Are your tyres safe?

A question many of probably don’t know the answer too, are your tyres safe? Many of us overlook our tyres, forgetting they are the only point of contact to the road! Safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on a relatively small area of road contact. But how can the quality of your tyres keep you safer, be more efficient and stop other issues from occurring within the vehicle?

The safety of the tyres are the most important aspect, so what makes tyres safe? Tyres have ratings, brought in from the EU to give consumers more information on tyre safety. These rating include; wet grip, fuel efficiency and external noise. By comparing the rating you can see which tyres are more suited to your needs. You should also make sure you always get the correct size and speed rating for your car as it could be very dangerous if you choose the wrong ones. Ask for recommendations when needing to change your tyre, the experts will be able to give you the best advise.

Checking your tyres

If you find any cuts, lumps or bulges, get a professional to check your tyres immediately. The wear pattern on the tread should also be examined as irregular wear can be a sign of other vehicle issues such as misalignment. We created a post on Facebook ‘here’ about how to check your tyres properly!

Secondary problems

When we replace your tyres, we road test the vehicle and check for things like pulling to the left/right. This is usually a tell-tale sign you need your vehicle aligning. We carry out 4-wheel alignment when we also replace things such as arms, bushes and springs. You can also tell if you have alignment issues by the wear on your tyre. They should wear evenly, all tread on the tyre reduces at the same level. If you have alignment issues, you could have new tyres on and 6months later the inner edge is wearing too quick, and the cords are showing. Therefore, requiring new tyres again and costing money sooner than they should!

Another problem from misalignment would be more pressure on the other parts. Bushes and arms will have more strain and must overcompensate. Causing them to perish much sooner than they should.

We also carry our wheel-balancing when a tyre is replaced. The wheel is placed onto the machine and tiny weights are added to the inside of the wheel in specific places. This ensures the best performance from the tyre and longevity from uneven wear!

Tips:

We also advise having equal tyres on the front and back ie; if your replacing two tyres for bulges one front one back. Swap the two old tyres to both the front/back depending on your wheel drive and have the new on the opposite side. This is to minimise uneven wear and alignment issues occurring.

If you have already changed a tyre, you’ll need to update its opposite, too. Changing tyres in pairs saves several headaches, including uneven rolling resistance and grip caused by different treads on the same axle.

Tread patterns

If your drive a performance car you may be conscious of tread patterns. They aren’t just random patterns within the tyre, there is a lot of science that goes into creating the tyre pattern and they all have different benefits.

• Symmetrical tire tread patterns deliver smooth driving, high directional stability, and low rolling resistance.
• Directional tire tread patterns provide high protection against aquaplaning, excellent handling on snow and mud, and very good road-holding at high speeds.
• Asymmetric tire tread patterns offer excellent handling, high curve stability, and good grip in wet conditions.
• To maintain optimal safety and performance, avoid mixing tire tread patterns where possible.

We all have different requirements when choosing what tyres are going to be best for us. Whether its where you live and weather conditions or fuel economy. Ask when replacing your tyres which is the best fit. You can contact us ‘here‘.

Intake valve carbon clean

We carry out Intake valve carbon cleans on TFSI & TSI engines frequently due to build up within the valves. 90% of EU cars being manufactured now use Direct Injection to power the engine. There are so many benefits to manufacturers using Direct Injection, mainly fuel efficiency and power! The EU have more stringent emissions laws than the rest of the world, therefore manufacturers are using this method to push the limits of emission friendly cars to their max potential.

What is Direct Injection?

Most of us get into our cars and it gets us from A-B, and when something goes wrong, we take our car to the garage and trust our mechanic to fix the problem! However, in most cases its beneficial to learn why problems occur and how to stop more problems developing. Direct injection is where the fuel is injected from the HPFP to the injectors and into the combustion chamber. The ECU tells the injectors what intervals to spray the fuel in, at a precise time and position to atomise with the compressed air. This mixture then ignites and turns chemical energy into mechanical energy. At the end of the cycle, the exhaust valves open and release the excess gasses.

So, what are the draw backs?

Unfortunately, Direct injection vehicles are prone to carbon build up, HPFP failure and PCV failure. The PCV valve takes the oil vapours and recycles it into the air intake to give a more environmental burn. However, this is where the mixture can partially end up back into the intake valves resulting in the carbon built up. Sadly, it’s not a 5 minute job to check how built up the valves are with carbon. Therefore, we need to know the warning signs! The build-up of carbon essentially restricts the air flow and stops the vehicle being able to breathe. Signs you need an intake carbon clean include; Noticeable loss in performance, Check engine light on/won’t pass emissions, Poor fuel economy and Rough running. If you’re experiencing these problem and the vehicle has hit the 30,000 miles mark we would advise an intake valve clean. After that first clean, it shouldn’t need carrying out again until 40-50,000 mile intervals.

What method do we choose to clean?

There are a number of ways to clean your intake valves however we prefer methods that don’t damage the valves. If you choosing to manually scrape off the carbon built up your going to scratch the metal which could cause more problems. We choose to use walnut shell. It is soft enough to do no damage, but blasted into the valves at high pressure it removes the carbon built up safely. After your intake valve clean you should immediately see the benefits. These should include, smoother idle, lower fuel consumption and smoother throttle response.

We also advise having your injectors tested and cleaned at the same time as your intake valve clean. You can read our blog outlining the benefits of this ‘here’.

To book in or get a quote call us on 01642 613852. Use our contact form ‘here’ on contact us on Facebook.

Car manufacturers servicing recommendations

The importance of keeping up to date with car manufacturers servicing recommendations. Lets be honest, the majority of people don’t take pleasure is paying a bill for their car. Even though most people rely on their vehicles so heavily every single day! Therefore, when it comes to servicing requirements, it’s easy to put it off. Thinking ‘Ahh well I haven’t had any issues with the gearbox, so why does it need servicing?’ The reason we should all keep up to date with the car manufacturers recommendations is to prevent issues arising. Potentially causing secondary issues within the car! The recommendations are there for a reason so let’s not put them off!

Transmission servicing

Transmission servicing covers your Gearbox, Haldex and Differential. They all have different advisories (I know, hard to remember when to MOT, never mind to service your Haldex) however its important to at least roughly stick to the guidelines. VAG advise every 38,000 miles for your gearbox. If not serviced essentially it will result in a huge increase in friction as the more viscous contaminated fluid is unable to lubricate the metal parts properly. Your previously smooth gear shifting will become clunky, sticky and could start to slip.

The Haldex servicing requirements are different depending on which you have. Gen 1-4 is advised every 38,000 miles and Gen 5 is advised every 20,000 miles. Gen 1-4 have a filter which is changed however, Gen 5 has a gauze filter which we remove along with the pump and clean before putting back together. You can tell which Generation you have by the year usually however there are some crossovers. If you’re unsure and require this service get in touch and we can help you out. Not having your Haldex service can literally stop it from working over time resulting in your 4-wheel drive vehicle having major problems. The only fix is a costly new Haldex and that will set you back a lot more than keeping on top of the servicing!

The Differential oil, Transfer box oil and Active diff services are all recommended at 38,000 miles.

Servicing

Your Interim and Major servicing should generally be alternated and at 10,000 mile intervals/yearly. This includes your Oil, Fuel, Air and pollen filters. If you have a petrol vehicle with spark plugs these should be changed every 30,000 miles but this can change depending on your specific vehicle and driving style (You know who you are). If your vehicle is under warranty and something fails within the engine/gearbox and it is deemed to be due to poor or lack of servicing, be aware you may not be covered and will have to fork out for the repairs yourself.

Timing belt services are advised at 80,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. Apart from the 1.0-1.5 Tsi engines, these are advised every 4 years regardless of milage. Not getting your timing servicing could have catastrophic consequences. When the timing belt breaks, the crankshaft will continue to spin, while the camshaft will stop turning. As a result, the pistons will continue to rise and fall in their cylinders and can, in some instances strike the valves. When this happens, the pistons, valves and cylinder heads will be damaged, and because it happens so quickly, the damage will be virtually instantaneous.

We then have your more basic servicing all regardless of mileage:

Brake fluid change – every 2 years

Coolant/anti freeze – every 5 years

Air con – every 2 years

Hopefully this gives you a brief overview of your VAG servicing requirements and how important they are! If you would like to book in you can contact us via Facebook, Our contact page or call us on 01642 613852.

Some of you may not know we are able to carry out Petrol Injector testing and cleaning! We invested in an ASNU petrol injector machine and are able to service your injectors to help you optimize engine performance! We often add this service onto an Intake Valve Carbon Clean as whilst we are in the engine it makes sense to test and clean the injectors at the same time!

So why do petrol injectors cause problems?

Engine fuel Injectors collect dirt, grime and soot. As the injector sprays fuel into the intake manifold at a precise angle and speed, the dirty injector can cause issues due to the Air and fuel mix being inaccurate. Often symptoms of injector problems include; engine misfires, rough idle, mpg dips and unpredictable movements of the RPM needle. In the worst case, your car won’t start!

So what does the ASNU machine do?

We decided to invest in the ASNU Injector Diagnostic Testing & Servicing Systems. The machine puts the injector through various testing. ‘The ASNU system has been designed for comparing injector against injector at a safe operating level. The ASNU system allows the user to visually examine the injectors on an individual cycle or in sequential mode, where they can compare the performance of the injectors under a range of simulated Millisecond & RPM driving cycles already programmed into the ASNU system. The injectors can be operated at various RPM & MilliSecond settings, restricted only by the number of injectors being tested in the sequential testing operation.’ Once the injectors are tested, they are thoroughly cleaned in an ultrasonic bath. We will then replace any seals on suitable injectors that require it, then they are good to go.

Here’s a ‘link’ to the ASNU website to find out more!

Injector cleaning is £30 inc VAT per injector. We will be creating more videos in the coming months on how injector cleaning works and the benefits! You can follow our YouTube and Facebook pages to keep up to date by clicking the links.

We can also test and clean your injectors without the vehicle! If your car is having some issues and your injectors are already out, get in touch and send your injectors too us and we’ll post them back with a full report. Get in touch via the contact page.

We’re bringing Revo to the Ford market!

As of November 22 we have been carrying out Revo maps and fitting hardware to the Ford market! Something as a VAG specialist we didn’t anticipate ever doing! The demand has been crazy since we have announced the new addition to our services and we have loved every minute of this new adventure. We’re bringing Revo to the Ford market!

Adding the Ford market is something we have been toying with for a while now but ultimately we couldn’t turn down the opportunity. We do still only carry out Revo maps and Hardware, we are not adding repairs/maintenance to this for a number of reasons. One being we don’t have the staff to be able to take on the extra workload, secondly because if we find something wrong with a vehicle outside of general maintenance, we haven’t got the tools and added knowledge a Ford specialist would have to repair the problem.

So what can you get from Revo software?

Developed on the racetrack, ready for the road. The Revo tuning philosophy ensures that impressive performance benefits are balanced with useable, reliable power delivery that enhances the way you can drive your vehicle. Development on the road and racetrack as well as testing in controlled dyno conditions gives you a clearer picture of the performance you can expect from Revo ECU Software. Testing in this way plays an important role in ensuring the highest quality products and delivering the driving experience expected.

Revo offers some of the most substantial performance increases on the market, however, only the driven know that peak figures form part of a much bigger picture and are never the sole focus during Revo’s development process; it’s all about the drive. Only Revo offers a perfect balance of performance, economy and engine longevity.

Revo performance ECU Software gives you much more than just an increase in power and torque. A large part of development is based on driving scenarios and feedback; our calibration doesn’t just offer great dyno curves and peak power/torque figures but an exhilarating driving experience. Expect smooth and refined response at low RPM & partial throttle, with huge gains at wide-open throttle and throughout the whole rev range.

Revo Hardware?

All Revo hardware is designed and tested in-house by a specialist team of experienced engineers. Using state of the art prototyping equipment to aid the design process, and in-depth testing procedures the team are able to ensure the highest quality products.

Revo hardware is engineered to function at a much higher level than a standard component, designed to withstand a multitude of power outputs, should you want that little bit more power later on. Revo strives to produce beautiful products that work and fit seamlessly with your vehicle, offering an OEM+ look with aftermarket performance advantages.

You can take a look at Revo’s Ford blog page ‘here’ and keep up to date on developments and new information!

‘Contact us’ to get a quote on adding Revo to our car!

We’re bringing Revo to the Ford market!