Tyres and Exhausts
Tyres
Tread Wear
Often tyres have to be replaced long before their specified life has been reached principally because of rapid or uneven tread wear. The most common causes of avoidable tread wear are:
Under Inflating
Causing rapid wear along the edges of the tread.
Over Inflating
Causing rapid wear along the centre of the tread.
Faulty brakes or shock absorbers
Can cause flat bald spots around the tread of the tyre.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Will cause rapid wear along the inside or outside edges of the FRONT tyres. If you strike a kerb or hit a pot hole – the delicate settings of the steering gear geometry are invariably misaligned which will result in this sort of wear. Wear and tear in the steering components can also knock the wheel alignment out of true – so it’s vital that you have the front wheels realigned every 3 months or 3000 miles.
Damage Limitation
Cuts, breaks and abrasions to the tyre casing can penetrate deep into the inner fabric of the tyre and can be extremely dangerous – capable of causing high speed blow-outs. However, penetration of the tread by a nail or shard of glass or metal can often be safely repaired.
We only use a special vulcanised plug patch is used which repairs the tyre to high standard. Don’t ever let anyone else attempt to repair your tyre to a lesser standard – it could prove fatal in the event of the repair failing at speed.
Exhausts
How can I tell if my exhaust needs attention?
The silencer is the part of the exhaust that usually needs attention first. This is because it is the furthest away from the engine and is the most likely to be corroded by acidic moisture. This is because these parts remain relatively cold and give exhaust gases a chance to condense and form pools of corrosive acid inside the system. You’ll know that you have a problem with your silencer because your exhaust starts making a roaring noise. Other noises to listen out for include hissing, which indicates a crack in the exhaust manifold, exhaust pipe or a leaking gasket. A chugging noise could mean a blockage in the exhaust system.
If you hear rattling under the car it could mean that the exhaust system has become misaligned. And if you can hear a loud metallic vibration, it usually means that something is touching the exhaust pipe or that a clamp, support bracket or mounting is loose. Hangers and brackets hold your exhaust in place. Corroded, fractured or missing hangers or brackets can cause extra stress, which can also lead to premature exhaust failure.
Other problems can be identified with a visual check. External rust may not be as serious as it first appears, because it may only be on the surface. But cracks in the pipe or jagged holes around seams and joins between pipes can be signs of bigger problems.
You then have to make a decision about whether to replace the whole exhaust or just parts of it. Often, if one part is corroded, it is likely that parts of a similar age could be corroded too. Sometimes the different parts of an exhaust fuse together because of heat and they are starting to corrode. That makes separation of the individual parts extremely difficult.
But when they haven’t fused together, it’s a matter of judgement and consideration based on vehicle usage, driving habits and distances travelled, that will dictate whether individual parts should be replaced or the entire exhaust assembly. Sometimes it can save you time and money to replace more than the corroded part.