Keep an eye on the outside too

We all do our best to look after our car by bringing it in for a regular service, but how much care do we take over its exterior?

Keeping your car looking good on the outside isn’t just about looking good! It will save you money on repairs if you take regular care and also help with the re-sale price when the time comes to say goodbye.

First let’s look at the paint. There are basically two primary types of car paint – water-based and solvent-based paints. Both use a liquid that holds the pigment in suspension so it can be sprayed, and once dry the two types of paints compare favourably. But whichever paint your car has, you’ll need to make some effort to look after it.

Even if you keep your car inside a garage overnight, it’s still out there in the elements most days.  The sun’s UV rays will have some effect on paint, and worse still can also affect the inside of your car by fading upholstery and the dashboard.  We recommend putting a reflective screen inside your windscreen. But added to that the gravel and stones that flick up off the road, sap from trees that you might park under and at the very worst bird droppings, will all leave marks on the paint if not cleaned away.

The birds took a liking to this Mini Cooper!

Some people like to wash their car every Sunday. Others say that a once a month hose down with some car shampoo is ideal and others swear by a wash and wax every 6 months.  Whichever your choice may be will probably depend on how dirty your car gets, but we’d recommend that you pay it some attention and make sure that dirt and debris don’t stay on its surface too long.

Waxing the paintwork after a wash will help you protect the car for longer, and the nicer your car looks the more likely you are to look after it.  An extra coat of wax on the bonnet to cope with the added heat there is recommended.

It’s also a good idea to touch up paintwork as soon as you see any nicks in it, so that the rust doesn’t set in. Or if it’s a larger dent have it seen to sooner rather than later.

This dent should have been attended to a long time ago. Look at the rust!

So love your car. If you leave us to look after the mechanical parts and you look its exterior you’ll be rewarded with a vehicle that’s a pleasure to drive and you won’t mind being seen in!

High fuel consumption and loss of power in your diesel engine? You need to read this!!

The Direct Injection Engine was considered to be the saviour of diesel, and there has been a growing market for Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel vehicles. These vehicles are perhaps the most interesting in their creation, as they attempt to get the benefits of a gasoline engine, including fuel efficiency and engine power, without sacrificing the low cost fuel and environmental importance of diesel. The TDI is important to car makers as it offers them the chance to produce a car which does not lack for performance power. However, as with any other environmental technology, there are many pros and cons to both producing and using TDI diesel vehicles.

One issue that has become common is a loss of power and increased fuel consumption, which can unfortunately start at very low mileage. This lack of power is caused by the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system which is used to reduce exhaust emissions. 

As the name suggests it recirculates exhaust gas by diverting it back through the intake system and this is where the problem starts. The dirty air from the exhaust quickly builds up in the intake system and inlet manifold, this in turn restricts air flow into the engine which has the same effect as lifting your foot off the accelerator. In some makes like Mitsubishi the vacuum port for the turbo waste gate can also get blocked making the turbo inefficient, the end result in both cases is a lack of power and high fuel consumption.

Look at the carbon build up in this intake manifold!

The only way to stop this problem from occurring is to have the intake system regularly cleaned. This needs to be done every 20,000km from brand new to stop the build up from occurring, some makes like Mitsubishi need the intake system to be cleaned every 10,000km. Failure to do this will not only result in loss of power and high fuel consumption it will also result in a very expensive repair job. The only way to clean out a badly contaminated intake system is to remove the intake manifold and scrape out the carbon build up by hand. In some extreme cases the inlet manifold will need to be replaced.

What it should look like!!

 Cooper Automotive recommend having the intake system in your direct injection vehicle cleaned out every 20,000km to avoid expensive repairs, call your nearest Cooper Automotive service centre before it’s too late!