Car ownership, can be a joy so it’s worth while considering just how important it is to take care of your car properly.
Car ownership is like owing any other gadget or item – if you don’t look after it properly, you will eventually need to replace it.
Here are just five of the key car ownership mistakes that people have made in the past, that have cost them far more than they could have imagined.
The Wrong Wheels
Believing that you are a car expert, when you are new to the world of automobiles can be a disastrous car ownership mistake to try and pull off. For instance, installing oversized wheels is a rookie mistake and will eventually cause you nothing but massively expensive problems. You can eventually damage the fenders and wheel wells for your vehicle and leave yourself with a huge bill to pay and no car for quite some time.
Unaligned Tyres
Car Ownership Mistakes
Tyres care is a big part of car ownership, and aligning them in the wrong manner is a mistake that plenty of people do. If you’re putting on new tyres make sure they are properly aligned. Failure to do so will see your tyre’s running out much quicker than you ever thought possible!
Ignoring Oil Changes
Just like anything else that uses oil, it has to be changed and re-mixed from time to time. Whilst oil technology has improved in the last generation or so, it’s still vital to make sure that your car gets an oil change from time to time. If you fail to do so, this car ownership mistake will eventually start to cause your engine to wear out, as there will not be efficient enough lubricant. This can be an expensive problem to clean up, in more ways than one.
Buying Cheap Batteries
Sometimes, trying to save money on vehicle maintenance will only cost you far more in the long-term. A dead battery as you might imagine is useless. When buying a car battery, look online for the exact battery type for your vehicle and try going for one of the better ranges. Buying a cheap replacement to save a few pounds may cost you extra money for a battery charger and a replacement, so try not to scrimp and save in this department.
Unprofessional Body Work
The last thing that your vehicle needs is cheap bodywork – if you have dented or damaged your car, get a professional to fix the problem. Your mate with a hammer or that DIY specialist with his own garage out the back, might not be the best people to really help you, as it may end up costing you far more in the future.
If you can think of any other car ownership mistakes you want to shout, about feel free to let me know.
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.
4 Ridiculous Common Car Faults
As a car owner, you will no doubt be aware of the massive dirge of common car faults that can befall drivers at any given time.
Whether it’s a car garage giving you an eye-watering bill for a “simple repair”, or one of the common car faults where your car fails to start en route to your biggest conference of the year. Common car faults are a problem that most of us could do without.
While some of us driver cars that run with pristine authority, some drivers just cannot seem to get out of the street without something going wrong!
So… to try and get yourself prepared for auto life, here are five of the most common car faults you are likely to make or witness at one stage:
A Lack of Life
Battery problems are the bane of any driver’s existence.
Common car faults like draining the battery by leaving the lights on overnight can be a terrible mistake, especially if you can’t get to work because of a flat battery.
The problem is that you don’t hear of these common car faults regularly as you should – but they happen all the time!
Common car faults like this have been a long-term problem for many motorists over the years. The best way to dodge this problem is to buy a charge kit so that you can get yourself going in the morning, or to live next door to the world’s friendliest neighbor who happens to have a jump lead pack.
Flat Tyres
Common Car Faults
Doh! This is one of the most common car faults issues you’ll see on the roads. In fact, on any typical work week you’re likely to see at least one absolutely raging person standing by their car waiting for vehicle support to arrive, usually in the rain. A flat tyre can be dodged, by making sure you go for a car service regularly and getting your tyres checked out.
Fuel Problems
Ah, fuel – one of the most costly resources on the planet. Fuel problems are part of the common car faults pack. For a typical driver and the best way to deal with these problems is to make sure that you ALWAYS use the correct fuel in your vehicle. Sound stupid? Okay well hands up how many have put the wrong fuel in their car?
Damaged Cabling
Common car faults can also entail damaged vehicle cables. This can be so infuriating because they can literally put you off the road. A car with damaged brake cables, a weak throttle cable or a useless clutch cable is effectively a massive danger on the road. Here’s some advice: get those cables checked pronto. Find a good garage and get those cables looked at and replaced.
Another suggestion is to try a buy a solid car from the get go. This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised at the level of poor electrics that are found in cars. However a good car garage should be able to sort you out with an easy and reliable fix fast.
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.
Broken Car Radio Solutions
One of the most liberating parts of owning a car is that it becomes your own little X factor auditon room. Flying down the motorway belting out your favorite songs on the car radio can be great fun, and without having access to that radio you are missing out on one of the most enjoyable parts of driving.
The problem is that radio issues can start from literally nowhere, and leave you with a very frustrating drive to work in the “peace & quiet”. Sometimes, just hearing that one great song can make all the difference to your work performance, so having a working car radio is very important.
So, what could be causing your problem? Here are some of the most common issues and how to solve them;
Won’t Turn On
The most basic car radio problem is the old-school “just won’t turn on” method that we are all such huge fans of. When this happens it can be absolutely infuriating and most of the time the issue is actually really easy to fix. It will typically be a power and/or ground issue – start off by checking the fuses. You can find online guides for your own car model to find these with ease.
Try replacing the car radio fuse, and see how that goes. If it’s still broken or breaks again shortly later, you might have a short elsewhere in the car that will need help from a pro mechanic.
No Sound
car radio solution
How great is it to have access to the car radio, but have no sound? Not great at all, that’s how great it is! The problem is that this can be caused by so many different issues as well, so it’s kind of hard to come up with a solution. It could be dodgy speaker wires, it could be an issue with the amp…it’s a bit of a nightmare to come up with a solution for!
Additionally, it could be something simple like a broken wire or a bad connection with the car radio speaker wires. Therefore, you’ll be doing a fair bit of running around trying to come up with a solution – be prepared for the hard work that comes with doing so, and the trial & error sessions that come from dealing with a lack of sound from your speakers.
A common solution is opening and closing the car door again – this might sound daft, but some cars just love to be awkward to put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day! Solving car radio problems can take a while, especially when it’s something innocuous like your speakers. But if you are really at our wits end with the problems then take your car to a specialist or a garage, they’ll be able to sort it for you within no time at all.
To health and vehicle happiness
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.