Is Your Car Leaking Oil?
Having a car oil leak is a common problem with vehicles today, and it can be caused by a variety of reasons.
However, its important to deal with a car oil leak when it arises. Without sufficient amounts of oil in a car, you’ll find yourself waiting for an AA pick-up truck pretty soon. The good thing is, it’s easy to spot a leak with your car. Just have a look underneath your car to see if you can spot any oily black spots on the ground. If so, you have a leak.
While many cars with more than 100k+ of miles on the clock will burn through a little more oil and leave a small residue, it’s a source of concern if you find oil underneath your vehicle. So long as you keep your engine levels topped up you’ll be fine, but it’s always good to try and find the root of the problem and get it dealt with quickly.
Where is the Car oil leak?
car oil leak
Typically, the car oil leak can come from a few different places. The first thing that you will want to find out is the speed of the car oil leak, as this gives you an idea of just how bad the actual damage might be things first, start with the engine – it’s usually got something to do with the problem. Give your engine an absolutely spotless cleaning session, and you’ll be able to see the oil coming from the source, if the source is indeed the engine.
If you are finding the car oil leak is coming straight from the engine then it’ll be much easier to deal with.
If it’s travelling through the car and getting to somewhere else before leaking, it will be a lot thicker and gungier which is not nice to deal with at all. Starting with the engine, though, you should be looking for a few specific points at the top of the engine such as the valve cover casket. If your leak is higher up on in the engine, you will likely find the problem here.
Additionally, if your car comes with a PCV valve, you might find the same car oil leak issues here. Start to work your way down the engine slowly, and you should find a spot around about half way down that can be the main source of your typical oil leak – the head gasket.
Sat between the cylinder head and the engine block, the oil travels through passageways that connect each side of the gasket. You’ll usually find a fairly sizeable amount of car oil leak coming from here, so be prepared. Check your cooling system, which should be nearby the gasket, as this will be full of frothy brown liquid if it’s got a leak.
Check out the oil pan gasket as well, which is a common source of stress here. It’s at the very bottom of the engine, and even the smallest of failures can leave quite the mess.
To health and vehicle happiness
Your fearless Mechanic,
Phil.
What is Winter Air in Tires?
So, you’ve just got back from a “fun” trip to the mechanics, where he had a lot of really boring information to give you about your car that you didn’t understand. Throughout the conversation that was filled with dizzying price estimates and various platitudes you never really caught, you may have heard the term “winter air in tires” being mentioned. Basically, winter air in tyres is something that is used during the winter to help boost your tires.
With winter air in tires, during the summer months, the warmer temperatures add on an extra couple of Pounds per Square Inch, or PSI, to your car tires. Even if you were to deal with this small adjustment day-in, day-out in the winter it would always seep out at night when the temperatures hit their lowest. You’ll need to regularly add a couple of pounds back into the tires during the winter, and make sure that you check for the need for winter air in tires before you setoff in the morning.
The side of your tires should come with a little notice for what the recommended cold tire pressure level should be. This also implies that when you take any pressure readings, you should do so in the cold so you aren’t getting that little bit of a boost from the heat, giving you an artificial reading. Tires do work at their peak when they are warmed up, so making sure that you try and get the heat in your tires is also important to improve functionality on the roads.
Why Does This Happen?
Winter air in tires
Put simply, this all occurs due to the perplexing nature of physics.
Static quantities of gas in a container will push against the sides of the container, trying to get out. To solve that problem, you would add heat to help expand the inside because the air molecules inside can then move freer & faster, and make sure that they collide with each other more inside which increases pressure. Using the example above, you can apply the exact same methodology to your tires!
If you are sick of your winters being a little bit more confusing than they need to then make sure that your that the winter air in tires are checked regularly, specifically when the cold weather comes in. your best bet, usually, is to try and do this once every few days and fill up your pressure levels when needed as it can be problematic otherwise.
To health and vehicle happiness
Your fearless Mechanic,
Phil.
Auto Financing Considerations
Auto financing irrespective of the type vehicle you are looking at, opens up a plethora of options and possible situations.
A high percentage of vehicles that get picked up today are on some form of long-term credit or auto financing agreement. After all, how many of us have a few thousand pounds just sitting spare in the bank ready to buy the car outright?
The problem is that a lot of us just go with the first option offered to us for auto financing, and months down the line find ourselves involved in an uncompromising payment scheme that we cannot afford. Before making you final auto financing decision, make sure that you take these key considerations into account first.
What type of auto financing is available to you?
The majority of car purchases are taken out in some form of Hire Purchase, or HP auto financing. In modern times though it is more common to take the car out on a Personal Contract Purchase, or PCP. The different types of auto financing that are available to you will depend on your own credit score and other factors, but it’s very much worth pursuing.
For example, some people will hire their vehicle on a business lease, but you need to make sure that you fully understand the terms & conditions of this type of arrangement. PCP is preferable to the manufacturer, as it increases their chances of both getting upsells from you and in general it works out better for the seller in the long run. Don’t be pressured into taking a PCP contract if it’s not for you, though!
Take the deal that suits you best – but make sure to explore every avenue of auto financing first.
Always Plan Ahead
You might find yourself going dizzy looking at all these big auto financing APR counts, but you need to make sure that what you may have to pay100% works in line with your financial budget, before jumping in. Auto financing assumptions will get you nowhere, so know your numbers, especially in expensive purchase. For Instance, auto financing HP payments are usually more expensive monthly but general far more flexible should any problems occur with payments, or there has to be a readjustment of your plan.
PCP can be much cheaper in the long run, but before long another financial commitment may have come along – so always make sure that your auto financing plans make sense in five years, not just today.
Part 2
Auto financing
Check Your Credit Rating
Auto financing will mean credit checks. So even if you think your credit score is absolutely perfect, and you think you know this for a fact, it’s better to have your credit rating checked anyway.
Use a reputable name like Experian, as this will update any outdated references to your credit that a company may get when they do a credit check on you. Keep in mind that if your credit record has recently improved dramatically, you may still get rejected, as your old rating may be the most recent copy they have on record.
Read Everything
With auto financing, don’t give anything a half glance. Every letter of your contract must be read to make sure you understand it completely and totally. Understand every fee involved and every single step and procedure along the way. This is the only way you will know that your auto financing financial future won’t flag up nastiest surprises down the line!
In line with FCA requirements, all auto financing agreements should be provided to you in writing, verbal quotation is not enough. Pre-contract information must also be provided, and should have an adequate explanation of every single aspect of the agreement you are about to sign. There should be no pressure. You have every right to take as long as you wish to read the contracts, so don’t let the dealer talk you down with half answers, and if n doubt seek answers from a third party.
Ask Questions
With auto financing no matter how basic the questions don’t feel like you are being silly by asking them. This is the future of your finances and potentially your life you are dealing with.
Auto financing can be complicated so make sure you asked the financial experts the right questions; don’t leave any questions in your head. Ask the person conducting the interview to explain every letter, and if you aren’t satisfied seek a second opinion. A good salesman will be able to deal with questions both basic and extremely complex, so make the salesman work for your money and make sure you have 100% confidence in the process ahead.
Be Honest
For auto financing I would advise to try and be totally honest from the start. Making false applications is a criminal offence so don’t be silly. Give truthful answers to every question, even if it’s potentially going to hurt your application. It’s far better to fail with one firm for telling the truth than get accepted on a short-term lie that could literally ruin everything in the future.
Expect the honesty to be reciprocated. Give the dealership all the right answers, and make sure that you see all the details they are entering on your behalf. Any credit applications that you apply for should be completely legitimate, and if you feel anything is slightly off key go elsewhere – it’s not worth the risk.
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.