For safety & savings, check your...

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 533, 17 May 1994, Page 8

For safety & savings, check your...

...Brakes Most drivers learn very early on how important a car's brakes are. Hopefully we learn the easy way with a heart-racing close call. Knowing how important they are, it should be very important that they are adjusted properly so they can work at their best.

And of course brakes are a very important item when looking at the problems of winter motoring. If brakes are adjusted correctly they not only work better but they will not wear out as fast. Brakes are one item on a car that are designed to wear out. Because of this it is

important to keep them serviced and adjusted correctly. How long does it take to wear out a set of brake pads or shoes? That depends on your dri ving and the type of brake lining material fitted. If you drive like you're in the Wellington waterfront races, after 500km

you'll need a new set of shoes and pads, not to mention discs, callipers and brake drums. But under normal street driving conditions you could expect your brakes to last between 10,000 and 40,000 kilometres. A common bad practice in adjusting brakes is to only adjust the rear brakes by altering the hand-brake cable. All this does is make the brakes less effecti ve and cause one shoe on each wheel to wear out faster. One thing you should do is keep an eye on your brake fluid level. If it starts to diminish you should attend to the problem straight away. If you don't, the fluid may leak onto your brake shoes and cost more money to repair. Worse, you could find you run out of brakes.

... Tyres It's good to have perfect brakes, but without good tyres, they will be of little use in winter motoring. The worst factor in winter motoring, especially around the central plateau, is of course poor traction. We get frosts and wet roads more than most, not to mention snow and that dreaded black ice. If your tyres are in poor condition, incorrectly inflated or bald, you are reducing your chances of handling a dodgy situation. Most tyre dealers will check your tyres for free, and will be able to advise you whether you should have your wheel alignment altered to improve handling and extend the life of your tyres. ... General

Keeping your car up to scratch is good for safety but also your pocket. Most car service checks hurt the pocket, but the cost of leaving them can be much worse if a problem leads to major repairs. And if you put off getting a warrant of fitness to save a few dollars, you risk losing the price of the car if you have an accident as you may lose your insurance cover. And it is surprising how a new set of radials, reconditioned brakes, shocks and good general suspension can improve your car' s driving characteristics out of sight. It is a good idea to have your car checked often as problems tend to sneak up on a dri ver with them slowly getting used to the poor performance It's so easy to check engine oil, radiator, belt tension, battery electrolyte level, brake fluid level, windscreen washer level,

tyre pressure. Check these each time you fill up. Having your fuel and ignition system checked and brought up to scratch will save headaches with poor winter starting. If your battery is past it, you may need to replace it or face poor starting all winter. ...The heater! Not just for comfort's sake, but safety also - get your heater and vent system working properly if there are any problems. It's tempting, especially if you don't have far to go, to drive with steamed up windows if your demister isn't working well. But poor visibility makes it harder for you to be a safe driver. If your demister is very slow to work, try going out and starting up your car a few minutes before you want to leave to give it the time it needs. Also, have a decent plastic ice scraper in the car so you can do the job properly.