ARTICLE: Mechanical Empathy | Preserving the Car While Driving

[ramzsys]

Our mechanical empathy on our road machine is countered by the government apathy on the road conditions.

Good roads, smoother speed-breakers, proper traffic management(this is a bit high on expectation, given the nature of our citizens who derive pride in breaking the law without being caught) will all lead to lesser wear and tear of the machine's parts.

[MadhuG]

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Only sealed batteries do not require maintenance, otherwise all so called maintenance free battery require top up.

Make sure whether your battery is sealed one or if it has caps or flaps then it means it will require maintenance.

Do the Amaron/Exide batteries that come with Santro, Swift etc. reqiure any top up? I was under the impression that it only needs to be recharged.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by MadhuG

Do the Amaron/Exide batteries that come with Santro, Swift etc. reqiure any top up? I was under the impression that it only needs to be recharged.

If the batteries comes with flap/caps then it require maintenance. A 10 lakh rupee Honda City and even a 20 lakh rupee Toyota Fortuner comes with conventional battery which require top up so I think it should be the same case with Santro etc.

Only completely sealed batteries don't require top up.

Most of the time people gets confused by 'zero maintenance' etc marketing which actually means ultra low maintenance.

[MadhuG]

Originally Posted by bluevolt

If the batteries comes with flap/caps then it require maintenance. A 10 lakh rupee Honda City and even a 20 lakh rupee Toyota Fortuner comes with conventional battery which require top up so I think it should be the same case with Santro etc.

Only completely sealed batteries don't require top up.

Most of the time people gets confused by 'zero maintenance' etc marketing which actually means ultra low maintenance.

Thanks bluevolt. Lemme check the battery once I get my new Dzire VXi

[MadhuG]

Found this in the Maruti website on FE, Daily Do's and Dont's, Preventive Maintenence and Troubleshooting.
Fuel efficiency | Better Mileage

[sabsubs]

Very good thread. I did not learn driving from a driving school rather one of my friend who had a travel agency and who had lots of driving experience taught me driving on my brothers Maruti 800. I do most of the things that’s been mentioned here consciously or unconsciously. I learnt driving when I was in Ooty and one thing my friend taught me is that use break and gear when driving down the hill and never come to neutral. I thank my friend who taught me driving even though I am not in touch with him; I have learnt many good driving skills from him as he was a professional car driver.

[aaren]

Outstanding thread. Few points that I always observe:

a. Always keep scanning the road; that enables you to use (as I call it) your accelerator as the soft brakes rather than the actual brakes. It helps enormously in FE and is lot less harsher on the brake pads.

b. Using largely the above technique bring the car to a smooth halt and not a screeching one.

c. Unless until one is in a hurry, rev up the car slowly and steadily - it agains helps FE and the car also responds smoothly

d. Use all the possible features in the car - as someone mentioned rightly so - such as Air Conditioners.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

When a city runabout is taken out for a high speed long distance intercity run, what are the problem areas, if any, we can expect? It is normally these which catch out the unwary.

Not limited to just city runabouts, but, what I usually do during these high speed, long distance runs:

• Keep a close watch on the temp guage. Prior to trip make sure water and oil is topped up.
• Watch closely for brake fade, adjust driving accordingly. (Anticipatory Driving?)
• Watch out closely for slow rear tyre punctures, which usually go unnoticed, until something surprising(oversteer) happens.
• If on AC, roll down windows once in a while, to check any unusual sounds, smell..
• Keep my left foot far away from the clutch, as possible. (High rpm's + resting foot on pedal = Sure shot clutch failure.)
• Never go through fast through a puddle of water.

[amit_2025]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

However, a lot of these comments sound very familiar all over the forum.

This thread therefore sets out to analyse if, in some cases at least, a deeper understanding of the limitations that all mechanical things have, may have averted some of the heartburn, the expenses and the complaints by members here. Some might like to call it mechanical empathy, I call it the do's and don'ts of extending the service life of a vehicle's components while driving.

Wow, Thank You for this wonderful compilation. It would definitely be a reiteration for most to "Love their cars".

Also a ready reckoner to many queries/questions instead of being discussed in multiple threads.

Mods - Am unable to rate the thread a very well deserved five stars?

[ashphil]

What a lovely thread. All that I have learnt in my thirty five odd years of driving experience and much more put together in this nifty thread. Salutations to you, SS traveller and all the other contributors.
Rated this thread five Star!
Regards,
Ashok

[ashphil]

P.S. Unable to rate this thread!

[ssh1979]

A topic dear to my heart.

Empathy. If you are from the Jung school of thought, empathy can be defined as understanding/recognizing that every person has certain needs, and all actions are a result of their pursuit to fulfill those needs. Or something like that I don't exactly recall.

It's important to understand and empathize with my car. Trying to understand what it's telling me, what it is going through is very important, so that I can take some corrective action: repairing, servicing, changing my driving style etc. Even if I am not technical enough, if I find something amiss somewhere, some kind of noise/odour, or lack of power etc., I need to take notice of it and act.

So take care of your car and it will take care of you!

[swiftnfurious]

Wonderful thread! I could relate a lot to my own driving styles in many points. And other so far have contributed bits and pieces too. I don't think I have anything much to contribute to this, so I will give it a pass for the time being!

Edit:: I got some points to add!

1. Indulge in pro-active servicing of your car if you love it! Get a suspension / steering overhaul at 50,000 kms if you drive thru bad roads. Remember, the manual doesn't mention about these since they expect the car to be driven on good roads, but unfortunately majority of Indian roads don't fall into this segment. In around 50K kms, the bushes wear out and it's better we change those.

2. Try NOT to move your car from standstill on 2nd gear, shifting to 1st gets you a smooth movement without vibrations. I have seen a lot of people doing it, beats my logic why cars are provided with a 1st gear.

3. Take a break for 10 mins every 2 hours or so during a long distance travel. Use that time to stretch yourself while the car breathes too!

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Not limited to just city runabouts, but, what I usually do during these high speed, long distance runs:

• Keep a close watch on the temp guage. Prior to trip make sure water and oil is topped up.
• Watch closely for brake fade, adjust driving accordingly. (Anticipatory Driving?)
• Watch out closely for slow rear tyre punctures, which usually go unnoticed, until something surprising(oversteer) happens.
• If on AC, roll down windows once in a while, to check any unusual sounds, smell..
• Keep my left foot far away from the clutch, as possible. (High rpm's + resting foot on pedal = Sure shot clutch failure.)
• Never go through fast through a puddle of water.

Hi,
No, what I meant was from which areas would you expect trouble. ie that which will pass muster for city use, but not be able to handle a prolonged high speed run.

My experience:
Tyres
Wheels out of balance
Wheel/ driveline bearings
Bearings of engine driven accessories (Alternator, water pump, etc)
Water pump seals
'Slight', 'inconsequential' coolant/ oil leaks.

Headlight adjustment.
Wipers

Thank god we don't have dynamos nowadays.

Regards
Sutripta

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

...what I meant was from which areas would you expect trouble. ie that which will pass muster for city use, but not be able to handle a prolonged high speed run.

You mean, what would anyone prove by driving a Nano up to Leh or an Alto around the GQ in 4 days or whatever? That these cars are not specifically designed to do such things, so car preservation takes a back seat when attempting such records? Indeed, that question has been in the back of my mind too. Would love to hear (edit:read ) dhanushs's answer.