This blog entry will be in Bahasa Melayu as the article was in that language as well. It is an article on car preparations before a long journey back to hometown, and this is especially for the Muslim friends as Hari Raya is just a month away.
So do read on!
Musim cuti sekolah yang panjang sudah pasti digunakan sepenuhnya ibu bapa untuk bercuti bersama anak-anak.
Namun, apabila semua pulang bercuti dan bergembira, seringkali kita didedahkan dengan pelbagai berita kemalangan meragut nyawa ketika dalam perjalanan pulang ke kampung.
Ruangan kali ingin memberi panduan mengenai penyediaan kereta sebelum anda memulakan perjalanan pulang ke kampung.
*Minyak enjin - Periksa bahagian enjin.
Kerosakan enjin boleh berlaku sekiranya minyak enjin tidak pernah ditukar walaupun melakukan perjalanan melebihi seribu kilometer. Untuk memeriksa sama ada minyak enjin mencukupi atau tidak sangat mudah.
Letak kereta pada kawasan rata dan matikan enjin. Cari bahagian minyak enjin dengan bahagian yang mudah kelihatan dan tertera perkataan Engine Oil. Keluarkan batang besi dan lapkan dengan kain atau tisu. Masukkan kembali batang besi untuk mengukur tahap cecair di dalamnya. Jika berkurangan anda perlu tambah. Jika minyak berwarna hitam anda perlu melakukan servis dan mekanik menukar minyak yang baru.
*Radiator dan cecair penyejuk
Apabila memandu kereta lama dan radiator mengalami kebocoran, perkara yang sering ditakuti berlaku apabila kereta mengalami kepana melampau. Ia boleh membantutkan perjalanan kerana anda memerlukan masa merehatkan kereta dari melakukan perjalanan jauh. Oleh itu, sebelum bertolak, pastikan radiator kereta mempunyai air mencukupi dan jangan lupa meletakkan cecair coolant. Ini bertujuan membantu menyejukkan sistem enjin apabila kereta bergerak. Periksa semua bahagian lain yang mengalami kebocoran. Periksa kipas pendingin radiator dan talinya bagi memastikan ia berfungsi dengan baik.
Satu peringatan: Jangan sesekali membuka penutup radiator ketika ia masih panas kerana ia boleh melecurkan tangan anda.
*Bateri
Lazimnya, jangka hayat bateri kereta baru antara dua hingga lima tahun. Sekiranya bateri kereta anda berusia empat hingga lima tahun, anda mungkin boleh menukar bateri baru sebelum memulakan perjalanan jauh. Anda perlu periksa terminal negatif dan positif pada bateri sekiranya ada sebarang hakisan akibat karat. Jika ada, tuang air panas padanya untuk menghilangkan hakisan itu. Jika bateri masih boleh digunakan, periksa tahap bateri di dalamnya. Pastikan air bateri berukuran lima milimeter melebihi paras plet atau pastikan air bateri berada antara tahap tertera pada bateri. Jika cecair berkurangan, tambahkan air bateri tetapi jangan melebihi paras dibenarkan. Ketika anda melakukan ini jangan dedahkan bateri pada nyalaan api kerana ia boleh menyebabkan letupan.
*Bahagian lain bawah bonet
Bahagian lain yang perlu diperiksa ialah tali sawat kipas. Pastikan ia tidak merekah atau rosak sebelum memulakan perjalanan jauh. Jika tidak, gantikan dengan yang baru kerana jika putus di tengah jalan, ia boleh mengakibatkan kerosakan besar pada bahagian enjin. Periksa cecair bagi sistem brek dan brek pad supaya ia tidak haus. Jika ia perlu ditukarkan, segeralah berbuat demikian untuk mengelakkan sistem brek gagal berfungsi di waktu kecemasan.
Jangan lupa periksa cecair stereng berkuasa bagi melancarkan sistem gear dan stereng supaya ia melancarkan pemanduan kereta kelak. Periksa penapis udara kereta kerana debu menyebabkan komponen enjin cepat kotor dan bagi memastikan tiada sebarang gangguan, penapis udara perlu lebih kerap dibersihkan.
*Tayar
Bahagian paling penting yang perlu diberi perhatian kerana segala berat kereta dan muatannya ditampung keempat-empat tayar kereta. Oleh itu, periksa tayar sama ada kerekahan, bahagian menggelembung atau corak bunga tayar botak kelihatan pada tayar kereta. Jika keadaan kewangan mengizinkan, anda perlu tukar tayar baru jika corak bunga tayar botak. Ini boleh menyelamatkan keluarga anda sekiranya sesuatu tidak diingini berlaku. Memandu kereta dengan tayar botak sangat membahayakan terutamanya waktu hujan lebat. Kereta mungkin gagal dikawal akibat permukaan jalan dipenuhi dengan air.
Oleh itu, tukar tayar dan jangan lupa untuk melakukan penjajaran, pengimbangan dan periksa tekanan angin pada tayar. Penjajaran dan pengimbangan perlu juga dilakukan jika anda dapati kereta bergetar sewaktu anda memandu.
~Artikel dipetik dari Harian Metro Klassifieds seksyen yang disiarkan pada 24 Ogos
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tips To Share #1: 6 Car Repairs You Can't Afford to Skip
By Jamie Page Deaton
No matter what strange noise your car is making, it almost always turns into the ca-ching of your mechanic's cash register gobbling up your savings. Because car repairs are expensive, it's tempting to let them slide. But putting off or skipping certain repairs can be a costly and even dangerous game.
Here are six car repairs you might be tempted to skip to save a little cash. But we'll show you how making that call could cost you a lot more in the long run.
1. Brake Pads
It seems like common sense: Don't neglect your car's brakes. Still, when it's time to replace your car's brake pads, it's easy to look the other way. For one thing, brake pads tend to wear gradually, so you might not notice changes in your braking performance right away. Secondly, a car with worn brake pads will still stop -- just not as well. So what's the harm in saving some money and holding off?
It turns out the harm in not replacing your brake pads is about $400. When your brake pads are worn, they can cause damage to brake rotors. As the rotors rub against the worn pads, they become warped, which makes it tougher to stop the car (if you feel your car shudder as you brake, you probably have warped rotors). Fixing the rotors requires that they be turned or smoothed out -- something that requires a mechanic and can run over $100 per rotor. If the rotors need to be replaced, you'll end up spending four times what it would have cost to replace the brake pads.
2. Oil Change
An oil change should cost you around $40 at most quick oil change stations. And that same station will probably tell you to come back in three months or 3,000 miles. But do you have to? It depends. That old rule of thumb still applies to some cars, but others can go much longer between oil changes. To find out how long your car can go between changes, read your owner's manual.
After you've found out the oil change interval for your car, follow it. Oil is like your engine's blood. But unlike your blood, all sorts of impurities build up in unless your oil is changed regularly -- not to mention that all engines lose some oil. Too much buildup and not enough oil lead to your engine seizing up. Sure, you can save $40 by putting off an oil change, but you could end up spending $4,000 on a new engine.
3. Air Filter
Changing an air filter is cheap. It's even easy enough for most people to do themselves. Not changing your car's air filter, on the other hand, is expensive. According to the EPA, a dirty air filter can reduce fuel economy by up to 10 percent simply because your engine won't breathe as efficiently. By not changing a dirty air filter, you'll save about $15. But, if your car is supposed to get 25 miles per gallon, and gas is $2.50 a gallon, those savings have evaporated by the time you've driven about 150 miles.
Even worse, if the air filter isn't clean and that means enough air isn't getting to the engine, you could foul your spark plugs and might have to replace them. Depending on your engine, that can cost anywhere from $100 to $300. Now, spending $15 for a new air filter doesn't sound so bad, does it?
4. Transmission Fluid Leak
One of the most common problems associated with your transmission is a fluid leak. You'll likely first notice it when you see drops of red fluid on the pavement where you usually park your car. Ignore it for long enough, and you'll definitely notice it when the leak leads to your transmission shifting roughly, or the gears slipping.
Transmission fluid is what cools and lubricates your transmission. If it's leaking, you need to fix it, and fast. Resealing a transmission is a relatively easy job and should usually only cost a few hundred dollars. Ignoring the leak can lead to the transmission seizing up and a subsequent transmission replacement --which costs several thousand dollars.
5. Burned Out Lights
Here's one car repair on our list that is really easy to ignore. After all, a burned-out tail light won't eventually lead to engine failure or to your transmission falling out. While that's all true, you should still fork over your hard-earned $5 for new tail light bulb if yours is burned out.
Believe it or not, failure to keep your rear lights working can be an expensive proposition. First, if a police officer sees you with broken tail or brake lights, you're going to get a ticket. In some states, the fine for a broken tail light is $150, which makes paying for a new bulb seem like chump change. Second, broken lights increase your risk of being on the receiving end of a rear-end collision. And while the other driver's insurance should cover any damage (assuming they have insurance), you still have to deal with the headache of getting your car fixed.
6. Clogged Fuel Filter
An important part of maintaining your car is keeping impurities out of the engine. While the air filter does part of the job by keeping airborne impurities out, the fuel filter keeps impurities from the fuel out of the engine. Like the air filter, if it gets clogged and you don't fix it, you're looking at some major problems.
On older cars, a fuel filter is relatively easy to replace because it's easy for mechanics or car owners themselves to get to. On newer cars, it's a more complex job. More complexity means more money, which makes this repair tempting to skip -- despite the fact that it can lead to the car stalling or refusing to start altogether.
Don't skip it. At its most expensive, replacing a fuel filter will be a few hundred bucks. Let it go too long, and not only are you looking at dealing with a car that will barely run, you could also have dirt in your fuel injectors -- causing them to need replacing. Replacing just one fuel injector can cost over $500. But if they all need replacing, you're looking at least $1,000 in repair bills.
Article from Yahoo! Autos
No matter what strange noise your car is making, it almost always turns into the ca-ching of your mechanic's cash register gobbling up your savings. Because car repairs are expensive, it's tempting to let them slide. But putting off or skipping certain repairs can be a costly and even dangerous game.
Here are six car repairs you might be tempted to skip to save a little cash. But we'll show you how making that call could cost you a lot more in the long run.
1. Brake Pads
It seems like common sense: Don't neglect your car's brakes. Still, when it's time to replace your car's brake pads, it's easy to look the other way. For one thing, brake pads tend to wear gradually, so you might not notice changes in your braking performance right away. Secondly, a car with worn brake pads will still stop -- just not as well. So what's the harm in saving some money and holding off?
It turns out the harm in not replacing your brake pads is about $400. When your brake pads are worn, they can cause damage to brake rotors. As the rotors rub against the worn pads, they become warped, which makes it tougher to stop the car (if you feel your car shudder as you brake, you probably have warped rotors). Fixing the rotors requires that they be turned or smoothed out -- something that requires a mechanic and can run over $100 per rotor. If the rotors need to be replaced, you'll end up spending four times what it would have cost to replace the brake pads.
2. Oil Change
An oil change should cost you around $40 at most quick oil change stations. And that same station will probably tell you to come back in three months or 3,000 miles. But do you have to? It depends. That old rule of thumb still applies to some cars, but others can go much longer between oil changes. To find out how long your car can go between changes, read your owner's manual.
After you've found out the oil change interval for your car, follow it. Oil is like your engine's blood. But unlike your blood, all sorts of impurities build up in unless your oil is changed regularly -- not to mention that all engines lose some oil. Too much buildup and not enough oil lead to your engine seizing up. Sure, you can save $40 by putting off an oil change, but you could end up spending $4,000 on a new engine.
3. Air Filter
Changing an air filter is cheap. It's even easy enough for most people to do themselves. Not changing your car's air filter, on the other hand, is expensive. According to the EPA, a dirty air filter can reduce fuel economy by up to 10 percent simply because your engine won't breathe as efficiently. By not changing a dirty air filter, you'll save about $15. But, if your car is supposed to get 25 miles per gallon, and gas is $2.50 a gallon, those savings have evaporated by the time you've driven about 150 miles.
Even worse, if the air filter isn't clean and that means enough air isn't getting to the engine, you could foul your spark plugs and might have to replace them. Depending on your engine, that can cost anywhere from $100 to $300. Now, spending $15 for a new air filter doesn't sound so bad, does it?
4. Transmission Fluid Leak
One of the most common problems associated with your transmission is a fluid leak. You'll likely first notice it when you see drops of red fluid on the pavement where you usually park your car. Ignore it for long enough, and you'll definitely notice it when the leak leads to your transmission shifting roughly, or the gears slipping.
Transmission fluid is what cools and lubricates your transmission. If it's leaking, you need to fix it, and fast. Resealing a transmission is a relatively easy job and should usually only cost a few hundred dollars. Ignoring the leak can lead to the transmission seizing up and a subsequent transmission replacement --which costs several thousand dollars.
5. Burned Out Lights
Here's one car repair on our list that is really easy to ignore. After all, a burned-out tail light won't eventually lead to engine failure or to your transmission falling out. While that's all true, you should still fork over your hard-earned $5 for new tail light bulb if yours is burned out.
Believe it or not, failure to keep your rear lights working can be an expensive proposition. First, if a police officer sees you with broken tail or brake lights, you're going to get a ticket. In some states, the fine for a broken tail light is $150, which makes paying for a new bulb seem like chump change. Second, broken lights increase your risk of being on the receiving end of a rear-end collision. And while the other driver's insurance should cover any damage (assuming they have insurance), you still have to deal with the headache of getting your car fixed.
6. Clogged Fuel Filter
An important part of maintaining your car is keeping impurities out of the engine. While the air filter does part of the job by keeping airborne impurities out, the fuel filter keeps impurities from the fuel out of the engine. Like the air filter, if it gets clogged and you don't fix it, you're looking at some major problems.
On older cars, a fuel filter is relatively easy to replace because it's easy for mechanics or car owners themselves to get to. On newer cars, it's a more complex job. More complexity means more money, which makes this repair tempting to skip -- despite the fact that it can lead to the car stalling or refusing to start altogether.
Don't skip it. At its most expensive, replacing a fuel filter will be a few hundred bucks. Let it go too long, and not only are you looking at dealing with a car that will barely run, you could also have dirt in your fuel injectors -- causing them to need replacing. Replacing just one fuel injector can cost over $500. But if they all need replacing, you're looking at least $1,000 in repair bills.
Article from Yahoo! Autos
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