6 Ways To Prevent Road-side Car Breakdowns

Ever saw a driver on the road with the car hood open and a “Why me?” look and prayed that it never happens to you? Below, we look at the top reasons behind car breakdowns and what you can do to reduce the risk of it happening to you.

1. Dead or Low Battery

The biggest reason behind car breakdowns is a flat battery. Check your battery every month,  and every week in winters to reduce the risk of your car breaking down.

Common reasons why your battery could fail include:

• Bad cell in battery results in poorly charged or dead battery
• Battery terminals are corroded and are preventing the battery from charging
• Older batteries, which tend to be more worn out
• Lights, radio etc left on
• Alternator not charging the battery

2. Flat Tire or Tire Blowout

Things to look out for:

• Tread Wear: Check the treads on your tyres weekly.
• Tyre pressure: Always maintain the manufacturer recommended tyre pressure as incorrect tyre pressure can lead to extra strain on the tyres and affect handling.
• Damage to tyres: This can be caused by hitting something or running over something sharp.
• Foreign objects: Check for nails, screws etc.

3. Electrical Faults

It’s hard to do anything by yourself if your car breaks down due to an electrical fault. So, make sure you get your car checked out when the first symptoms of a problem show up, e.g. if you start to get an intermittent fault or starting your car becomes a problem.

4. Transmission Issues

Most people fail to have their transmissions serviced and fluids changed. This causes increased stress and wear and tear on transmissions leading to premature failure and expensive repair costs. Always ensure that you get your car’s transmission checked when you send it for servicing.

5. Running Out of Fuel

You’ll be surprised to know that a number of cars breakdown on the roads because they run out of fuel. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge and if the low fuel indicator comes on, make sure you stop for a refill at a petrol pump as soon as you can.

6. Engine Overheating

There could be a number of reasons behind an engine overheating:

• Stuck Thermostat: If your upper radiator hose isn’t warming up once your car starts, then it’s probably your thermostat. Word of Advice: Never open your radiator cap when your engine is hot or you could be severely burned.
• Leak in the Vehicle’s cooling system: This is easy to diagnose as the radiator will be low on fluid and there will probably be a pool of coolant on the floor of your garage.
• Faulty Water Pump: The water pump is a vital part of your cooling system since it is responsible for circulating coolant through your engine. With a faulty water pump your vehicle will not run for more than a few minutes without overheating.

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8 tips to maximize your car’s mileage

1. MAINTAIN RIGHT AIR PRESSURE

A reduced tyre pressure means increased contact area between the tyre and the road. The friction between the tyre and the road increases, resulting in higher fuel consumption. Over-inflated tyres will mean a lower consumption, but at the cost of grip and ability to disperse water on the road.
Make sure the tyres are inflated at the manufacturer recommended levels and you’ll be fine.

2. BE SMOOTH

Rapid accelerations and hard brakes harm your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. So, be as smooth as you can be while accelerating or braking.

3. COMBINE TRIPS

Each time you crank the engine, your car consumes extra fuel. Try and combine as many trips as possible to keep fuel efficiency high. Save on travel time as a bonus!

4. KEEP THE CAR CLOSED

Aerodynamics. Even partially open windows can negatively impact your fuel efficiency at high speeds. Keeping your windows rolled up with the air conditioner on may end up giving you higher fuel efficiency.

5. GEAR UP

While accelerating, a car consumes more fuel in lower gears. To get the best speed and economy, shift up at 2000 RPM (1500 RPM for Diesel).

6. NO EXTRA WEIGHT

The heavier the car, the more fuel it’ll burn. Get rid of anything and everything that you don’t absolutely need.

7. TURN YOUR ENGINE OFF WHILE IDLING

You are literally paying to sit in the car. So, unless it’s a 30 second traffic signal, turn off your engine and save the fuel money.

8. KEEP THE INSIDES CLEAN

Stay up to date with you car’s maintenance schedule. Dirty filters cost you a lot more in fuel expenses over time, so make sure you get them cleaned or replaced when needed.
These are simple hacks that let your get more out of your car. For any repair/maintenance work that your car needs, visit http://carpm.in and tell us your problem. Free pick-up and drop available.

When should you replace your car tyres

Many people are often unaware when their car tyres should be replaced. Below are a few indicators of when it is the right time to change your car tyres.

1. Wheel Alignment and Balancing do not have the desired effect
   • After getting your car correctly aligned at a mechanic’s, do check if it running in a straight line. If it doesn’t, chances are that your tyres need to be replaced.Keep in mind that axle damage can also lead to these problems. So, get your car checked by a professional mechanic before replacing the tyres.
2. Tread Depth
   • Take a look at the tread wear indicator to see how much tread depth is left. If, Replace the tyres immediately if the tread depth is less than what it should be, as a lesser depth decreases handling.
3. Tyre Grip
   • Tyre grip depends on the tread pattern, rubber compound, inflation pressures and correct wheel alignment, good steering linkage. Keeping all these things in mind, if your tyre indicator says its time, change the tyre.

The distance travelled by your car also gives you an estimate on when to replace your tyres. Most tyres last about 40,000 km under ideal conditions, i.e, if they are well maintained and not used too much on rough terrain.

Recommendation:

Replace all 4 tyres and keep the best one out of those as a spare.When replacing tyres, it is recommended that you replace all four of them and keep the best one from the old set as spare.

12 tips that every driver must follow

1. Always put on your seat belt.
2. Adjust the rear-view mirrors according to you.
3. Avoid sudden starts: Do not accelerate too hard from a still position.
4. Stay calm and focused. Many road accidents can be avoided if the driver is aware of his/her surroundings
5. Observe your friends & family members – their seating position, steering, how smoothly they press brakes, how frequently they change gears etc.
6. Ensure that the car is in neutral gear while starting up. It puts an extra load on the clutch plate if the car is started in gear.
7. Always check your rear-view mirror while braking or turning.
8. Use the correct indicator before turning. Otherwise, there is no way for the driver behind you to figure out which way you are going to turn.
9. Obey traffic signals and keep a safe distance from the car ahead of you.
10. Do not change lanes unless absolutely needed.
11. Do not use your mobile phone while the car is in motion.
12. The first 1000 to 1500 Kms are considered as a warm-up period for a new car. Try to maintain the speed to gear change ratio so as not to cross 2000 RPM during the first 1500 Kms of a new car.

9 Tips to keep you & your car safe during Monsoon

Monsoon is here. Yay! But the rainy season means slippery roads and reduced visibility. We need to to be extra cautious while on the road and these a few precautions to ensure each other’s safety:

1. Do not drive at high speeds on wet roads. If, by any chance you have to brake hard, your car will might slip and spin out of control.
2. Avoid braking hard, rapidly accelerating or taking rash turns.
3. Maintain adequate distance between you & the vehicle in front of you.
4. Ensure that your car’s headlights, tail lamps, turn signal lights, brake lights are all in good working condition.
5. Do not hesitate to turn on your Emergency lights in case of reduced visibility during rains.
6. Always keep your headlights on so that you are visible to the vehicles nearby.
7. Ensure that the front and rear wipers work properly. You don’t want to reduce your visibility even further.
8. Invest in good quality tyres that can hold up on wet surfaces. Maintain your car’s tyres regularly to avoid mishaps.
9. In case of a spin, lightly apply the brakes and steer in the direction of the skid, push down the clutch and let the car slow down on its own.

Lastly, enjoy the lovely weather, have fun while driving & stay safe!