Just a few tips about cars and breaking down

[Old Git Racing]

Been working as a recovery driver/home start driver for the last few weeks and it's been a real eye opener. Thought I'd pass on a bit of my experiences to those with cars. I know blokes car aren't affected (yeah right) but it might be worth checking the missus's.

How's your battery, been to loadsa 05/06 cars with the oem battery on which is f***ed.

Is your spare wheel good, or is there even one in there.

Are you able to seperate the wheels from the hubs after taking the bolts out. Every wheel change I've been on so far is for this, wheel stuck to hub with corrosion.

Are your locking wheel nut bits in the car.

Is the car handbook in the car.

Do you have a warm coat in the boot for when you break down on the motorway and the Highways guys make you stand behind the barrier in -2c while I turn up. ( Please do get out and do this, following a Stobart artic that drove halfway on the hard shoulder for about 500 yards yesterday).

Do you know where the screw in tow eye is if your car has one, beemers etc. If not you get charged for sending something else that can load it.

Has your car really really got anti freeze in.

Do you even have breakdown cover? Break down on a motorway or a trunk road and the Highways will charge you up to £150 just to get you taken to the nearest safe place, and you don't get a choice. (this goes for bikes as well).

Don't try and drive with a flat thinking you can make it to the next junction. The tyre partially comes off the rim, goes hard when it cools and your wheel and bodywork then get damaged recovering it.

All seems a bit obvious I know, but all the above are happening and I've been flat out with stuff like this for weeks.

OGR
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[Skudd]

Winterised my car about a month ago even have a jump pack even after getting a new battery. All has been ready, nice shovel and a flask ready for hot water. Tow ropes, carpet for getting out of the snow, Coat, water, deicer, screen wash, Torch ( wind up) new tyres, jump leads, RAC cover.

Then the bloody radiator burst. Have had to use the bike in all the ice and snow.
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[stinkwheel]

[Walloper]

I would honestly only expect an OEM battery to last 3 years.
It may still operate OK but in extremes it will more than likely fail.
i.e. they will pass a start test but probably fail repeated hammerings.
A newer battery will or should have more reserve.

New Shop Bought batteries should last 4-5 years but I would still not be surprised if they chucked it after 3-4yrs.

Batteries are one of the most overloaded parts of the car.
People neglect them or even forget they are there.
They only need a minimum of maintenance too.
Just wiping the top clean and ensuring the leads and clamps are in good order will help.

A blanket or good wind/waterproof coat is a great thing to carry in the car through winter. and always have at least half a tank of fuel too.
Consider that when the roads are bad more folk will breakdown so the services may take longer to reach you too.

I have NO mercy for people who get stuck coz their battery has been abused or is geriatric. Obviously they pay no heed to service so deserve to pay in kind.
The only exception to my rule is 'if she is fit'. (of course)
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[stinkwheel]

You can check the electrolyte specific gravity in a battery which will give you a good indication of it's state of repair.

It takes seconds, every garage has the tool to do it with and none of them ever use it, despite "Check battery electrolyte" being in the list of things to do at a service and having been ticked on the tick-sheet.

I check mine regularly and they last a LONG time. I expect five years out of a motorbike battery. Longer if it's a sealed one.
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[Skudd]

[Bendy]

it might be worth checking the missus's.

Err, yeah.


How's your battery, been to loadsa 05/06 cars with the oem battery on which is f***ed.

Its fine. And I've got a jumpstarter in the boot, after a fortnight of dealing with a recalcitrant landrover.


Is your spare wheel good, or is there even one in there.

Don't have a spare wheel, Mazda give you a can of foam and some unfollowable advice about swapping wheels round so the foamy one is at the front. Something you're meant to achieve with only one jack and no wheelbrace. Lets face it - foam is going in and limping will happen.


Are you able to seperate the wheels from the hubs after taking the bolts out. Every wheel change I've been on so far is for this, wheel stuck to hub with corrosion.

Yup, changed my summer wheels to my winter wheels a couple of weeks ago.


Are your locking wheel nut bits in the car.

Yup.


Is the car handbook in the car.

No idea where that went. But I have actually read it, which seems to put me in a tiny minority. And there's always the internet.


Do you have a warm coat in the boot for when you break down on the motorway and the Highways guys make you stand behind the barrier in -2c while I turn up.

Usually got something.


Do you know where the screw in tow eye is if your car has one,

Yes, they're both in the boot.


Has your car really really got anti freeze in.

It does. Super expensive magic anti freeze at that.


Do you even have breakdown cover?

Yup.


Don't try and drive with a flat thinking you can make it to the next junction.

I'd be on the hard shoulder swearing at my foam.



Tip from me - keep an eye on your screenwash at this time of year. Lob a spare bottle of it in the boot cos lemonade is not a suitable substitute.

[-LG-]

First time I needed to change a wheel was when I crashed into a curb and ripped the wheel apart. Put the spare one on and started driving...was dodgy as hell to drive, thought it was because the tracking was out or something...really hard to go in a straight line.

Get to the garage and notice that my spare wheel is a 15", while all my others are 14".
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[andyscooter]

my tip for this time of year is buy a 5 ltr concentrated screenwash and pour it straght in

takes a lot more to freeze then water

the wifes car

our spare is ok the battery is from last year the towing eye is inside the spare with the jack and the wheelbrace and locking wheel nut tool

screen cover and scraper in the boot shovals at work at moment as bought a fold up one today and we have some matting designed for gripping on mud and snow so got that as well

my bike is all fine but the spark plug is fucked couldnt change it at work as my spark plug tool is in the garage as i took it out before leaving home this morning after checking the plug yesterday and thinking i need a new one of those must get one at the weekend
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

All fine with that. Pretty sure my towing eye is in the "frunk" with the spare tyre, do need to check though. Should really check the electrolyte levels on my battery. It's getting a touch sluggish on the colder days.
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[Shaft]

Following on from the point about removing wheels, can you actually remove the nuts in the first place?

It never fails to amaze me, the number of cars we get through our place where even our impact guns struggle; if you were stuck by the road with the piddly little wrench the factory give you, you've got no chance.

Before it comes to that, whip each nut off in turn, then use some copper grease on the thread and put it on at the right torque.

If you can't be arsed to do that, at least get one of those telescopic wheel wrenches that every accessory shop sells for about a tenner.
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[haroman666]

[JonB]

Just a couple of things that I think are helpful. It is strange that a lot of it isn't compulsory as a lot of the kit in my car is only there because France requires it by law, but when thinking about it is good advice.

First Aid Kit. A semi decent one, you may never use it, but it may come in handy. My one has a space blanket as well.

Warning triangle - Car broke down just past a blind bend? Stick your warning triangle before the bend to warn other road users.

Car light bulbs - OK, you can probably survive til the end of the journey, but if the weather is particularly bad you may want to pull into a garage and change a bulb - only takes 10 minutes tops.

A coat.
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[woll]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Battery life seems to be greatly down to how they are treated.

The original battery in our 156 lasted over a decade.

All the best

Keith
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[neil.]

You forgot...

Did you accidentally put petrol in your diesel car/van/truck/thing or vice-versa?

Guy who recovered my crashed bike last Tuesday said he deals with a lot of those...

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

^^^I did that for the first time last year. Work hired a car for me, i did the old petrol into diesel thing. I have never felt so human in my life...after the decades of fuelling different types of machinery and no mishaps. x 1000
To my credit i realised and didn't start the engine.

[edit] my g/f's car is 9years old and on it's original battery. Rover 25 piece of crap but it has outlived most of the cars in our street.
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[Old Git Racing]

[-LG-]

[stonesie]

How's your battery, been to loadsa 05/06 cars with the oem battery on which is f***ed.

Yep its fine, doesnt go below 10.5v on start-up, I think its for the diesel version looking at the size of the thing, cars a 1.2 16v

Is your spare wheel good, or is there even one in there.

Space saver, un-used, pumped upto 60PSI like it says on the sidewall

Are you able to seperate the wheels from the hubs after taking the bolts out. Every wheel change I've been on so far is for this, wheel stuck to hub with corrosion.
Yarp, refreshed all the brakes recently and copperslipped the faces.

Are your locking wheel nut bits in the car.
In with the spare.

Is the car handbook in the car.
Nope but I know where all the fuses are and have spares ect.

Do you have a warm coat in the boot for when you break down on the motorway and the Highways guys make you stand behind the barrier in -2c while I turn up. ( Please do get out and do this, following a Stobart artic that drove halfway on the hard shoulder for about 500 yards yesterday).
I usually take one but dont leave it in the car.

Do you know where the screw in tow eye is if your car has one, beemers etc. If not you get charged for sending something else that can load it.
In with the spare.

Has your car really really got anti freeze in.
Its a FIAT so the head gasket was done recently, It's running a 50/50 mix.

Do you even have breakdown cover? Break down on a motorway or a trunk road and the Highways will charge you up to £150 just to get you taken to the nearest safe place, and you don't get a choice. (this goes for bikes as well).
Top level AA, one of the few good things about my Lloyds bank account.

[crazymotorbik...]

Hey,
It might be worth checking the missus's.
-If you mean car.....She hasn't got one. Just a taxi service. AKA me.


How's your battery, been to loadsa 05/06 cars with the oem battery on which is f***ed.
-Never had a problem with my battery. Its a sealed unit. Every weekend it gets a smear of vaseline if needed on its terminals.

Is your spare wheel good, or is there even one in there.
-Still have the original which has its prx checked weekly.

Are you able to seperate the wheels from the hubs after taking the bolts out. Every wheel change I've been on so far is for this, wheel stuck to hub with corrosion.
-Use copper slip! Never had a seized wheel nut yet (and don't give me no b"llshit about that being dangerous because it isn't) Same for every other fasten on my car.


Are your locking wheel nut bits in the car.
-Nope. No shiny alloys on my car.


Is the car handbook in the car.
-Yes and read it.


Do you have a warm coat in the boot for when you break down on the motorway and the Highways guys make you stand behind the barrier in -2c while I turn up.
-Fluorescent wet weather jacket which is used for work.


Do you know where the screw in tow eye is if your car has one,
-With the spare wheel. Never used by me yet *touch wood oooh errr*


Has your car really really got anti freeze in.
-Yep. Changed yearly by me.


Do you even have breakdown cover?
-Yes he's called dad and will tow me home from anywhere if asked.

Tip from me - Look after your car! Its not difficult. Half an hour on a Saturday afternoon will save you hours at the side of the road

Cheers,
Shaun R.

[Rogerborg]

If people bothered to maintained their cars, why would they put money in your pocket? Doing yourself out of a job there, aren't you?
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[st3v3]

My battery died last week, second one in 2 month.

But since the clutch pressure plate has wound itself loose I haven't used it in 2 weeks now, would have been a good time to stick some Anti-Freeze in. Tomorrows job

Tyres are good, wheels are good, towing eye is fixed(welded) in place and only used it last week

Always got a hood and bike fleece in the boot, along with jump leads and a spare jerry can. Assortment of useful tools is a good idea, just a handful of commonly used ones.
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[Shaft]