A MOT is one
of those things that may cost you only the price of the test or may end up with
you having to fork out hundreds of pounds.
A MOT is an
inspection that needs to be carried out by an authorised garage that checks
certain parts and the running of your vehicle. Some aspects that are checked
are safety related and other such as CO2 emissions are more for the
environment. Every car that is over 3 years old must have a valid MOT to allow
it to be driven on the roads in the UK.
The cost of a
MOT for a car is usually around £35-£45 pounds. If the car passes, then you
will only have to pay this amount. If the car fails, then you will have to fork
out for the repairs that need doing and have it retested. You will not have to
pay again if you take it back to the same test centre before the end of the
next working day for a partial retest but you may have to pay for a partial
test if it is over this time but within 10 working days. After ten working days
you will have to pay for a full retest again.
You often do
not know how much you will need to spend to get the car through and MOT until
the car has undergone the test. If the car fails and is out of MOT, then you
will not be allowed to drive it until a valid MOT has been issued. Try and put
aside an amount of money each month towards your MOT to allow you to have an
amount saved towards repairs that may need to be carried out.
Every car
will need a service at some point. The service schedule is decided at the
factory and it can vary from manufacture to manufacture and depending on the
model of car. IT is very important to have services carried out in accordance
with the schedule in order to keep your car running in tip top condition.
You have the
choice as to whether to take it to a main dealer (same manufacture as the car)
or to take it to another garage of your choice. Many people opt to use a local
garage as main dealer prices are often quite a bit higher than local garages. If
your car is still within the manufactures warranty then you may have to have
any services done at the main dealer to keep the warranty and stop it from
becoming void or ensure that where you take the car for the service, uses genuine
parts.
Having full
main dealer service history can also add value to your car when you come to
sell it, so if you want to look after the resale value then main dealer
servicing is the way to go. If you cannot afford this then local garage
services are often just as good and will ensure that the car is looked after.
You may be
driving along thinking that everything is fine, when you try to accelerate and
notice that your car simply will not pick up speed and limps along at 20-30
mph. This can not only be annoying but dangerous if you are on a motorway for
example. Often when this happens it is because your car has gone in to limp
mode. Limp mode is a function that temporarily slows the car right down to
prevent further damage to the engine. It can come on for a number of reasons
such as a faulty sensor or damaged to an air pipe.
If you find
that limp mode comes on then you need to take the car to a garage as soon as
possible. Try and get it recovered if possibly or if the garage is some
distance away from your home. Most garages will usually start by putting it on
a diagnostic machine to see if it brings up any error codes. From this they can
usually work through the codes (if there are any) to find out what is causing
the issue. If they cannot find an issue they may reset the diagnostic on the
car and send you on your way. Often if this happens, the error will occur again
at a later date.
Wheel bears
often make a fair bit of noise when they are on their way out. Usually you will
notice a humming type sound when you are driving the vehicle and this may get
louder at certain speeds. Another way to check a wheel bearing is to jack the
wheel up and try and move it from side to side and up and down. If you can feel
a lot of play in the wheel and it moves then the wheel bearing probably needs
replacing.
If you take
your car in to a garage they will easily be able to check if a bearing needs to
be changed. The job usually takes around a couple of hours and can cost anything
from £100 upwards of £300 depending what vehicle you have and where you take it
to get the repairs done. Although it may seem like a relatively easy job to do,
it isn’t if you do not have all the right equipment so it is better to have it
done at a garage. You may be able to find a garage that will allow you to
purchase the part yourself and them fit it for you, but be aware that if the
part fails then you will need to fork out for the labour costs to get it
replaced again as it will not be covered by the warranty.
People sell
cars for many reasons, sometimes it is because they need a bigger or smaller
vehicle or it may be that they are simply cannot afford to run the car etc. Unfortunately
some people do sell cars when they know it has or is soon going to have a
serious problem. It may surprise you how many people put up pictures of a
vehicle they have for sale that has not been cleaned properly. It maybe that
some people will see beyond the surface dirt but for others, this could be
enough to put them off immediately without even bothering to read through the
rest of your advert.
Before you
picture your car give it a good once over clean and polish ideally, and do not
forget the interior. For as little as a pound you can buy a product called back
to black that is wiped over all the black plastics on the car that may have
started to fade. This will really help to bring the black bumpers back to life
and make them look almost new, this can make a huge difference to the overall appearance
of a vehicle.
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.