Author: Declan

Health check for your car

Written by Declan
You may have heard people say that they are going to the doctors for a “MOT” this is essentially an all over health check where the doctor will check the your stats such as blood pressure, cholesterol and often a urine sample to see if you have any health issues. Well you may be surprised to hear that you can get a very similar thing for your car. An MOT is carried out once every 12 months for cars that are over three years old, but within this 12 months many issues can arise. Lots of garages offer a free health check for your car where they will check the main components such as brakes, fluid levels, lights and tyres. Even if your MOT is due shortly, you may want...
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Checking your brakes

Written by Declan
Brakes are a vital part of a cars safety system and a fault in your brakes can cause you to have a serious accident. You are advised to test your brakes when you go on any car journey, simply by pressing the pedal down when going at a slow speed to ensure you stop. Many cars have warning lights that will illuminate on the dash when your brake pads are low, but you shouldn’t rely on this totally as the sensor may be faulty or the dash not working correctly. Your brakes will be tested on an MOT inspection but your pads and or disc may need changing sooner than this. When you have brake pads changed they will also inspect your discs to let you know if they also...
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Keeping your window screen washers topped up

Written by Declan
It may sound like a very quick and easy thing to do, but forgetting to top up your window screen fluid can be very dangerous for you and other road users. There may have been a time when you have been driving along and a tractor has come past or you have been following a lorry splashing mud all over your car. You reach to put the wipers on and try and squirt the water but nothing comes out. Often putting the wipers on can also make any marks on the screen worse and quickly you may have found yourself in a position where you simply cannot see anything. This is not only dangerous to you as the driver but also to anyone around you in another vehicle or a...
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Buying a spares or repairs car

Written by Declan
If you are looking for a cheap car and have a bit of a passion or experience in fixing engines / bodywork etc. then you may consider buying a car that is advertised as spares or repairs. Even when a car is advertised like this, it does not necessarily mean that it is not running. It can be that the MOT has run out or that it has body damage. Buying these sorts of cars can be a risky game, especially if you don’t really know what you are doing. Often you cannot find out exactly what is wrong with a vehicle until you have stripped it down meaning that you may end up with a £1000 car that needs an additional £1000 spending on it. Always be wary of...
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Caring for your catalytic converter

Written by Declan
Catalytic converters are fitted as part of many cars exhaust systems. The job of the catalytic converter is to reduce the emission of pollutants caused by incomplete combustion in the engine by means of a chemical reaction. They commonly contain a catalyst (a material that facilitates a reaction without being used up in the reaction) made of precious metals such as platinum and are therefore quite expensive. Un-burnt fuel passing through the engine into the exhaust can damage the catalytic converter so it’s important to avoid this if possible. Certain fuel additives may cause damage so always consult the manufacturer’s instructions before using them. First off, you should keep your car regularly serviced and don’t ignore ECU warning lights as a poorly running engine can cause damage to the converter....
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