TVC’s Breakfast show – #WakeUpNigeria, is a show that brings you a little bit of everything. And because we are particular about the safety of our viewers, we bring you tips and cautions with which you can maintain your automatic cars, courtesy Ayo Sofela of Ayomatics Autogarage.
HOW TO DRIVE YOUR CAR THROUGH FLOOD:
It is almost inevitable to drive through rain or flood, but before you do that, it is necessary to take these precautions for the good of your car.
Lots of people have the mentality that driving very FAST through flood is the most appropriate thing to do but alas! danger is looming if you try it.
A rotating fan in your engine could pick the water if you move fast and move the water to a naked ignition coil causing an electrical surge in the car which can damage a whole lot of things. If water gets to the alternator too, it is very dangerous.
So the best bet is to not rush through a large puddle of water, drive slowly. Now, if it happens that you have driven through water, you need to check that your brakes are still 100 percent active, heat it up and make sure your mechanic checks through the engine for possible damage. Listen below:
POWER STEERING PUMP:
The Electric power steering pump is the entire steering pump of your car being electric. The benefit of using an electric over an hydraulic pump is that the steering of an electric pump is way softer than the hydraulic pump but a major challenge happens when the electric one goes bad because you would need to change the entire pump.
The choice of your car’s power steering pump depends on you, if you prefer it nice and soft, but if you want something that doesn’t get damaged easily or that can be easily repaired, go for the hydraulic one. However, don’t forget that very soon, it wouldn’t be a matter of your choice anymore as most cars now come with the electric power steering pump.
Find in 59:55 – 1:04:42 below:
ENGINE OIL
It is crucial to understand the difference between a mineral oil and a synthetic oil. Both of them are gotten from crude oil but the major difference is that the synthetic oil goes through a way more advanced refinery process. The mineral oil has less ‘detergent’ than the synthetic oil that makes it get dirty after a few days/weeks in the car engine.
It is NOT advisable to interchange the oil specification for each car. As a matter of fact, it is MANDATORY to use synthetic oil on new model cars; manufactured from 2005 till date.
To identify a pure mineral oil, is not difficult. It’s always very dark and very thick, most times sold at the road side. The synthetic oil on the other hand is always branded and sealed, plus it’s always specified on the can.
If you make the mistake of using the wrong engine oil, it causes a sludge build up in the engine because it’s very thick and takes time to flow through the engine. If it is not immediately checked, it results in ‘wear and tear’ which could mean that you buy a new engine, and oh! nobody wants that.
Now, a synthetic engine oil is very expensive, as high as #15,000. So to afford people the ability to purchase the suitable engine oil for their cars, manufacturers have now introduced something in the middle, the semi-synthetic engine oil, between 8 and #10,000.
Find tutorial in video below (46:40 – 52:40).
STILL ON ENGINE OIL!
Manufacturers take their time to state the specified code so you don’t make a mistake identifying the specification meant for your car: Every car model has a different oil specification and you can find it on the engine oil filler cap of modern cars, for example, SAE0W20 which is the lowest grade you can go on a car. You could knock your car engine if you use a thicker oil than the one specified for you car model.
If you hear any tapping sound from you car engine when you start it, you’re either using the wrong kind of oil or your oil pump is bad, but you can be sure it has to do with the engine oil.
Pay attention to the tutorial in the video below (53:16 – 1:01:04)
FINALLY ON ENGINE OIL:
According to Ayo Sofela in 53:20 – 58:55 below, you should pull out the dip stick every morning before you set out, to see the level of your car oil. The lower point tells you when the engine oil is too low and the higher point notifies you when the engine oil is at its maximum level. You can tell that the car is due for servicing when the oil color appears too dark or dirty.
Bottom line, don’t use any other kind of oil asides what your car manufacturer has specified for your car and don’t forget you can find the suitable kind of oil on the oil filler cap. It is important to follow specification; once you go out of your specification, (either up or down), you are at the risk of losing your engine.
