Car Care

How to care for your car battery

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The battery in your car is designed to kickstart your car. It provides the needed voltage to the kickstarter necessary to start your vehicle. The commonly used battery is the sealed lead acid battery.The battery is usually maintenance free and when it wont charge properly anymore discard and get a new one. The lifespan of a typical car lead acid battery is 1-2 years..

How to care for your car battery

Never let the battery run down or discharge completely. Even a single occurrence can severely damage the battery. May sure head, parking and interior light are not on when you park and exit the vehicle. Make sure you switch  off the car completely and no appliance is discharging the battery when you are not using the vehicle.

Make sure battery terminals are well connected.

When battery light indicator comes on in the dashboard, quickly have the alternator and battery checked by qualified personnel

Peripheral electronic devices for use in your car should be used when the engine is running. 

If you use a do it yourself maintenance lead acid battery , always check the electrolyte level and fill with distilled water if it falls below the marked minimum.

Your car battery is not designed for inverter indoor use. Using your car battery for this purpose will quickly damage the battery.

Indications that your car battery will soon need replacement

  1. Engine fails to start quickly and smarter than before
  2. Battery Indicator comes on the dashboard
  3. You always have to tighten and retight the terminals a considerable number of times  you start the engine. 
  4. White residue on the battery terminal.
  5. Battery always discharges before the next morning.
  6. Battery performance has greatly reduced. Runs down quickly under little load.

Caution: When raising your Vehicle

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Raising your vehicle means to lift up your car at the side (to change tires) or at the front and back (to work under the car).  Vehicles are raised using a jack.  Be cautious when raising your vehicle with a jack as any mistakes can result in serious injury.

Take the following precautions

  1. Do not put any part of your body or get underneath the vehicle supported only by the jack
  2. Always place the jack on a solid, level surface before using it to raise your vehicle.
  3. Do not start the engine while the vehicle is supported by only by the jack.
  4. Stop the vehicle on level firm ground, firmly set the parking brake and put the shift lever in P (automatic transmission) or R (manual transmission)
  5. Make sure that the jack is properly set at the jack point on your car.
  6. Don’t raise the vehicle with someone inside.

About Engine Oil Consumption of Your Car

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Cars consume engine oil, but oil consumption is minimal.

Note that the amount of engine oil your car consumes will depend on viscosity, quality of the oil and the way you drive your car.

Your car consumes engine oil when you drive at high speeds and also frequent acceleration and deceleration.

A new engine consumes engine oil.

Normally your car should consume about one liter of engine oil every 1000km (600 miles).

If your car consumes much more then have it checked by a qualified personnel.

You should also note that engine oil drops on the floor under the car and oil stains on the engine body need to checked by qualified personnel.

The Donts when driving a vehicle with automatic transmission

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Do not under any circumstances shift the shift lever to P, R or N while the vehicle is moving

Doing so can cause significant damage to the transmission system.

Also do not shift the  lever to N while the vehicle is moving. Doing so may make the engine brake operate improperly.

When you start your car and press the accelerator pedal, be careful not to change the gear lever to D or R as the rapid sudden acceleration can lead to an accident

Roads; an Explanation

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Road may be divided into four types

A Road is a smooth path carved out on land for easy movement of people, goods and vehicles from one place to another. These days a road would usually mean an established pathway for the easy movement of vehicles or other form of locomotives from one place to another.

Private road

  1. Private road
  2. 2 lane road
  3. Dual carriage ways
  4. Express way

Private road

2 lane Road

This means for example, the drive way to your house. Road managed by local community or estate. A private road can be individually or organizationally owned and maintained.

2 lane road

Dual carriageway

Dual carriageways

Two lane roads are single carriageways. Traffic flows in opposite direction on each lane. Two lane roads are common in rural and urban areas. Speed limit on this type of road is low because it has too many access points.

Expressway

Dual carriage way is a type of roadway in traffic in opposite directions is separated by a central reservation or barrier. In each traffic direction, the road may consist of multiple lanes. Dual carriage  ways are designed to very high standards so it can double as a free or motorway.

Expressway

Express ways are roads built for speed. To encourage this, there is controlled and limited access into these types of roads. They are built to the highest of standards. Expressways are dual carriage ways clearly separated by central reservation or barrier.

Expressways have the highest acceptable speed limits.

Difference Between Manual and Automatic Transmission

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Cars with automatic transmission is now the choice among drivers. It is easier to drive a car with an automatic gear system. It saves the driver the hassles of pressing down and releasing the clutch when the car has to be moved or stopped. If you have experienced driving a manual transmission car uphill or in a hold up, you will realize how easy it is with a car equipped with automatic transmission

However, manual transmission still has some advantages over its automatic counterpart. 

Advantages of manual transmission

  1. Simple design: the modelling and design of a manual transmission is easier when compared to that of an automatic transmission.
  2. Easy to repair: there is always a higher probability that a faulty manual transmission system can be repaired 
  3. Cheaper: it’s simple design makes it cheaper to buy ,install and maintain.
  4. Better braking efficiency: manual transmission cars are said to have more braking efficiency than its automatic counterpart
  5. Durability: manual transmission is more durable, this is why it is the most preferred for heavy duty vehicles.

Disadvantage of manual transmission

  1. Less smooth driving experience: driving a car with manual transmission is ok, but situations which make pressing down and releasing the clutch frequently such as during a holdup or driving uphill can be stressful.

Advantages of automatic transmission

  1. Smoother driving experience: This is achieved with  computer controlled transmission. The gears are shifted automatically when due and efficiently. It is easier to drive car equipped with automatic transmission uphill and during hold ups. 
  2. Makes Learning driving easier: one of the difficult aspects of driving is learning how to change gears efficiently even in difficult situations. Learners find it much easier to drive a car with automatic transmission as they will be spared the hassles of manually changing gears 

Disadvantages of Automatic transmission

  1. Complex design; compared to manual transmission, automatic transmission has a complex design architecture.
  2.   Harder to repair:  the complex modelling of the automatic transmission make it harder to repair when faulty. 
  3. Costlier; it is more expensive to acquire and maintain a car with automatic transmission
  4. Less durable:  Compared to its manual counterpart, Automatic transmission is said to be less durable