Quick Tips And Tricks

[thegourou20]

Hi Guys, i have a few question i would like to ask the following questions in regards to some maintenance with my car:

(1) The level of both my brake fluid and also the power steering fluid needs to be topped up. Would you be able to recommend me something which is good or it there only 1 particular type available on the market?

(2) Is it good practice to top up those 2 fluids mentioned above or do you have to drain it before filling it up?

(3) I bought some Bosch Platinum-Iridium Spark Plugs.....What typical improvement (if any) can i expect or it's not noticeable?

(4) Also, i noticed the car being more quiet with the new oil change. I went from Calibre 10W30 to Castrol 5W30. The latter is the recommended grade in the car manual. Would you suggest i stick to it or based on you experience, you would say a 10W40 would be better suited for the car?

[TRIPPER]

3 - no difference. you will get same performance with all spark plugs.

4 - my opinion would be 5W30 in winter, 10W30 in summer.

[CME-LFT]

When was the last time you got your power stearing fluid flushed??

My mechanic mate saw how black my fluid was, obviously the previous owner had never changed it, bought the car with 67k now with 88k and just got it done last week. Anyway, he works at bridgestone so he did a proper flush (drain the old stuff, put in the new) OMG didnt realise how stiff my power steering was BEFORE the flush. Feels like a brand new car now and i thought it was smooth before.

They got some machine that forces the old stuff out through the lines while pumping in the new fluid. Also he put in 2 bottles of additives during the process, one was to clear out all the gunk in the lines and one during the refill which protects the steering pump.

If you havnt done the flush in a while (recomended every 2 yrs i think) then pay the $90-100 and get it done properly, totally worth it.

Btw if your curious as to the quality of the power stearing fluid, lift the lid up and let it make droplets into the fluid container, it should be a sweet looking red, like red cordial.

[thegourou20]

I only bought the car about 5-6 months ago. It had full service history and did about 69k km. I got if off a dealer and got them to do the major 80k servicing before i pick up the car in the deal. (which i hope they did) So, i cannot really tell. One thing i can tell is that my power steering fluid looks nothing like red cordial.

[Hiro]

Be careful when topping up your brake fluid, if it's above the LOW line and the pads are new then top it up, if it's near LOW and the pads are old and very worn then DON'T top it up. The level in the reservoir drops as the pads wear (the pistons automatically push the pads out as they wear so that they _just_ touch the rotor), so if you fill the reservoir up before you do a pad change it will overflow when you push the pistons back into the caliper to accept the new pads.

[Blind Kid Seeks]

Be careful when topping up your brake fluid, if it's above the LOW line and the pads are new then top it up, if it's near LOW and the pads are old and very worn then DON'T top it up. The level in the reservoir drops as the pads wear (the pistons automatically push the pads out as they wear so that they _just_ touch the rotor), so if you fill the reservoir up before you do a pad change it will overflow when you push the pistons back into the caliper to accept the new pads.

and further to this... if you dont know what brake fluid does to your paint.... watch this http://www.expertvillage.com/video/17416_b...hange-paint.htm

we all know wher the reservior is....

[thegourou20]

It is pretty scary stuff :-/

Btw what's the point of changing for better spark plugs then? :-s Is it only the fact that it last for longer? I initially had the feeling it improves ignition in some way....

[Hiro]

Btw what's the point of changing for better spark plugs then? :-s Is it only the fact that it last for longer? I initially had the feeling it improves ignition in some way....

For a car that isn't designed for iridium plugs, there is no point using them as they don't really improve anything. They are primarily used for applications where long spark plug life is required, such as in a V6 Camry where the intake manifold has to be removed to reach the rear bank of plugs - that would be a major hassle to do every 20,000km or so just to change a $12 set of plugs, thus the use of 100,000km plugs.

[Blind Kid Seeks]

look at it this way....

Xoom is using OEM Denso Plugs.

[xoom]

look at it this way....

Xoom is using OEM Denso Plugs.

Go the Denso's :D lol

[thegourou20]

look at it this way....

Xoom is using OEM Denso Plugs.

Go the Denso's :D lol

Will that make me break under 14 Bill? :D lol