Tanbury Ltd - Tips and Advice

We hope our seasonal tips and advice are of use. Remember to look at the current offers we have on at Tanbury to save you money in maintenance of your vehicle. 

Take a look at our seasonal tips for some advice. Seasonal tips from Tanbury

 --------------------------

Read our article on keeping your motoring stress free over the summer as published in the WSCT. (link).

General Tips.

Air Conditioning	Battery	Engine Oil
Seasonal Tips

Air Conditioning

Law changed on the 4th July 2010 will affect Air Conditioning gas prices , the cost of R134 Gas is rising and so will the cost of servicing
Air Conditioning.

Air Conditioning / Climate control is increasingly one of the most popular options on new cars and has been made standard equipment on many new vehicles.
Due to recent European law changes all individuals who handle A/C refrigerant gases must be trained and certified. Refrigerant gases are green house gases and must not be released into the Earth's Atmosphere. Tanbury have 2 F-gas trained technicians and the latest equipment to enable A/C service and repair to all makes of vehicle.
With a similar set up to your engine, your A/C system requires maintenance and regular servicing, manufactures recommend every 2-3 years.
Tanya at Tanbury explains: Why A/C Systems must be checked and serviced.
A/C systems are charged with gas from new, due to natural seepage the quantity of gas reduces with time and eventually the lack of refrigerant will cause the system to work overtime, this in turn increases the load on the engine ultimately this has a negative affect on the overall performance and efficiency of your vehicle. If the gas falls below the required minimum the system may shut down. As the A/C system is mainly mechanical lack of lubrication can also cause premature component failure. A/C components are expensive to replace and Tanbury believe that with regular maintenance there is no reason not to expect the A/C system to last the lifetime of the vehicle.         top

Another area of concern is Bacteria, condensation builds up on the evaporator, this becomes a breeding ground for Harmful Bacteria and Fungi which can cause sickness and flu like symptoms. Tanbury technicians will carry out a fresh and clean service on your vehicle A/C system to remove the harmful bacteria.
Benefits of having your vehicle A/C System regally serviced
Prevent extra load on your vehicle engine which affects it's fuel economy
Prevent potential premature A/C component failure Improve air quality and kill the bacteria that can affect your health and driving comfort

Tanbury Special offer A/C System service includes:

• Removal and checks on condition and quantity of the refrigerant
• Evacuation of the system before recharging with the manufactures
  recommended quantity of gas and top up of the correct viscosity oil
• Fresh and clean service of the evaporator with an Anti-Bacterial
  Spray [ guaranteed for 6 months ]

If your A/C System is not working then Tanbury can carry out diagnostics and
can pressure test the system for leaks. The vehicle would be assessed on arrival and an estimate of costs would be given for the tests involved to confirm the fault. A full report and estimate of repairs required would then be given.

                                                                                                      

Car Battery                                                                    top

One of the most important parts of your car is the battery. If it doesn't work, your car doesn't start. And, in the winter it is much more likely to let you down than in the summer months.

The electrical power produced by the battery is used by the cars ignition system for cranking the engine. The car's battery also powers the lights and other accessories.

Have the battery tested on a regular basis, including when the car is serviced and before any long journeys.

Here are some things you can do yourself to prevent being stranded on a cold winter day.

Know how old your battery is. To see how old your battery is look for a small decal on the battery. A letter with a number should be there. The letter indicates the month, starting with "A" for January, "B" for February, and so on. I is skipped so December is "M". The number represents the year with "9" standing for 1999, "0" for 2000, etc. so D2, would be April, 2002. F5 would be June, 2005. Experts usually advise getting a new battery when a battery is four years old.

Look out for corroded terminals or battery posts, loose clamps, loose cables, or a leaking or damaged battery case. Look for dirty, wet, corroded or swollen cables and battery top.

Look for a loose or broken alternator belt. If the alternator fails the battery will need to power the vehicle's entire electrical system and it won't last very long.

Keep Jump Leads in the boot of your car for emergency start up. Make sure the cables are free of rust and corrosion and that there are no exposed wires before using them.

Park your car in a garage whenever possible.

Oil Check                                                                    top

Why check your oil? I mean, the garage changes it regularly during the service right? This way you don’t have to get your hands dirty by going under the bonnet, just leave it until service time right? Wrong! Checking your car's engine oil is one of the simplest and most important maintenance activities that needs to be done regularly. Here at Oakdene Autos we are regularly having customers come to us asking what is wrong with their engine… Why is it rattling badly or why is it making that awful noise? easy, NO OIL. People seem to think that they can go from service to service without checking the oil, considering that todays modern vehicles only need the oil changed approx every 10,000 miles that can be a whole year between services, this means that the oil is being checked once a year no wonder these people are having problems. Finding that you are low on oil either because your engine has burnt it or because you have a slight leak before it damages your engine can save you hundreds even thousands of pounds in some cases in repair costs. Running your engine without oil will cause the engine to seize solid, then you will wish that you had taken just that few minutes at the weekend to check your oil. The best time to check your engine's oil is when the engine is warm to the touch. To check the oil, locate the dipstick, most dipsticks will be labeled as "oil." Pull the dipstick out and wipe it with a rag. Replace the dipstick and pull it out again, this time look at the end of the dipstick that was in the engine. You want the oil level to be somewhere between the minimum and maximum marks (preferably nearer the maximum mark), if it's significantly below the line, you need to add some oil straight away and then go to the garage and ask them to look for a leak.

 

                                                                                           top