We are fast approaching the end of year holiday season and this week we take a look at the early mechanical preparation of your cars for the Christmas holiday trips.
The majority of the 1,5 million cars being driven in Zimbabwe are mostly, on average, around 20 years’ old which informs me that the need for a mechanical checkup is indeed highly necessary before embarking on a long trip.
Apparently, from a technical point of view, cars are only as good as their last service, which doesn’t guarantee that every car we see driving around is in good condition.
I want, therefore, for us to confront the majority of the motorists’ weakness of over trusting their cars just because they are starting every morning.
So if you own a car and are surely planning to travel for holiday with your family this Christmas then this article is perfectly meant for you to take action.
The engine
The car engine is the most important part of your car and when it’s not functioning well, even if it is fitted on a very good suspension and on a body with new seat covers, fully functional air conditioning and brand new tyres, but the journey still cannot proceed.
The critical parts of the engine that l would like you to pay attention on include the engine firing system, the engine cooling system, the transmission and the head cylinder.
- The brains behind Matavire’s immortalisation
- Meikles Empire: An heir emerges
- Vungu Dam water treatment and irrigation project takes off
- Mbavara eyes to resurrect Matavire’s music legacy
Keep Reading
The engine firing system is connected to the spark plugs on petrol engines and the heater plugs on the diesel engines.
The spark plugs play a crucial job and if they are worn out they won’t emit a spark and start your engine or can even cause a significant damage to the engine.
Also connected to the source of power to the engine are the CV joints because if they fail your car won’t be able to accelerate and transfer torque to the drive shaft or the wheels.
It is therefore essential to ascertain that the source of power to your car is in perfect condition.
The cooling system of your vehicle is equally critical to make sure that it is functioning properly as it performs a major job to keep your engine from burning up from its own heat by pushing coolant that is cooled in the radiator through passages on the engine block and head.
Once this system is not operating well the temperature will rise causing radiator water to start boiling and damage the head gasket.
If this was to happen on your way to Masvingo or Mutare or Bulawayo unfortunately the journey will have to be cut short and you perhaps proceed with public transport.
It can be such a huge inconvenience when this happens because there is no quick fix to this problem as it requires removing the head first.
I, therefore, recommend that you approach your preferred service provider and get a status report and consider fixing these properly this month in preparation of your holiday journey.
The suspension
The suspension system is where the body of the car and the engine seats on and they are critical areas you should pay attention to ensure a smooth journey.
These include the ball joints, wheel bearings and shock absorbers. The ball joints get affected by bad road conditions such as pot holes and when the debris and water gets into the socket that causes the lubricants to decline in quality.
The danger associated with worn-out ball joints may result in the front suspension coming off apart and that can cause loss of control of the vehicle.
I further want you to pay attention to the shock absorbers because once they are worn out or broken they can lead to reduced braking efficiency that could lead to a serious safety risk in an emergency braking situation. In the majority of cases, worn or broken shock absorbers causes the vehicles to skid on wet roads.
The next aspect that l want to talk about are the tyres, which are technically still connected to the shock absorbers.
Tires also form part of the critical suspension system as they are the sole contact patch between the road and your car.
I recommend you to visually inspect your tyres of any wear, cuts, bulges and any other physical damage.
Even if they look nice to your eyes, but tyres have an expiry date which can be found via a four-digit code on the side wall.
The first two digits represent the week, and the last two digits represent the year of manufacture, so 1519 means a tyre manufactured in the 15th week of 2019.
The average life span of a tyre is widely accepted as five to seven years as they break down and degrade over time.
If your tyres are 10 years old, they are very dangerous to drive on and should be replaced immediately.
But assuming that funds are not permitting for you to replace all the four tyres at once l recommend you to buy two brand new ones and fit them at the rear side of the car and perhaps buy two good used ones and fit those in front.
Fitting good tyres on the rear side provides a better grip on the rear axle and the vehicle demonstrates greater predictability and more consistent handling.
The electrical system
The electrical system is a critical component of your vehicle that ensures that everything from starting the engine to powering essential and non-essential parts is functional.
It is, therefore, imperative for you to check before embarking on your holiday trip.
These include checking the battery, the lights, the horn and switches.
Central to all this is to start by making sure that the source of all this power, the battery, is in the best of condition.
The best that l recommend about batteries is for you to go to the nearest petrol station or your supplier and get a full verification.
Once the battery is sorted then the next step is to get your lights checked if your headlamps in the dipped and full beam modes, switch on your front and rear fog lamps to verify their functionality, and activate the hazard light switch to ensure that all indicators work, including side marker lamps if your vehicle is equipped with them.
Have someone check that all brake lights illuminate when you step on the brake pedal, and that the reversing or back-up lights illuminate when reverse is engaged.
Remember that it’s illegal to drive with some of your lights dysfunctional, so replace any burnt bulbs and fix any underlying issues before going on your trip.
The headlamps lighting may have shifted and getting them aligned properly is critical to make sure that you are ready for night driving. There is nothing embarrassing to fail to proceed with your journey during the night because they are not working efficiently that makes you not being able to see clearly.
Car rental option
There are circumstances when the costs of repairs are too high for you to be able to afford them at one go before the holiday. It is understandable. However, in such a scenario l recommend you to park your car and perhaps consider hiring one for the holiday period. Small cars such as Honda Fit, Mazda Demio or Toyota Vitz starts from $35.00 per day and the Cross-Overs Like Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Harrier are around $60.00 per day while the SUVs such as Toyota Fortuner or Prado range between $80-100 per day. It is advisable for you to hire a car for the duration of the holidays than force things with your personal car that is unfit for the journey and drive it in bad condition that may cost you more in the end.
*Stanley Makombe has 24 years’ experience in the industry. Makombe provides online car sales training and business coaching to entrepreneurs struggling to run profitably. He is writing in his own capacity and can be contacted on +254 743 900 590, email: stanley@stanleymakombe.com, www.stanleymakombe.com
For full article, visit www.thestandard.co.zw
