ARTICLE: Mechanical Empathy | Preserving the Car While Driving

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

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

Mostly the above, add to that:
Brake Pads/Liners
Belts
Seals/Leaks(?)

I guess this should cover the breakdown issues.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I know what to expect, and why... because it has happened to me more than a few times!

Please share!

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Brake Pads/Liners
Belts
Seals/Leaks(?)

I guess this should cover the breakdown issues.

Please share!

You and Sutripta have covered pretty much everything.

In my experience the following have happened to cars predominantly driven at slow speeds inside the city, when taken out by me for long distance high speed runs:

• Wheel cylinder (bucket) failure
• Wheel bearing failure
• Glazed brake shoes / pads with poor braking performance
• Radiator hoses leaking
• Water pump seal failure
• Broken drive belts
• Muck in fuel lines, choked carb jets
• Fuel (SU) pump failure on overheating
• Crankshaft oil seal failure and engine oil leakage into clutch housing

IMO most of these are due to rubber/plastic degeneration, and a laissez faire attitude that creeps in when driving the car in the city, wherein routine maintenance expenses are deferred to eke out the maximum life form parts and components.

Had a pile of spares that we used to carry around, in the eventuality of such failures in the middle of nowhere, and they certainly came in handy at times.

[Blur]

These days you see so many drivers, especially youngsters, push their seat way back and also recline it at crazy angles.

A simple way of getting your seating position right is to stretch out your hands straight ahead and check if your wrists are breaking over the steering wheel.

[mukundmenon]

De-carbonizing (cleaning the soot) of the exhaust for diesel cars is also a good practice. It
reduces the load on the engine by allowing it to exhale freely.

[vsathyap]

My 2 cents to this nicely written thread:

In stop and go Bumper to Bumper traffic, dont start immediately after the guy in front of you moves. Instead, wait till that person is 1-2 car-lengths ahead and then start moving and coast on 1st gear without riding the clutch. The main aim is to keep the wheels moving - slowly but surely. Keeping the momentum going helps a L-O-T in B2B traffic by reducing the wear on the clutch plates as well as giving better FE. Also, you have enough time to see whether the person in front of you stopped after travelling 3-5 feet, or whether the traffic is indeed moving.

Another tip while parking in hot weather / direct sunlight is that you need not roll up windows fully. Keep a small gap about 2-5mm between the glass and the door frame. This helps by keeping the interiors relatively cooler, compared to a fully closed cabin - of course this also requires you to be very sure that the place you are parking in is secure and protected. Watchful and mischievous eyes are waiting for such things to try and make a quick buck - so do this only where there is secure parking available.

And as discussed countless times in many threads, roll down all your windows and let the fresh air in for 2-5 minutes after parking in direct sunlight. Then roll up windows and put the AC in full speed for 1 min and decrease fan speed over 2-4 mins.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

All the hard work done goes for a toss when customer replaces the tires for reasons unknown. My sincere request is, please refrain from changing tires "just like that".

Behram bhai: Although it is a fact that a lot of R & D is done by the manufacturer so that the vehicle performs at its best, but at some point the cost factor also plays its role. I mean the misconception amongst the people that foreign make tires are better then Indian makes is just due to the cost factor. After all, doesn't the manufacturer (not referring high-end cars) opt for the cheapest amongst the best?
For example in the 90s manufacturers refrained from the use of Radial tires just because of the cost. Now the scenario has changed but I feel the mentality still exists.
I would always go for a better tire then the OE, yes, obviously keeping the specifications same except in case of off-road vehicles.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

Behram bhai: Although it is a fact that a lot of R & D is done by the manufacturer so that the vehicle performs at its best, but at some point the cost factor also plays its role. I mean the misconception amongst the people that foreign make tires are better then Indian makes is just due to the cost factor. After all, doesn't the manufacturer (not referring high-end cars) opt for the cheapest amongst the best?
For example in the 90s manufacturers refrained from the use of Radial tires just because of the cost. Now the scenario has changed but I feel the mentality still exists.
I would always go for a better tire then the OE, yes, obviously keeping the specifications same except in case of off-road vehicles.

I'm not someone who differentiates indian and foreign brands. But, with regards to tyres, I've very bad experiences with MRF, on both occasions, that I've tried it out. The tyres developed bulges before the thread wore out spoiling the ride comfort. Never faced such an issue with the michelin or bridgestone.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by amalji

...very bad experiences with MRF...
The tyres developed bulges...
Never faced such an issue with the michelin or bridgestone.

There you go, drawing conclusions about one manufacturer just because bulges developed on your tyres. Since you seem to trust Michelin and Bridgestone, here are a few threads where members complain about these same manufacturers.
1.
2.
3.

In the end, how you (ab)use your tyres is how they serve you.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Remember every tyre's Achilles' heel - it's sidewall. The majority of tyres that are changed prematurely, were replaced because the sidewall was damaged. The best of tyres will suffer from it, when running in less than ideal conditions (i.e., flat and smooth tarmac).

[amalji]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

There you go, drawing conclusions about one manufacturer just because bulges developed on your tyres. Since you seem to trust Michelin and Bridgestone, here are a few threads where members complain about these same manufacturers.
1.
2.
3.

In the end, how you (ab)use your tyres is how they serve you.

I never said I came into conclusions. I just mentioned my experience with the same. And yes, I take the abuse to the extremes, and I do the same on whichever tires I use. But having burned my fingers twice ( not once ) and on 3 tires at separate instances, I do not have the guts to experiment more with MRF. I would rather settle with the peace of mind that Michelin had offered me till now on both my zen and Esteem.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by amalji

I'm not someone who differentiates indian and foreign brands. But, with regards to tyres, I've very bad experiences with MRF, on both occasions, that I've tried it out. The tyres developed bulges before the thread wore out spoiling the ride comfort. Never faced such an issue with the michelin or bridgestone.

From my experience MRF is one of the toughest tyres. In my Zen they lasted 75K KM - virtually indestructible. Even at 75K KM when I changed the tyres they had some tread left. I changed them as they became old (> 6 years) and rubber became harder. As they are made of hard rubber, they are not comfortable or the grip is not good but that's another story.

[SS-Traveller]

Gentlemen, could we please not allow this thread to degenerate into a "this brand vs. that brand" battle?

[cawnpore ghost]

Thanks for the informative thread, I would wish to demonstrate my opinion as follows:
1.Use weather rated windshield washer fluid instead of water when vehicle is exposed to sub zero temperatures.
2.Don't develop the tendency of extracting maximum fuel efficiency from car, in most instances up shifting at lower speed over a period of time will develop into a failure mode like excessive driveline shunting et cetera.
3.Do not wash your car while engine/brakes et cetera are still hot.
4.Do not down shift aggressively at higher speeds(dropping from 5th to 3rd at 70 kms), always follow rev matching when you down shift.
5.For turbodiesels, wait for a minute before entering filling station to help the turbo rpm to drop before shutting the engine off for refilling.
6.Do not indulge into road rage because of someone's reckless driving.
7.Always keep a check on car pulling on a particular side. Get the wheels aligned as frequently as possible.
8.For low ground clearance cars, approach the speed breaker at an angle so that one tire crosses before the other to prevent scraping the underbody.
9. Know your car dimensions well and while executing a 3-point/U-turn take that extra reverse step if you are not sure if your bumper will make past the object at the corner.
10.Never develop the habit of using your left leg for braking in an automatic or standard.
11.Sharp turns at high speed over time, will ruin the suspension setup.
12.Never allow a novice to fiddle with your car unless unavoidable in emergency, always seek professional advice/service/modification.
13.After a car wash, always take the pains to wipe the residual water along the beading for doors, bonnet and boot.
14.Unless you have 8-way power seats, do not adjust the recliner or track travel while driving.
15.Compromise your speed to maintain a safe distance from objects on all sides of your vehicle, never resort to aggressive lane changing,braking, accelerating maneuvers.
16.Do not engine flush old engines, leaks might appear.
17.Pro actively replace all fluids at regular intervals.
18.Higher music volume would make you impervious to the engine's whining for the need of up/down shift.
19.Avoid engine braking, unless in an emergency.
20.Avoid carrying more passengers/luggage than the rated capacity of you car.
21.Do not drive when you are drunk, drowsy or stressed out.
22.Do not turn off the engine while the car is still in motion.
23.Never ever ride on parking brakes on an ABS vehicle.
24.Do not let the engine idle for air conditioning unless unavoidable.
25.Do not reverse unless the car is at standstill.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by cawnpore ghost

Thanks for the informative thread, I would wish to demonstrate my opinion as follows:
19.Avoid engine braking, unless in an emergency.
.

Any particular reason for this, I always downshift from 5th to 3rd to 2nd as I reduce speed gradually when I spot a speedbreaker from afar (on highways) letting the car decelerate rather than braking hard at the last moment. Thought this was a safer way of reducing speed...

[rangakishen]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Any particular reason for this, I always downshift from 5th to 3rd to 2nd as I reduce speed gradually when I spot a speedbreaker from afar (on highways) letting the car decelerate rather than braking hard at the last moment. Thought this was a safer way of reducing speed...

I think what he meant was aggressive engine braking.
What you do should be fine as long as you don't strain the mechanicals too much (read let the engine rpms go too high resulting in hard deceleration). As long as it is done along with application of brakes and smoothly, everything will be just fine.

[Ironhide]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Any particular reason for this, I always downshift from 5th to 3rd to 2nd as I reduce speed gradually when I spot a speedbreaker from afar (on highways) letting the car decelerate rather than braking hard at the last moment. Thought this was a safer way of reducing speed...

I have the same query. I always thought manufacturers recommended engine braking along with use of brakes for more effective braking overall. There's a thread also on this in the forum. Does engine braking stress the engine so much so as to harm/damage it?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...tml#post381022

Here's another post by Rehaan, quite informative.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...tml#post226145