Essential Vehicle Maintenance: Tires

If you want to upkeep anything in your vehicle, the objectsthat keep your car rolling, and off the ground, should be at the top of thatlist. Tires are often overlooked because a car with bald tires can still drive,and replacing all four tires can be expensive. When your fuel pump or fuel pump assembly goes out, you have no choice whether or not you want to replace it because your car will not drive - bald tires can get you down the street and back, and the dangers always occur when it's too late. Nevertheless, keeping track ofthe condition of your tires, and keeping them properly inflated, can meanliterally life or death for the people in the vehicle. Here are a few tips tomake sure your tires will keep you and your passengers safe on the road.

The main cause of tire failure (when your tire goes flat orblows out) is the friction caused from moving contact with the road. Thiscauses the tread on the tires to wear away. When the tread becomes too shallow,the tire is worn out and should be replaced. Bald tires give you littletraction on the road, especially when the road is wet or icy. This means thedifference in you maintaining control of your vehicle, and not maintainingcontrol, is dependent on proper tread on your tires. One trick to check if youhave proper tire tread is to place a penny, with Lincoln’s head down, betweenthe tread of your tires. If Lincoln’s head isn’t completely covered by thetreads on your tires, they need to be replaced.

 

 Underinflation is very detrimental to your tires, and yourfuel economy. Not having enough tire pressure causes excessive wear on thetires, and gives you less control of your vehicle on paved roads. You shouldcheck your tire pressure regularly. To check your tire pressure, make sure yourtires are cool (so when the vehicle has been sitting for awhile.) If you needto go somewhere else to fill up your tires with air, check the tire pressurebefore you leave and fill up appropriately. You can find out the appropriatetire pressure for your vehicle by looking in your owner’s manual, the driver’sside door panel, the glove box door, or the fuel door.  Remove the cap from the valve on one tire.Firmly press the tire guage onto the valve. Add air to achieve the recommendedtire pressure. If you overfill a tire, release air by pushing on the metal stemin the center of the valve with a fingernail or the tip of a pen. Recheck thetire pressure, and then replace the valve cap. Repeat for your other tires,including the spare.

 Another important factor in maintaining your tires is yourvehicles alignment. When you are driving, does your car pull to one side, orshake? A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can throw off your alignment.Have a tire dealer check your alignment regularly to make sure your vehicle isaligned properly. If the alignment is off it will cause your tire to wearirregularly, which can lead to tire blowouts.

You should also rotate your tires periodically, typicallyevery 5,000 miles. Naturally your front and back, left and right tires weardifferently on the road. By rotating your tires from front to back, left toright, you can ensure your tires wear evenly and lengthen the life of yourtires.

I find inspecting the tires while filling up at the gas stationis convenient. While the vehicle is filling up, you can check your tires forwear, visually check for proper inflation, and inspect for any debris that iscaught in your tire tread and can damage your tires. This way you will alwaysbe on top of properly maintaining your tires.

Cameras that keep uninsured motorists from getting gas?

 Britain is famous for many things: double decker buses, BigBen, the British Royal Family… and an extraordinary network of surveillancecameras. Everywhere. On public street corners, in front of shops, even in someresidential neighborhoods, the British government has cameras installed to makesure every infraction is caught on tape, including those expired registrationtags you forgot about awhile ago. Unfortunately for you, that little memoryrelapse may now prevent you from putting gas in your car, if a new proposalgets approved in the U.K. Forget about filling up that F350 dually you're trucking around England in - your diesel injectors and diesel turbo parts will be running on fumes.

 Installation of cameras at gas stations have specialscanners that record license plates, originally installed to prevent peoplefrom filling up at the pump and speeding away (just making a pay-before-you-pumpsystem as we do here seems to work well, but hey, who are we to judge). Theyare now thinking of using these scanners and linking them to the Driver andVehicle Licensing Agency (their version of the DMV) database to cross referenceplates to valid registration and insurance. No insurance, no gas.

I see what you're doing there.

This is a big problem for the 1.4 million, or 1 in 25,uninsured drivers in the U.K. This would be an even bigger problem for the 1 in7 uninsured motorists we have in the United States – that’s a whopping 27million drivers. You might want to double check your own car insurance policyto make sure uninsured motorists are covered.  If it weren’t for American’s vehementopposition to being watched, I’m sure the DMV would love to implement thissystem here as well – think of the cash rolling in!

There are, of course, two sides to this argument. The first is that the government already has too much control, and they have no business telling people whether they can or can not put gas int their vehicle. On the other hand, car insurance is a legal requirement and by driving without insurance you are breaking the law, and putting everyone around you at risk.

Do you think preventing uninsured motorists from pumping gasis justified or wrong?

Essential Vehicle Maintenance: Windshield + Accessories

Your windshield is an extremely important, but oftenoverlooked, part of your vehicle. You can try and drive using your center console screen or car navigation system all you want, but you have to be able to clearly see through your windshield to practice any kind of safe driving. Run through a few checks to make sure your windshield,and the things that keep it clean, are in good shape.

 First of all, examine your windshield for any cracks orinjuries in the glass itself. If you notice chips or cracks, have them repairedimmediately. Trash, pebbles, and sand particles can fracture the glass andcause dings, which if left unattended, can turn into bigger cracks that affectyour visibility. You can buy do-it-yourself products at home, but they areusually inferior to having a professional fix the ding for you, and having thework done professionally is  reasonably priced.

Avoid slamming your doors, as this causes the windshield tovibrate violently and any dings or cracks in your windshield can get worse.Also, try to park your car in the shade whenever possible, especially if it’sgoing to be sitting for a long time. Direct sunlight does damage the glass overtime.

Next, inspect your windshield wipers closely. You canactually scratch the glass by using dirty or debris laden windshield wipers. Ifthey are dirty, or if the rubber is cracked from the sun, it’s best to replacethem.  To replace old windshield wipers,carefully lift the entire assembly away from the windshield – it will propitself in the raised position. With one hand holding the wiper arm, use yourother hand to push down on the small tab on the underside of the wiper where itmeets the metal arm. With the tab held down you can slide the old wiper off ofthe metal arm. 

 Prevent the wiper arm from snapping back onto yourwindshield by carefully resting it against the windshield while you are gettingyour new wiper ready to install. You can seriously damage your windshield byletting the bare metal snap back onto the glass. Take your new windshield wiperout of the packaging and arrange it how it’s going to lay on your car. Lookingat the side of the metal where it attaches to the metal arm, you’ll see thatone end of the plastic clip is flat and the other has a curve across the top.Rotate the plastic clip until the curve is pointing toward the wiper blade. Nowhold the wiper upside down next to the metal wiper arm, where you’ll see thatthe curve in the arm matches the curved top of the plastic clip.

Now that you’ve lined everything up, you can slideeverything into place. Lower the wiper over the wiper arm, putting the armbetween the sides of the wiper and with the open end of the hook facing theplastic clip. Move the hook over the plastic clip, then pull the wiper upwardso that the clip’s rounded edge slides into the hook. Pull it tight so that theassembly clicks in place. Carefully lower the wiper back onto the windshield.Repeat the process on the other wiper blade, and you’re finished.

Maintaining your windshield is important not only for yourvisibility, but making sure your airbag deploys properly in a crash. Hopefullywith these tips you’ll be able to maintain a clear, good looking, and safewindshield for years to come.