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mhj.hafeezz
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How to form good driving habits
good driving habitsPart of the task of great driving is mastering the art of forming good habits.
It's easy to pick up habits from watching others and doing what they do; be discerning - make sure you are influenced only by quality driving habits.
We’ve put together a list of good driving habits for your reference, or you could ask a keys2drive professional instructor to help you make your own list.
Form habits through correct repetition
Aim to do things the correct way, many times, and don’t be satisfied with sloppy performance.
If you do something a number of times correctly, it will begin to become a habit that works reliably.
If you make a mistake while you are developing your habits, work out why, fix that problem, and keep doing it again the correct way.
Test your habits
While you are using the habit, say random odd numbers between 1 and 21 (e.g. 3, 7, 19, 15). You’re doing well if the habit works while your mind is thinking hard about something else.
Alternatively, have someone else test you - ask someone who knows what the correct habits are to watch you drive in an unfamiliar situation or while you’re distracted.
good driving habitsPart of the task of great driving is mastering the art of forming good habits.
It's easy to pick up habits from watching others and doing what they do; be discerning - make sure you are influenced only by quality driving habits.
We’ve put together a list of good driving habits for your reference, or you could ask a keys2drive professional instructor to help you make your own list.
Form habits through correct repetition
Aim to do things the correct way, many times, and don’t be satisfied with sloppy performance.
If you do something a number of times correctly, it will begin to become a habit that works reliably.
If you make a mistake while you are developing your habits, work out why, fix that problem, and keep doing it again the correct way.
Test your habits
While you are using the habit, say random odd numbers between 1 and 21 (e.g. 3, 7, 19, 15). You’re doing well if the habit works while your mind is thinking hard about something else.
Alternatively, have someone else test you - ask someone who knows what the correct habits are to watch you drive in an unfamiliar situation or while you’re distracted.
mhj.hafeezz
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HOW TO USE CAR BRAKES AND BRAKING TECHNIQUES
As a learner driver, you’re likely to be a little heavy footed on the brake pedal initially. This is perfectly normal and takes practice to become proficient.
There’s a little more to braking than simply pressing the pedal. there are various braking techniques, but just as important as learning technique, the ability to predict situations ahead is essential to a lifetime of safe driving.
Predicting the road ahead is called anticipation and planning and a good driver who effectively uses anticipation and planning whilst driving, often uses the brakes less frequently and rarely uses the brakes heavily, except under an emergency situation.
BRAKING ABILITY
Almost anyone can stomp on the brake pedal, but doing this in every day driving will soon cause an accident. Your level of braking ability is defined by two main skill sets:
Braking technique – how you apply pressure to the brake pedal.
Observation, anticipation and planning – what you see around you, what you anticipate is going to happen and planning for that situation before you get there.
If you’re just starting out learning to drive, you won’t be able to do much in terms of observation, anticipation and planning. In fact, you don’t want to, your driving instructor will do that on your behalf. Instead, you’ll want to initially concentrate on getting the feel of the cars brakes and gaining braking technique skills. In order to that, it’s beneficial to gain a basic understanding on how car brakes work.
How car brakes work
How car brakes work
HOW CAR BRAKES WORK
Car brakes principally work the same as the brakes on a push bike. Both push bike and car brakes use pads and both have discs, although for most push bikes, the ‘disc’ is actually the rim of the wheels.
Looking at the diagram of the rotating wheel, we can see the brake pads are not in contact with the brake disc. Where the brake pedal has been pressed on the stationary wheel diagram, the pads have been pushed by hydraulics against the brake disc.
Just like on a push bike, the friction against the pads and discs (or wheel rims) turns all that kinetic energy (forward motion of the car) into heat. The same principle applies however, it’s the friction that stops the car or push bike. The reason why we’re comparing it to a push bike is because most of us have used one before we learn to drive. Not only is the way in which they mechanically stop in principle that same, the way in which you stop is also the same.
BRAKING TECHNIQUES
When you want to brake on a push bike, it’s unlikely you’ll just squeeze the brake level as hard as possible else you’ll skid or even go over the handle bars. You brake gently, alternating the pressure until you gently come to a stop. The same applies to the brakes and brake pedal on the car. It’s called progressive braking.
PROGRESSIVE BRAKING
What is progressive braking?
Progressive braking is essentially variable braking instead of constant braking. It should start slight, increase with pressure and finish light. Progressive braking is a safe driving technique, which
allows for other drivers to react to your actions
prevents locked wheels
prevents the car from skidding
reduces wear on the brakes, tyres, suspension and other mechanical parts
saves on fuel
is more comfortable for your passengers
When you have mastered progressive braking, you will have stopped where you intended on stopping, the entire braking process will be smooth and when you come to a stop, it there will be no aggressive jolt at the end. Progressive braking doesn’t necessarily mean slowly, progressive braking is even carried out in an emergency stop situation. The point is that it’s done progressively and not to simply stomp on the brakes.
To achieve this, start on a flat or slightly downhill gradient, and on a quiet, straight road. Don’t set yourself a target of where you need to stop initially, just get the feel of the brakes. To understand and master the progressive braking technique, you’ll need to do it in stages. Before braking however, ensure you are covering the brake with your right foot and the covering the clutch with your left foot. This simply means placing your foot onto the pedals in preparation of stopping, but not pressing them. See cover the brake for further information. These stages of progressive braking are:
Feel – as the braking process starts, gently press the pedal to take up any slack between the discs and the brake pads. You will know when this has been achieved as you will feel the brakes slowing the car.
Firm – now still gently, but more firmly apply pressure the to brake pedal. Keep applying pressure and decelerating until you reach the required speed. This middle phase should set the appropriate speed in which you need to negotiate the hazard, this could be a bend in the road for example or stopping for a red light. In this case, we are simply stopping, so gently but firmly apply pressure until between 5 to 10mph is reached.
Feather – the final stage is to gently begin to ease off the brake pedal so as you will stop in a smooth, controlled action. Gently feather more pressure on the pedal if you are not stopping soon enough. The clutch should be depressed at the feathering stage, around 3 to 4 metres before you intend on stopping to avoid stalling the car. See how to stop stalling the car for further information.
Progressive braking explained
Progressive braking explained
Try this progressive braking technique enough times until you get a good feel of the brakes and the pedal and until you come to a smooth controlled stop.
The diagram on the right may help to understand what you’re trying to achieve with progressive braking when compared to constant braking. The key is in the middle ‘firm’ part of the braking to gauge the correct amount of deceleration required to achieve a smooth stop at the end, unlike harsh or constant braking which results in an abrupt stop.
Once you’ve reached a reasonable level of proficiency, set yourself a specific target to stop at. This could be behind a parked car or at a junction for example. It’s always beneficial to use reference points to help learner drivers to understand where to stop as it can be difficult to relate where the front of the car is from the driver’s seat.
An example of a suitable reference point for junctions is choose a marker on the car which lines up with junction lines on the road. A clearer explanation can be obtained from the junction lines tutorial. Learner drivers often find themselves stopping too early before a junction. Reference points help to resolve this issue as it provides a visual aid in knowing where to stop.
BRAKING SKILLS PUT TO THE TEST
An all-round proficient driver will have many skills, most of which complement each other. After all, being proficient at progressive braking isn’t of much use unless you can read the road. Reading the road ahead is your ability to anticipate something happening, so for example down the road you see traffic lights that have been on green for some time. You would anticipate them changing before you reach them. Or a pedestrian crossing on green, but has people waiting, you would anticipate the lights changing before or just as you get there.
After anticipating, planning is required. Is your plan to get there and slam on the brakes if the lights change, or ease off the accelerator, cover the brake and clutch and prepare to either continue through the lights, or to use progressive braking at a certain distance from the lights if they change? Anticipation and planning is one of the more challenging skills to learn. It takes time and practice but is essential to enable all other driving skills to merge. It’s also fairly important if you want to pass the driving test too!
DO I NEED TO LEARN BRAKING TECHNIQUES?
All modern cars come fitted with some form of anti-lock brakes as it’s a legal requirement for car manufacturers within the EU to do so. Anti-lock brakes don’t enable you to stop sooner however. They are designed to enable a driver to steer whilst braking in an emergency situation, and therefor to potentially avoid a crash.
Even with the advancements of car brake technology, it’s still essential to learn safe braking techniques to avoid unnecessarily dangerous situations. Good braking techniques are however only useful if the drivers observational and anticipation skills are sufficient. Bad driving habits such as tailgating will also have a detrimental effect on not only other road users, but any braking skills that may have been learnt as it renders them useless.
CAR BRAKING TIPS
Be cautious when braking on a bend in the road. Moving objects naturally tend to want to travel in a straight line (inertia). It requires an unbalanced force to make a moving object change direction (centripetal force). Braking whilst on a bend puts the car off-balance. The weight of the car shifts to the front whilst braking, which is particularly challenging for front wheel drive cars as it can become difficult to steer and brake simultaneously. As the weight transfers to the front of the vehicle due to braking, the rear tyres now have less grip to the road, due also to cornering, the weight and grip available to the rear tyres is distributed unevenly. This makes the rear of the car want to swing out and overtake the front of the car. This becomes more likely the harder you brake.
Braking and steering is also rather unkind to your front tyres. Tyres only really like to do one thing, go round and in a straight line. Turning whilst steering now puts extra load onto the front tyres, as the car (inertia) is trying to go in a straight line, add braking to that and you really start asking a lot for your front tyres to have to deal with. Not only does braking on a corner make a car much more unstable, it will wear your front tyres out much quicker – and they certainly aren’t cheap to replace. Instead anticipate the bend ahead, decelerate and use progressive braking to reach the appropriate speed for the bend before you enter it. This becomes particularly important on wet or icy roads.
THINK AHEAD
Always consider:
weather conditions
your speed of travel
condition of road. Is it wet, muddy, icy, snow
the road camber can influence how your car reacts to braking
whether the road has a gradient
visibility
condition of your vehicle, tyres and tyre pressures
the reaction time it takes to respond to an incident
As a learner driver, you’re likely to be a little heavy footed on the brake pedal initially. This is perfectly normal and takes practice to become proficient.
There’s a little more to braking than simply pressing the pedal. there are various braking techniques, but just as important as learning technique, the ability to predict situations ahead is essential to a lifetime of safe driving.
Predicting the road ahead is called anticipation and planning and a good driver who effectively uses anticipation and planning whilst driving, often uses the brakes less frequently and rarely uses the brakes heavily, except under an emergency situation.
BRAKING ABILITY
Almost anyone can stomp on the brake pedal, but doing this in every day driving will soon cause an accident. Your level of braking ability is defined by two main skill sets:
Braking technique – how you apply pressure to the brake pedal.
Observation, anticipation and planning – what you see around you, what you anticipate is going to happen and planning for that situation before you get there.
If you’re just starting out learning to drive, you won’t be able to do much in terms of observation, anticipation and planning. In fact, you don’t want to, your driving instructor will do that on your behalf. Instead, you’ll want to initially concentrate on getting the feel of the cars brakes and gaining braking technique skills. In order to that, it’s beneficial to gain a basic understanding on how car brakes work.
How car brakes work
How car brakes work
HOW CAR BRAKES WORK
Car brakes principally work the same as the brakes on a push bike. Both push bike and car brakes use pads and both have discs, although for most push bikes, the ‘disc’ is actually the rim of the wheels.
Looking at the diagram of the rotating wheel, we can see the brake pads are not in contact with the brake disc. Where the brake pedal has been pressed on the stationary wheel diagram, the pads have been pushed by hydraulics against the brake disc.
Just like on a push bike, the friction against the pads and discs (or wheel rims) turns all that kinetic energy (forward motion of the car) into heat. The same principle applies however, it’s the friction that stops the car or push bike. The reason why we’re comparing it to a push bike is because most of us have used one before we learn to drive. Not only is the way in which they mechanically stop in principle that same, the way in which you stop is also the same.
BRAKING TECHNIQUES
When you want to brake on a push bike, it’s unlikely you’ll just squeeze the brake level as hard as possible else you’ll skid or even go over the handle bars. You brake gently, alternating the pressure until you gently come to a stop. The same applies to the brakes and brake pedal on the car. It’s called progressive braking.
PROGRESSIVE BRAKING
What is progressive braking?
Progressive braking is essentially variable braking instead of constant braking. It should start slight, increase with pressure and finish light. Progressive braking is a safe driving technique, which
allows for other drivers to react to your actions
prevents locked wheels
prevents the car from skidding
reduces wear on the brakes, tyres, suspension and other mechanical parts
saves on fuel
is more comfortable for your passengers
When you have mastered progressive braking, you will have stopped where you intended on stopping, the entire braking process will be smooth and when you come to a stop, it there will be no aggressive jolt at the end. Progressive braking doesn’t necessarily mean slowly, progressive braking is even carried out in an emergency stop situation. The point is that it’s done progressively and not to simply stomp on the brakes.
To achieve this, start on a flat or slightly downhill gradient, and on a quiet, straight road. Don’t set yourself a target of where you need to stop initially, just get the feel of the brakes. To understand and master the progressive braking technique, you’ll need to do it in stages. Before braking however, ensure you are covering the brake with your right foot and the covering the clutch with your left foot. This simply means placing your foot onto the pedals in preparation of stopping, but not pressing them. See cover the brake for further information. These stages of progressive braking are:
Feel – as the braking process starts, gently press the pedal to take up any slack between the discs and the brake pads. You will know when this has been achieved as you will feel the brakes slowing the car.
Firm – now still gently, but more firmly apply pressure the to brake pedal. Keep applying pressure and decelerating until you reach the required speed. This middle phase should set the appropriate speed in which you need to negotiate the hazard, this could be a bend in the road for example or stopping for a red light. In this case, we are simply stopping, so gently but firmly apply pressure until between 5 to 10mph is reached.
Feather – the final stage is to gently begin to ease off the brake pedal so as you will stop in a smooth, controlled action. Gently feather more pressure on the pedal if you are not stopping soon enough. The clutch should be depressed at the feathering stage, around 3 to 4 metres before you intend on stopping to avoid stalling the car. See how to stop stalling the car for further information.
Progressive braking explained
Progressive braking explained
Try this progressive braking technique enough times until you get a good feel of the brakes and the pedal and until you come to a smooth controlled stop.
The diagram on the right may help to understand what you’re trying to achieve with progressive braking when compared to constant braking. The key is in the middle ‘firm’ part of the braking to gauge the correct amount of deceleration required to achieve a smooth stop at the end, unlike harsh or constant braking which results in an abrupt stop.
Once you’ve reached a reasonable level of proficiency, set yourself a specific target to stop at. This could be behind a parked car or at a junction for example. It’s always beneficial to use reference points to help learner drivers to understand where to stop as it can be difficult to relate where the front of the car is from the driver’s seat.
An example of a suitable reference point for junctions is choose a marker on the car which lines up with junction lines on the road. A clearer explanation can be obtained from the junction lines tutorial. Learner drivers often find themselves stopping too early before a junction. Reference points help to resolve this issue as it provides a visual aid in knowing where to stop.
BRAKING SKILLS PUT TO THE TEST
An all-round proficient driver will have many skills, most of which complement each other. After all, being proficient at progressive braking isn’t of much use unless you can read the road. Reading the road ahead is your ability to anticipate something happening, so for example down the road you see traffic lights that have been on green for some time. You would anticipate them changing before you reach them. Or a pedestrian crossing on green, but has people waiting, you would anticipate the lights changing before or just as you get there.
After anticipating, planning is required. Is your plan to get there and slam on the brakes if the lights change, or ease off the accelerator, cover the brake and clutch and prepare to either continue through the lights, or to use progressive braking at a certain distance from the lights if they change? Anticipation and planning is one of the more challenging skills to learn. It takes time and practice but is essential to enable all other driving skills to merge. It’s also fairly important if you want to pass the driving test too!
DO I NEED TO LEARN BRAKING TECHNIQUES?
All modern cars come fitted with some form of anti-lock brakes as it’s a legal requirement for car manufacturers within the EU to do so. Anti-lock brakes don’t enable you to stop sooner however. They are designed to enable a driver to steer whilst braking in an emergency situation, and therefor to potentially avoid a crash.
Even with the advancements of car brake technology, it’s still essential to learn safe braking techniques to avoid unnecessarily dangerous situations. Good braking techniques are however only useful if the drivers observational and anticipation skills are sufficient. Bad driving habits such as tailgating will also have a detrimental effect on not only other road users, but any braking skills that may have been learnt as it renders them useless.
CAR BRAKING TIPS
Be cautious when braking on a bend in the road. Moving objects naturally tend to want to travel in a straight line (inertia). It requires an unbalanced force to make a moving object change direction (centripetal force). Braking whilst on a bend puts the car off-balance. The weight of the car shifts to the front whilst braking, which is particularly challenging for front wheel drive cars as it can become difficult to steer and brake simultaneously. As the weight transfers to the front of the vehicle due to braking, the rear tyres now have less grip to the road, due also to cornering, the weight and grip available to the rear tyres is distributed unevenly. This makes the rear of the car want to swing out and overtake the front of the car. This becomes more likely the harder you brake.
Braking and steering is also rather unkind to your front tyres. Tyres only really like to do one thing, go round and in a straight line. Turning whilst steering now puts extra load onto the front tyres, as the car (inertia) is trying to go in a straight line, add braking to that and you really start asking a lot for your front tyres to have to deal with. Not only does braking on a corner make a car much more unstable, it will wear your front tyres out much quicker – and they certainly aren’t cheap to replace. Instead anticipate the bend ahead, decelerate and use progressive braking to reach the appropriate speed for the bend before you enter it. This becomes particularly important on wet or icy roads.
THINK AHEAD
Always consider:
weather conditions
your speed of travel
condition of road. Is it wet, muddy, icy, snow
the road camber can influence how your car reacts to braking
whether the road has a gradient
visibility
condition of your vehicle, tyres and tyre pressures
the reaction time it takes to respond to an incident
mhj.hafeezz
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HOW TO CHECK ENGINE OIL
Checking your car’s engine oil can be a mundane task that can involve getting your hands dirty. As such, checking the engine oil is a car maintenance task that many of us neglect to carry out anywhere as frequently as it should be done.
Perhaps to gain an understanding of the importance of frequent engine oil checks, let’s answer the question ‘what does engine oil do?’ Engine oil performs a seemingly simple, but highly important task. Your car’s engine comprises of many metal components and when the car is running, all these metal components rub against each other.
To prevent direct metal-on metal contact which will result in friction generating excessively high temperatures and the corrosion of components, engine oil is used.
There is a little more to engine oil, but in short, it prevents your engine from seizing up that without oil, will happen in almost no time, rendering your engine nothing more useful than scrap metal. Not checking your engine oil regularly increases the risk of breakdown and if your engine seizes, the likelihood of a repair bill of £1,000’s. So if checking the engine oil is so important, how often should you check engine oil levels?
Ideally you should check your engine oil levels once each week, this is especially important the higher the mileage you cover. However, if your car is relatively new and is regularly serviced, checking your engine oil levels once each month should be sufficient. So, how do you check your engine oil?
ITEMS NEEDED FOR CHECKING / TOPPING UP WITH OIL
The correct grade oil for your engine
Funnel to help eliminate oil spillages when pouring, although this is optional
Rubber gloves, again optional
CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL
For those that haven’t done it before, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s a fairly straight forward and easy process. Before checking the engine oil, you’ll need to take two preliminary precautions.
Ensure your car is parked on level ground
To ensure the oil inside the engine remains level to enable you to take an accurate reading.
Ensure your engine is switched off for at least five minutes
Enabling the circulating oil to settle at the bottom of the engine also to provide you with an accurate reading. If you are concerned about getting dirt or engine oil on your hands, you may wish to put on a pair or rubber gloves. The type that are used for washing dishes should be fine and can be reused for future oil checks.
Open the bonnet
Car bonnet release lever
Car bonnet release lever
If you’ve not opened the bonnet of a car before, you’ll need to locate the bonnet release lever. The image on the right displays a typical location found within the passenger footwell. The lever may also be located within the drivers-side footwell. Tug the lever to release the bonnet.
Once at the bonnet, a secondary lever will need to be raised which is often located under the lip of the bonnet, usually in the centre area where the manufacturers logo is placed.
This secondary safety latch is a backup device in case the first bonnet lock fails and is to prevent the bonnet opening whilst driving. Secure the bonnet with the prop.
Locate the dipstick
Engine dipstick
Oil level dipstick bright in colour
The device for checking engine oil levels is called the dipstick.The dipstick can be located almost anywhere under the bonnet, but they are designed to visibly stand-out such as the bright yellow dipstick in the image, and will have a small handle or ring for gripping to aid in removing.Pull out and completely remove the dipstick from its holding bay.
Wipe clean the end of the dipstick where the oil level markers are located and fully replace the dipstick back into its holding tube.Once again fully remove the dipstick and check oil levels against the minimum and maximum markers. If the oil level is close to the minimum marker, you should top up with engine oil.
Engine oil top up
Engine oil filler cap
Engine oil filler cap
If you need to top up your engine with oil, you must locate the engine oil filler cap.The engine oil filler cap is usually located on top of the engine and as with all engine maintenance equipment, it will likely be brightly coloured such as the yellow colouring on the dipstick and engine oil filler cap in the images. Ensure there’s no dirt or debris around the filler cap that may fall in once the cap is removed.Remove the oil filler cap. You may wish to use a funnel to eliminate oil spillages. Ensure you use the correct grade oil for your engine. Pour in a little oil, ensuring to to pour in too much. Wait five seconds or so to enable the oil to settle through the engine.Remove the dipstick once again to check levels. Continue to fill with oil in small increments, along with repeated checks of the dipstick. Replenish oil until the maximum marker (or a little under) has been reached on the dipstick.This stage-by-stage procedure is important so as not to overfill the engine with oil. Over filling can cause strain on the engine seals when running and may cause seals to burst and leak oil.
Finishing the job
Ensure you securely replace the dipstick and the engine oil filler cap. It’s actually quite easy to leave the filler cap on the side and forget to put it back.When securing the bonnet, firmly push it down and ensure it clicks in place. Double check the bonnet is fastened by giving it a tug upwards to ensure it doesn’t move. The last thing you want is your bonnet opening whilst you are driving!
SYMPTOMS OF LOW ENGINE OIL
In our busy lives, many of us forget basic car maintenance such as checking the engine oil levels. As we know, running low on engine oil can have disastrous consequences for your engine, so keeping an eye and ear on symptoms of low engine oil may save your expensive engine from permanent damage.
The oil pressure dashboard warning light is a visual warning that action needs to be taken. Further information can be found by reading the dashboard warning lights section. If you have an engine temperature gauge on your dashboard and your engine seems to be running unusually hot, low engine oil may be the cause.
Also if your car engine seems unusually loud, such as knocking sounds. This may be a symptom of low oil levels that are making your car engine components rub together due to a lack of lubrication.
A handy tip is to always keep in the boot a small, spare bottle of engine oil. If you do forget to check your engine oil regularly and you need the oil in an emergency, you know you have some in the back. If you do suspect your engine is running low on oil, pull over and turn off the engine as soon as is safely possible to reduce damage to your engine. Give the engine five minutes or so to cool down before checking or replenishing oil.
ENGINE OIL TOP UP MAINTENANCE
Dipsticks are coloured brightly so easy to see them
Bright coloured dipstick
ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK
Part of a car owners responsibilities is basic engine maintenance. Engine maintenance includes checking the oil levels. The dipstick is used to check oil levels and although its location can be varied under the bonnet, dipsticks are often coloured brightly to enable them to be easily found such as the dipstick image to the left. The dipstick may require a firm tug to remove it from the engine.
Engine oil cap
Engine oil cap
ENGINE OIL FILLER CAP
You will need to locate the engine oil filler cap if oil needs replenishing. As with the dipstick, the engine oil filler caps are often brightly coloured, usually in the same colour as the dipstick. The cap may also have the wording ‘engine oil’ or have the engine oil symbol on it. If in doubt, always refer to the car owner’s manual.
WHEN SHOULD ENGINE OIL BE CHANGED
In modern cars, crude oil should be changed anywhere from 3000 to 5000 miles, or 3 months – whichever comes first. For synthetic oil, it should be changed anywhere from 5000 to 7000 miles, or 6 months – whichever comes first. Although there are certain oils that may extend this even further. If you do not know how many miles your car has done prior to its last oil change, take a look at the dipstick for an indication. This isn’t an exact science, but it may provide you with a visual clue.
New oil on the dipstick will be a translucent honey brown colour. If your oil looks like this, it’s good news as it didn’t have an oil change too long ago. Oil will soon start to darken however and before long look black in colour. this may happen from only a few hundred miles, although it may take more, it depends on the make, model of vehicle and its engine condition.
If the oil is black, examine the oil on a tissue or white cloth. Look for evidence of small particles in the oil. If small particles are detected, it’s probably time to have a service which includes a change of oil and filter. Also dab a small drop of oil and rub between finger and thumb. If you feel any grit, it’s time to change oil. To save on expenses, you can do this yourself, see how to service a car.
Checking your car’s engine oil can be a mundane task that can involve getting your hands dirty. As such, checking the engine oil is a car maintenance task that many of us neglect to carry out anywhere as frequently as it should be done.
Perhaps to gain an understanding of the importance of frequent engine oil checks, let’s answer the question ‘what does engine oil do?’ Engine oil performs a seemingly simple, but highly important task. Your car’s engine comprises of many metal components and when the car is running, all these metal components rub against each other.
To prevent direct metal-on metal contact which will result in friction generating excessively high temperatures and the corrosion of components, engine oil is used.
There is a little more to engine oil, but in short, it prevents your engine from seizing up that without oil, will happen in almost no time, rendering your engine nothing more useful than scrap metal. Not checking your engine oil regularly increases the risk of breakdown and if your engine seizes, the likelihood of a repair bill of £1,000’s. So if checking the engine oil is so important, how often should you check engine oil levels?
Ideally you should check your engine oil levels once each week, this is especially important the higher the mileage you cover. However, if your car is relatively new and is regularly serviced, checking your engine oil levels once each month should be sufficient. So, how do you check your engine oil?
ITEMS NEEDED FOR CHECKING / TOPPING UP WITH OIL
The correct grade oil for your engine
Funnel to help eliminate oil spillages when pouring, although this is optional
Rubber gloves, again optional
CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL
For those that haven’t done it before, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s a fairly straight forward and easy process. Before checking the engine oil, you’ll need to take two preliminary precautions.
Ensure your car is parked on level ground
To ensure the oil inside the engine remains level to enable you to take an accurate reading.
Ensure your engine is switched off for at least five minutes
Enabling the circulating oil to settle at the bottom of the engine also to provide you with an accurate reading. If you are concerned about getting dirt or engine oil on your hands, you may wish to put on a pair or rubber gloves. The type that are used for washing dishes should be fine and can be reused for future oil checks.
Open the bonnet
Car bonnet release lever
Car bonnet release lever
If you’ve not opened the bonnet of a car before, you’ll need to locate the bonnet release lever. The image on the right displays a typical location found within the passenger footwell. The lever may also be located within the drivers-side footwell. Tug the lever to release the bonnet.
Once at the bonnet, a secondary lever will need to be raised which is often located under the lip of the bonnet, usually in the centre area where the manufacturers logo is placed.
This secondary safety latch is a backup device in case the first bonnet lock fails and is to prevent the bonnet opening whilst driving. Secure the bonnet with the prop.
Locate the dipstick
Engine dipstick
Oil level dipstick bright in colour
The device for checking engine oil levels is called the dipstick.The dipstick can be located almost anywhere under the bonnet, but they are designed to visibly stand-out such as the bright yellow dipstick in the image, and will have a small handle or ring for gripping to aid in removing.Pull out and completely remove the dipstick from its holding bay.
Wipe clean the end of the dipstick where the oil level markers are located and fully replace the dipstick back into its holding tube.Once again fully remove the dipstick and check oil levels against the minimum and maximum markers. If the oil level is close to the minimum marker, you should top up with engine oil.
Engine oil top up
Engine oil filler cap
Engine oil filler cap
If you need to top up your engine with oil, you must locate the engine oil filler cap.The engine oil filler cap is usually located on top of the engine and as with all engine maintenance equipment, it will likely be brightly coloured such as the yellow colouring on the dipstick and engine oil filler cap in the images. Ensure there’s no dirt or debris around the filler cap that may fall in once the cap is removed.Remove the oil filler cap. You may wish to use a funnel to eliminate oil spillages. Ensure you use the correct grade oil for your engine. Pour in a little oil, ensuring to to pour in too much. Wait five seconds or so to enable the oil to settle through the engine.Remove the dipstick once again to check levels. Continue to fill with oil in small increments, along with repeated checks of the dipstick. Replenish oil until the maximum marker (or a little under) has been reached on the dipstick.This stage-by-stage procedure is important so as not to overfill the engine with oil. Over filling can cause strain on the engine seals when running and may cause seals to burst and leak oil.
Finishing the job
Ensure you securely replace the dipstick and the engine oil filler cap. It’s actually quite easy to leave the filler cap on the side and forget to put it back.When securing the bonnet, firmly push it down and ensure it clicks in place. Double check the bonnet is fastened by giving it a tug upwards to ensure it doesn’t move. The last thing you want is your bonnet opening whilst you are driving!
SYMPTOMS OF LOW ENGINE OIL
In our busy lives, many of us forget basic car maintenance such as checking the engine oil levels. As we know, running low on engine oil can have disastrous consequences for your engine, so keeping an eye and ear on symptoms of low engine oil may save your expensive engine from permanent damage.
The oil pressure dashboard warning light is a visual warning that action needs to be taken. Further information can be found by reading the dashboard warning lights section. If you have an engine temperature gauge on your dashboard and your engine seems to be running unusually hot, low engine oil may be the cause.
Also if your car engine seems unusually loud, such as knocking sounds. This may be a symptom of low oil levels that are making your car engine components rub together due to a lack of lubrication.
A handy tip is to always keep in the boot a small, spare bottle of engine oil. If you do forget to check your engine oil regularly and you need the oil in an emergency, you know you have some in the back. If you do suspect your engine is running low on oil, pull over and turn off the engine as soon as is safely possible to reduce damage to your engine. Give the engine five minutes or so to cool down before checking or replenishing oil.
ENGINE OIL TOP UP MAINTENANCE
Dipsticks are coloured brightly so easy to see them
Bright coloured dipstick
ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK
Part of a car owners responsibilities is basic engine maintenance. Engine maintenance includes checking the oil levels. The dipstick is used to check oil levels and although its location can be varied under the bonnet, dipsticks are often coloured brightly to enable them to be easily found such as the dipstick image to the left. The dipstick may require a firm tug to remove it from the engine.
Engine oil cap
Engine oil cap
ENGINE OIL FILLER CAP
You will need to locate the engine oil filler cap if oil needs replenishing. As with the dipstick, the engine oil filler caps are often brightly coloured, usually in the same colour as the dipstick. The cap may also have the wording ‘engine oil’ or have the engine oil symbol on it. If in doubt, always refer to the car owner’s manual.
WHEN SHOULD ENGINE OIL BE CHANGED
In modern cars, crude oil should be changed anywhere from 3000 to 5000 miles, or 3 months – whichever comes first. For synthetic oil, it should be changed anywhere from 5000 to 7000 miles, or 6 months – whichever comes first. Although there are certain oils that may extend this even further. If you do not know how many miles your car has done prior to its last oil change, take a look at the dipstick for an indication. This isn’t an exact science, but it may provide you with a visual clue.
New oil on the dipstick will be a translucent honey brown colour. If your oil looks like this, it’s good news as it didn’t have an oil change too long ago. Oil will soon start to darken however and before long look black in colour. this may happen from only a few hundred miles, although it may take more, it depends on the make, model of vehicle and its engine condition.
If the oil is black, examine the oil on a tissue or white cloth. Look for evidence of small particles in the oil. If small particles are detected, it’s probably time to have a service which includes a change of oil and filter. Also dab a small drop of oil and rub between finger and thumb. If you feel any grit, it’s time to change oil. To save on expenses, you can do this yourself, see how to service a car.
mhj.hafeezz
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bump..........
mhj.hafeezz
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bump..................
mie_amour
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Lokasi mana tt? Klang cover x? Urgent nk amik lesen ni.. pm pls
mhj.hafeezz
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For the past few years, various carmakers have been offering blind-spot detection systems for their cars’ side mirrors. Often complex, these systems employ cameras or radar to scan the adjoining lanes for vehicles that may have disappeared from view.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published a paper in 1995 suggesting how outside mirrors could be adjusted to eliminate blind spots. The paper advocates adjusting the mirrors so far outward that the viewing angle of the side mirrors just overlaps that of the cabin’s rearview mirror. This can be disorienting for drivers used to seeing the flanks of their own car in the side mirrors. But when correctly positioned, the mirrors negate a car’s blind spots. This obviates the need to glance over your shoulder to safely change lanes as well as the need for an expensive blind-spot warning system.
The only problem is getting used to the SAE-recommended mirror positions. The cabin’s rearview mirror is used to keep an eye on what is coming up from behind, while the outside mirrors reflect the area outside the view of the inside rearview mirror.
Those who have switched to the SAE’s approach swear by it, however, some drivers can’t adjust to not using the outside mirrors to see directly behind the car and miss being able to see their own car in the side mirrors. To them we say, “Have fun filling out those accident reports.”
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) published a paper in 1995 suggesting how outside mirrors could be adjusted to eliminate blind spots. The paper advocates adjusting the mirrors so far outward that the viewing angle of the side mirrors just overlaps that of the cabin’s rearview mirror. This can be disorienting for drivers used to seeing the flanks of their own car in the side mirrors. But when correctly positioned, the mirrors negate a car’s blind spots. This obviates the need to glance over your shoulder to safely change lanes as well as the need for an expensive blind-spot warning system.
The only problem is getting used to the SAE-recommended mirror positions. The cabin’s rearview mirror is used to keep an eye on what is coming up from behind, while the outside mirrors reflect the area outside the view of the inside rearview mirror.
Those who have switched to the SAE’s approach swear by it, however, some drivers can’t adjust to not using the outside mirrors to see directly behind the car and miss being able to see their own car in the side mirrors. To them we say, “Have fun filling out those accident reports.”
mhj.hafeezz
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It is an issue we have discussed before: why are hand signals for cyclists so dumb and counter-intuitive? I noted earlier:
Very few cyclists bother to signal and there isn't much point to it, because very few drivers bother to pay attention to them or even understand them. Hand signals that cyclists are taught are derived from hand signals designed for drivers, who can only use their left arm.
Others note that using the left arm for all signals makes some sense; that's the side where the cars usually are, and the right hand is on the front brake, the one cyclists give priority to. But in fact, as in most cycling matters, we should learn from the Dutch and the Danes, who just point where they are going, using their right arm to go right.
© Urban Cycling Survival Guide
Even Yvonne Bambrick, who has written the definitive Urban Cycling Survival Guide, is equivocal about this, showing this drawing and writing "to indicate a right turn there are two options: extend your left arm with your elbow bent and your forearm and hand pointed up, or extend your right arm out to the side."
Peter Cheney of the Globe and Mail picks up the issue, saying "It’s time for the old-school bicycle signal to die."
The best forms of communication are clear and unequivocal – such as an arrow that points in the direction you need to go. Using one arm to indicate two different turn directions plus stopping is anything but clear and unequivocal. Some drivers even confuse the raised left arm bicycle signal with the bras d’honneur (a gesture also known as the “Iberian slap,” or “Up yours!”)
Cheney proposes that we keep it simple and just point where we want to go. He rejects all the computerized add-on smart phone driven high tech solutions, many of which we have shown on TreeHugger.
As history has shown, the most successful designs are as simple as possible. So let’s forget all the electronics and go with my suggestion – use the arm on the side you’re turning toward, and point to where you’re going. You’ve probably heard of the KISS (Keep it Simple, ******) principle. This is KISS at its finest.
He's right. Let's end this confusion.
Very few cyclists bother to signal and there isn't much point to it, because very few drivers bother to pay attention to them or even understand them. Hand signals that cyclists are taught are derived from hand signals designed for drivers, who can only use their left arm.
Others note that using the left arm for all signals makes some sense; that's the side where the cars usually are, and the right hand is on the front brake, the one cyclists give priority to. But in fact, as in most cycling matters, we should learn from the Dutch and the Danes, who just point where they are going, using their right arm to go right.
© Urban Cycling Survival Guide
Even Yvonne Bambrick, who has written the definitive Urban Cycling Survival Guide, is equivocal about this, showing this drawing and writing "to indicate a right turn there are two options: extend your left arm with your elbow bent and your forearm and hand pointed up, or extend your right arm out to the side."
Peter Cheney of the Globe and Mail picks up the issue, saying "It’s time for the old-school bicycle signal to die."
The best forms of communication are clear and unequivocal – such as an arrow that points in the direction you need to go. Using one arm to indicate two different turn directions plus stopping is anything but clear and unequivocal. Some drivers even confuse the raised left arm bicycle signal with the bras d’honneur (a gesture also known as the “Iberian slap,” or “Up yours!”)
Cheney proposes that we keep it simple and just point where we want to go. He rejects all the computerized add-on smart phone driven high tech solutions, many of which we have shown on TreeHugger.
As history has shown, the most successful designs are as simple as possible. So let’s forget all the electronics and go with my suggestion – use the arm on the side you’re turning toward, and point to where you’re going. You’ve probably heard of the KISS (Keep it Simple, ******) principle. This is KISS at its finest.
He's right. Let's end this confusion.
percumaforex
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murah siot.....sini xde ke?
