Author archive
Get prepared for the hols.
We don’t like spending it, but if we don’t we could be in for bigger bills around the corner. A little bit of money spent in maintaining your car is well worth the bother. With the school holidays around the corner, many of us will want to head away for a break. This usually means longer journeys in the car, and longer periods away from home and the normal routines we find ourselves performing on a weekly basis at work, varsity or school.
If your car is nearly due for a service, don’t hold off till after the holidays. Get it done now. If you regularly have your car checked over by the book, then you’re sure to be fine. Still, it could be worth having your mechanic check over your vehicle in readiness for your trip away. Getting the odd little thing fixed prior to the trip away is worth it in the end. So here are a few of the basic things you’re going to need to get checked over on your car.
- Have the fluid levels checked. First check the engine oil on the dipstick, making sure that the level sits on or close to the full mark.
- With the engine cool, see if the engine coolant in the reservoir is between Full and Low. Top up if necessary. Now take the radiator cap off and check the coolant in the radiator itself. You should see the coolant sitting near the top. If not, top it up. If you think you are going through excessive coolant, definitely have your mechanic check over the coolant system for leaks.
- The fluid level in the transmission needs to be checked, and it is often this one that is overlooked. Both the manual and the automatic transmission need the right level of fluid (and fluid that is not too old) to ensure that the gearbox is kept cool and lubricated. In most cases, the fluid level in the transmission should be checked after driving.
- Most cars now days have power steering. Ensure that the power steering fluid is at the right level.
- Neglect of brake fluid changes is a real problem. If you haven’t changed the brake fluid in the last two years, do have it checked out and replaced. Brake fluid picks up moisture easily and can cause corrosion in the internal surfaces – this is particularly nasty in ABS systems.
- Is your battery in good nick? Stopping your holiday in the middle of nowhere because your battery has died is extremely annoying.
- Still on things electrical, your spark plugs are also important. Though modern ones last for a long time, they do have a use-by date. And if they are getting knackered, you best get a new set.
- Your cam belt needs to be changed religiously, so if this hasn’t been done by the book, watch out – you have been warned!
- Auxiliary drive belts get worn and can break if they get too old and loose. Your mechanic will know if they need replacing after checking them over.
- Correct tyre tread and pressures are important. Do ensure that your tyres are in top order before setting off on holiday. It’s a safety issue, too.
- Suspension and steering components need to be in good order. Again, this is a safety issue, and should not be forgotten or ignored.
Having had your car inspected, serviced and repaired before the holiday now means that you can relax and prepare the fun stuff for the holiday ahead. The odds of you breaking down have just been greatly reduced.
The Glovebox Top Ten
Any decent modern car will have oodles of storage compartments all over the inside of the cabin for drivers and passengers to put things in. These compartments come in large and small, and designers tend to get quite inventive. A frequently found option for many models includes a chilled console compartment, and some cars – one of the new Skodas, I think – has a special draining compartment for damp umbrellas. But what do you put in the compartments now that you’ve got them? Here’s a top ten list of what every car should have in the glovebox:
- The car manual. If you keep it in the bookshelf in your house or in the garage, you’re likely to forget it when you drop the car off for a routine service, which will make things a little trickier for the mechanic. Besides, if you’re not completely sure where the fuses are or how much you should inflate the tyres when towing, then it pays to have the info on hand when you need it. You probably found the manual in the glovebox; leave it there.
- A map. In fact, several maps. One for your local roads and one on the state or even the country scale. If you’re travelling out of town, it pays to get a street-level map for the place you’re visiting rather than following your nose, the sun and the vague directions of the person you finally stopped and asked. A GPS makes a decent substitute.
- Medications. If you have a long-term condition, you need to keep spares with you in the car (inhaler for asthmatics, insulin for diabetics, etc.). Even if you don’t have a long-term condition, it always pays to have an aspirin in the car – the sort you don’t need water for, as nobody drives well with a splitting headache.
- Tissues. Somewhere, some day, you will sneeze, get a nosebleed, burst into tears (or tend to a passenger who does so), need to wipe the windscreen… Tissues work.
- First Aid kit. Some models have these as options. Sticking plaster, antiseptic cream, bandages of all sizes, a sling, safety pins and some tweezers are the bare minimum.
- Sunglasses. And sunscreen. We’ve got a sunny climate, so prepare for it.
- Water. We all need to keep our fluids up, especially during long drives. Replace the water regularly, as it can grow nasties in it if left sitting around too long. Buy bottled water if you have to, but the stuff from the tap (in many places) is good enough, especially if you boil it or filter it yourself.
- Nibbles and chewing gum. Low blood sugar causes fatigue, which can lead to bad driving. Probably best to avoid too many sugary sweets (a few are OK). Try dried fruit, nuts, crackers and biscuits.
- Pen and paper. You are going to see an ad, have a bright idea or want to take down someone’s phone number at some stage. Have the pen and paper handy for making notes.
- Small change. It’s a good place to store it and comes in handy when you’ve only got plastic in the wallet and you need to feed the parking meter, pick up a loaf of bread or hand it over when the child you’ve dropped off at the school gate announces the need for a gold coin donation.
New models discovered in Paris
Not so long ago, the Paris Motor Show was in full swing. Motor Shows are when the motoring world gets to see the weird, the wild, the wonderful and the new. While we all know that some of the oddities unveiled at these shows never quite make it into production and some of the new models don’t get Down Under for yonks, these shows are always entertaining if you’re only slightly interested in cars and motoring – and even if you’re not.
New models are being unveiled by the following auto manufacturers: Audi (world premiere for the latest A7 Sportback, the R8 GT and R8 V8 Spyder models), Chevrolet (world premiere for latest Aveo, Orlando, Cruze and Captiva), Citröen (latest C4 and DS4), Ford (Focus ST Concept, Fiesta RS WRC and the unveiling of a demo model plug-in hybrid), Honda (Jazz Hybrid), Hyundai (JC), Kia (the concept car Pop), Land Rover (Range Rover Evoque), Mazda (new look 3 and 5), Mercedes Benz (A-Class E-Cell, three CLS variants and the S class), Opel (GTC Paris and Astra Sport Tourer), Peugeot (508 and 3008 hybrid), Renault (De Zir, Fluence ZE, Twizy, Twingo Miss Sixty and Laguna Phase 2), Smart (a fortwo facelift, car2go and two motorbikes/scooters), Toyota (Verso S), Volkswagen (latest Passat) and Volvo (latest V60). It still remains to be seen which ones of these will get down to this part of the world, but I’m hoping that we’ll see the Honda Jazz Hybrid, at the very least, and we certainly want to see new models of old favourites. But something tells me that the Renault Twingo Miss Sixty is going to need a bit of re-badging or re-naming before it comes down here – can you really imagine asking to see a “Twingo Miss Sixty” at the local car dealers?
However, none of the other new cars seem to have really peculiar names. The following have all been real names for real cars, and you have to wonder what on earth the manufacturers were thinking:
- Subaru Brat (apparently, BRAT stood for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter). Seen in 1980s
- AMC Gremlin. Gremlin, of course, is slang for a mysterious problem in the mechanics. Seen in 1970s
- Daihatsu Naked. Seen 2000–2004.
- Honda Life Dunk. A reasonable-looking car but can anyone take a name like that seriously? Early 2000s.
- Honda That’s. Never very popular outside Japan. Another early 2000s oddity.
- Toyota Estima Lucida G Luxury Joyful Canopy. Also known as the Toyota Previa.
- Tang Hua Detroit Fish. Fortunately unknown outside China because it’s hideous and tiny as well as having a bizarre name.
- Chevrolet Luv.
- Geely Beauty Leopard. Chinese again. Either “beauty” or “leopard” alone works OK, but together?
- Geely (again) PU Rural Nanny
Any other horror names that people have come across?
Mrs Benz
October the 25th is Pink Ribbon Day and the street appeal is being launched at the time of writing. While pink cars are never going to be popular (see some of my previous posts), this breast cancer awareness campaign seems like a good excuse to celebrate one of the great women of motoring history.
The woman is, of course, Bertha Benz, and without her, the car might never have existed. Bertha was born in 1849. In 1886, she was a typical Victorian housewife in Mannheim, Germany, busy supporting her husband, Dr Carl Benz, and raising her four children. Dr Carl was facing a few problems with his newly patented invention. Nobody wanted it, preferring steam trains and horses. Some people even thought that this noisy contraption that moved by some mysterious means was powered by black magic. They say that behind every great man is a great woman, and it was time for the great woman to step in.
In 1888, Bertha Benz stepped in and decided to load the family into the car and visit her mother. This sounds like such an ordinary activity but in Bertha’s day, it was revolutionary. This was the Victorian era, before women got the vote – when women were considered “the weaker sex” and were encumbered by a multitude of corsets and petticoats. Bertha’s mother lived 106 km away in Pforzheim, and the motor-car had never been tested over these distances. Bertha didn’t tell her plans to Carl, but planned the journey in secret with her older two sons, leaving early in the morning before Carl woke up. Presumably the other children were left with the nanny (she had four children at this stage; the fifth came along a few years later.
The journey was a success and proved to the world that the motor car was useful and could be driven by anybody – even a woman. Bertha had obviously picked up a thing or three from her husband’s workshop, as she was able to use items of her clothing to make a few repairs. A long, thin hatpin was used to unclog a blocked fuel line and the broken ignition was fixed with a garter. However, a blacksmith had to be called on for a chain for the gearbox, and a shoemaker provided some leather bits for the brake blocks. And Bertha had to stop for petrol. While bowsers hadn’t been invented, petrol was used medicinally – it was used as a treatment for headlice, which is not recommended today! – so she was able to pick up what she needed at a couple of chemist’s shop.
Bertha’s trip garnered a lot of press publicity and the popularity of the car was secured. Carl Benz was also able to draw on Bertha’s extensive test drive to make some improvements, especially to the gearing system for hill driving.
Today, the Bertha Benz Memorial Route is one of the more pleasant, if obscure, motoring pilgrimages to make in Germany, although most petrol-head tourists prefer the Autobahns and the Nürburgring, rather than this more leisurely route in the Black Forest region. And in the pioneering spirit of Carl and Bertha Benz, the Bertha Benz Challenge has been established as a rally, following Bertha’s original route, open for alternative drive systems only (hybrid, electric, hydrogen, fuel cell) to demonstrate, as Bertha did, that good new ideas shouldn’t stay on the demo floor but should be used on the road. This is planned for 2011, in conjunction with the Frankfurt Motor Show and is part of the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of Carl Benz’s patent.
Benzene, which is added to petrol to raise the octane level and prevent knocking, is not named after Carl and Bertha Benz, in spite of the similar name. It’s derived from gum benzoin, which it was first derived from.
Level 2, 9 Help Street