When it comes to buying a new car
or van you have to choose whether to go for petrol, diesel or electric. They
all have their advantages and disadvantages, but often electrically cars simply
just too expensive and as they are not very old, there are not a lot of cheaper
second hand ones.
People often think diesels are
cheaper to run than petrol and this may be the case in terms of fuel but there
are other factors you need to take in to account. Diesels can be more expensive than the
equivalent petrol version but they also retain their value well, meaning that
when it comes time to trade in or sell on, you’ll get more money for it.
Sometimes the price for fuel is the same for petrol or diesel and often the
difference is only very small.
As a diesel will usually do more
miles to the gallon so is more economical, this will often contribute to the
increase in the price. As well, diesel cars do seem to out live their petrol
equivalent.
When buying a diesel car is the
cost of the road tax as often it is much higher than on a petrol so you do need
to bear this in mind when factoring in costs.
There are few things as frustrating as getting into your car, turning the key in the ignition and the car failing to start especially if you are about to go to work or go for an appointment. If you have breakdown cover that covers you from your home address as well as when you are away from home then sometimes the simplest solution is to give them a ring and arrange for a mechanic to come out to you however if you do not have cover or if you have but it does not cover home start it will be necessary to either find a local mobile mechanic to come out to you or get the car towed to a local garage. There are always going to be occasions when your car breaks down unexpectedly but there are measures that you can take to prevent some breakdowns or at least minimise their frequency.
One of the major car parts that
fail particularly during the winter months is the battery. As soon as the
weather gets colder and the nights draw in meaning that we need to use car
lights more frequently our car batteries are put under more pressure and some
older batteries then let us down.
It is worthwhile asking your usual
car garage to check the battery when your car is in for its service or MOT to
see whether it is holding its charge efficiently so avoiding the situation of
the car failing to start due to battery failure.
Unfortunately, the summer is long
gone, and we are faced with the prospect of the cold and frequently wet winter
months ahead. Some people do not worry about preparing their cars for winter
and expect them to start first time and run well every journey. With a brand
new car this may be true but if you find yourself driving a car that is more
than a few years old it is a sensible idea to plan ahead for the winter months
saving yourself the worry of the car breaking down.
One of the most important issues
for a car in winter are the condition of the tyres. It is worth investing in
specialist winter tyres on your vehicle if you can afford it as safety should
be a priority, if however the current tyres are still roadworthy an extra set
of wheels with winter tyres on them could be put on to the vehicle and changed
back in the summer months. Often a set of wheels can be purchased cheaply from
a breakers yard and for a small charge a garage can swap them over for you.
Probably the part of the car that
fails more frequently during the winter months is the battery. It is worth
getting it checked to make sure it is maintaining its charge and if not, a new
battery should be purchased and fitted.
Cars can be costly to run and
repair and so any jobs that you can do yourself will help keep repair costs to
a minimum. You do not have to be a trained mechanic to work on vehicles but
many modern cars are so overly complicated that it can be hard to do so without
a good sound knowledge. Some more simpler jobs may be able to be accomplished by
watching video tutorials but you should only attempt to do so if you are
confident you are able to finish the job as intended and safely.
One job that many people do themselves
is to fit new brake pads and discs. This is often straightforward as long as
the callipers are easy to remove.
When buying the new parts, you
need to make sure the fitment is the same. Ideally you want to remove the old
ones and double check the part you are ordering is correct. If this is not possible
then you should make sure that you can return the part for a refund or exchange
if it isn’t the right one.
Try and avoid doing jobs on a car when
you are on your own, especially if you are going to have to be going under the
vehicle whilst it is jacked up.
If you discover
that you have a small dent on your car, on the paintwork, then you may not have
to go to the expense and hassle of having to have it filled and resprayed. Depending
on where the dent is and how bad it is, it may be able to be removed by a specialist
company simply by pushing the dent out from behind or pulling it with a special
tool. If the paint on the car has been
scratched then this will not help with that but by removing the dent you will
then only need a touch up or respray rather than having to have the panel
filled.
Not all
garages will offer this service, but before you go down the route of going to a
main bodyshop to get the repair done, why not search paint-less dent removal
companies near you and pop it to them first. If someone has opened their door into
yours for example then they can often pop the dent out easily for a fraction of
the cost of a respray. Ideally you want
to avoid getting the car re-sprayed if at all possible as you may find that you
then have problems with colour matching, overspray and if not done correctly,
peeling paintwork years down the line.
You will often find taper roller bearings used in the wheels of cars and other vehicles, and they can cope with horizontal and vertical forces at the same time. They might also be found in gearboxes and engine motors, as well as being used in other industries.
Taper roller bearings will consist of inner and outer rings, with tapered rollers to allow the surface of the raceways, and the roller axles, to meet on the axis. The cones’ motion is coaxial and there is no sliding motion to worry about. Always use the right taper roller bearings for your application, and achieve perfect operation.