More and more nowadays we are finding people are stretching out their intervals for their services, it is not un common for cars to be 30,000 to 50,000km overdue for a service. To give you a recent example we had a Mazda CX7 towed in 30,000km overdue for service and a noise in the engine and very low on oil and no power in the motor, upon inspecting the motor we found it had a blown turbo because the oil feed line to the turbo was blocked which was causing no lubrication to get to the turbo and as well this had blocked up the catalytic converter in the exhaust system because the pieces of turbo had gone through the exhaust system, so quiet a major repair was required. The cost for a new oil pipe, reco turbo, new catalytic converter and labour approx $4000, so my point is for approx $170 for a regular service you would save a lot of money and two weeks of being without your car as well as a lot of wear and tear on your motor which will shorten the life of your motor. The average service interval for most cars should be 6 months or 10,000km which ever comes first, so best advice be regular with your car service !
It is always funny how repairs often come in numbers, we havent seen a trailer for awhile this week we have seen two boat trailers needing wheel bearings last time we got two horse trailers in the same week needing electric brakes rebuilding and often we will get a few trailers at once needing their safety certificates for rego, go figure !!
This last week we had a Mazda CX7 towed in with no power and a substantial noise in the engine, upon inspection we found the car was 30,000 overdue for a service and the engine was very low on oil, this had caused the oil feed pipe for the turbo to block up and destroy the turbo and the catalyitic converter, end cost for necessary repairs will be around $3000 which makes a $170 service look pretty cheap, my advice here is please keep your car regularly serviced and that will save you a lot of time and money !!
Had a customer today that required two cars serviced urgently, we were two busy in our Southport workshop so I was able to get him into the Guanaba workshop, he drove down from Tamborine and i serviced the Subaru first then we serviced his Volvo, so i had one very happy customer and he told me how he can’t get that sort of service up on the mountain.
Not wearing a seat belt
Despite state laws, 20% of drivers still don’t wear seat belts. You are 25 times more likely to die in a car crash without a seat belt, so if you are just popping down the local shops and can’t be bothered with putting your seat belt on just remember most accidents do occur close to home.
Aggressive driving
Weaving in and out of traffic, changing lanes often, cutting people off, tailgating are all to common nowadays and i believe have all led to an increase in road rage and in turn more accidents.
Driving after taking medicine
Prescriptions like antihistamines can impair your driving skills as much as alcohol and we have all seen the results of what alcohol can do, so be wary of your medicines while driving and especially don’t mix with alcohol.
Running red lights
One of the most common mistakes i see is people running that annoying red light. Not only is it illegal and a lot of intersections have cameras on them nowadays which will impact on your pocket, but also very dangerous. Many accidents are caused by people being in to much of a hurry and ignoring those red lights, best advice is leave a bit earlier and take your time.
Following another vehicle too closely
In dry weather you need approx 3-4 seconds to stop. In bad weather or darkness that time will double, also you should be at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle you are following because you have to allow for reaction time once the vehicle in front of you brakes, this is why there are so many rear enders because people are driving to close to the vehicle in front of them. Then you have all the other factors eg brakes, tyres, suspensions, let alone weather conditions and road conditions. Best advice increase that gap to the vehicle in front of you and you will save not only extensive car damage but more importantly human damage or even loss of life.
Lack of concentration ( not looking where your going )
Driving requires full attention. But it is one of the common mistakes we make by doing the things we shouldn’t be doing while driving. You see motorists eating, cutting their fingernails, brushing their teeth, putting makeup on etc etc. I was following a car the other day and couldn’t work out why it was going so slow, as the car turned off Ferry rd and on to Chevron Island ( a very busy intersection ) I went past the car and saw a young girl texting on her phone. I could not believe the ignorance of that driver putting herself and others at risk, so a bit of good advice for us all, lets all try to concentrate a lot more !!!!!!!!.
