A Vehicle Technician/mot tester job vacancy has become available to work in our busy successful
garage based in the centre of Chatham, Kent. You will be required to work an average
42.5 hours per week offering a salary of between £24,000 and £30,000 per annum
depending on your individual skills set and experience. Possibility of working overtime
on occasions - Immediate start available – contact Ray Tyler on 01634 405757
The Latest Motoring News from Pentagon Motorist Centre
We will post weekly updates on the latest news regarding motoring in the UK. Whether it be changes within the industry itself, changes regarding legislation, or even just something interesting going on in our garage this week, it will be posted right here!
Friday 6 March 2015
Wednesday 18 February 2015
Skoda Fabia 2007 1.2 cuts out on idle
The Importance of Basic Checks!
I
had a customer whose Skoda Fabia 2007 1.2 cuts out on idle for no reason. Basic
checks were carried out which means checking oil levels, coolant levels and electrical
component connections as well as visually looking for any obvious signs of
split breather hoses.
There
appeared to be nothing obviously wrong and without an Engine Management Light on I felt that this might be a hard fault to find and cure.
I
decided to plug in with our diagnostic equipment to firstly see if there was
any fault codes but also to view the live data that could be read.
There
was two fault codes present which were:-
17549
load calculation cross check implausible value P1141 short with ground - intermittent.
16825
EVAP emission control sys incorrect flow P0441 not a plausible signal - intermittent.
Because
it was idle related it was decided that it would be a good bet to clean out the
idle control valve/throttle body.
The engine
cover was removed and the throttle body was found to be black and was duly
cleaned out, in doing so it was noticed that the vacuum hose from the brake
servo was badly split.
A
replacement hose was ordered and fitted and now the Skoda is back to idling
perfectly.
This
only goes to prove the importance of conducting these basic checks thoroughly.
Wednesday 4 February 2015
Car Repair Savings Plan
Have you ever felt that it would be a good idea to save up for your car repairs?
A savings plan for your vehicle repairs is now available - 'Car Repair Plan' in association with 'Trust My Garage' is a way of spreading the cost of your vehicle repairs.
We conducted a survey last year and one request from our customers was to have a regular savings plan in place so that those annual bills could be spread.
Follow this link to find out more and sign up......http://www.carrepairplan.co.uk/index.html
Or call in and pick up a leaflet and get your temporary membership card immediately.
You will find us through the archway opposite the exit from Wickes DIY Chatham. ME4 6AD
Thursday 22 January 2015
Turbo Failure
TURBO FAILURE
Turbo failure is quite often due to four main reasons:
1)
Not
allowing an engine to warm up fully
2)
Switching
off before a turbo has begun to slow down in speed
3)
Lack
of oil changes or incorrect oil used.
4)
Low
oil level
The most overlooked factor with a Turbo is that when the engine
has stopped, so has the oil pressure.
A Turbo spins at around 40,000 Revolutions Per Minute and when the
engine has stopped the Turbo continues spinning for a few minutes afterwards.
This means that the Turbo is spinning with no oil pressure and is only
lubricated by the oil within the housing and inlet hose for this period of
time. When the engine is restarted it takes a few seconds for the oil pressure
to build up and reach the bearings, this means that a turbo is quite often
running with very little lubrication.
Dirty oil can also speed up bearing wear due to contaminates
within the oil. These same contaminates can also make the oil run hotter making
the lubricants less efficient.
FORTE who are a company who produce treatments and additives of
all sorts for the motor industry, have analysed the reasons why a turbo has
failed. They found that 20% is due to a lack of lubricant, 30% is due to there
being a delay of lubrication to the turbo bearings, 13% through lubricant
contamination and a further 12% is from the fact that the lubricant is
overheating.
A lack of oil in the engine is also a very common reason and can
be a contributing factor towards the lack or delay of lubricant to the bearings
and the contaminated or overheating of lubricants being used.
This means that a massive 75% of Turbo failures will be down to driver
error in some way.
Thursday 15 January 2015
Why Check Your Oil Level?
How important is it to check your vehicles oil level regularly?
It has always amazed me when a customer rings up to book
their car in because the engine management light has come on and when quizzed their
cars oil level has not been checked.
The realities of the situation are, when the oil light
illuminates, it is too late and you would have certainly caused some damage to
your engine.
Even if you car is relatively new it could still use oil, an
engine will eventually begin to wear out and use a little oil and if it is
never checked when would you ever find out?
So make a point of checking your oil regularly. If your car
is new to you, check firstly on a daily basis and after a few days you can then
spread these checks out to weekly and if the levels still appear to be always
correct you can then spread your checks to monthly.
It is so important to have the correct amount and grade of
oil lubricating your engine. The oil in your engine does many things. It not
only acts as a lubricant and helps to reduce friction and wear but it also can
reduce noise, it helps keep the engine cool, can help to produce more power and
clean combustion deposits. All this helps maintain the efficient running of the
vehicle.
If the engine management light comes on, this could be due
to the lack of oil circulating the engine. The engine could be on the verge of
seizing up and will undoubtedly be running hotter. If the engine is running
hotter than it could lead to a sensor failure. Many sensors have internal
soldered joints that can become weak when exposed to hotter than normal
temperatures. Weak joints are in danger of braking which could lead onto other
running faults.
In summary check your vehicle’s engine oil regularly.
Tuesday 9 December 2014
Tips for you
Diesel Particulate Filter
What you should be aware of....
Some Diesel engines today have been designed to run so efficiently that during an MOT emissions smoke test, the emissions are so low that the smoke tester is unable to give a reading. This is due to the Catalyst and DPF both doing their jobs efficiently.
This is surely a good thing? But what some drivers are finding is that due to some peoples driving habits, there can be a clogging problem with some diesel engines that use a DPF.
To help keep your vehicle's DPF clean, your vehicle should regularly be driven at high revs, (This does not necessarily mean high speed). what this does, is help regenerate your diesel vehicle's DPF and burns off any soot build up within the filter itself.
If your diesel vehicle regularly only does around town driving then before you carry out this regeneration process it would help if you added DPF cleaner to your fuel to help this cleaning process take place.
Watch this Aftermarket News Bulletin that explains all about Diesel Particulate Filters... highlight the link and go to...https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=py1nkHKoXa4
If your driving habits do not include the occasional motorway trip then you need to consider some cleaner and a regeneration.
Call Pentagon Motorist Centre on 01634 405757
Wednesday 3 December 2014
Pre-winter Checks
Pre-winter
vehicle checks
Matters of Testing, 21 November 2014 — Hot tips
Once the clocks go back, the weather turns colder and there is more and more Christmas items in the shops, thoughts turn increasingly towards the winter ahead.Last winter may have been relatively mild in terms of snow and ice for most areas, but there was still plenty of severe weather to trouble motorists. Whatever the weather you need a well-maintained vehicle, as well as an appropriate driving style, to stay safe on the roads.
Now is the time to give your vehicle a pre-winter check.
£30 fee for a Pre-winter check will be waived if any extra work has to be undertaken.
So don't delay book today on 01634 405757
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