Maintenance Tips For Brakes: How You Can Make Your Brakes Last Longer

While you’re on the road, having a properly functioning braking system is a must to ensure the safety of your car and yourself of course. It requires close attention to details on a regular basis to maintain the automotive brakes.

If your brakes wear out and often you have to visit a mechanic, here are some tips you can use to keep your braking system optimised to handle any situations on the road.

• Identify the problems: Watch while you drive

You have to observe how the braking system is working whenever you are driving. If your brake pedal feels loose, it might be an indication that an oil leakage has occurred in the system.

On the other hand, if you feel that the brake pedal is vibrating, or your steering wheel is vibrating while applying brakes, then this is a sign that your brake disc may have worn out. In such cases, you have to replace them as soon as possible.

For both situations, you need to consult with a car professional and get a brake repair Northampton for your car.

• Avoid over speeding

Whenever you apply brakes at high speeds, it takes a toll on the whole braking system. A car’s motion multiplies into the total momentum. Your brakes need to endure exponentially increased amounts of friction to ensure that you and your car decelerate.

On the other hand, lesser speed means lesser momentum which your braking system has to deal with, requiring lesser friction.

Friction causes wear. If your brake resists a lower amount of friction on average, you will get better longevity out of them.

• Check brake fluid level

The dashboard brake light indicates whenever your car is running low on brake fluid. If the fluid is low on the reservoir, you must remove the wheels and inspect the brakes.

Look out for any fluid leaks (needs repair if any) and measure the thickness of the remaining brake pad. It is recommended to check brake’s fluid level every 10,000 miles.

• Brake fading

Brake fading occurs when the brakes are overused and overheated. It can cause severe damage to the braking system. You can identify the problem if you see the following signs

• The brake pedal de-presses.
• The distance which the car takes to stop after applying brake increases drastically.
• In some cases, the pedal de-presses farther to the floor without generating any braking power.
• A burning odour comes from the brakes.
• In a few cases, the brakes catch fire.

Whenever you notice these signs while driving, the best thing to do is to pull over and allow your brakes to cool. Later, visit a technician and let them help you understand if your brakes need a repair or a replacement.

• Know your brake type

Brake pads are quite complex nowadays. They may include multiple components and are designed for pre-specified performance gradients. Companies are now producing high-performance brake pads which can resist fading even on a high-temperature situation.

The shortcoming about these brakes is that often they perform poorly when it comes to lower temperatures found in standard streets.

However, visiting a professional garage like Jackson’s MOT Centre can help you choose the most suitable brake variant to match your requirements. You may also let them help you with services such as clutch repair, engine diagnostics as well as your MOT Northampton.

Read what changes done by UK government for MOT Test 2018 and What Has Changed & Its Impact

How to Improve Your Car’s Performance without Spending a Single Shilling!

 Everyone loves a car that runs fast, smooth, and trouble free, even if they are driving it for ages. Cars are a precious commodity; you use it for your daily chores and commute, occasional road trips, and much more. However, as time passes, your car’s performance sometimes takes a dip, resulting in expensive repairs and, in extreme conditions, a complete overhaul.

Multiple reasons affect a vehicle’s performance. From modern computer laced ECU to hardware like engine, brakes, transmission, everything contributes to its service life. If you take good care of its vital components and incorporate certain driving and maintenance habits, you can keep it working for years to come. So, let’s take a look at a few tips that will help you maintain your car’s performance for longer.

• Look under the hood – It might seem like a gauntlet under the hood, but if you look closely, everything is clearly marked.

The first thing you should do is keep the engine hub as clean as possible. Look for the air filter, battery terminals, radiator grills, etc. Dust and dirt accumulation is a major concern and can severely affect a car’s output.

For example, if there are acid residue and rust on battery terminals, it will not deliver the optimum charge. It is best to clean it every six months with a solution of one cup lukewarm water and one teaspoon of baking soda.

• Keep it light – Overloading your vehicle puts a lot of strain on its suspension, tyres, drivetrain, and engine. Make sure you stay within the recommended limit mentioned by your car’s manufacturer and also check all 4 of your car tyres weight rating.

• Drive it carefully – Cities and metropolitan areas often have stop and go traffic, which affects the clutch and brakes of your car. Unfortunately, you cannot stop those from wearing out, but you can keep them in the best condition for as long as possible.

Always remember to apply your car brakes gradually, hard braking can warp the brake rotors as well as damage the callipers and brake lines. If you see a stopping light ahead, let go of the accelerator and come to a halt smoothly.

In the same manner, don’t excessively use your car’s clutch either. If you have a stick shift, press the clutch completely before you shift gears. Do not ride the clutch if you don’t want to shorten its lifespan.

With an automatic transmission, accelerate and de-accelerate steadily to reduce wear. This will keep the unit in good condition and make sure you don’t have to go for a clutch repair in Northampton or anywhere else anytime soon.

• Rev it up every once in a while – Allowing your car to warm up (even during summer) and revving it occasionally has some positive sides to it. Letting your engine run for a minute or two at the start of the day will heat the exhaust, and let the fluid pumps run for some time before you drive off. This will decrease the chances of exhaust residue collection or overheating.

Revving your car to the red-line blows out any accumulation inside the catalytic converter and tailpipe. That increases engine efficiency and your car’s emission quality.

Following these tips will help you maintain optimal car performance for a much longer time without you spending one dime on it. Also, it will keep your vehicle in good shape, which means you will need much less repair before going for an MOT in Northampton. For any other major issues with your car, take it to a trustworthy and affordable garage like Jackson’s MOT Centre for repair. They offer a plethora of car servicing and repairs in and around Northampton at reasonable prices.

A Fuss-free Maintenance Checklist for Your Car’s Exhaust System

A properly functional exhaust system is important for your car’s performance, especially when it comes to acceleration and fuel efficiency. It also maintains the proper emission standards. As a car owner, you will need to maintain your exhaust in proper running conditions.

Here’s how you can go about it!

Maintaining the exhaust system

Before going on any further, you have to understand that your car exhaust will wear out over time. Pre-emptive action is often the only way out. For this, regular maintenance is important.

There are numerous components to the exhaust system. You need to know the most common issues to them and provide the requisite maintenance.

A typical exhaust system may include the following –

• Headers.
• Muffler.
• Exhaust Pipe.
• Catalytic Converter.
• Manifold Gasket.

Point worth mentioning, each of these parts performs a specific function and therefore has typical issues to them.

Checking the exhaust system components

You can carry these easy checks even with layman’s mechanical knowledge. However, always wear eye-protection or rubber gloves before going for the check.

• Corrosion and rust in the exhaust pipe

Use a brush to scrape off any rust and look for the holes. They can pull in air from outside this system, thus leading to a backfire and harming your vehicle.

• Inspecting connections and joints

Look for a sign of soot or black marks around the flanges and connections. These are a tell-tale sign of escaping gas which can be fixed by tightening the clamps or replacing any rusted studs.

• Checking the supports

Supports are used to connect and suspend the exhaust manifold with the car. A loose support always poses a risk to this system. Check that they are in place, and have a right degree of flexibility.

• Problems with the catalytic converter

Try to observe whether you get a rattling sound while driving or not. It points towards a loose catalytic converter. Such sounds mean its time you take your car to professional service stations such as Jackson’s MOT Centre for an exhaust service in Northampton.

Cleaning steps for the system

The least you can do after checking the faults is clean the exhaust pipe and muffler, anything beyond which will need professional expertise. So, clean it up at recommended intervals in 4 simple steps.

Step 1 – Wipe off the maximum soot and dust that you can from its muffler with a towel or a rag.

Step 2 – Mix one tablespoon of dishwashing soap with a bowl of warm water. Dip the rag in this solution and remove any grease or oil stain on the muffler. Let it dry.

Step 3 – Apply a metal polish across the surface evenly.

Step 4 – Take a dry rag. Apply even pressure while cleaning to buff the area and bring back the shine.

There you are with a shiny exhaust system. It will ensure no rust formation for a long time.

Also, a properly functioning exhaust system is vital to pass the emission test conducted during an MOT in Northampton.

That’s all for today! Drive safe!

Tips to Help You Store Tyres the Right Way!

Do you keep an alternate set of tyres in stock?

If yes, then you must pay attention towards their maintenance. However, it’s common that car owners like you do not spare much thought on how they are storing those spare tyres in the garage.

Storing tyres the right way is not something which is very difficult to do. A little care towards them can make those tyres run a few extra miles for you and save you some money in the long run as well.

What is the right way of storing spare tyres?

1. Keeping them clean

That’s a necessary first step. Do NOT store tyres while they still have dirt and grime all over them.

During their normal use, tyres in Northampton or anywhere else in the UK collect brake dust and mud. Storing dirty tyres will lead to latent tyre damage. So, before storing those away, ensure to clean them using some mild soap, tyre brush, and water. You can either cleanse them while they are mounted on the rims or after dismounting them. Either way, do not use any tyre gloss when you plan to store them for a while.

2. Using airtight bags

Once you’re done with the cleaning, put those tyres in large black plastic bags. You will be better off if you ensure that the bags have limited air before you seal them. You can go the extra mile and use a vacuum cleaner to draw out air before sealing them with tape.

3. Keep them upright

Keeping your car tyres upright will put less stress on their structural rigidity. Experts at Jackson’s MOT Centre suggest avoiding stacking tyres on high racks. They also suggest stacking winter tyres inNorthampton on a dry plank.

4. Avoiding the UV rays

When the tyres are not in use, it becomes necessary to keep them away from the sun rays. Since black tyres absorb heat faster, they get overheated when kept under the sun. Thus, both the heat and the UV rays cause tyre breakdown.

5. Strictly avoid hot gases

It is always better to keep tyres away from machines that generate hot gases. Equipment such as furnaces, central vacuums, or basement pump near your stored tyres is a huge no.

Instead of storing just the tyres, if you’re keeping the whole vehicle in the garage for a while, give your tyres a vacation from their duty. Make sure you always take the tyres off the car before you store them. The weight of your car can cause severe damage to those tyres. Dismounting them will relieve them from the pressure and ensure proper functionality when you mount them again.

With this comprehensive guide on how to store your car tyres, you can keep them in good condition for years. Save the expenses of buying a new set of tyres and make the best of every single set over the years.

Some More Truths about MOT: Decode Them All!

MOT test, an acronym of Ministry of Transport test, is devised by the UK government for annual vehicle inspection. Each vehicle after the first three years of its usage needs to pass this litmus test because of the following reasons:

• ·         Vehicle safety
• ·         Road worthiness aspects
• ·         Exhaust emissions

So if you are living in the localities of Northampton, you are already acquainted with all the nitty-gritty regarding MOT test in Northampton.

However, recently the Government made significant tweaks in MOT test implying few strict laws for as a part of long-term betterment.

Here’s an overview of all the MOT changes issued on 20^th May 2018.

1. The first major change incorporated in this inspection is defects found in new MOT are categorised as dangerous, major and minor. To break this advisory category revamped by DVSA are as follows:

• A vehicle with a substantial amount of faults is likely to fall into the category of being dangerous. MoT marks this kind of automobiles immediately as illegal to be driven on public roads.

 One needs to rectify all the discrepancies of his car to get back to the road.

• For instance, the visible smoke of any colour coming from a commute is considered as a major fault. So, according to MoT, it will be a requirement to fix issues like this and retested before the car becomes roadworthy.

• Lastly, a minor fault is the one where a vehicle does not cause an immediate safety risk but needs a faster rectification to ply on the streets of the UK.

2.      Pre- 1978 cars are potentially MoT exempted from May 20^th. Therefore, if you own a classic car registered before May 20^th 1978, its’ a win-win situation for you. 

3.      However, certain other types of vehicles are not exempt, mostly the large commercial ones.

4.      Cars and motorbikes with a Q registration also need to undergo the test as defined by the DVLA.

5.      Another significant addition in the new rule is, to get an exemption from the MOT test Northampton a car owner needs to register as a Vehicle of Historic Interest (VHI).

6.      Guess what? The war on diesel vehicles is not going have an end any time soon. According to the new set of rules, if there’s evidence of diesel particulate filter (DPF) tampering along, the car will own a “major-fault” crown.

7.      Here’s no the endpoint. A lot many checks being introduced which follows:

• The mechanics will check whether your car tyres are under-inflated.

• The current condition of brake pad warning light including the discs.

• Reversing lights on vehicles will undergo an MOT in Northampton which is in usage from 1 September 2009.

• They will even consider a check for any vehicle’s brake fluid including its chance of leakage and contamination.

Hope these insights helped you to understand the insights of new MOT test rule. By the way, if your car is on the verge of completing the prior MoT test anniversary, put your van through a MoT test in Northampton.

Many reliable centres like Jacksons MOT Centre Northampton offer an MOT service to make your car sustainable for you and the environment.

Read The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Ensuring a Cleared MOT Certificate for Your Vehicle