ESSENTIAL CAR CARE - PART FIVE

OzFreeOnline.com – Classifieds is Australia’s largest free online classifieds and has the most comprehensive selection of used automobiles and cars for sale n Australia and New Zealand. Just visit our free car listings—we have hundreds of great and wise buys in used cars. Should you need finance to buy your ideal car, you can go to the Classifieds of www.ozfreeonline.com and look up the Finance section. This week OzFreeOnline offers you suggestions for taking care of your tyres. TYRE CARE Buy a decent tyre gauge and keep it in the car. Improper tyre pressure can affect tyre wear as well as ride and handling. You should always check your tyres when they are cold. Use the manufacturers recommended tyre pressures. Tyre pressure tends to rise as you drive due to heat build-up. Manufacturers have this in mind when they set the recommended cold pressures so do not let air out when the tyre gets hot. Check the tyre again when it cools off and you will find that the pressure is back to where it was. Tyre pressure will change with the seasons, so in winter months make sure they are not under inflated. Remember; always check them when they are cold. TYRE ROTATION On front wheel drive cars, it is especially important to rotate your tyres periodically because the front tyres wear faster than the rear. Uneven tyre tread thickness, front to rear, will give you uneven braking and poor handling, especially in the rain. If you don't rotate the tyres, you'll wind up replacing them two at the time, which means you'll always have uneven tread thickness. Replacing tyres in a matched set of four will keep the handling and braking traction of the car balanced. If you notice a humming noise, check the rear tyres for a ‘saw-tooth’ wear pattern on the inside and outside shoulder of the tyre. You can detect this by running your hand back and forth along the edges of the tyre tread. Be careful not to cut yourself on debris or exposed steel belt wire. If it feels smooth in one direction, but jagged in the other, you may have found some of your noise. This condition happens on some front wheel drive vehicles, with tyres that have tread blocks on the shoulder of the tyre. Rotating this tyre to the other side of the car should even out this type of wear and quiet down the humming. Check your owner's manual for the proper rotation method. Most front wheel drive cars require the following rotation method: Front wheel drive tyre rotation Warning: If you have directional tyres they must never be crossed over to the other side of the car. You can tell by the fact that they will have a clearly marked arrow on the sidewall showing the direction of rotation. If you have a matching spare, include it in the rotation. You’ve got a car to sell? List your ad on the OzFreeOnline.com – Cars Section. It’s just so easy, and it’s FREE.

ESSENTIAL CAR CARE - PART FOUR

OzFreeOnline.com – Classifieds is Australia’s largest free online classifieds and has the most comprehensive selection of used automobiles and cars for sale n Australia and New Zealand. Just visit our free car listings—we have hundreds of great and wise buys in used cars. Should you need finance to buy your ideal car, you can go to the Classifieds of www.ozfreeonline.com and look up the Finance section.

To keep your car looking good and performing well, this week OzFreeOnline offers you suggestions in changing oil in your car and checking the transmission fluid. OIL CHANGE Oil change is one of the few maintenance steps that automobile manufacturers have not found a way to eliminate yet. Regular oil changes are the best way to ensure longer engine life. If you frequently take short trips where the car doesn't always completely warm up, then oil changes are even more important because acid and moisture build-up does not have a chance to burn off.
Some new engines normally run very hot and are very hard on oil. Even missing a single oil change on these cars can cause an engine to develop sludge, which can cause engine damage in a car with as little as 15,000 kilometres on the odometer. Today's modern oils contain detergents and additives that are designed to protect against sludge formation, but if you regularly do a lot of stop-and-go driving, like rush hour driving, engine heat will eventually break down these additives so that they stop protecting your engine.
TRANSMISSION FLUID Most automatic transmissions should be checked while the engine is running. Check your owner’s manual to be sure. Also, make sure the car is on a level surface and fully warmed up. Pull the transmission dipstick out, wipe off the end, and note the markings on the end of the stick. The usual markings are ‘Full’ and ‘Add.’ Push the stick into the tube until it seats, then immediately pull it out to see the fluid level. Transmission fluid should be pink or red in colour with the look and consistency of cherry cough syrup. If the fluid is a muddy brown or has a burnt smell, have it checked by a mechanic. As with the engine, never add fluid unless it is below the ‘Add’ mark and never bring it above the ‘Full’ mark. Make sure you use the correct transmission fluid for your vehicle. If you plan to add Transmission fluid yourself, you should know that fluid usually comes in prepared sizes, but the level may not be low enough to take the full amount. In addition, you will need a special funnel to get the fluid into the small tube that the dipstick came out of. Check your owner’s manual for the type of fluid and do not substitute anything else. Any noticeable transmission oil consumption should be checked out at your service station.
We will bring you more tips next week. In the meantime remember the best source to buy a used car today is OzFreeOnline.com – Cars Section. To sell your car, you can use our free car listings – It costs you nothing!

ESSENTIAL CAR CARE – Part THREE

OzFreeOnline.com – Classifieds is Australia’s largest free online classifieds and has the most comprehensive selection of used automobiles and cars for sale n Australia and New Zealand. Just visit our free car listings—we have hundreds of great and wise buys in used cars. Should you need finance to buy your ideal car, you can go to the Classifieds of www.ozfreeonline.com and look up the Finance section. To keep your car looking good and performing well, this week OzFreeOnline offers you suggestions for taking care of the Filters and Power Steering fluid in your car. FILTERS There are a number of replaceable filters in a car. They are listed in your owner’s manual along with recommended replacement intervals. If you live in a dusty area or in a big city, then that's all the more reason for you to replace them more frequently. The following filters are common to most cars. Air filter: used to filter the air going into an engine. This filter is usually easy to replace yourself. Fuel filter: found either in the engine compartment or near the gas tank. This filter is best left to your motor mechanic to change. Breather: works with the PCV valve to allow clean air to be drawn into the crankcase to purge moisture and acids from the engine. PCV valve: works with engine vacuum to draw fumes from the crankcase and burns them in the combustion chamber. Cabin filter: on a number of late model cars since the early ‘90s; there is a filter in your air conditioning system that cleans the air before allowing it into the passenger compartment. These filters are usually somewhere under the dash. Your owner's manual will tell you if you have one and where it is. Check your owner's manual for any other filters requiring servicing. POWER STEERING FLUID The power steering fluid reservoir usually has a small dipstick attached to the cap. Remove the cap and check the fluid level. The level should not change more than the normal range on the stick. If you have to add fluid more than once or twice a year, then have the system checked for leaks. These systems are easily damaged if you drive while the fluid is very low. Another warning of low power steering fluid is a buzzing noise when you turn the steering wheel at slow speeds. We will bring you more tips next week. In the meantime remember the best source to buy a used car today is OzFreeOnline.com – Cars Section. To sell your car, just visit our free car listings – It costs you nothing!

ESSENTIAL CAR CARE - PART TWO

OzFreeOnline.com – Classifieds is Australia’s largest free online classifieds and has the most comprehensive selection of used automobiles and cars for sale n Australia and New Zealand. Just visit our free car listings—we have hundreds of great and wise buys in used cars. Should you need finance to buy your ideal car, you can go to the Classifieds of www.ozfreeonline.com and look up the Finance section. To keep your car looking good and performing well, OzFreeOnline offers you suggestions on checking the Coolant (Antifreeze) level as well as the engine oil level. COOLANT (ANTIFREEZE) LEVEL Never open the radiator of a car that has just been running. The cooling system of a car is under high pressure with fluid that is usually hotter than boiling water. Look for the cooling system reserve tank, somewhere near the radiator. It is usually translucent white so you can see the fluid level without opening it. (Do not confuse it with the windshield washer tank). The reserve tank will have two marks on the side of it. ‘FULL HOT’ and ‘FULL COLD.’ If the level frequently goes below ‘full cold’ after adding fluid, you probably have a leak, which should be checked as soon as possible. Today's engines are much more susceptible to damage from overheating, so do not neglect this important system. ENGINE OIL LEVEL An engine cannot run without oil; oil is what prevents serious engine damage or total destruction! To check the oil level, make sure that the engine is turned off, then find the engine oil dipstick and remove it. With a paper towel or rag, wipe off the end of the stick and notice the markings on it. You will usually see a mark for ‘Full’ and another mark for ‘Add.’ Check your owner’s manual to be sure. Push the stick back into the tube until it sets, then immediately pull it out to see the oil level. You should not add oil unless the level is below the ‘Add’ mark and NEVER add oil to bring the level above the ‘Full’ mark. Your main concern with this check is that oil consumption is not rapidly increasing. If it is, take your car to a repair shop as soon as possible and have it checked out. It is acceptable for the oil to be dark as long as you change it at the recommended intervals. However, it should never be foamy and should never have a strong petrol smell. If either of these conditions exists, have it checked out soon. We will bring you more tips next week. In the meantime remember the best source to buy a used car today is from the OzFreeOnline.com – Cars Section. To sell your car, you can use our free car listings – We promise: it costs you nothing.