Virtual Mechanic

Recently I decided to get some quotes on car insurance and was quite surprised
I rang the following Insurance companies
The quotes were based on a 45-year-old male driver with no license cancellations
No insurance cancellation.
I made the point this car would be garaged during the week.
The vehicle that was quoted is the following
Holden Commodore sedan 2005 acclaim with no modifications accept a tow bar.
I must say that the call centers seem to have changed with excellent customer service.
The insurance companies were the following

AAMI  $644.00 with $550 Eccess add another $50 for Windscreen
Note AAMI other a discount if you apply online

YOUI  $660.00 with $600 Eccess add another $50 for windscreen
Note this was based with car parked at home during the week, and garaged
Special note I applied online about 3 months ago but no reply, so I called this time..

Budget Direct $381.00 with the condition no one under 40 will drive the vehicle
With an Eccess of $500.00

RACV  $787.00 agreed value of $15500 or $685 if the market value is $14100
With an Eccess of $550.00 I didn’t bother asking about the windscreen as you can see the “RACV WAS THE HIGHEST QUOTE”.

Well someone has to pay for the TV commercials, and the buildings not to mention executives fees, directives fees, must I go on……………..
Let me add, have you ever had to deal with making a claim, I have an its not so amicable. I was forced to elevate my claim to court, is was only at this level the RACV decided to resolve the issue, out of court. I encourage you to do the same.

“Who ever the company”

.SUNCORP $570.00 with $500 Eccess  as with most you may choose your own repairer but AAMI need to check who you choose just to make sure they have had no negative dealings in the past.

When it comes to insurance it really pays to shop around but the most preferred option is to avoid an accident as much as possible with the winter  coming up, and those rainy days, so do your self a favour check your tyres to prevent an accident.
Also check that both rear stop and tail lights are operating.

Written by Darren Gow-Brown, WWW.Virtualmechanic.com.au, in the interests of motor vehicle safety.

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Why do I need to check the spare wheel
The best way to explain the need to check your spare tyre is take you back to my days working for the RACV in roadside service, I never minded changing wheels for anyone at any time. Most females were apologetic about the fact that they called someone to change a flat tyre.
The fact is changing a wheel can be dangerous especially if performing this task on a freeway so when checking your tyres on a regular basis go the extra tyre and check the spare as it will deflate over time and there is only one time when you need it how life is so great if the spare is roadworthy and with the correct tyre pressure.

Getting back to my roadside service days, I remember I was in the city where there was absolutely parking, I found the member break-in down parking in the centre of the road with a flat tyre so he would have been waiting for about 45 minutes for me to arrive knowing that I was going to change his tyre only to find in his boot, a boot full of  books, so after taking all the books out of the boot here we find a flat tyre and I thought well some people need protection from them selves, I felt a bit under pressure at the time due to the fact I was getting paid a total of $6 per job yes that’s right a whole $6 dollars this was because I was contracting to the RACV.

Getting back to the spare wheel, it would not even hurt if you were to utilize the spare with other wheels to prevent to spare from rusting.

Now for those of you to whom are not so fortunate to find a real spare wheel, will be looking at a Orange or red skinny, I call it a funny wheel because it looks funny.
The most critical thing to understand about the funny wheel is that you have a speed limit of around 60 to 80 km limit so your home work this week is open up the boot locate the spare wheel check the type of wheel and CHECK THE PRESSURE
May I add if you are broken down on the freeway if possible get a friend to come over and to park behind you about five to ten metres   with the hazard lights on with the engine running in park, basically do what ever it takes to be safe.

For the record I hated the jobs leading me onto the freeway because it only takes a millisecond of error by an oncoming vehicle to change your life forever for this reason I made contact to Eastlink James Tonkin Manager – Strategy & Marketing, ConnectEast Group (jtonkin@connecteast.com.au ) about producing a short Video for motorist to understand freeway safety when breaking down on the freeway, the e-mail was submitted to Eastlink 30-4-10,  still awaiting a reply.

Written by Darren Gow-Brown, WWW.Virtualmechanic.com.au, in the interests of motor vehicle safety

It’s very easy for me to write about checking your motor vehicles 
engine oil especially between services because I’m the mechanic that gets 
to see the effects of driving a vehicle on low or even no oil showing 
on the dip stick.
Apart from premature wear and tear on the engine, the short term damage 
is overheating due to lack of lubrication oil performs many functions including transferring heat away from the cylinders, it also washes the engine holding acids and silicon oxide in suspension offering a protection of oxidation at higher temperatures.
I think I know why most people don’t check the engine oil between 
services.
Here were some of the reasons given to me when I asked the question.
I didn’t think I needed to check it
That’s what motor mechanics are for right
It’s a new car it doesn’t use any oil
It’s too dirty I’m getting my hands dirty

If I was anything other than a mechanic I would accept most of those 
reasons but I’m not so sorry but you do need to get in the practise of 
checking your engine oil on a weekly basis whether you have new 
vehicle or not.
Of course while your there it won’t kill you to check the washer bottle.
There are many checks to be made under the including the coolant level 
or the water level but I will need explain this some detail as this 
requires special
Attention.
Written by Darren Gow-Brown, in the interest of motor vehicle safety. WWW.virtualmechanic.com.au

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Are you a safe driver is your car safe or does your car make you feel safe.
As a sign of getting older I see more on the road, and the part that’s concerns me is the speedy drivers darting down the freeway from lane to lane tailgating everywhere

I can remember my first love, sorry I mean my first car at 18 years old, but I started a lot earlier at 13 years old but lets go to my first 12 months of driving.

At 18 years old I purchased a VW beetle, a red beetle running on 3 out of 4 cylinders this car had a nice smell to it, I was an apprentice motor mechanic at the time and I saw this little beauty just got traded in at the dealership where I was working.

I ask the owner of the ford dealership Mr Perter Durkin if I could buy this car and he was always a kind person and must of saw the excitement in my eye, I remember him saying in front of the service manager why would you be interested in this old bucket its runs on 3 cylinders, I said I can fix that, then Tom Geralt my boss said well its not that simple it’s a VW and what makes you so sure you can fix this problem, I remember it was a gamble, as the VW beetle did suffer from an over heating problem that can result in engine damage, but cocky little apprentice only saw the positive in this bug and took the risk. I purchased the car for $500 I remember it was a good buy at the time and Mr Durkin gave me some degree of favor, with the price.
So I got the little beauty into our workshop and adjust all the valves and then started up the engine, it run as smooth as a fine tuned engine should run. Of course Tom my service manager had to make a comment well young feller this time you were lucky.

This VW had McPherson strut front suspension this made the vehicle poor braking in the wet so anyone that drove a VW with McPherson strut suspension knew to be very careful in the wet or an accident was almost a given.

Getting back to original question about your vehicle and if it makes you feel safe because I would say many accidents occur when the car becomes unpredictable in the wet, because some drivers may not understand the concept of hydroplaning or cohesion, this bring me to my next point before you start to fall asleep.

Have you ever taken your vehicle to a defensive driving schools and therefore understood the limitations of driving in the wet or darting in and out of lanes at dangerous high speeds, don’t misunderstand me here I’m saying take a defensive course to learn how to speed quite the opposite the driving course will give you and understanding of limitations, and I haven’t even started on the tyres and the roadworthiness of the vehicle.

When you are driving your vehicle whether brand new or second hand there is a law of physics in play and as well as road surface conditions are playing a big part when or if you may find the need to brake suddenly.

So how can you understand the behavior of your motor vehicle in the wet
It’s a very quick test; we need to find a street without houses perhaps a new estate.

Travel at 20 Kms per hour in the wet and hit the brakes to understand the behavior of your car, the vehicle pulls up in a straight line this is good if it pulls to one side then we have a problem and will need to see our service centre to ascertain the cause of pulling to one side. If the vehicle will pull up straight then you may try at 40 if you feel comfortable.

At least this will give you some idea of what may occur when braking in the wet.
This has been written in the interests of driver safety
Written by Darren Gow-Brown, the Virtualmechanic.com.au

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Attention if you read this first addition I have corrected the structure

This by far is the most  interesting because many people are not involved with the automotive trade and therefore lack understanding and even lack trust to some level due to the fact that not all work on motor vehicles is necessary “that’s right” not all repairs are required but this is limited to the automotive trade.
Let’s explore a small snapshot of our world, here in Australia we have three levels of government managing a total population of 22 million people, but we have approx 1 million people inter related to our Australian government system.
If I want to build a fence I need no less than 3 certificates at a cost of around $1000 now this to me is not right but that’s the system so we develop a lack of trust as we try to hold on to our money as much as possible. We buy a car but we need it serviced and maintained but we a reluctant to pay for this service its something we can’t see the real benefits, its not a nice suit, or a trip to the hair dresses, its something that prevents us from breaking down on the side of the road or even worse its something that prevents an accident due to mechanical failure.

May I add most mechanics in dealerships and service centres 
take enormous pride in there work they come to work ready for a 
challenge, what most people may not be aware of, is the constant change 
of technology and therefore to keep up to date there is a constant 
effort required for night school.
When you take your car to the workshop you are giving your trust and 
faith into the service centre but I pause here because some time ago I 
took my company vehicle into a ford dealership, and it’s wait on some 
line on the floor until the person behind the computer is ready to 
serve you.

Let me say this type of service does nothing to win my confidence 
even if the technician is great at his or her job
Let’s go further most repairs are under a warranty but try getting a 
filling from a dentist and asking for warranty.
I will add more into this subject to encourage motorist when you drop 
your car off have a little faith that mechanics love the challenge to 
keeping your car on the road.
Now if you think your getting ripped off consider another service centre there are some great workshops and sorry to say there are some poor service centres.

I remember a mechanic started his business several doors from my workshop and was very busy, every day more busy than myself but he was “charging his customers about 50 % more and getting away with it” or so he thought, however there is a thing known by all as Karma and so What ever you give out what ever you will receive.

Getting back the dentist is this workmanship covered under warranty, “No”
I need a repair on knee repair so I see an orthopaedic surgeon do you think I get any warranty “No”
The local Government demanding $1000.00 in certificates is this fare “No” but we must pay it
May I conclude And express that if you have found a good mechanic that you feel is servicing your vehicle at a fare cost then let them know your appreciation at the time opportunity perhaps Christmas with a nice bottle of wine and say thankyou for helping me with my car to which I know nothing about but I trust you and its so nice to fine a company in this day and age that keeps me on the road and that prevents me from breaking down on the side of the road.

A Motor Mechanic is an essential item we may not factor in as so important, as we cannot see what is taking place but let me ensure you there are some very fine technicians’ devoted to the automotive trade inspired to do there very best working on hot engines working under pressure working outside of normal operating hours and when they go home they sit back and think well I did my best and repaired an issue that will benefit the customer even tho the maker was not so helpful with all the required information.

This is what makes a motor mechanic come to work every day.

Written by Darren Gow-Brown, Virtualmechanic.com.au

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Help my car radio doesn’t work

For some reason car makers have made it frustrating for some vehicles to keep important data like radio codes.

For this reason a new idea was born to help prevent the loss of the important radio codes and on some vehicles engine data the result being poor idle after a new battery is installed.

I cannot emphasize the priority of battery maintenance and now battery change over.
A simple step is required when changing a motor vehicle explained as follows.

To off ignition obtain 2 metres of 5 to 10 amp wire, cut into 2 lengths.
Strip atleast 30 millimeters on each end

I will make some time to produce a short video to help you understand how to keep your motor vehicle from loosing Ram data.

Written By Darren Gow-Brown, Virtualmechanic.com.au

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The engine thermostat is an important component to the engines cooling system
But for some reason its removed due to over heating issues.
Engineers have proved that the humble thermostat is necessary to regulate a constant and control temperature range to protect the engine from over heating.

In this short video it demonstrates an easy way to test an engine Thermostat
Produced by Darren Gow-Brown Virtualmechanic.com.au

In a perfect environment your  vehicles engine works very hard to maintain a desired operating temperature.

When I was 18 years old still an apprentice I will never forget the time I was looking at my sisters car, it was over heating so I thought I would investigate this problem.

I was about to remove the radiator cap with full knowledge that most radiators caps have a release notch when removing the cap to prevent the pressure of the cooling system spraying hot water every where.

Well I was rotating the cap to release the pressure with the understanding that there was no pressure under the cap, next thing I was overcome by extreme hot water onto my face, this was embarrassing the next thing I remember I was on my way to the Dandenong Hospital, with burns to the face and eyes, this is why its very important to understand the dangers of opening a radiator cap when the engine is hot especially when or if the cooling system is over heating.

The only time to remove a radiator cap is when the engine is cold.

An engine thermostat should never be removed accept when replacing a faulty thermostat, for some reason many people think if they are having a problem with high engine temperature a solution is to remove the thermostat.

The misconception is by removing the thermostat the gauge may decrease from high to normal.

Allow me to explain what happens if a thermostat is removed form an engines cooling system; the water is not transferring hot water from the engine to the radiator as its designed.

The purpose of the thermostat is to hold water in the engine long enough for the molecules to expand then the thermostat will open and allow the hot water into the radiator to cool down and contract, this is in normal operating conditions.

Let me add if the cooling system requires constant topping up this means there is a leak in the cooling system and the potential of rapid cooling and rapid heating, this is where the cylinder head will be exposed to a higher heat range and thus offering the potential warping and or cracks.

The cooling system is designed to maintain a constant desired engine temperature to aid in the ultimate fuel economy as the air to fuel ratio only operates effectively when the engine is operating within this parameter.
Written by Darren Gow-Brown Virtualmechanic.com.au

 

Free motoring tips, by Virtualmechanic.com.au, Melbourne, Australia.

Mitsu Engine 4G63 SOHC timing belt and the benefits.

When  the Sirius 4G63 SOHC engine 1992 a free rotating design it was an engine suitable for many applications. The timing belt with a free rotating component is the perfect solution to increase economy and performance.
Free rotating engine simply means if the timing belt should break it any time no internal mechanical damage is evident to the engine.

Not all engines designed with cam belts are free, in my opinion all engines designed with timing belts should be…

 To utilize a sustainable engine design,  it may help minimize servicing costs to the average motorist worldwide looking at ways to save money anyway possible.

Be careful not to confuse the 4G63 with the 4G64
The 4G64 is an interference motor however the early 8-valve is a non intereference engine.

As part of my research I made contact with Mitsu
This is the type of help I got

Dear Mr Gow-Brown,
Customer Reference: 131675
We acknowledge receipt of your recent correspondence regarding Saturn motors.
Firstly, please accept our apologies for the delay in our response to you.
Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd (MMAL) do not use Saturn motors in any of our vehicles.
Thank you for your enquiry.

Kind Regards,
Mitsubishi Customer Assistance Centre

Well thankyou for not much help…..

Written by Darren Gow-Brown, author of Virtualmechanic.com.au  
 
Darren Gow-Brown
Motoring Writer
WWW.Virtualmechanic.com.au

In all my time is founder of Virtual Mechanic the following issue with a Toyota Camy tempreture gauge reading high after a short drive would make most people think the repair may lead the a costly repair.
But I cannot take the credit for a very good outcome proving that the real problem was a poor earth connection.
It was Neil Gray of Brisbane that found this problem by going to the trouble of locating a vital earth connection that was required to complete the tempreture sender to guage circuit.

This issue with the Toyota Camry may cost many motorists a costly mistake if not diagnosed correctly, to all who read this and rectify the problem at minimal cost will be gratful to Neil Gray.

May I add that all Car manufactures, Toyota, Holden, Ford, Nissan, Mitsu, etc should be offering and sending data in the form workshop manuals free of charge to the Virtual Mechanic to help prevent costly mistakes at any workshop or service centre.

I thank Neil Gray for going to the trouble of locating the cause of the high tempreture reading leading to a poor earth connection secured at the engine exhaust manifold.

Written by Darren Gow-Brown
Virtualmechanic.com.au

Name Neil Gray
State & Suburb Brisbane QLD>

Type of Vehicle Toyota
Model Camry
Month/Year 12/1990
Kms 120,000
Problem This is a fuel gauge problem. I have replaced the sensor and the gauge.
The gauge goes to full scale after a short time(1min)
I’ve had the coolant temp checked its O.K
The fans come on O.K if I”m stuck in traffic for a long time and go off when i get rolling.
Please help as motorama don’t know what i’m talking about
ta neil

Your Question does not make sense

No thats because im an idiot Its The TEMPERATURE GAUGE THAT GOES FULL SCALE
Thanks for your patience Darren
Neil Gray

Ok Neil,
 
Now the temperature gauge goes to full in one minute this sounds like its either a faulty gauge or something causing the coolant to rise in temperature
When the cooling fans switch on can you count how many minutes or seconds the thermo fans stay on
 
Darren

i’ve replaced the gauge
the fans stay on  for about 2mins when i get moving.

Darren wrote:
@ minutes is far to long if we use an example of a standard passenger vehicle in normal operating condition its around 40 seconds
therefore you have a cooling system issue

Could it be the thermostat?

Darren wrote:
Yes the best way to measure the thermostat is with the engine at normal operating temp and the engine switched off feel the upper hose and the lower radiator hose and check for a difference in temp
Neil you may also have a blocked radiator to give the same result
D

hi darren,
thanks for the help..i’ll get back to you when it stops raining and i can look at the problem.
thanks again
neil

Hi Darren,

I have replaced temp meter
I have replaced the thermostat
I originally replaced the sensor

The car still runs O.K.
The meter still goes to full scale
The coolant seems to be circulating O.K.

Could it be:-
(1)  Water pump not working efficiently?
(2)  Faulty sensor sold to me new ?
(3) Meter Mother Board in dash?

I am about to attack the horrible thing with a sledge hammer

Hi Darren,

I’VE FIXED IT

Having looked at the electrical wiring diagram I thought it could be that the earth on B5 of the combination meter plug was missing.
This earth comes from a point on the engine manifold at the rear of the engine.
THE EARTH WAS NOT CONNECTED PROPERLY.
THE GAUGE NOW TELLS THE TRUTH

Happy days

Thanks for your efforts on my behalf on this very obscure problem.
I thought you might like feedback on the fix

Hi Darren,
I have added a note to diagram in magenta
Hope this is satisfactory

Hi Neil

I have published your efforts, and hope many people will read this an not make a costly mistake of a Head repair……..

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Virtualmechanic Darren Gow-Brown free online video is explaining checking the brake Fluid is vital to prevent breaking down on the side of the road.