If you are getting bored of your car
or if you think it looks a bit tired then you may want to give it a bit of a
makeover. There are a number of things that you can do to improve the look of
your car without spending a fortune.
Interior – you can get vinal stickers
to stick over parts of your dashboard to give it a wood or carbon fibre effect.
You do need to be careful when sticking these down as it is quite easy to get
bubbles or creases in it which can then end up looking messy. Adding some new
car mats, steering wheel cover and even a gator cover can add a personal touch
to any vehicle. You can often get sets that are matching or colour coded. Hanging
something from your front mirror such as dice or a mini football short or air
fresher can look great but be sure that it does not distract you or compromise your
view at all.
Exterior – sometimes all your car
needs is a bit of TLC. Washing it regularly with a good quality soap will keep
the grim from setting in. Every so often it may need a good polish to put the
shine back in to it. If you notice scratches or chips on the exterior of your
car you can try and touch them up yourself, but they often still stand out. The
best option is to take it to a professional body shop, but it can be quite
costly to start respraying panels.
Windows teen wipers are checked
during an mot and you should be advised if they are worn. If they are too bad
you will have to change them in order to pass the MOT. Even if you have not
long had an MOT you may still notice that your wipers are not performing as
well as they used to. This is often apparent in heavy rain. Often wipers
deteriorate over the winter months as they freeze and may become brittle. It is
easy for the rubber to become ripped or rough and this will cause the wipers to
it clear the screen as effectively.
When purchasing new blades, you
may wish to invest a little more and get good quality ones. This is especially
true if you do a lot of motorway driving or if you often drive at night or in
bad weather. The cost of wipers range from around £15 for a set up wards of £50
but do shop around as often you find the exact same wipers for a fraction of
the cost elsewhere. Always double check the fit meant and the size of the
wipers. Often the drivers side wiper blade is longer that the passenger side on
a lot of modern vehicles.
Many people are having to use
their cars for work purposes and to help out with collecting groceries for
local people etc. These types of journeys may not be covered under your car
insurance if you do not have business use listed on your policy.
It may be that you have an accident
whilst running one of the errands and then find that your not covered. Most
insurers have now come out to say that they are extending cover to these people
who need to now use their vehicle for these purposes. It may be that you are
volunteering with administering the vaccine or that you are taking elderly
people to doctors appointments. It is vital that all of these things continue
and it is nice to see that insurers are offering this to many customers without
trying to charge them extra. If you are having to do any of these types of additional
journeys then it is worth ringing your insurer to check that you are covered.
You also need to keep an eye on how many miles you do and inform them if you
think you are going to go over as they make need to adjust your policy for you.
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.
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.