Selling a Car

When it is time to sell your car you need to know what you have and what it is worth on the current market.
 Once again research is the key. You have to compare apples with apples.
 I recommend comparing like models on popular trading websites such as Carsales and ebay. Redbook (which is now linked with Carsales) is a more realistic evaluation as it also has wholesale price listings.

The ideal situation to get the highest price is not be rushed or forced to sell. Sell to a party who is out of your immediate circle of friends and family. Selling within your circle can ruin relationships in the case that the vehicle has an expensive random unforeseen failure.

The true secret to recovering the maximum amount money on a used car is timing. Talk to your Mechanic. Many customers have said to me I wish I sold my car 2 years ago. When they read through their invoices and see un upward trend of thousands of dollars in a short period of time. Many expensive wearable parts or extensive oil leaks or even rust can be detected early if you car is regularly serviced and inspected.

 

Mobile Speed Camera

This has been the first week of MOBILE SPEED CAMERAS. There are 5 "RADARS" in N.S.W. one of them in my local area. Collaroy Pittwater Rd. 12:00 to 15:00 24/07/10 .

These RADARS are not POLICE cars they are contractors for The Macquarie Group. The RADARS are parked on the side of the road where the CAMERA takes a picture. You will be sent a fine in the mail.

The vehicles they are using are WHITE FORD TERRITORY so watch out !!

Buying Cars.

Buying cars is easy if you can remain subjective. Car ownership is expensive so if you can keep the number of registered vehicles you own to a minimum you will be save money. Once you have narrowed down your choices to 2 cars then you need to research,

• Where is the vehicle made ?
• Is it super seeded or about to be ?
• What is the re-sale value ?
• How much and how frequent are major services ?
• Is the car mechanically reliable ?

USED CARS:

Before you make an offer on a car you must do a REVS CHECK. A REVS CHECK will tell you if the vehicle has any ENCUMBRANCES, is STOLEN or a WREAK \ WRITE OFF and if there is money owing on the vehicle for N.S.W. registered vehicles. http://www.revs.nsw.gov.au/

After the car has passed the REVS CHECK get a PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION from a trusted Mechanic. This check should take one hour and cost $100. This will be $100 well spent and ask your mechanics opinion on the car and the condition of the car.

Now it is down to price. Most advertised car prices are negotiable by 10%. Just make sure the starting price is reasonable. The best way to check price is checking CARSALES.COM.AU . This website is LINKED to this BLOG in the VALUATIONS column. If your Mechanic finds work needed to done to the vehicle such as BRAKES or TIMING BELT you can negotiate the repairs off the advertised price, this will more than cover the $100 spent on the PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION.

Engine Oil Change

Changing ENGINE OIL should be done every 6 MONTHS or 10,000 KM.

Regular ENGINE OIL changes makes all the difference between a noisy and a quiet running engine. An engine that is well SERVICED will far out-last and out-perform a neglected engine.

The first ENGINE OIL CHANGE is the most important. During the engine's RUNNING IN period many small pieces of metal from the casting process will be in the ENGINE OIL.
Some CAR MANUFACTURERS such as BMW recommend SERVICE INTERVAL of 25,000 KM, which means the first OIL CHANGE will be done at 25,000 KM. In my opinion this is AUTO ABUSE! The reason for CAR MANUFACTURERS recommending such large SERVICE INTERVALS is purely because it makes the car seem cheaper to maintain and therefore more attractive to the prospective new car buyer and lease companies.
SLUDGING occurs due to lack of OIL CHANGES or use of POOR QUALITY ENGINE OIL.
SLUDGING is when oil loses all VISCOSITY and becomes black and TAR like. SLUDGE can be found through-out a neglected engine, under the rocker cover and in the ENGINE SUMP, where the PICK-UP for the engine oil pump bill be blocked by SLUDGE staving the engine of oil and causing severe issues with LOW or NO OIL PRESSURE.
SLUDGING causes problems with parts in the engine that work HYDRAULICALLY including lifters and timing chain tensioners.  Noisy lifters and loose timing chains cause wear on engines and can trigger engine warning lights and running rough. Unfortunately there is no repair for a sludged engine. Prevention is the cure.

In older ENGINES over 150,000 KM I recommend a SERVICE INTERVAL of 5,000KM or 6 months and consider a THICKER and HEAVIER GRADE OIL such as 10w30 or 15w40. For smokey ENGINES that USE OIL try using 20w50. Engines with HYDRAULIC LIFTERS can develop LIFTER NOISE "tap tap tap tap" due to lack of oil pressure to BLEED up the lifters.

Checking engine oil level between services is a good practice as TOP UPS may be needed. You can check engine oil by using the DIPSTICK.

Timing Belts.

''Change timing belt to avoid costly engine DAMAGE.''

TIMING BELTS or CAM BELTS simply are a toothed rubber composite belt that does a similar job as TIMING CHAIN. The job of a Timing Belt is to keep the CAM SHAFTS that control the opening and closing of the VALVES in time with the CRANKSHAFT that controls the PISTONS in a FOUR STROKE ENGINE.

I recommend to change TIMING BELT every 5 years or 100,000 km which ever comes first. If you have just purchased a vehicle that is over 5 years old or 100,000 km you should change the TIMING BELT or check that it has been done. Especially if you plan to keep the vehicle for 5 years or more.

If your accessory belt/s are worn out or cracked then it may be time to change the TIMING BELT.

When the engines WATER PUMP is leaking, noisy or ineffective the TIMING BELT may have to be removed to replace the WATER PUMP. Once the belt removed it is recommended to change the TIMING BELT unless it has been recently changed.

Damage caused by a snapped TIMING BELT can be the PISTONS colliding with the VALVES. This sort of damage generally means that the engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced. A rebuild would include replacement of bent VALVES and smashed PISTONS.

Modifying Street Cars

Personally I am all for modifying / customising any car that someone chooses. The harsh reality is that society is not all for it. When modifying a street car there points to consider such as,

• what are you trying to achieve?

• will the outcome be practical ?

• will the car street legal?

• should you just stick to a track or drag car that is not street registered?

• do you have the knowledge or connections to make it happen?

I have experienced both the pain and the joy of successful and not so successful projects. Planning + persistence is the secret to success. Know what you want and be able to communicate with parts suppliers and engineers. If you have a trusted mechanic or workshop it will be a great advantage.

When people ask me "what car should I get?" or "what can I do with my car?" Most people know exactly what they want. The best advise is pick a car that is a classic or future classic, a desirable model and then get the highest possible series, top of the range.

If you can achieve the performance or the look that you want that is still with-in the form of standard looking car or "SLEEPER," the less negative attention you will get from POLICE and the headache of DEFECTS.

The best sign of a successful project is passing the scrutiny of POLICE "going over" your pride and joy. Reliability and drive-ability must be the highest priority, modification and customising must be an improvement on the factory model. Most important is to experience a feeling of pride and fun!

Tyre Pressure Issues.

Tyre pressures can change the driving attitude of any car.

Manufacturer's recommended tyre pressures are given in MIN and MAX depending on how loaded the vehicle is. The specifications can generally be found in the drivers door jam or in the owners manual.

Tyre pressure recommendations from tyre companies and suppliers have incrementally crept up over the last 10 years or so, as tyre design and composition has changed. In passenger cars such as Falcon and Commodore 32 psi was common in most workshops then 36 psi and now 38-40 psi, getting close to the tyres MAX pressure rating, which can be found written on the sidewall of the tyre.

Also a fact to keep in mind is that the MAX pressure rating is COLD. Tyre pressures INCREASE as tyre temperature RISES. You can experiment with your tyre pressures as long as you keep within the recommended levels.

Advantages of correct tyre pressures are PROLONGED TYRE LIFE due to even wear. Ride comfort and handling can also be greatly improved. Under steer and wallowing can be reduced and sharpness of steering is noticeable. Slow maneuvering, like parking is much easier as steering feels lighter and even FUEL ECONOMY can rise dramatically.

QUICK TIP: if you ever find yourself bogged in sand simply drop your tyre pressure dramatically, you could drive straight out !