Car Parts and Accessories

Don’t Panic, calm down (a) look after the injured (b) move the vehicles off the road to lessen the chance of further mishaps.

It is worth trying to get the police to come to an accident but, failing that, go to a police station afterwards and make a full report. This, of course, assumes you are not hurt. If you or others are injured, the first priority is to get professional help. (more…)

Many insurance companies quite reasonably refuse to pay up if the driver they have insured is breaking the law when involved in an accident. (more…)

Sad to say, the world is not full of people as nice as you and me. Although we have worked hard to buy and maintain our cars, there are malcontents out there who want the same thing for nothing.

Thieves come in three types: joyriders (usually young people who ‘take the car for a burn’), pilferers (who steal luggage or dash-board stereos, often without moving the car) and professionals. None of them are particularly nice but at least with the first and second type you have a chance of getting most of your car back. (more…)

How to complain about a bad Auto Parts repair

Contact the repairer, agent as soon as possible, recording the name of the person to whom you speak, his designation, the date, the vehicle’s odometer reading and the nature of your complaint. Do not delay; the longer you put off taking action the less credible your complaint becomes. If the matter is not resolved immediately, confirm your complaint in a letter addressed to the manager of the garage/franchise concern, using his name and designation. This should be followed up if necessary on a regular basis. (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 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…)

Changing Gear without a Clutch Pedal

The basis for most automatic gearboxes is a set of gears called a planetary or epicyclic gear train. This consists of a sun wheel, planet gears rotating round it, a planet carrier, and an outer ring gear which is known as an annulus.

The sun wheel is mounted centrally. In the simple epicyclic gear, a pair of planets revolve on spindles supported by the U- shaped planet carrier, which is mounted on a shaft on the same axis as the sun wheel. (more…)

Housings for beam Automobile Axles

In recent years, there has been a swing from automobile rear to front-wheel drive for passenger cars although many manufacturers have retained rear-wheel drive for larger prestige models.

Most automobile which have front engines and rear-wheel drive are fitted with a rigid rear axle or beam axle. The half-shafts and final-drive assembly, which includes the differential, are enclosed by a rigid housing which contains automobile bearings to support the rotating parts. (more…)

The Radial-ply tire looks more bulbous than the cross-ply and generally has a broader-looking tread. The difference between them in their behaviour on the road is governed by the difference in their carcass constructions.

The radial-ply has a stiffness and resistance in its tread area, so that in motion the tread in the contact patch (the section that touches the road surface) retains virtually all of its pattern and grip.

On the cross-ply, the contact patch becomes pinched and compressed. (more…)

• Battery hydrometer
• Coolant hydrometer
• Drain basin
• Droplight

• Emery cloth
• Fine sandpaper

• Fire extinguisher
• Funnel
• Fuse puller
• Jack
• Jack stands

• Jumper cables
• Lug wrench

• Needle-nose pliers
• Oil filter (strap) wrench
• Putty knife

• Rubber mallet
• Screwdrivers(Phillips and standard)
• Socket wrench
• Spark plug socket
• Terminal puller

• Tire pressure gauge
• Wheel blocks

• Wire battery brush
• Wire brush
• Wire feeler gauge
• Wrench (open-ended)