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.

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.

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

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

Latest News from the Garage

Hi Everyone, congratulations to Steven Hall who won the inaugural monthly draw for November. I thank all who entered and remind you that everyone will get something from this. Your Free MOT reminder will come out to you a couple of weeks before it is due.

The prize Draw for December is now open.

To win £200 towards a Full Service and MOT print and email me the completed form that you will see in a previous blog.

Entry into the December draw ends at midnight on the 31st December 2014.

Those who entered last month can enter again, refer someone new and you will also be entered into this months draw. 

CAR REPAIR COSTS SET TO INCREASE

CAR REPAIR COSTS SET TO INCREASE if car manufacturers get their way…

Latest proposal of Telematic Systems will make repairing vehicles an unfair playing field and will restrict consumer choice. This will undoubtedly lead to an increase in repair costs should the manufacturers get their way.

This video explains how this would affect motorists, and the small local independent businesses they have come to rely on to fix their cars…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BSaPgKlkZ4

Car manufacturers are determined to stop companies supplying diagnostic equipment to independent repairers. They have asked the EU to allow them to only allow a remote ‘telematic’ radio link from their vehicles’ computers to the diagnostic system. This means that there will be no socket into which independent businesses can connect their equipment. If that is allowed, then smaller independent businesses will not be able to access the computer to fix any fault. Follow this link for the full story…

http://www.motester.co.uk/mot-news/mot-news/motorists-may-pay-dearly-for-telematic-systems

Tests on Non Original Equipment components at MOT thwarted

EU wanted 'safety' tests on parts

An attempt to include checks specifically on non-OE components fitted to vehicles as part of the MOT has been blocked by aftermarket industry bodies and lobbying groups.

For full report click this link.

http://www.aftermarketonline.net/News/Industry-News/2014/30246-/Tests-on-non-OE-components-at-MOT-thwarted?utm_source=NewZapp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nic

The explanation given was: “In case of non-OEM replacement parts or after-sales parts, that largely deviate from the original parts, their impact on the safe use of the vehicle has to be carefully assessed by the inspector. A downgrading of the level of safety of the vehicle shall not be acceptable.”

Who are these unelected people making decisions that can affect so many livelihoods.

I think that this is a typical case of desk based personnel who has never carried out an MOT in their life putting forward rulings without actually thinking them through. For example you can buy a suspension lowering kit from a main dealer and you can also purchase an equivalent kit from an aftermarket source. They both ‘largely deviate from the original parts’ but is it the quality of part that is in question or the fact that the vehicle has been modified? With some vehicles you can purchase the same vehicle with lowered sports suspension from new. How is an MOT tester going to know if a vehicle was lowered from new or afterwards? Unless every part that is replaced has a genuine stamp or reference somewhere visible on it you could never tell. An MOT tester will have to constantly be covering their backside and passing and advising on everything that looks like it has been replaced on a vehicle.

Very few motor manufacturers make all their own parts they rely on outside companies to produce parts for them. On many occasions these are the same companies that produce an equivalent part for the aftermarket.

What these unelected people do not realize is that an MOT test is no more than a basic safety check. MOT testing in our country is robust enough to highlight any safety issues a car may have at the time of test without adding to it. The longer the MOT test takes to conduct the more it will cost. Who will pay for this extra time required? You guessed it, the motorist.

This is a ridiculous ruling rightly thrown out, albeit the lobbyers used the ‘discriminatory’ card. Do these unelected people have links with the main dealerships by any chance or am I being paranoid and think that they are just out to get me?