Showing posts with label tire tread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tire tread. Show all posts
Friday, July 14, 2017
How to Buy a used car and steer clear of a car with hidden problems @Partsavatar Auto parts
7/14/2017 11:30:00 AM
air filter, buy replacement parts., car belts and hoses, car fender, clutch and transmission parts, oxygen sensors., shock absorbers, steering and suspension system, struts, tire tread, transmission fluid
1 comment
This article will help
you determine whether a used car is a good investment or trouble! ~ Brought to
you by Partsavatar Vehicle parts.
Buying a car especially
a used one is not any easy job. You cannot afford wasting your hard earned cash
on any vehicle. It is necessary to pay attention to a few relevant
considerations before actually making a purchase. Parts avatar
advises some tips by which you can determine where the used vehicle is a good
investment or a potential trouble.
Check
the tires
Tires are very
expensive part of an auto vehicle. So while buying a car first look for the
condition of tire. Tire wear should be even across the width of the tread and
the same on the left and right side of the car. Wear of a tire has its own
pattern in regards to inflation. Over inflated tires tend to wear in the middle
while under inflated tires wear to the sides.
Heavy wear on the
outside shoulder of tire indicates that the car had been driven hard. If you
notice cupped tires they can indicate various problems with the steering
suspension and brake system of car. So check
the tire wear pattern as it indicates whether the car has
been properly maintained or had been rashly driven.
Reliability
Record
Check the history of
the automakers and the models to see the reliability record of that car you are
thinking to purchase. It would be wise to purchase vehicle with a good reliability
report. Read the history, survey reports and recall status of the model. Just
check how beneficial that car is going to be for you.
Ask the seller for
recall service documentation and check if any recall service had been performed
on the vehicle. Automakers are required to perform recall service free of
charge regardless of vehicle’s age or how long ago recall was issued.
Under
the hood check
Checking under the hood
auto parts is very important as it reveals the condition of the car and gives
you properly knowledge of the auto parts which are on the verge of aging and auto
parts replacements to be done in near future.
Visually inspect the
car radiator, engine and its parts, battery and make sure they are grease free.
Car’s
Belts and heater
hoses should be pliable and unworn.
Melted wires, tubes or
lines are signs of overheating. There might be fluid leakage if you see wet
spots. Check all the engine fluids to be clean, filled to the mark and do not
have any leak. You can use dipstick to determine how clean the fluid or oil is.
Note than different colors of oil indicate different engine problems. Normal
engine oil is brown or black in color. Check the color of transmission fluid
after driving the car for a while.
Do not turn off the
engine, put the car in neutral mode and check transmission fluid’s condition. Transmission
fluid should be bright red in color. Strong smell and metal shavings can
indicate severe wear.
So make sure to check
under the hood components thoroughly as there may be problems related to engine
misfiring or engine overheating. Make sure that transmission
fluids are of good quality and all other oils and coolants
are filled to proper level.
Check
steering and suspension
With the car idling,
turn the steering left and right and check that there isn’t any clunking noise
coming from steering. Excess play may
indicate worn steering gear. While taking a test drive, make sure that the
driving isn’t wandering off on normal speed drive. Misalignment
of wheels often results in a shaking steering wheel which is
very risky.
Keep in mind that car’s
driveline, steering
and suspension systems auto parts make the framework of your car and at the same time
very costly to repair due to high labor costs. Give it a deep thought, if you
want to buy a car with shaky steering wheel. Be pre informed about possible
causes and symptoms of a bad steering and suspension of a vehicle.
Check the suspension
system of car by pushing down hard on each car
fender and letting go. Make sure that the car is
rebounding softly once or twice. Car Shock absorbers
and auto suspension air struts need replacement of you notice more than two severe
rebounds. You should drive the car over bumpy road at normal speed. If the car
bounces and slams at normal speed, it means car may have a damaged suspension.
Check
exhaust
Don’t panic if you
notice white smoke upon start up, it is common and can be caused due to condensation
inside the exhaust system. Black smoke is a warning. It can be caused due to dirty
air filter, car's
oxygen sensor that demands replacement or overly rich air
fuel mixture. Blue smoke indicates oil burning which can require expensive auto
parts replacement and repair in future.
Damaged head gasket and cylinder heads
are very expensive to repair due to their complex structure inside engine. If
you notice billowing white smoke, it means water has entered the combustion
chamber and head and gasket, cylinder heads are on the verge of damaging
completely.
Notice the smoke color
carefully. Exhausts emissions are very hard to deal with so don’t make a way
for future expensive repair bills. Replacing car air
filters and auto oxygen sensors
can be easy but we are not investing large sum for future repairs. So beware.
Step
on the accelerator
While driving if your
engine is rev before the car is accelerating, it may be a sign of worn out
clutch and damaged automatic transmission. Replacing car's clutch and automatic transmission parts can empty your wallet
as they are very expensive.
Check
the interior of car
Visually inspect the
interior of the car as it may indicate issues like cracked dashboard, missing
knobs and handles, frayed seat belts and worn pedals. Discolored carpeting and
electrical problems are the signs that the vehicle had been the victim of flood
damage. Prematurely worn pedals show that the vehicle has very high mileage. The
odometer should show fair readings so detect and avoid
odometer fraud.
Check
the exterior
Thoroughly inspect the
dents, scratches, broken lamps or lights, chipped windows and paint. A body
panel repair may be needed if you find paint over spray on rubber trim on in
vehicle’s wheel wells. Doors, hoods and trunks should close properly. Ensure
that all the electrical, headlights, taillights and indicators are working
fine.
When looking for a used
car, there are potential benefits and drawbacks of buying it from a private
seller. Know
your rights as a buyer according to your state laws and
don’t let yourself scammed. Carefully consider the above stated tips and buy a
good car!
If you need any
assistance regarding aftermarket
auto body parts then contact our experts at parts
avatar car parts.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Losing control of your car is a scary experience. Learn how to prevent and correct skidding in bad weather conditions @PartsAvatar Car parts.
7/12/2017 11:00:00 AM
auto body replacement parts., brake pads, car brake parts, steering and suspension system, tire tread
4 comments
Canadian winters
especially snow can turn a safe road into a slippery one. Don’t worry, Armed
with our knowledge and inexpensive Aftermarket auto parts, Parts avatar Canada
has all of your bases covered~ Care for your Car parts at partsavatar.ca !
Car skidding is very
dangerous and sometimes it can lead grave accidents in the road. You will
notice skidding generally happening on wet or slippery surfaces.
Bad weather conditions
like snow, rain or ice can turn a safe road into risky one. It can be a terrifying
experience for you when you feel that you have lost control of your car when it
skids out all of a sudden. While experiencing skidding if try many options like
slamming brakes, turning the wheels in opposite direction or staring at the
object we are about to hit, but unfortunately these measures are going to make
the impact of skid worse. As the least damage impact you will need to replace auto
steering system parts and car
brake parts as they become prematurely worn.
So what makes your car
skid? How to prevent it? How to steer out of skid? Read this article for your
safety on icy or wet roads and avoid skid with preventive measures suggested by
parts avatar.
Skid
and its types
Skidding happens when
your car loses traction from its wheels which can cause it to move
uncontrollably. Either front wheels or rear wheels can experience traction lose
in skid situation. In such situations, your tires may lose the control and grip
on the road and will start sliding uncontrollably.
Keep in mind that if
the tires don’t grip the ground it is like driving on the block of ice i.e. you
will keep on sliding here and there until you crash into other object. In such
situation, you will make things worse by applying brakes or tuning the wheel. In
turn you will end up ruining brake pads and will need to replace car’s brake pads.
There are different kinds of skid that you can face on slippery roads. Have a
look!
Under
steer or Front wheel traction lose
Under steer is caused
when your front car wheels lose traction while cornering. When you turn into a corner,
the front wheels slide sideways which means that the car travels forward rather
than turning. You car will slide away from the centre of the curve and possibly
hit the oncoming traffic. This is usually caused while taking a fast turn.
Under steer is the
easiest type of skid to handle and also it is least dangerous. It can be caused
either turning too fast into a corner or applying too much power as you exit
the corner. If you turn to the corner too fast, the weight of the car shifts
towards the sidewalls of the tires and it no longer provides gripping.
Over
Steer or Rear wheel traction lose
Over steer happens when
your car’s rear wheels lose traction while cornering. The wheels will slide
towards the outside of the curve. Your car’s front end will point either to the
left or the right of the intended path despite your steering input.
The front wheel begins
to turn but the back wheel spins out to the outside of the curve causing the
rear of the car to fishtail
or slide from side to side. It has further sub types as: power over steer and
lift off over steer.
Power over steer is
usually used in drifting to achieve big, Smokey power slides. Only rear wheels
can perform power slides. Lift off over steer is much pronounced in rear engine
mid size cars like Toyota MR2. The solid lump of metal at the rear acts like a
pendulum.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning or
aquaplaning is caused when your car’s tires rise up on the top of a layer of
water because the tread cannot disperse the water fast enough. Once this
happens, you will briefly lose steering ability because your tires are unable
to get any traction. This scenario happens when it is raining or snowing.
You will notice a small
jerk in the direction you are heading once your tires regain traction. The
shallower the tread on your tires the more likely you are to hydroplane.
Wheels
locking up
Slamming or stepping on
the car’s brakes too hard will cause the wheels to lock up. In such situations,
avoid driving too close to the vehicle in front of you.
If your car’s wheels
lock up, don’t accelerate further. Instead carefully steer the vehicle and
brake slowly. If the roads have thick sheet of ice on them, wheels can lock up
due to the tires attempting to grip the surface of the road.
What
to do?
There is no different
process of recovering from a skid for front and rear wheel drives.
Take
your feet off the pedal
Whenever you feel like
your car is skidding the first thing to do is to get your foot of the
accelerator. Do not press the brake pedal as it may make things worse. It is
useless to apply brakes in such situation and the acceleration is the root
cause for skidding.
To slow down the car
let your skidding tires gain some traction and they will eventually contribute
in slowing your car down. Do not panic and get your feet off the accelerator
and brake pedal.
Gentle
steering input
Always steer in the
direction you want the car to go. It is foolish to steer into the skid. While the car is skidding, look directly at
where you want to go not at the objects you want to avoid. For example if you
focus on a tree, your hands will follow your direction and that’s where you are
going to end up.
Whether your front or
rear wheels are skidding, correct direction to steer is inevitably in the
opposite direction that your front end is headed. So, once you know the
direction to steer, make sure to steer gently.
Re-
distribution of vehicle weight
As you begin to regain
the traction on wheels, you’ll want to gently apply the brakes or the
accelerator. Gentle braking is done to re distribute the weight to those wheels
which will help them gain even more traction. So, if your front wheels are
skidding, you will want to apply brakes gently and if the rear wheels are
experiencing a skid then you will find the need to gently apply the
accelerator.
So all in all,
depending on the type of skid (rear or front), apply brake or the accelerator gently.
Few
tips for preventing skids
There are easy
techniques that can keep you safe and prevent skid situation to happen.
1. Choose the speed
according to weather condition. It is advised to drive slowly on wet, icy or
snowy conditions. Fast driving often results in skidding.
2. Avoid phone calls
and other distracting chores while driving and keep your hands on the steering
and eyes focused on the road.
3. Maintain a proper
distance between you and the car ahead of you. This way you will have plenty of
space to react if something happens.
4. Decrease the car’s
speed while taking a turn – it will help you stay in control.
Using these techniques
will help to prevent skidding and gain control of the car. Be attentive, stay
calm and keep both hands on steering for a safe drive.
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leading dealer of aftermarket auto parts across Canada. Visit partsvatar
replacement auto parts for the best deal!
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