smartcare alloy wheel repair news

Looking After Your Alloy Wheels

How often will I need to clean them?

This will depend on the enviroment, road hazards and the weather conditions, and where you store your vehicle. If you are in a harsh winter enviroment where salt and chemicals are used to de-ice the roads, its more important to clean frequently.

How should I clean them?

Frequent washing with mild soapy warm water works well, or alternatively we recommend you use a Wheel Care Kit from Autoglym, which retails at £29.99. The kit contains a custom wheel cleaner, alloy wheel seal, instant tyre dressing and a hi-tech wheel brush.

What should I avoid doing?

It's important you keep alloy wheels clean of brake dust to prevent damage as this causes corrosion. Where possible let your wheels cool thoroughly before cleaning them. Avoid car wash wheel cleaners as they invariably scratch the alloy. When purchasing wheel cleaners, avoid any that may contain acid based chemicals. This will undoubtedly erode the finish in the long term whilst giving a good result in the short term. We recommend that you only use Non Caustic based alloy wheel cleaners, to maintain your alloys.

Take care of your car, love your wheels!!!

Looking After Your Vehicle

Tyres

It is recommended that you check your tyres regularly and look for signs of damage to the tyre walls. Worn and damaged tyres can significantly affect your stopping distance. They must, by law be at least 1.6mm of tread depth across the centre ¾ of the width of the tread throughout the entire circumference of the tyre. There must be no damage to the tyre body-sidewalls or tread, any bulges or cuts.

Trouble Shooting

PROBLEM	CAUSE
Tyres feathering or wearing on the inner or outer edges.	Incorrect wheel alignment.
Tyres wearing unevenly in patches.	Faulty or binding brakes or inefficient shock absorbers.
Tyres constantly lose pressure.	Faulty valve or slow puncture.
Wheel vibration - either constantly or at certain speeds.	Incorrect wheel balance.
Tyres wearing in the centre.	Over inflation.
Rapid tyre wear on driving wheels.	Harsh acceleration.
Rapid tyre wear on front wheels.	Fast cornering.

Oil

Significant damage may be caused to your engine if the level of oil has the incorrect amount. You should check the oil when your vehicle is cold. If the reading is taken when the vehicle has been ticking over, the reading will be higher, therefore giving you a false reading.

Changing your oil regularly removes harmful dirt and contaminants, which cause engine wear. Servicing your vehicle will prolong the life of the main parts of the engine. To ensure that the oil stays in good condition, you should also change the oil filter.

Radiator

Overheating can cause serious damage and be extremely costly. It is important to frequently check coolant levels when the engine is cold. Newer engines need a correct mix of water and antifreeze with inhibitor to keep the engine cool, not just water alone.

Air Filter

Once air filters become dirty they can seriously reduce your fuel economy. These should be removed as soon as possible, and are inexpensive to replace.

Brakes

It's important to check your brake pads or shoes. If your vehicle starts pulling to one side when you brake, this is a good indicator that your brake pads have worn unevenly, get them checked as soon as possible. Brake pads are made from heat resistant friction material, which deteriorates due to being clamped against the disc or pushed against the drum when the brakes are applied. You should also check for fluid leaks caused by either damaged brake pipes or worn seals, which could result in your brakes failing.

We hope this has been useful!

Take care from the SmartCare Team