CCAS 3381 AUTOMOTIVE SKILL I

1. CCAS 3381 AUTOMOTIVE SKILL I OPERATION, SERVICING, MAINTENANCE & OTHER ISSUES

2. OBJECTIVES • To understand safety issues in the operation, servicing and maintenance of the car • To gain exposure to the basic tools used in the servicing and maintenance of the car • To know some materials such as parts or components required in the car servicing and maintenance Lecture – 1 hour 15 mins Workshop tour – 45 mins (See T-table)

3. OPERATION (1) • Basic operation costs • Standing Costs • Fixed - road tax, number plate, driving license • Variable - insurance (type of car, type of insurance required & driver’s record), depreciation • Running Costs • Petrol - careful driving and regular maintenance may reduce this while a lot of harsh, stop-start driving, particularly in towns, increase use

4. OPERATION (2) • Basic operation costs • Running Costs • If the consumption suddenly rises, your engine may need attention • Tyres - careful driving may extend their lives while incorrect inflation, bumping kerb & fierce acceleration shorten their lives, rapid & uneven wear indicate mechanical defects • Oil • Servicing - servicing includes oil change, oil filter change, air-filter

5. OPERATION (3) • Basic operation costs • Running Costs • Servicing - servicing includes oil Many servicing jobs are based on time rather than on mileage (Refer to the Vehicle Manual). • Servicing is needed to keep the car in good running conditions as well as to give a chance to inspect the car and take steps to prevent trouble before it occurs. • Repairs

6. OPERATION (4) • Basic operation costs • Insurance • Every motorist must be insured. However careful a driver is normally, he or she can still have monetarily have a lapse and cause an accident. • Basic principles are simple: the motorist (1st Party) pays the insurer (2nd Party) a sum of money (premium); the insurer agrees in return to pay out in certain circumstances (for instance, if he or she has an accident). Anyone else who may be involved is called the 3rd Party. • The procedures include: • The motorist fills up proposal form with details of himself or herself and the car to be insured. • The insurer examines the proposal form and decides the premium and scope of the cover. • Upon payment of the 1st premium, the motorist is given temporary cover note which certifies that the driver has the minimum required insurance and which details the cover provided. • Insurer provides the policy and permanent certificate of insurance valid for the period of coverage, normally a year. • If the motorist loses the certificate he or she has to inform the insurer. • If he or she gets a new car, a new certificate that relates to the new car must be obtained. • There are a few types of coverage as follows. • Road Traffic Act Policy – bare minimum required by the law to allow motorist to drive. Under this policy, the insurer will pay anyone who can establish a legal claim against you and will meet the cost of emergency medical treatment to the injured persons. • 3rd Party Only Policy – in addition to the basic cover by the law, claims for damage to other people’s property is included. • 3rd Party, Fire and Theft Policy – this policy extends coverage to give compensation if the policy-holder’s car is damaged or destroyed by fire, or stolen. The motorist is asked to state the current value of his or her car. He or she will receive an amount equivalent to the market value at the time of loss, which is normally less. • Comprehensive – bought by most policy-holders and it includes compensation for damage to the policy-holder’s own car as well as the benefits of the 3rd Party, Fire and Theft Policy. • Better policy may be issued to mature drivers with good claim-free records. Always shop around and discuss the coverage and details of the policy with the insurer. Some extras that can be added to the basic insurance policies for an additional premium may include: • Replacement car • Personal injuries • Windscreen – usually in a separate section of the policy which allows claims without affecting the no-claim discount or benefit (NCB). • Personal property • Injury to passengers • In order to choose an appropriate insurance policy (value for money), the motorist must consider the followings: • What the policy should ideally cover? For anyone buying under hire purchase, he or she has no option but to buy a comprehensive policy. • Where to obtain his or her insurance? • Note: As for the author, the main criteria would be to choose the Islamic insurance or takaful. • There are a number of pitfalls that may jeopardize a policy because even a well-insured driver can break the law or have his or her claim rejected if he fails to comply with the conditions of his policy. • Poorly maintained car • Poor brakes or tyres • Reasonable precautions for fire or theft not taken • Borrowing of car if the policy of the borrower does not extend to borrowed car • Lending a car to someone without valid driving license. If the borrower has a provisional license, ensure that he or she is accompanied by a driver with a full license. In case of emergency, it is possible that the borrower’s policy covers him or her but it stops short in covering for the damage of the car. • Incorrect use of the car against what is stated in the policy. Even club treasure-trail competition may be classified as rallying therefore check with your insurer before participating. • Withholding information from the insurers • The best way to reduce premiums, under most policies, is to ensure that you never have to make a claim – take care of your car, drive carefully and take all possible precautions to avoid fire or theft. Most insurers reward such care with premiums which are progressively reduced as the claim-free period grows. The insurers give a discount, known as no-claim discount or NCB. The discount may rise to 65% after five years therefore do check with your insurers. A claim does not usually cancel all the discounts; most insurers drop back a few steps therefore it is best that motorist clarifies the details with his or her insurers. • If you have a good driving record it is natural that you want to preserve your no-claim discount. In the case of minor accident that is of no one’s fault, you may want to consider whether he might not be better off paying for the repair himself. • The motorist may arrange a policy which protects the NCB with an extra premium. With some conditions the policy may allow you to have additional claims without your discount being affected. • If an accident is clearly the fault of another driver, you should be able to make a claim without fear of losing your NCB as your insurer should be able to recover from the other driver or his or her insurer. • In the event of an accident, motorist should do the followings: • Keep cool and concentrate on the essentials • Get help for anyone that is injured. • Call the police if the accident is serious. • Collect as much information as possible to help your insurance claim. Take note, names and addresses of independent witnesses (those people not in your car), sketch of the position of vehicles. Take photographs if you have a camera handy. • Never admit liability even if the accident seems clearly your fault because only the court can decide. Your insurer may refuse to handle your claim if you do so. • Policy-holders should not answer letters, claims or legal papers but pass them straight to his or her insurer. • Complete the claim and send for processing straight away. • Arrange repair with approved garage only after the insurer has been notified or advised. Insurer may send an engineer-assessor to inspect the damage. Damaged parts should be kept for inspection later. • Even though you are claiming, check with the policy whether it is a condition that you need to report any accident and whether non-reporting will invalidate the policy. Informing the insurer that an accident happens but you are not claiming are also wise as the repair may be more expensive than expected or a 3rd party claim may arise.

7. SERVICING (1) • Car service procedure • Inspection • Diagnosis • Repair • Quality check • Six steps in a car repair job • Measuring • Disassembling • Machining • Installing new, rebuilt, or serviced part • Reassembling • Adjusting

8. SERVICING (1) • Getting a Car • The car should not be chosen for merely look, performance and comfort. Other considerations include fuel consumption, ease of maintenance, insurance value, price of spare parts and ability to hold its price against other car. • If you are buying a used car, what is being bought in a used car is the life left in that car. The cost of running a used car is greater than that of running a new car. Standing charges like interest on loan, depreciation, insurance premium, etc. may be low but this saving will be very much less than the extra cost of servicing, repairs or replacement parts. • Depreciation • Consider the case where you may sell your car for the same price that you paid initially however, your replacement car costs 15% more. The effect on your bank account is as if your sold car was worth 15% less. This is in addition to ‘loss of interest on capital or loan’. A prestigious car may depreciate to an affordable second-hand price, but the new parts to repair and maintain it will not follow suit. • What You Should Look • The following items may be used to check you’re a used-car to ensure that it is sound. However, they may also be used to check your existing car. It is also recommended to get the car inspected by Puspakom (may already be carried out by the dealer). Refer to Fig. 4.1 for illustrations. • Crash Damage • Look along each side for poor repair work • Center the steering wheel and look for suspicious out-of-alignment wheels • Engine • The engine should accelerate smoothly and should not generate undue or specific noises and does not emit blue or black smoke from the exhaust when idling or accelerating. These are indications that it is in a reasonable condition. • Insist on a 15-minute test drive and stand the car on a clean surface • Look for severe oil drops especially excess oil which may be hidden under accumulated dirt • Gearbox • For a manual car, test each gear on the over-run and see if the car jumps out of gear. • Battery • See that the battery is clean. • If the sides and top show signs of swelling, the battery will soon have to be replaced.

14. Structural Corrosion • Look for weakened sub-frame mountings, jacking points or suspension mountings. • If a pit or hoist is available, see underneath the car and look for holes or heavy rust particularly in seams or crevices. • Floor • Lift the carpets and under-felt to examine the floor for rust or damp. • Rust • Examine the sides and bottoms of doors, body sills below the doors and the front and rear wings joints and surface areas for rust as extensive rusting is costly to repair. • Some paint bubbles may indicate imminent troubles. • Suspension Dampers • Press hard on each wing of the car and let go – it should go up beyond its original position and down again and then return to the static position. Continuous bouncing, clonking noise or oil leaks from the dampers indicate faulty suspension dampers. • Brakes • Try the brake pedal to see how far it travels before it operates the brakes. Excessive travel indicates that the brakes need adjustment. • The brake pedal should feel firm when it is pressed down to put the brakes full on. • Apply the brakes sharply at about 50 km/h and ensure that the car stops in a straight line. If it does not or the brakes judder, repairs may be needed. • Look for corroded handbrake cables and linkage. • Front Wheels • Jack up each front wheel in turn, grasp it at the top and bottom and move it backwards and forwards. More than 1 ~ 2 mm movement may indicate worn bearings, kin-pins or swivel-pins. • Spin each wheel and look for abnormal tyre wear. • Ensure quiet bearings and brakes are free. • Clutch • Make sure it engages smoothly and does not grab. • Clutch normally travels about an inch before it begins to operate. • If, on the test drive, engine revolutions rise without a corresponding increase in the car’s speed, the clutch is slipping. • Tyres • Each tyre must have not less than 1 mm of tread around the full circumference and across three-quarters of the breadth (2 mm is a safer minimum) • Check the sides for cuts or tears. • Watch for incorrect mixture of cross-ply and radial tyres. • Uneven wear is a sign of mechanical defects or harsh use. • Cooling System • Check for leaks, preferably when the engine is cold, by looking for any sign of green coolant stains. • Check the condition of the hoses and suspect any that are extremely hard or soft. • Best time to check is when the engine is cold. • Switches and Accessories • Make sure indicators, windscreen wipers, dipswitch, interior light, air-conditioner, horn, windscreen washer, headlamps (low and high), radio, and all other accessories are in good working order. • Mileage Recorder (Odometer) • Most cars cover between 10,000 to 20,000 km per year therefore use the number recorded on the car odometer to estimate its age. • Safety Latches and Catches • Ensure safety catches and latches for the bonnet, doors, boot work properly. • Test all windows. • Chromes • Inspect chrome for pitting or blistering. • Wiring • Look out for cracked, corroded or frayed wires which can cause electrical failures or fires. • Loose or neglected wiring may rub on other parts and wear through. • Lights • Ensure that all lights work. • Steering • With the road wheels pointing straight ahead, turn the steering wheel gently from side to side. Excessive free movement at the steering wheel’s circumference before the road wheels begin to turn indicates wear in the steering mechanism. • The steering wheel should transmit the feel of the road without transmitting any shock when the front wheels hit a bump. • Oil Pressure • Warm up the engine and then rev it up. Oil pressure light should go out immediately. If it does not, costly repair may be needed. • Hydraulic system • Examine fluid levels in brake and clutch hydraulic reservoirs. • Inspect flexible brake hoses for sign of fraying or perishing. • Check for leaks between flexible hoses and metal pipes. • Oil stains on inside surfaces of the back wheels and brake back-plate indicate leaking wheel brake cylinders or axle seals. • Exhaust • Check the exhaust pipe and its fixing points for rusting. • General Cleanliness • External • Engine compartment • Boot • Upholstery • Miscellaneous Checklists • Look for noticeable patchiness in the bodywork colour which is an indication for re-spraying. • Plastic filler, used to repair damage may be detected using magnet. • Test Drive a Car • One main reason is to check the car’s mechanical conditions. • Another main reason in test-driving a car is to assess the driving comfort. Driving comfort depends on relationships between driving seat, steering wheel, pedals and switches. Others include smoothness, handling and visibility. • Typical Parts to Be Replaced in a Car • Some of the parts of a car that may need to be replaced in the course of its life include: • Clutches • Tyres • Brake linings • Radiator • Possibly gearbox, engine or back axle • 4.4 Servicing and Maintenance • Refer to Table 4.1 Service, Fault-finding and Maintenance Chart. • 4.5 Automotive Service Facilities • There are a few types of facilities that car owner may visit for car servicing and maintenance as explained below. • Automotive Dealer • Car dealers sell cars either new or second-hand ones. New car dealers must prepare and service each car before delivery to the customer. The dealer must fix the car under warranty which covers repairs or replacement of parts for a specified time or mileage after the date of sale. At times, manufacturer makes a recall asking the owner to return the vehicle to the dealer. A recall is usually safety-related. A used-car dealer on the other hand sells the car with a limited warranty like three month or “as is” i.e. the buyer does not receive a warranty of any kind. • Dealership normally has a service department to do warranty work and work for which the customer pays. • Automotive Repair Shop • This is independent garage employing master automotive technicians who work in all areas of automotive service. It may also employ specialist automotive technicians who may work in only one or two areas such as brake or air-conditioning. • Service Station • This station normally sells gasoline and diesel as well as has a convenience store. It may have a service area where it performs some repair and maintenance jobs. • Specialty Shop • A variety of specialty shops provide “trade services” for the automotive-service industry which include wheel alignment shops, radiator repair shops, air-conditioning shops, etc. • Parts Store • An automotive parts store sells parts to people who service their own vehicle. • Shop Work and Service Information • Automotive Service Procedure • When a trouble develops in car, four (4) basic steps must be performed. • Inspection, which answers the question “Is something wrong?” or “Is there a problem?” The answer is usually a “yes” or “no.” • Diagnosis or trouble-shooting. This answers the question “What is actually wrong?” and “What caused the problem?” • Repair which includes steps to fix the problem (symptoms and causes). • Quality check or performing step 1 again. • Six Steps in an Automotive Repair Job • Servicing jobs vary from simple to difficult. Some jobs are within the scope of the car owner while others are for specialist automotive technicians. However, no repair job requires more than six steps which are: • Measuring (or inspection), as simple as measuring the level of oil in the crankcase with a dipstick. It is advisable to record important information like date, time, measurement values and other conditions observed in a notebook. • Disassembling, after measurements taken show ‘out of specs’ conditions like too big a clearance, worn belt, etc. More often than not a few parts will have to be taken apart carefully, part by part. It is advisable that a sketch of the few parts connected together with important clearances and connections is made before disassembling. • Machining, if required like machining of worn and unsmooth brake disc that makes car jerks upon stepping on the brakes. • Installing new, re-built or serviced parts • Reassembling, reversing the sequence of disassembly and with the proper tolerances and clearances. • Adjusting. As a vehicle runs, its parts wear thus requiring adjustments periodically. • Service Specifications • The vehicle manufacturer sets the service specifications or specs normally printed in the vehicle service manual. Service manuals provide trouble-shooting charts and service procedures. The information covers most customer complaints, troubles, and service jobs as well as specifications and special tools needed. The other most important booklet for the car owner and driver is the Owner’s Manual which contains the operating, safety, and maintenance instructions for the car. These manuals should remain in the glove compartment. In the absence of these manuals, a simple notebook for recording service information may be kept for quick reference of component lifetime, cost of repair, information on garages, etc. • Quality of Servicing and Repair • Explain to the technician and road test together to clearly indicate the problem. • Good quality servicing and repair jobs make the owner happy. An unhappy customer makes a shop comeback because of the following reasons: • Defective parts • Faulty workmanship • Poor communication • Make sure th

15. THE END IQ + EQ + SQ = TQ*