Here are a few tips for better maintenance to keep your car in top condition.
Tyres and batteries are an integral part of any vehicle and their maintenance is vital for the health of your car. Regular self-checks help you spot a fault early which, if left unattended, could develop into an expensive, irreparable and even potentially hazardous problem.
Tyre maintenance
Tyres are responsible for keeping your vehicle in control and, therefore, it is extremely important to maintain them well. No vehicle is truly safe unless the tyres are regularly inspected and kept in good shape. Replacing tyres is a costly affair. But regular self-checks and proper maintenance can substantially prolong the life of your tyres and save you the cost of replacement.
Here are a few basic tips to extend the life of your tyres and optimise their performance:
Tyre pressure: Tyres operate best when properly inflated. It is extremely important to ensure that your tyres always have the correct air-pressure recommended by the manufacturer or listed on the sidewall markings.
Once you have determined your tyres' ideal pressure, make sure you check it every two weeks, especially before embarking on a long trip. This small check will not only extend the life of your tyres, but will also reduce petrol consumption. Wrong pressures can make your vehicle difficult to drive because tyres directly affect the way your car rides, steers, handles and brakes. Driving a car with under-inflated or over-inflated tyres is also dangerous.
Ideally, the air-pressure should be checked in the morning before you drive more than a few miles when tyres are still cold. Tyres that have been driven for sometime build up heat due to friction and will show incorrect pressure. A hand-held air pressure gauge is an inexpensive tool that can save you lots of money in the long run.
Driving with under-inflated tyres is one sure way of wasting fuel and reducing the tyres' life expectancy. A constantly under-inflated tyre will bulge at the shoulders and wear rapidly at the edges. This is because the sidewall, which is not designed to be in continual contact with the road, will be subjected to stress that's normally absorbed by the tread and the air in the tyre. If a tyre is allowed to run low on air pressure for too long, it can cause irreparable damage to the tyre with catastrophic results. Worn tyres are more likely to blow out while driving at high speeds.
Over-inflated tyres are just as dangerous as under-inflated tyres. They are more prone to punctures and may burst upon sudden impact, such as hitting a pothole. Over-inflation may also lead to improper wear on the tyres, which shortens their lifespan. Too much air reduces road contact and causes wear in the middle of the treads. There are situations, however, when pressure should be increased in line with the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, especially while carrying heavier-than-usual loads.
Remember also to check the air-pressure of the spare tyre - you may never use it, but always ensure your spare is properly inflated and in good condition.
Tyre examination: It is vital that tyres are examined before, during and after long journeys. Visually inspect for any signs of damage such as cuts and bulges. Remove small stones, metal pieces and other foreign objects that may get lodged in the grooves.
Check your old tyres for uneven wear while changing them. If the tyres show any sign of uneven wear, get a thorough check of your car's wheel alignment and suspension; if there is a problem with either of these, you should have them fixed immediately.
Tyre rotation: All four tyres wear unevenly since they are mounted in different positions. Hence they should be rotated, which means their positions should be interchanged as recommended in the owner's manual.
Rotation will allow them to wear evenly so that one area will not wear out quicker than the other. Rotation is done on the same side (i.e. from front to rear, and not from left to right). It is also important to adjust the air-pressures of the front and rear tyres after rotation.
Tyre storage: Tyres should be stored in cool, dry conditions, away from direct sunlight and as far as possible from electric generating equipment. Storage of tyres outdoors leads to moisture absorption and an increased risk of premature tyre failure.
Proper driving: Driving at high-speed may overheat and soften the rubber of tyres not designed for high-speed operations. This may result in 'chunking', when pieces of tread are flung off the tyre at speed. Fierce acceleration and panic braking shorten the tread life.
Avoid fast cornering and driving over rough, uneven or littered grounds. If unavoidable, check tyres immediately afterwards to ensure that no foreign objects have become trapped in the tread patterns.
Maintaining proper tyre inflation, rotating your tyres, monitoring tread wear and proper driving will help extend the life of your tyres by as much as 25 percent.
Maintaining car batteries
Your car is a complex bit of machinery and contains many necessary electronic components. Today's power-hungry cars make higher demands on the electrical system. The primary power supply for these components is the battery and it must be in good condition to ensure reliable electrical service for your car. The heaviest demand is made on a battery when you start your car. Improper functioning of the battery can cause starting problems and over-charging (which is indicated by inconsistent functioning of the horn and light).
Most new car batteries today do not require frequent servicing in the form of topping-up of the electrolyte level although they should be checked at regular intervals as specified in your owner's manual. Although maintenance-free batteries are more common today, the older style with removable cell covers is still in use on some vehicles. Old batteries require regular topping-up with distilled water. If your car is to be left unused or idle for a long time, you should disconnect the battery. This will slow down its discharge rate and prevent the battery from going flat fast.
Batteries can fail for numerous reasons, including the wrong battery for a particular type of car, sulphur formation and corrosion of the battery terminals, spillage of electrolyte, worn battery cables and dry cell.
The electrolyte in a battery is a mixture of sulphuric acid and water that can damage vehicle paint and burn your skin or eyes, if spilled. A battery also vents explosive hydrogen gas, especially while charging. Defective batteries can cause severe burns and in some cases, fires and/or explosions. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you take your vehicle to a service station and have your battery inspected by an automotive mechanic.
