Auto repair
Fight Underbody Corrosion with Sealant
The body of a car may be beautiful, but the bottom cannot be ignored. Even if the car shines with polish, the bottom can still be irretrievably lost. Bottom corrosion is a failure criterion for technical inspection. The only thing that provides reliable protection of wheel covers, sills and underbody from corrosion is cavity coating and sealant. Unfortunately, none of the measures offer a permanent solution and periodic checks, especially in older vehicles, are necessary. This guide is all about bottom sealing (Am: primer) and will tell you everything you need to know about professional sealing to prevent corrosion. Unacceptable Combination Cars are still made up mostly of steel panels. No other material offers such a favorable balance of cold formability, strength and reasonable price. The main disadvantage…
How to change the oil in the gearbox? - Do it yourself - instructions
Changing the oil in a car is as necessary as it is expensive. For most vehicles, there is no need to visit the garage. With a little technical skill, you can change the gearbox oil yourself and save money. We will show you how easy it is to change the oil and what you should always pay attention to. Why change gearbox oil at all? Oil is an essential lubricant in every vehicle, preventing friction in suspension and drive technology. Metal parts are ubiquitous in the engine, heat up quickly and come into contact with each other. Without oil as a lubricant, wear would soon occur, resulting in serious damage to the gearbox. Gear oil prevents unwanted friction, extending the life of your vehicle. Unfortunately, gear oil loses its effectiveness over time. Dust…
Car Engine Damage - Keep Your Engine Healthy and Tight!
Car engine damage is expensive. The drive is a complex structure with hundreds of parts that need to be fine-tuned. Modern engines serve hundreds of thousands of kilometers. The condition for this is a thorough and regular maintenance of the engine. Read here what you need to observe for the safe operation of your engine. What does an engine need? For its operation, the engine needs six elements: - fuel - electric ignition - air - cooling - lubrication - control (synchronization) If one of the first three fails, then, as a rule, the engine also fails. These errors are often easily corrected. If cooling, lubrication or control is affected, damage may result. A Properly Lubricated, Safely Driven Engine is lubricated by oil circulation. Lubricant is pumped through the entire engine by a motor pump, resulting in all moving components fitting with minimal friction. Metal…
The car does not start - possible causes and solutions
The car refuses to start or the engine just stalls while driving - this is a real nuisance, although there is no reason to panic. It is more than likely that the malfunction is caused by a minor defect. However, finding the cause requires a thorough knowledge of how the car works. Read all about what can cause a car to stop in this guide and how you can help yourself in such a case. What does a car need to drive? An internal combustion engine car needs six elements to keep it moving. These are: Fuel: Gasoline, Diesel or Gas Drive: Belts that tune the moving components Energy: Electric ignition current to operate the starter Air: To prepare the air/fuel mixture Oil: To lubricate the moving parts Water: To cool the engine. If only one of these elements fails, the entire engine stalls. Depending on which system is damaged, the vehicle will either…
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What my car tells me - learning to understand the sounds of driving!
Hearing something whistle, squeak or rattle in the car, you should literally prick up your ears. A trained ear could prevent dangerous situations, costly repairs or car breakdowns. In this article, you will read how to identify the most common driving sounds. Systematic Narrowing In a moving car, there is movement in every nook and cranny. The engine is running, the gears are shifting, the wheels are rolling down the road, the suspension is bouncing, the exhaust is swinging on the bottom, blowing off the exhaust gases. Systematic action is required to identify these specific driving sounds. If possible, disable as many systems as possible to track down the cause of the noise like a detective. Therefore, the most important condition of your search is smooth driving. Ideally, find a place where other road users are not expected. In any case, it should be an asphalt road. Hits and kicks...
Always have a clear idea? What to do with a broken windshield!
The windshield is the most important window for the driver. Without a clear, unobstructed view of the road, safe driving is impossible. Therefore, the law is particularly strict with regard to the condition of the windshield. Read in this article what to look for behind the windshield and what to do if it is damaged. Possible damage to the windshield The windshield protects against the strong pressure of the wind flow as the speed increases. It captures all the power of the wind and all the objects it carries. Even the smallest particles of sand can leave a lasting impression on the front screen. In addition to scratches and cracks, the constant accumulation of dust on the front glass contributes to a gradual deterioration in visibility. In addition to stone damage and gradual scraping, body roll can cause a sudden crack in your car's windshield. Even the slightest...
Replacing a car radiator - how it's done!
If the engine temperature consistently exceeds the ideal level, keeping the engine dangerously close to boiling point, it is important to find the cause as soon as possible. Postponing this will inevitably burn the head gasket. Read this guide on how to control your car's radiator when your engine is overheating before it's too late. Operating Temperature Matters An engine must reach its operating temperature as quickly as possible and maintain it at a constant level in order to function properly. The main reason lies in the properties of the heated metal. All metal engine parts expand when heated. Temperatures caused by internal friction and combustion in particular are very high. Therefore, all engine components inevitably expand. In order to avoid jamming of a warm engine, all parts in a cold state have a certain clearance. This gap provides a so-called slip fit, once the parts…
How to properly check and change the brake fluid!
The ability of a car to brake is much more important than the ability to drive. Therefore, brake fluid is by far the most important working fluid in every vehicle. If it is missing or something is wrong with it, the safety of the car and all other road users is at risk. Read everything you need to know about brake fluid in this article. Hydraulic Force Transmission and Supercharging The braking system, with the exception of the parking brake, in family cars is hydraulically actuated, which means that the braking force is transmitted through fluids. Fluids have the property of being evenly distributed within the tubing and recipient system and cannot be compressed. The force applied, for example, when pressing the brake pedal, immediately affects the entire system. Alternatively, there are pneumatic brake systems, as well as hybrid systems,…
How to Change Power Steering Oil - Smoother Driving with Fresh Power Steering Fluid!
As a car user, you probably know all about oil changes, although this usually refers to changing engine oil. There are other fluids in the vehicle, and their replacement should not be neglected. Aside from gearbox oil and differential oil, power steering oil doesn't last forever. We will show you how to change the oil in the brake system and power steering. Power Steering Components and Function Power steering is a module that greatly facilitates turning the steering wheel. This was originally developed exclusively for trucks, but is now standard on compact cars as well. The composition of the power steering includes - hydraulic cylinder - hydraulic pump - hoses - expansion tank As a rule, the hydraulic pump is driven by a belt. The rotary motion creates pressure that activates the power steering system. Hydraulic…
Side glass problems? Here's how you can easily solve them!
The side glass is a commonly neglected component of a car. Has been doing its job well for years. And then suddenly disappears in the car door and all attempts to lift it cause only an unpleasant rattle. This sounds dramatic; however, this situation can be corrected relatively easily. Read here what you need to repair a side window. Hidden design with whims Technically, the side glass in all cars is the same: it is directly or indirectly attached to the rail with two clips. The rail is connected to a lever mechanism driven by a manual window opener or an electric motor. The window that fell into the door broke off the rail. This can be corrected, but you need to act adequately and carefully. Accessing the window without causing damage In order to be able to repair the window guide system, the linkage must first be stripped . This is the first…
Wheel alignment: wheel misalignment is expensive and dangerous
Wheel misalignment is more than just a nuisance. You can get used to the car pulling slightly to the side, though probably not as soon as the tires wear out quickly. If a vehicle is suspected of wheel misalignment, this should be dealt with quickly. Symptoms of Wheel Misalignment Wheel misalignment can be detected in many ways. What causes wheel misalignment? The wheel suspension is adjustable for caster and camber. Its purpose is to align all four wheels as parallel as possible in a straight line. Only in this condition does the car really reliably drive in a straight line. There are four main causes of wheel misalignment: - Age camber - Poor repairs - Chassis damage - Body damage A car with several tens of thousands of miles on the odometer may show slightly offset tracking. In that…
When the car wags left and right - how to replace shock absorbers and springs!
Shock absorbers wear out slowly. For a long time you do not notice how the quality of driving is gradually deteriorating. Sooner or later, there comes a point where you can no longer ignore sponge steering: a clear signal of worn shock absorbers. This is not only inconvenient, but also dangerous. Read everything you need to know about shock absorber replacement here. Design and function of the shock absorber The shock absorber absorbs the movements of the wheels during the passage of bumps, transmitting them to the body damped and with a delay. This makes driving more comfortable and safer. The car keeps its course and does not wag while driving. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine how inconvenient transportation must have been in the era of buses. Not only were the streets as smooth and even as they are now. The vehicles were equipped with very primitive suspension. Fantastic leather construction…
Brake caliper painting: an important detail and a real eye-catcher!
As a component, the brake caliper is on the back row. It is not even visible on a car with conventional rims or hubcaps. So why draw it at all? Read here how to upgrade your caliper and make your car beautiful. Therefore, you only need to carefully look at the rims. Their design is usually very filigree and thin. This reduces weight and provides a good view of the wheel mechanism. The caliper hanging there is clearly visible: grayish-black, dirty and rusty. Between the beautiful aluminum rims and the clean brake disc, it looks dirty. Especially if you've invested in the look of the car, an unpainted brake caliper is embarrassing. Retail and industry have already adapted to this problem. Only one way is right There are several options for painting a car. Spray painting and wrapping are common procedures. If the budget is limited, and the car is ...
We keep a straight track - we replace the transverse lever - instructions!
The wishbone is the part of the steering geometry that connects the front wheel to the vehicle's chassis. The wishbone is highly movable with a certain side play provided by its bearings. These bearings, or bushings, consist of a one-piece rubber sleeve rigidly pressed onto a control arm. When the rubber becomes brittle due to external influences or excessive aging, the wishbone loses its stability. Wishbone Defect The Wishbone is a very heavy welded metal component. As long as it is not subjected to excessive stress or corrosion, virtually no damage can occur. Its weak point is the pressed bushings. Although they are made of solid rubber, they can wear out, crack or lose elasticity over time. As a result, the control lever is no longer connected properly...
When a diesel car refuses to start - So, you change the glow plugs!
Diesel engines are so-called self-igniting. They do not have standard spark plugs that ignite the fuel-air mixture with an external spark. In diesel engines, the rapid compression of the fuel is sufficient to cause a fire. To do this, the engine must reach a certain operating temperature. The reason for this lies in the fact that the compression in diesel engines is very high. If the engine is too cold, there is too much clearance between the piston and the cylinder wall. Too much compression is lost and the engine cannot start. Only when the engine is warm enough do the metals expand, allowing the combustion process to take place. Therefore, the diesel engine needs help to start. This is where glow plugs come to the rescue. Glow plug function The diesel engine glow plug is made of hard carbon steel; electrical voltage causes it to glow. When the injection system sprays the diesel-air mixture into the combustion chamber, it ignites...
For adequate climate control in the car: Do-it-yourself cabin filter replacement!
Despite its name, a pollen filter can do much more than just filter pollen. Therefore, it is also called a cabin filter. This indispensable spare part directly affects the air quality in the car, thus ensuring the right climate. Unfortunately, this is often neglected and many car owners drive with a dirty pollen filter. And this is so sad, because the replacement in most cars is very simple! Cabin filter - its tasks The main task of the pollen filter is obvious, namely the filtering of unwanted particles from the intake air. This is especially important in urban environments where, in addition to dust and dirt, harmful particles such as soot, nitrogen, ozone, sulfur dioxide and hydrocarbons must be filtered out of the air. They are partly caused by other cars, but are also by-products of industry. With coming…
