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The car battery is the heart of the vehicle’s electrical system – you really don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere as a result of a flat battery. Here are some tips to help you to maintain the health of your battery thereby avoiding this type of scenario.

Firstly – ensure that you don’t drain the battery power unnecessarily:

• When you leave your car, do a quick check to make sure that no interior or exterior lights are on
• If you don’t use your car on a regular basis – keep the battery charge topped up by using a battery charger, or taking the car our for about an hour drive every week  
• Make sure that you service your car regularly, and that the alternator and battery charging system is checked during the service

In addition, the following regular maintenance needs to be done:

• Clean your car battery terminals, remembering to loosen and remove the negative (- black) terminal from the battery first in order to prevent a short circuit between the battery post and the body of the car, followed by the positive (+ red) terminal. Then remove any corrosion from the terminals using water and a brush, then dry them. Reconnect the terminals in the reverse order – positive (+ red) first, followed by negative (- black).
• Check the electrolyte level in the battery. If you have a maintenance -free battery you can skip this step.
• Check the condition of the battery heat shields – these protect your battery from heat – extreme heat will result in overheating and swelling.
• Check the battery for any leaks, bulging or cracks

Vibration can limit the life of your car battery – the battery should be secured with an approved battery clamp to limit vibration. Very hot weather can cause the engine area to become very hot, and under these conditions, the heavy use of air-conditioners can also put the battery under additional strain – which may cause the battery to fail.

There are some causes of battery failure that you cannot prevent through regular maintenance (manufacturing faults, short circuits/dead cells in the battery and general wear and tear, for example) – but following the guidelines above will help to extend your car’s battery life and maintain its optimum performance.

In the same way that your tyres, engine and even your air-conditioning system need to be maintained, so do your brakes.

The brake system on your car is made up of a master cylinder, brake hoses and the brake caliper. When you apply pressure to the brake pedal, this pressure is transferred by the master cylinder which compresses or forces the brake fluid along the brake lines, to force the brake caliper to close the disc pads onto the disc rotor.

Basically all of these components of your braking system experience wear and tear. The action of the brakes generates a significant amount of friction, and therefore heat. Brake pads will wear as a result, and you should replace them when they reach around 30% remaining. If you go below this level, you will experience a marked decrease in braking performance.

The disc rotors will also wear down – check your vehicle manual to determine the minimum thickness for safe use – less than this and you risk reduced braking performance.

Brake pads can also become glazed – stop start driving or riding the brakes causes the brake pads to become extremely hot, and the heat causes the surface of the pad to become smooth – thereby reducing the friction – you will notice squeaking brakes, and longer braking distances. If you have a traction control system in your vehicle, remember that these work by applying the brakes to individual wheels to stop wheel spin. This can also cause glazing on the brake pads. Switch off your traction control system when you are not driving in loose terrain.

The extreme heat can also cause the metal in the disc rotors to deform and become uneven. This will cause a wobble which you will feel through the steering wheel, especially is the discs on the front wheels have been affected. The uneven braking surface will also reduce braking performance and result in a longer braking distance.

Brake fluid transfers the pressure of your foot on the brake pedal in your car, to the brake pads and discs, thereby slowing or stopping your car. You should have the brake fluid replaced yearly – and in addition, you need to check the levels of the brake fluid on a regular basis – although the brake fluid is inside a pressurised and sealed system, the brake hoses, seals and fittings are made of rubber which can deteriorate over time, and some fluid may leak.

Regular attention to these items could save you a costly accident – in terms of the safety of yourself and your passengers as well as potential expensive repairs if your vehicle is damaged in an accident where you haven’t been able to stop in time.

Most of us have heard of brake fluid, and we know that it has something to do with the proper functioning of the brakes on our vehicles – but exactly what is it, and why is it so important?

Brake fluid transfers the pressure of your foot on the brake pedal in your car, to the brake pads and discs, thereby slowing or stopping your car. The brake system on your car is made up of a master cylinder, brake hoses and the brake caliper. When you apply pressure to the brake pedal, this pressure is transferred by the master cylinder which compresses or forces the brake fluid along the brake lines, to force the brake caliper to close the disc pads onto the disc rotor. So if you don’t have enough brake fluid in the system, the brakes on your car won’t work as expected.

So, we need to check the levels of the brake fluid on a regular basis, as we are required to do for other aspects of our vehicles such as tyre pressure, oil levels and other fluids. Although the brake fluid is inside a pressurised and sealed system, the brake hoses, seals and fittings are made of rubber which can deteriorate over time. When this happens, you will have small leakage of fluid and you will notice that the brake pedal feels softer and you need to be more aggressive in applying your foot to the pedal in order to stop the car – and eventually as the deterioration worsens and the leakage increases, the brakes may fail entirely.

In addition to the potential for deterioration of the rubber parts within the brake system, there is also the fact that brake fluid breaks down over time and absorbs water, thereby losing its ability to provide the designed level of compression – even though the system is sealed. The brake system of your car generates a lot of heat – and as little as 3.7% of moisture within the brake fluid will reduce the effective boiling point of the brake fluid by almost one third.

You therefore need to replace your brake fluid at least annually, ensuring that you use the brake fluid type as specified in your owner’s manual

Its summer and it’s hot out there. Overheating of your car engine is often thought of as being associated with warm weather – but the fact of the matter is that your car engine is built to dissipate heat regardless of the season – if your engine’s cooling system is working properly, that is.
When you are driving it’s always a good idea to check the indicators on your dashboard periodically, so that you are immediately alerted when anything starts to malfunction.

If you are in a situation where your car’s temperature gauge starts to move into the red zone, here is what you should and should not do:

• Stop the engine immediately. Pull over and turn the engine off, so that you prevent any further engine damage
  Do not open the radiator cap when the engine is hot. The temperature gauge is an indicator of the temperature of the coolant in the radiator – so if the temperature gauge is in the red zone – that coolant is extremely hot. The coolant in the radiator is under pressure – and you really don’t want to get sprayed with hot coolant – so wait until the engine has completely cooled
• Check to see where the problem may exist – is there a coolant leak under the car? If there is, is it from the radiator, or a hose or an engine part such as the drive belt? If it is a radiator or hose leak, and the leak is small, you can add coolant to the radiator once the engine has cooled, which may enable you to drive to the nearest service station or workshop. Don’t drive without a fully functioning drive belt, as you may cause major damage – call for help.
• If you do drive further (once the engine has cooled and there is sufficient coolant in the radiator) – turn off your air conditioning to reduce strain on the engine.
  Have your vehicle inspected as soon as possible – repeated instances of overheating will damage your engine, and its worth it to get the problem identified and properly rectified as soon as possible.

Do you need to store your car for a period of time? Here are some tips on how to do this so that you can get it back in service as quickly as possible, when the time comes.

Before you store the vehicle, clean inside and out thoroughly – you don’t want to come back to a nasty smell inside, or damage to the paintwork because of a deposit on the exterior of the car that could easily have been cleaned off before storage.

Don’t leave your car outside if at all possible – store it away in the best environment available. First prize will be a cool, dry, locked garage. If you don’t have access to a garage, and you have no other choice, cover the car with a car cover made out of thick, breathable material. Arrange for someone to check up on it on a regular basis, to ensure that no tears develop or that the cover is not stolen. Don’t park under trees, as tree sap, birds or falling branches could cause damage.

If you are planning to store your car for more than 6 months, it is worthwhile to find a storage company who will store the vehicle for this time. Make sure that the oil, oil filter and coolant are changed prior to putting into storage, and top up the fuel tank so that there is as little air in the tank as possible to avoid rusting in the tank.

Park the car on level ground and leave in gear if a manual transmission, in park if automatic. Leave the handbrake off.

Plug any possible entry points for rodents or other animals – block the air intake and exhaust pipes with rags.

Arrange for your car to be checked on a regular basis while it is in storage – checked for leaks, fluid levels and tyre pressure. The car should be started and the engine warmed for about 15 minutes,  every 2 weeks.

When you are ready to use your car again, check for evidence of rodents, such as teeth marks on wires, belts and cables. Check the fluid levels and the battery, as well as the tyre pressures before you start driving. Before you drive on an open road, check that the brakes are working. Book your car in for a service as soon as possible.

Nitrogen is a colourless, odourless, non-toxic gas that makes up 78% of the earth’s atmosphere. It has been used to inflate tyres of racing cars, aircraft and heavy commercial vehicles for some time, and is recently gaining popularity for use for inflating tyres of normal passenger vehicles.

Some benefits claimed for inflating your car’s tyres with nitrogen instead of normal air, include that it will reduce the running temperature of your tyres, improve ride quality, increase tyre life and keep tyre pressure more constant, slow the rate of pressure loss and finally, that it will not react with the tyre and rim materials. Let’s examine these claims a little more closely.

Reducing the tyre’s running temperature – there is some truth to this claim, however, this is caused by the lower moisture content of the nitrogen gas. Dry compressed air will also ensure that your tyre will run cooler, and any likely benefit will only be of importance where your tyres are running at or near their maximum load and speed.

There is no valid reason why nitrogen would improve your ride quality at normal tyre operating pressures and temperatures.

Tyre life will increase slightly with a lower operating temperature – however there are some claims that using nitrogen will double the life of your tyres, and this is in all probability not going to be achievable.

The pressure inside a tyre will increase as the operating temperature increases, and nitrogen could provide a more stable pressure as a result of the lower operating temperature – however, you are only likely to notice benefits under heavy loads and/or high speeds.

The chemical structure of nitrogen means that it will be slower to leak out of your tyres than normal compressed air – this is true, but you still need to check your tyres regularly in case of a leak.

In tyres filled with compressed air, you could experience oxidation/rust of the metal components of the wheel rim. It is also claimed that the compressed air reacts with the rubber of the tyre – but there is no evidence pointing to whether this reduces the life of the tyre or not. Nitrogen, being a relatively inert, dry gas means that in theory, this problem is prevented. However, this is offset by the fact that there is probably still some air in the tyre which means that your tyres won’t have 100% nitrogen content.

You also need to consider that nitrogen may not be readily available near to your home or office – and this may lead you to neglect a regular check on your tyre pressure.

Normal compressed air contains 78% nitrogen anyway – so it is likely that the benefits of using pure nitrogen in your tyres are overstated. The most important factor in looking after your tyres is regular maintenance which includes regular checks on your tyre pressure, wheel balance and alignment.

Your car is one of the biggest expenses that you are likely to make – and isn’t it worthwhile to spend a little extra effort to keep it looking and smelling good for longer.

Start off with the interior – using electrical devices such as a vacuum cleaner after you have washed your car and water is around, is really not such a good idea. If there is any dried mud on your carpets or seats, scrub the area with a dry scrubbing brush to loosen before vacuuming up. Dog hair can also be a real pain to clean up – try the scrubbing brush or alternatively the dimpled rubber gloves used by animal groomers to gather up hair and then vacuum up. Clean your dashboard with a damp chamois, and if you have a lot of dust in air vents and hard to reach areas, try using a dry paint brush.

Wash your car on a regular basis to keep it looking good – the more often that you wash it, the easier it will be to clean. Wash the car with a mild detergent and rinse well. Dry it using a good quality chamois. Polish your car every month or so– this will protect the paint. A hand wash for your car is much, much better than a car wash where they use brushes or anything that comes into contact with the surface of the car. Commercial car cleaning products contain harsh chemicals which may damage the paintwork over time, and also affect the environment. If you wash your car on a grassed surface, potential run off of contaminated water is reduced. In order to conserve water, use a pistol grip nozzle on the hose.

Spend some time cleaning the window properly – there is nothing more irritating than having to peer through a streaked window after having washed your car. Use a fine mist household glass cleaner and a damp chamois, followed by a polish with a dry soft cloth. Clean the outside of the window first, so that you can see the marks on the inside more easily.

Using a good quality polish every three months or so will keep your paintwork protected and make sure that the exterior of your car looks shiny and new.

Just a few hours every week or so can help to maintain your vehicle in pristine condition so that you can enjoy your ride and also protect your investment, as it’s no secret that buyers will pay more for a good-looking car.

The seats in your car, especially the driver’s seat, are critical to the level of usability and comfort  of your vehicle – but how much thought to you give to this aspect of your car when making a buying decision?

Here are some pointers for you to consider, next time you are looking to buy a vehicle.

Firstly – what is the material covering the seats? Cloth seats are usually comfortable, and these days are made from durable fabric that will last well with normal use. Vinyl or imitation leather can cost more than cloth, but may not be more comfortable as they can feel firmer than cloth seats. They are however, easier to clean than cloth. Alcantara is a synthetic material popular in sports vehicles for seats, steering wheels and trim, often used with leather. Alcantara wears well and feels good to the touch. Real leather looks and feels great, and the durability depends on the quality of the leather used – the better the quality, the higher the price.

Secondly – what type of body support is provided by the seats? Look at what support is provided for your hips and lower back, and check that the seat cushion supports enough of your thighs to be comfortable. Basic seat adjustments will include height, forward/back, headrest height and backrest pitch adjustments. Over and above these basic settings, adjustable lumbar support is great for long journeys – and if you are larger than the average body size, you will benefit from adjustable side bolstering and adjustable under-thigh support.

Finally – what luxury features are supplied? Here we are talking about things like heated seats for those cold days, and seat ventilation to prevent sticking to the seat on those hot summer days. Massage seats are a bonus if you drive long distances and maybe have back problems. Some cars come with seat position memory settings – a time saver if you have more than one regular driver of your car.

You can upgrade from cloth seats to full leather at a cost on most vehicles where these don’t come standard. To get more of the other advanced features you may have to consider upgrading to a higher spec vehicle – but it is all about knowing what your choices are, and picking the options that will work best for you, within your available budget.