Air, oil and fuel filters are often overlooked, but all play essential roles. Kim Henson advises checking when they were last renewed on your vehicle. Car manufacturers fit a variety of important filters on their vehicles, typically including air, engine oil, fuel and pollen filters. Recent diesel engines also have Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). The function of each is to remove … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips
(to help you get the best out of your car)
You don’t need to be a ‘technical’ person to follow our tips, which we hope will help you get maximum enjoyment and value for your money, from your vehicle.
Whether you drive a new car, a recent model, a classic or something in between, there are many simple things that can be done to help give the vehicle the best chance of a long, cost-effective operating life, and in the long-term make ownership more enjoyable.
It has been proved over and over again that, regardless of whether you service and repair the car yourself, or entrust the work to others, a well-maintained car will run better for longer, and will cost less to operate. In addition, if/when you eventually sell it, the vehicle will be worth more money than a neglected example.
Most of our tips address issues that are straightforward to comprehend and deal with (no rocket science here then!), and many could save you thousands of pounds…
Kim Henson.
Kim’s Tips – Run the engine frequently to avoid alternator (and other) woes…
Kim says, “Cars don’t take kindly to long periods out of use; if possible run the engine often, and on each occasion move the vehicle forwards and backwards a little, to prevent mechanical seizures”. Just one of the many unforeseen aspects of the awful pandemic through which we are living is that many cars, and especially some classics, have been used very little, if at all, during the last 10 … [Read more...]
Kim’s (Classic) Tips – Check your S.U. petrol pump for leaks
S.U. electric petrol pumps, used on many classic vehicles, usually survive and operate for many years, but potentially dangerous fuel leaks can develop… Kim Henson advises making frequent, regular inspections – for safety and reliability. S.U. petrol pumps have been giving sterling service for many decades on a wide variety of classic cars and light commercials, including Morris Minors, MGs … [Read more...]
60 Not Out!! ‘Car Mechanics’ magazine still helps motorists get the best from their vehicles… Special celebratory issue out on 15th March.
Kim Henson reports on one of the longest-running motoring magazines – going strong after 60 years, despite huge changes in car technologies and fashions. In the spring of 1958 a new motoring magazine caused something of a stir; the first issue of ‘Car Mechanics’ appeared, with the cover date April 1958. Like its long-established rival ‘Practical Motorist’, it aimed to help advise readers on how … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips: Extreme Winter Motoring – Take care; don’t be a Chilly Billy…
Colder and colder… don’t get caught out… Kim Henson advises: Stay safe, keep mobile and warm, and look after your car. With temperatures already low and forecast to plummet still further, and with predicted heavy snowfalls across the U.K. this week featuring prominently in all the weather forecasts that I have seen/heard in the last few days and hours, now is the time to think seriously about … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips: Haven’t the foggiest? Take extra care if visibility is poor…
Driving in fog? It’s vital to see and be seen, and not to be mesmerised by the murk… advises Kim Henson. Driving in fog can be a frightening and potentially dangerous experience, but foggy weather is not unusual (in the UK at least), especially in winter, and it is worth taking extra care to try to ensure that you stay safe if you are obliged to drive in such conditions. These tips for … [Read more...]
Classic Information (Kim’s Tips) – Think positive during vehicle restoration!
Classic vehicle restoration... Don’t give up! You CAN do it… Kim Henson advises. When trying to restore, recommission or even just re-invigorate a classic car, van or pick-up, to get the vehicle to its rightful place back out on the road where it can be enjoyed, there will almost certainly be times when the scale of the task weighs heavy. Indeed things can build up to the extent that sometimes … [Read more...]
Under Pressure then, or are you just tyred out?
Some 8.1 million UK motorists could be on the roads with dangerously soft tyres… Kim Henson reports, and shares some of his tips to help you... According to new research by AA Tyres (the AA’s mobile tyre fitting service), more than one in four UK drivers (27%) – potentially in charge of up to 8.1 million of the 30 million licensed cars on our roads – haven’t checked their tyre pressures in the … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips – Get it Taped!
Keep a roll or two of tape in your vehicle – it can come in very handy… Says Kim Henson. I have often been thankful for the various ‘get you out of trouble’/emergency aid things that I endeavour to keep in my car’s boot, wherever I travel. I am not talking about a need (usually impractical) to carry huge tool kits, etc, but (usually) compact items that could just help you get home, or perhaps … [Read more...]
MoT Test – Don’t let your car fail!
A million cars on UK roads will undergo their first MoT test over the next few weeks and a third are expected to fail… Robin Roberts reports… In the first quarter of 2014, the SMMT was excitedly telling us about 688,000 63-plate and 465,000 14-plate cars that went through showrooms and onto the roads as Britain recovered from the financial crisis of 2008/09. It was a slow recovery which had … [Read more...]
‘Fost and Frog’? Take care on those wintry roads…
Frost and fog – either can be lethal; together they make a dreadfully dangerous combination. Kim Henson advises driving with extra special care when visibility is poor and temperatures are low at the same time, as is happening right now in Britain… Yesterday evening I was obliged to make a short car journey in town, to get home, and the road conditions were awful, with thick fog reducing … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips: A Good Start?
Winter's coming: Make sure that you can always get your car started. Kim Henson (with input from the Grumpy Old Mechanic) advises… Typical British winters inevitably bring with them cold and damp conditions, and it is during such times that motor cars can sometimes be reluctant to perform, or even to start at all. Of course, you cannot blame them, for if you had been sat outside all night in … [Read more...]
Grumpy Old Mechanic says… “Grease It!”
He’s having a go again – this time about people who don’t grease their old cars… Go on then, Grumpy Old Mechanic, what’s wrong now? You would never believe the number of classic cars that I have seen lately that have obviously not seen a grease gun for many a long year. Why is this important? Because in the good old days, manufacturers fitted grease nipples so that periodically fresh grease … [Read more...]
DANGER – High Costs Ahead… THINK Before You Fill Up Your Car…
Accidentally filling your vehicle with the wrong type of fuel can cost you dearly in time and money – in addition to the price of the wasted fuel. A report by our special guest contributor Miss Fuelling… Many of us (including me!) have done it; others have come oh-so-close… I’m talking about filling your vehicle with the wrong sort of fuel. Today’s forecourts always seem to be ultra-busy and … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips: Check Your Nuts, Bolts and Screws for Tightness
Loose Fasteners are Bad News... Advises Kim Henson. It may seem obvious, but whenever a vehicle – old or new – is being worked on, fasteners have to be released/removed in order to take off ailing components so that they can be repaired or renewed. Equally these fasteners have then to be refitted/retightened when re-assembly takes place. The thing is… It is always wise to re-check the … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips – Removing Debris from Car Bodywork Areas Normally Enclosed and Inaccessible
Leaf it Out… Kim Henson Advises on Getting Rid of Leaf Debris etc. from Car Bodywork Crevices, Whenever the Opportunity Arises. It is surprising how much leaf debris and silt can collect in nooks and crannies around car bodywork, especially in areas that are difficult to access and so usually are left undisturbed for long periods. Examples include hollows around and beneath scuttle panels, … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips – Keep Your Cooling System (Classic or Modern) in Good Nick
Hot Stuff! Off the Scale… Kim Henson offers advice on keeping your engine cool and operating as it should. The recent spell of hot weather has caught out many motorists, in classic and modern vehicles. Temperature gauge needles have been rising, in some cases to catastrophically high levels. Any vehicle with a cooling system in ‘marginal’ condition, and/or with a low coolant lever, is at … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips – For Safety and Cost Reasons Check Your Car Frequently for Fuel and Coolant Leaks
UNION DUES. Fuel and Coolant Leaks can be Dangerous and Expensive, yet Checking is not Difficult… Kim Henson explains. One way and another I spend a great deal of my time peering under bonnets of both new and old vehicles, and lately I have encountered a number of cars with potentially dangerous leaks of fuel and coolant. Fuel weeping from a loose union or a split hose will ignite if it gets … [Read more...]
Kim’s Tips – Steering Wheel Removal – Take Care!
If Removing a Steering Wheel (Classic or Modern), Think BEFORE You Act… By Kim Henson. Whether your car is a recent model or an ageing classic, there can be occasions when the steering wheel has to be removed, possibly in order to remove the dashboard, or to gain access to the steering column controls, or even just to ‘centralise’ the wheel on its splines so that the spokes align in their … [Read more...]
Give Your Battery a Helping Hand – Kim’s Tips
Kim Henson advises on getting the best from your battery, at the same time helping it to 'survive and prosper'! Whether your car is a classic or a more recent model, its battery has to take a great deal of punishment in winter, with constant demands on its output, through a wealth of electrical systems that it has to supply (particularly on modern vehicles). Low temperatures sap at battery … [Read more...]
