Do I need to service my Car?

What is the difference between an MOT and a service.

An MOT is a basic test and checks whether your vehicle meets the minimum legal requirements for the items required to be tested under section 45 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

It does not tell you how long your vehicle will continue to meet these minimum requirements. Therefore, you may still be prosecuted for driving an unroad-worthy vehicle before the end of the current test certificate. You should continue to maintain your vehicle to ensure that it will always pass an MOT.

Brakes are not checked for condition, only an efficiency test is carried out. If alloy wheels are fitted and the tester can see the brake pads through the wheels and the pads are below 1.5mm then this shall be reason for a fail because they are too low, but if they can not be seen through the wheel then a 0.5mm pad will still pass the MOT, even though that it is getting dangerously close to running out of brake pad material. Brake discs will fail if any signs of cracks or covered in oil or brake fluid.

Remember the wheels are not removed for the MOT test.

Just because your vehicle passes the MOT it does not mean that your brakes are in good condition.

A service is a more in depth check, its not a simple changing of the oil and filters etc, any advisories that would be mentioned with your MOT will be rectified, ensuring that your vehicle meets a high standard, to ensure you will stay safe and legal rather than only the minimum legal requirements being met.  The wheels will be removed, checking the brake discs and pads thoroughly and on some rear brakes the brake drum and shoes cleaned, inspected and adjusted.

Below is an image of a brake pad which had just passed the MOT, luckily the vehicle was in for a service and MOT. As you can see there is very little pad material left, the edges of the pad had been scraping on the rusty lip of the brake disc leaving no material left, actually scraping down to the shiny metal of the brake pad backing.

Even though the pad material was extreemly low, there was still just enough touching the disc to give an acceptable efficiency reading, allowing it to pass.

This shows how important it is to get your vehicle serviced regularly, not necessarily at a main dealer with their very high service costs but at a good reputable garage, they will give you good honest advice and great service for a lesser cost.

Does a Car Tyres Age Make a Difference

Tyre Age

 

Tyres are fantastically engineered products keeping your car on the road come rain or shine, however like everything else age can take its toll on tyres.

 

This image was taken August 2012 as you can see from the tyres DOT code, (Department of Transport) code to identify when a tyre has been made, it clearly states 0202. This tyre was made between the 8th and 15th of January 2002.

 



 

This tyre is still driving around on the rear of a 2002 Peugeot 206.  Which the driver was blissfully unaware, obviously the weekly tyre pressures and tyre checks were not taking place.

 

Were not saying that 10 year old tyres are unsafe to drive on but surely you would feel safer with out the large cracks running around the circumference of your tyre, but these cracks are between 2 - 3mm deep in places. 

 

 

Driving down the motorway at 70mph and the outer tyre tread starting to separate. Loosing control of your vehicle at high speeds and the vibration and noise would be horrendous. Applying your brakes and having one tyre not fully functional would cause an imbalance of your braking causing your vehicle to swerve across the road.

 

For the cost of 2 new car tyres, to replace them on the rear, surely this price is nothing compared to body repair works to your car, increased insurance premiums or even Funeral costs for your loved ones to deal with.

 

Check out the tyre prices at newtyresquick.com

WINTER TYRES

Winter tyres are not just for driving in snow and slush that happens to fall on the road, winter tyres are designed for temperatures below 7 degrees celcius. Summer tyres become stiff when down to these temperatures and do not flex  in the contours of the road, resulting in less grip. 

If you’re serious about driving, tyres should be a considered choice, not a distressed purchase based mainly on price. Every dynamic characteristic of your car, from its quality of its steering feel to its ultimate cornering grip, depends on its tyres. It really does pay to fit the best that you can afford. The great thing with winter tyres is that you usually get 2 seasons out of them. Having an extra set of tyres does not mean twice the expense, because while your driving safely around on your winter tyres, your summer tyres are not getting worn and will give you 2-3 summer seasons depending on your mileage. If cost is an issue, what about the cost of getting snowed in and taking a day or 2 off work or having an accident and having to pay your insurance excess. 

At Newtyresquick.com when you purchase 4 winter tyres of the same size we will give you 10% off to help.

When driving in the winter with snow and ice on the roads, the last thing you want to be worrying about is if your tyres are going to grip as well as you are used to.

If you need your vehicle all year round then you need winter tyres to keep you mobile all year round.