The last thing you want to do when you get to your destination try to find a mechanic because something’s gone wrong. If you’ve noticed any niggling noises or anything out of the normal in your car, check it out now, even if it’s nothing, you may be too focused on finding your way around your holiday destination to notice if it gets worse. You don’t want to start your holiday off waiting at your breakdown service while the family head to the beach.

Brakes

Let’s start your car maintenance with your breaks, if there’s a problem with them, you don’t want to find out about it hurtling down the motorway with your family in the car. If you notice squealing or unusual noises when you brake, or if the car pulls slightly to one side, there’s a good chance you’ll need to replace your break pads, don’t worry, these are relatively cheap and with a certain level of skill, you can replace them yourself. The brake pads should be evenly worn, it’s very easy to know if they need changing, most break pads will have lines running through them, once they’ve worn down to a certain line, change them. A lot of cars will display a warning light on the dashboard that will also show it’s time for a change, and lastly, if you notice sparks coming from your wheels when you brake and the car doesn’t actually stop that’s also a pretty good indicator they need changing. The brake disks will also need checking, they should be evenly worn and should look almost polished, if there are any marks or uneven wearing, replace them.

Tires

If you’ve checked the brakes, it’s only logical to make sure your tires are in perfect condition too; this is basic car maintenance and should be checked regularly as you cannot only be pulled over by the police for unsafe tires, and you can be fined and be issued penalty points on your license too. Your hand booked will advice you of the correct tire pressure, remember this pressure will vary if you’re going to be carrying a heavy load, if your family has brought along more suitcases than the TARDIS could be expected to carry you will need more pressure in your tires than if you’re just carrying a normal load. Remember to bear in mind that over inflated tires will not have as much grip on the road and under inflated tires will consume more fuel. If you notice any cracks or splits in your tires, you need to replace them. Again, the outside lane of a motorway is not the best place to have a tire blow out on you.

Seat Belts

Seat Belts don’t really require a whole lot of maintenance, they don’t need top ups or regular changes but if they don’t work it could prove just as fatal as having faulty brakes. Checking your seatbelts is especially important if you are going be carrying other people in your car when you don’t normally do so, make sure they’re not frayed or physically damaged, and check they will hold anything when suddenly jolted. Lastly, check the buckle both holds the seatbelt against extreme pressure and that it releases easily for an emergency. If the worst comes to the worst and you are involved in a serious accident and you need to get someone out the car, you can’t afford to be struggling with a dodgy seat belt catch.

Windscreen and Wipers

Now you need to look at your windscreen, both the glass and the wipers. It would be nice if we could assume that because it’s summer, they wont be needed but they will, whether you’re just clearing your screen or, because it’s raining or maybe the guy in front has decided your windscreen needed a wash while he was doing his own you will need your wipers and you should check them regularly, if you’re looking out for a signpost or your driving round somewhere you’re not familiar you’ll need to know your wipers can clear your windscreen instantly. Check the windscreen wiper blades are smooth and have no splits, cracks or stones stuck in them. Any cracks that appear on the windscreen should always be taken care of when possible but it’s especially important if you’re about to go away as long journeys increase the risk of a chip spidering and causing serious damage.

Lights

Lastly, give the lights a quick check, it’s an offence to drive knowing you have faulty lights, quickly check the brake lights, indicators and headlights, remember you’re not just checking the bulb is ok, you need to make sure none of the plastic casing is cracked and they’re all clear.
Well that’s about it, you should be good to go, a quick bit of basic car maintenance is no substitute for a proper service by a qualified mechanic, if you notice anything out of the ordinary it’s always a safe bet to get someone who knows what they’re doing to check it out. All that’s left to do now check your break down cover is still in data pack the map and have fun.

Before you can determine the problem, you must first know how your car heater works. Remember that the part that transfers heat into the passenger compartment is the heater core. This can be thought of as a mini radiator. The coolant flows through the heater core while the fan, also known as the blower, blows air through the heater core’s fins. When the air blows through these fins, it is heated and that heated air warms the passenger apartment.

Now we can check why your car heater is blowing cold air. You can start by checking the coolant. This coolant is the substance that warms the heater core. Therefore, if the coolant is low, it is possible that that may not be enough to warm the air that blows to the passenger compartment. If you’re wondering, why can’t your temperature gauge just warn you about the low coolant, it is simply because the temperature outside is cold so low coolant may not affect the operating temperature of your engine. Once the coolant is full, put the engine at normal operating temperature. Feel the heater hoses that go through the firewall; they both should be hot to the touch.

If only one is hot, this means that there is a blockage in the heater core or there is air trapped in the heater core. Use a coolant funnel to purge the air from the cooling system. If the coolant is really brown, it has been neglected. If “stop leak” has been used at some point, the heater core could be blocked up. This blockage can be removed by flushing the heater core through the heater hoses using a garden hose with a sprayer.

If neither of them is hot to the touch, there could be a malfunctioning heat control valve. Check for the heat control valve by following the heater hoses back to the engine. There might be a broken vacuum line so the valve cannot operate. And maybe you by-passed the heater core because of a leak, so you looped the heater hoses.

If you are sure that the coolant is in good shape, but cool air is still blowing out your car heater, you can check for proper airflow. Adjust the heat control to the highest and lowest; listen for the movement of the doors within the heater case. These doors can be controlled by vacuum motors, cables or electric actuators. If it is controlled by electric motors, tapping it can sometimes make it work. If it is controlled by cables, find the door that controls the airflow across the heater core. If it is controlled by vacuum motors, the diaphragm needs replacing.

Are you going to perform some maintenance on your car heater? Are you trying to repair your car heater?

First of all you need to check if your car heater is still working…

Winter is a busy time for car owners. There are a lot of things to change and check before you can ride out again. You’d probably put it in your to-do list, but you always tend to end up doing other s chores first. You haven’t checked your car heater for a long time, so you should really get yourself to do it. Here are some basic instructions for doing that.

One sign you might notice if your car heater is no longer working is the frost or ice building inside your car after you start it and about time your heater kicked in. don’t worry here are some few things you can check and correct without the help of mechanics.  It is especially important every time winter comes knocking about.

First, you need to transfer your car to a heated garage. Take the car for a drive until the engine and the heater warm up. To check its heat output, it is advised to set the heat on high and set the blower at medium or higher. You can monitor the heat output by inserting thermometers in the driver and passenger side vents.. Somewhere between 115 degrees and 120 degrees is usually an acceptable temperature, but it is also possible to have a higher reading. If your results are as mentioned you have successfully checked your car heater, but if not, please keep reading.

You owner’s manual and the manufacturer’s website are great resources to help you quickly and precisely determine the problem and optimize heat. If the answer is not there, you have to pop the hood.

Just staring at your heater will probably be in vain, so we start at the coolant vents. Make sure that the coolant level in the reservoir matches the manufacturer’s specifications. Even though this is not the problem, proper coolant level will help your heater run warmer. Also make sure that your coolant is clean. You should replace it regularly so it will always be in good shape. Always check your coolant temperature whenever you can.

If the temperature is still too cool, check the temperature do or motor to make sure it is working.  It is usually located under the dashboard when you remove the panel. If it does not seem to work, it is better to replace this.

If all these fails, call a mechanic to make sure.

Car heaters are really important, especially during those cold winters. If you have encountered some problems with your car’s temperature, it is advised that you check your car heater and radiator. Your car heater works almost like your car radiator. The coolant originating from your engine goes through the heater core, and then the air will be blown through the core and into the car’s passenger compartment.

You may encounter some problems if the heater core becomes plugged. If this is the case, it will require replacement or flushing every now and then. When your engine gets hot, there are two hoses from this to your heater core. These hoses could have leaks at high pressure. You can be able to buy flush kits from some auto shops, but if you’re not up for the cost, you can just use a garden hose to flush your car heater and the car radiator.

The most common in car heater and car radiator problems is low engine coolant level. Because of this, you should always check them before you leave for a long trip. If you have an older car, you may have faulty engine thermostat. If you do, it is better if you could have it changed at a car repair shop.

Make it a habit to check the temperature gauge whenever you enter your car. Make sure it is in the normal range to avoid other problems. You can also check the temperature yourself. Just use the metal case thermometer placed into the filler of the radiator, but only when the engine is cold.

If you still encounter problems with the heater despite the temperature and fluid level, it may come from poor circulation through the heater core. You can test that by keeping the engine running at normal temperature and feeling the heater hoses. The two hoses should have the same temperature. If you felt that their temperature are not the same, you should try replacing them or flushing them.

If you are working on your car heater yourself, always use caution. It could be very hot, so never ever try to work around it while the engine is hot.. It is also practical to use gloves in order to protect your hands from being burned. But you are not that used in fooling around the car, it is better if you let a mechanic do the work.

Here are some tips.

After a big rain, check your vehicle for water damage.  The reason you should check for damage even if you don’t see any evidence of water in your vehicle, is that by catching a small leak in the earliest of stages you can make sure that water damage doesn’t get worse.  Usually check around all seals first.  Your sunroof/moonroof, by the door seals, the trunk, etc.  These seals are usually the main places where water damage occurs.  Sometimes fixing the problem can be as easy as making sure a door is closed all the way or cleaning out a seal of debris.

If you find water damage such as a small puddle of water on the floor of your vehicle or on the upholstery, remove as much moisture as possible.  The best way to remove small amounts of water is with a vacuum.  Vacuums will suck out most of the moisture in the upholstery.  It is also a good idea to shampoo the upholstery afterwards which will also remove many of the mold spores that might be in the cloth upholstery from the rain.  If mold starts to grow in your vehicle and a leak persists, you can be asking for lots of trouble.  Not only will your car smell funky, but health wise some mold spores can exacerbate health issues.

If your vehicle is in a flood and completely damaged, you will need expert help which will usually entail a professional cleaning and might require a complete change of upholstery and electronics.

What Does Nitrous Oxide Do?

Nitrous Oxide increases the performance in a vehicle by feeding the engine more oxygen.  In a normal gasoline engine, oxygen from outside the vehicle gets sucked into the engine and mixes with fuel where it is ignited and burned creating power.  Since vehicles are specifically made to mix regular gasoline and ordinary air, the power to your vehicle is pretty standard.  However, when regular gasoline is mixed with air that has a tremendous amount of oxygen within it, the fuel burns much more quickly and powerful causing a huge boost in performance- specifically horsepower that can help rocket a car from 0-60 in much quicker time and a higher rate of speed.

Fitting Your Vehicle for Nitrous Oxide

Generally speaking, fitting your vehicle for nitrous oxide is not that difficult.  Nitrous Oxide comes in a canister- sort of like an oxygen tank- except smaller and the tank is usually blue.  Most put the nitrous tank in the trunk of their car or near the back seat.  The controls however are accessible to the driver.  The nitrous tank is then connected to the intake and carburetor for easy access to the engine.  Many systems utilize a fogger system which sprays a mist of nitrous which is easily broken down into nitrogen and oxygen making it easy for your car to burn.  Set ups of nitrous oxide into your vehicle are usually affordable, but if you are a novice it is best to let the pros hook your system up.

Here are some tips.

Types of Breaks that Can Be Fixed Affordably
There are a few types of breaks that can be fixed affordably- usually for less than $100.  They include the small cracks that extend from a chip in the glass, long lines with no central chip or a combination of the two.  The good news is that with these types of damage, you can usually use an acrylic resin to fix the damage.

An acrylic resin is usually strong enough to not only fix the damage, but ensure that further damage doesn’t occur.  One reason that many should look to fix their windshield without removing the glass from their vehicle is that the factory seal is still in place.  When you put a new windshield into your vehicle, you may get leaking or other damage due to a poor seal.

Acrylic Resin
Usually a technician can use special acrylic resin to fix damage to your windshield.  The resin replaces any air trapped in the damaged area.  Once the resin is injected into the windshield it is cured.  Curing will ensure that the resin will blend into the windshield and it will not be visibly noticeable to the driver.  Even the texture of the resin will be completely smooth and unnoticeable.  This service can be done usually for less than $100 making it economical and practical.

New Cars

If your vehicle is brand new, the risk of a check engine light going off is quite common. In fact, for most new car owners, expect to see the light go off in the first few months of driving your vehicle. Many times, this light will go off because of a computer code failure. Just as your computer sometimes crashes, for many reasons new vehicles are prone to check engine light false positives. Generally speaking, your vehicle being new is covered with a warranty and the service station will check your computer to see what is wrong and if it is an error, it will be reset.

Emissions Control

Another big reason for your check engine light to go off is if there is an emissions problem. Car manufacturers are trying to be more responsible and this means that if your vehicle is spewing out potentially harmful amounts of emissions, it should be fixed. If you have a problem with your catalytic converter, engine or exhaust you may see this light turn on.

Engine Problems

Obviously engine problems are what you would expect when the check engine light goes on. This can occur when a component has malfunctioned or when you forget to close the gas cap on your vehicle. By alerting the driver, hopefully the driver can catch the problem quick enough before doing further damage to his vehicle.

So which one is best to use- here is a quick guide:

First Read Your Owner’s Manual
Your car’s manufacturer has spent billions of dollars developing your vehicle, so they should know best which motor oil to use in your vehicle.  Check with them first.  However, there are generally three types of motor oil to choose from.  They are:  conventional, synthetic and synthetic blend.

Conventional Motor Oil
Conventional motor oil is what you are probably familiar with.  This is simply the least refined type of motor oil and since less processing goes into this oil, it is also the most affordable.  And while it is less refined, it is also the most susceptible to heat and can break down easier than other types- ultimately giving your car’s engine less protection.

Synthetic Motor Oil
Synthetic motor oil has been processed heavily; it includes PAO, a special chemical that can resist heat and viscosity breakdown more durably.  If you require heavy duty motor oil due to extreme heat and usage, synthetic is probably the way to go.  It should be noted that while synthetic motor oil is much more durable, it is also much more expensive as well.

Synthetic Blend Motor Oil
If you want a more durable motor oil, but don’t want to pay the high price of adding synthetic oil, you can choose a synthetic blend.  Generally speaking a synthetic blend motor oil is a conventional motor oil with special additives included to help your engine deal with hotter temperatures and to burn more efficiently.

So what should one do?

Clean your interior, here are some tips.

Basic Cleaning Products Work Great
You don’t need anything fancy to clean your car’s interior.  In fact, there are only a few items that you should have on hand.  They include, window cleaner, a leather and vinyl cleaner, carpet cleaner, all purpose cleaner and some good paper towels, cloths and a brush.

If you have a leather interior, your cleaning will probably be very quick and easy.  Leather and vinyl is generally the easiest to clean since you won’t have to shampoo the cloth.  However, if you are cleaning the leather upholstery, don’t put too much leather cleaner on, you don’t want to slide around your vehicle and get greasy residue on your clothing.  For cloth interiors, most will stay clean with little maintenance- specifically a good vacuuming.  However, for large, noticeable stains, try an interior shampoo product.  These products are sometimes cumbersome, but usually remove the stain and help your car to smell nice.

Don’t Forget to Clean the Windows and Dash
A nice, clear, sparkling dash and windows can be just the thing you need to give your car some more oomph.  Classic glass cleaners work great. And once your dash and windows are clean, it is time to add the finishing touch- a nice scent.  You don’t have to smell pine trees, instead hook your car up with a more sophisticated fragrance.