an extremely useful navigational tool which can be used in conjunction with a map to programme your entire route. If you use 1:50 000 maps for accurate measurements, you will never get lost or be uncertain of your location again. A GPS also improves safety in that, if someone falls ill or some other problem occurs, you can radio an aeroplane or helicopter for assistance and they will be able to pinpoint your exact position using their own GPS. (more…)

Safety

There is a lever on the moving foot of the jack which reverses the body lifting mechanism. It points up for lifting and down for lowering. Never leave the lever in the down position with a load suspended on the jack. Only have it in that position when operating the handle for lowering. If the vehicle is knocked the jack could slip or work itself down the column, which is not only inconvenient but can be extremely dangerous as the handle will be thrown up and down by the weight of the load. (more…)

THE HIGH-LIFT JACK

Designed for lifting heavy machinery and loads it was almost inevitable that the high-lift jack would become an essential tool for the off roader. It is probably the single most useful piece of equipment you can carry on your vehicle but, like any mechanical device, it must be treated with a certain amount of respect. The main use to which it can be put is for direct self-recovery; indirectly, it can be modified to operate as a winch and a more mundane use is for lifting the vehicle when changing a wheel, Other, rather specific, uses include breaking tyre seals when in remote regions, as a clamp, and for spreading or closing bodywork. The jack should come with an attachment that bolts on to the end of the column at a right angle. This can then be used as a clamp. (more…)

THE ROPE

A good strong rope is one of the essential pieces of kit for the off roader. It is a fairly common sight to see some of these people with a hemp rope draped around their front bumper or bull bar. This has a degree of pose value but has a number of drawbacks. It is certainly important to stow the rope in a place from where it can be easily collected but this should also be clean. Hemp rots quickly if it gets wet and muddy. In fact, man-made fibre is preferable to hemp as it will not rot. Mud and sand in any rope will, if it is used regularly, cause it to deteriorate as the grit abrades the fibre. Keep it clean. (more…)

Even with experience and the best technique, everyone eventually gets into a situation which prevents them simply driving out. Mistakes are easily made and off-road conditions change so quickly. Being caught in a sudden deluge of rain could turn your pleasant Sunday afternoon green laning into a battle through a quagmire more reminiscent of the Somme. Even after dry periods, tracks can become hazardous due to the cracking earth. (more…)