Archive for October, 2011
What To Do When Your Car’s Brakes Begin To Squeal
Posted by admin in Car Brakes on October 30, 2011
You climb into your vehicle, start the engine, and throw it into “Drive.” At the first traffic light, you hear it: a high-pitched squeal coming from your brakes. The bad news is that it won’t go away on its own. It needs to be resolved.
This is a frustrating automotive problem that many people misunderstand. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to fix. This article will shed light on the factors that can cause your brakes to squeal, and share a few tips for inspecting them. Along the way, we’ll describe some quick fixes you can apply in specific circumstances.
Understanding The Root Cause Of The Noise
Most people think the noise is generated when the brake pads wear down. In reality, the squealing is usually caused by vibrations. When a new vehicle arrives at the dealership, the pads are held in place by anti-rattle clips. As long as they remain in place, you’re unlikely to hear noise (though other factors can cause it). When the pads become loose, however, they often begin to vibrate at a high frequency. This causes the squeal.
Another possible reason for the noise is glazing. This occurs when the surfaces of the pads and rotors harden due to repeated exposure to excessive temperature. When the hardened surfaces rub together, they generate the noise.
The rotors may also become scarred or rough. This too can cause squealing. In order to remain silent, the rotors must be completely smooth. Read the rest of this entry »
Car Body Repair Without Paint
Posted by admin in Car Body Repair on October 29, 2011
One of the many problems that car owners will encounter is how to repair dents and dings that are usually made from accidental bumps with obstacles and minor accidents with other cars. If there is no paint damage, the appropriate method used as a car body repair is the paintless dent removal. This is a process of removing different kinds of dents and dings from the body of a motor vehicle when no paint damage is visible. However, when there is a visible damage to the body paint, paintless dent removal (PDR) may not be the appropriate method to use.
PDR is used to repair minor damage to the car’s bodywork, door dings and bumper indentations. However, PDR can also be used to prepare a particular dent for painting, in case there is actual paint damage on the dent. This method is called “push to paint” or “push in preparing for paint”. However there are limitations of using the PDR in getting rid of dents. The factors could be flexibility of the metal where the dent happened, the flexibility of the body’s paint, the extent of damage and the sharpness of the creases in the area. Very sharp creases can be repaired but will need to be repainted most of the time.
PDR is not a new method. In fact, this dent repair method has already been used by various car business establishments as minor car repair to quickly get rid of minor dings. Car rentals, car auctions and similar car establishments have been using this but lately this has been used heavily in repairing consumer vehicles. Consumers are now also aware of this method because this is fast, efficient and highly-effective. Read the rest of this entry »
Great Tips for Your Car Battery
Posted by admin in Car Battery on October 28, 2011
Unless you have a thousand-watt audio/video system in your car with a stock electrical system, driving your car 3-4 times a week is usually enough to keep your battery topped up and charged enough to start your engine again when you need your car. A Car battery is usually an installed and forgotten item that is remembered only when it fails to work. A little preventive maintenance goes a long way toward ensuring your battery works every time you expect it to and doesn’t suddenly quit.
Any battery discharges gradually over time and it is the function of the car’s electrical charging system to keep the battery topped up while it is being used. The problems begin when a car is kept in storage for a long time, or used so sparingly that the battery discharges to the point that the car won’t start. Although disconnecting the battery is an excellent practice to slow down a car battery’s discharge, many car owners don’t bother to do so because of the inconvenience of doing so and because today’s electronics-laden cars lose their presets when the battery is disconnected. The best procedure to use in this case is to connect a trickle charger to your battery while your car is unused. Trickle chargers are different from standard battery chargers and are very cheap to purchase and operate. They are intended to be connected for long periods and keep the battery topped up.
But having a trickle charge top up your battery is a futile exercise if you abuse that storage device by continually discharging it or neglecting a few simple maintenance procedures. Firstly, standard batteries displace water and in hot climates vent even faster than normal so if your battery has removable caps, make sure that the water levels are correct. Distilled water is all you need to top up your battery. Secondly, evaluate your car’s electrical use if you notice that your battery has an increased tendency of being discharged. You may have installed powerful amps or video monitors that are drawing more current than the car’s electrical system can replace when in use. Read the rest of this entry »