Car Parts and Accessories

Dealing with the Delay

Most insurers will settle this type of small claim promptly, to save becoming involved in legal costs. There may be delays, however, while they complete their own investigations into the accident, or wait for information from their own policy-holder.

Your first letter, making the claim, should be sent immediately after the accident. Do not wait longer than 10 days for a reply, or more than two weeks for a reply to your letter setting out your detailed claim, unless you know of some good reason for such delays. (more…)

Certain items should be checked regularly to ensure that the vehicle continues to give satisfactory service. An ideal time to do this is when you stop to fill up with petrol. Here is a check list for you to follow:

Brake fluid

Brake fluid should be changed every two to two-and-a-half years, as it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere which lowers the boiling point of the fluid. If there is a marked drop in the fluid level this could be caused by brake pad wear or a leak. Investigate and rectify immediately. Modern transparent reservoirs make a quick visual check possible. (more…)

If you want to recover the cost of repairing your damaged vehicle from another driver, the first step is to secure an undertaking that he will meet the costs. Ask two or three garages to give written estimates of the cost of repair.

Next, write to the other driver or, preferably, his insurer, with a copy of the estimates and details of other claims to be made. (more…)

Cornerstone Automotive is a great automotive garage to get auto or truck completely repaired.

Cornerstone Automotive is a well known family owned and operated automotive repair business in Oceanside of California. Their gold and silver plans are created for road safety. Cornerstone Automotive is supervised by ASE Certified Master Technician Bruce Kropp. (more…)

Measuring tools

For taking measurements that do not need to be accurate to more than 0,5 mm, a 300 mm steel rule is adequate. It can also be useful as a straight-edge for scribing out metalwork or checking the amount of distortion in a cylinder head.

For more accurate measurements use a micrometer, or a vernier caliper which will measure accurately down to 0,01 mm. A 0-25 mm micrometer is limited to a maximum range of 25mm. (more…)

A driver who collides with your car may offer you a small sum on the spot’ to settle the matter. This offer may be tempting if the damage seems limited—if there appears to be only a dent, for instance— but it should be refused until a garage has given a proper estimate of the cost of repair. (more…)

Hammers

A hammer can do more harm than good if used incorrectly; for instance, never use one to apply extra force to a spanner when tightening nuts or use a forged-steel head hammer on soft metals.

Choose a medium-weight hammer— such as 350 g ‘ball pein’ — with a hickory shaft. The shaft should completely fill the eye of the head—use metal wedges if necessary. A forged-steel head is better than a cast one: cast steel is likely to shatter. (more…)

What causes rust?

Moisture, dirt, industrial fallout, salt air, grit, cement dust, crop sprays and manures all help to speed corrosion.

Rust, an all-year-round menace in coastal areas, gains a foothold in any moisture or rust traps that feature in the design of modern car bodies. Door panels—particularly those of the driver’s door—are the most vulnerable components of a car. (more…)

Adjustable wrenches will fit a large number of nut sizes, but they should be used only when the correct tool is not available.

They are difficult to fit accurately on a nut without rounding off the edges, and can be strained; also, if a large adjustable is used on a small nut, the bolt can easily be broken or the thread damaged. Adjustables should be used so that the major load is carried by the fixed jaw. (more…)

After an accident, you may not always want your insurer to be actively involved in any claims made by or against you. If the insurer has to act on your behalf, you might risk losing your no-claim bonus or having it reduced even if you were not responsible in any way for the accident.

If the bonus, or the portion of it which you would lose, is worth more than your own claim and the claim against you, it will pay you to handle the claim privately. (more…)

Car Initial test

Check whether the distributor housing moves within its clamp. If it is loose, the ignition timing is probably incorrect. (more…)

Car Initial test

Select neutral, switch the headlights on and then operate the starter. Note the reaction from the engine and the effects on the headlights and follow the advice given in the following paragraphs.

Faulty Car battery

If the engine does not crank or cranks slowly, coupled with appreciable dimming of the headlights, the symptoms suggest corroded battery terminals, loose battery terminal connections or a discharged or defective battery. (more…)

4. Carburettor

There are two likely reasons why petrol is present in the pipe, but not finding its way into the manifold:

• A blockage at the carburettor needle and seat, or
• A defect — probably a disconnected link — in the carburettor plunger.

To rectify these faults the carburettor will have to be dismantled. (more…)

1. Initial Car test

The fault can be in either the ignition or fuel system. To determine which, remove the wire from one spark plug and, if its metal terminal is insulated, insert a key or other metal object into the rubber insulation so that it touches the terminal. Hold the wire at the insulated part (well away from the wire terminal to avoid a shock which, with electronic ignition systems could be dangerous), and place it approximately 5 mm away from the engine block.

CAUTION: Moving the wire further away could cause damage to electronic systems. (more…)

Try before you buy

For the disabled driver, try before you buy is even more important than for the able-bodied driver. Never allow a salesperson to hurry you into the purchase, and take your time when you try out the vehicle.

If you need to import a specially manufactured vehicle, approach a centre for the disabled in your area for advice.

If you become disabled

If you or a member of your family has been disabled in an accident and you need to buy a replacement vehicle, carefully consider your needs or those of the injured person, whose new vehicle may require special mechanical adjustments. (more…)

A physically disabled person may apply for a driver’s licence, provided that he does not suffer from any of these disabilities or illnesses:

Uncontrolled epilepsy.

Sudden attacks of disabling giddiness or fainting due to hypertension or any other cause.

Any form of mental illness where it is necessary to detain, supervise, control and treat the person as a patient in terms of the Mental Health Act.

Any condition causing muscular incoordination.

Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. (more…)

A history of heart disease is in itself no barrier to driving. As a general rule, heart attacks give sufficient warning for the driver to pull up at the side of the road. No one should drive within three months of having suffered from an attack of coronary thrombosis.

Diabetes

In a mild case of diabetes, controlled by diet alone, there is no risk to driving. In more serious cases, however, the driver must ensure that his condition is well controlled, that he can recognise the symptoms of hypoglycaemia, and that he always carries emergency supplies of sugar or glucose in the car. (more…)

Road safety and health

Driving a car can make certain physical and mental demands on the driver. The motorist must, for his own and other road-users’ safety, make sure that he is fit to drive.

Happily, no one needs to have the physique of an athlete to handle a family car efficiently; but a minimum standard of well-being in mind and body is essential. Few motorists would be at ease taking an ailing car on a 200 kilometre journey. Many, however, think nothing of driving the same distance when in less than peak physical condition themselves. (more…)

Seven steps to understanding how it works

The mass of tubes, pipes, wires and components scrambled together under the bonnet of a car can present a bewildering picture.

The average family sedan is assembled from over 13 000 different parts—some 1 500 of them synchronised to move together—many of them working to within tolerances of 0,01 mm. Nearly 60 different materials go into a car’s construction—varying from steel to straw-board, from nickel to nylon. (more…)

Fuel burning

Heat-Energy produced by the combustion of petrol and air is converted into mechanical power by the pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft of an engine. The engine’s efficiency depends on how much of this energy becomes useful power.

The more petrol / air mixture that can be drawn into a cylinder, and the more it can be compressed, the higher will be the specific output of the engine. (more…)