The Importance of Understanding Auto Parts
Regardless of how young or old your vehicle is, understanding the technicalities of how auto parts work and their individual role in keeping your car running is vitally important for every driver on the road.
Yes, you might have some form of breakdown insurance but there is a chance, no matter how remote, that you might be stuck on the side of the road in an area where there is no cell phone signal or the breakdown vehicle is simply not available for several hours or even a day or two. It is at times like these that you will appreciate having taken the time to understand how the various working mechanisms are connected in your car and just how the various components fit into the process of moving your vehicle forwards or backwards.
Understanding the Basics of Auto Spares
The basics of how the vehicle idles and runs are simple enough and many of you will remember the process from when you undertook your driver’s license test but, that might have been more than a few years ago, so it really wouldn’t cause any harm or undue embarrassment to consult with your mechanic every once in a while, just to brush up on your knowledge of how it all fits together in order to keep your vehicle in optimum running condition.
Understanding where these components in your car are located, what they do, and how they work is a really good start, especially with the auto parts that receive the most wear and tear as these are, most likely, to be the first bits and pieces that will need replacing.
You would also be doing yourself a favour by learning how to repair and replace some of these elements and carrying a few spares, bulbs, belts, and other related paraphernalia in your vehicles’ toolbox along with the basic tools to do the job on the road.
Start on the Ground Floor when Checking Auto Parts
A good place to start understanding the importance of auto parts would be to start from the road up. Even new car tyres or newly replaced tyres can be destroyed by an unnoticed pothole or punctured by a carelessly discarded nail in the roadway, so learning where your tyre-changing tools are located, how to correctly and safely use them, and how to change a flat or damaged tyre would put you in good stead.
Regular checks of your brake pads and discs, spark plugs, plug wires and distributor, battery and filters, coolant, and lubrication levels would help too. Even though mileage does often dictate when your vehicle is in need of a minor or major service when these checks will be done, it would be in your favour if you knew where to locate and how to check these vital components and fluid containers.
It would also be advisable, with the help of your mechanic, to create a point-check system whereby you are appointed to check these various auto parts at specific intervals in-between professional vehicle maintenance services.
You could have a point-check system in place for when you’re visiting the filling station, consisting of checking the fluid levels, windscreen wipers, and tyre pressures (never forgetting the spare tyre), or before going on an out-of-town excursion where inspections might concentrate on these and other components of the vehicle. This includes the shock absorbers, gearbox, and differential oil levels, as well as checking the alternator for charge.
Without having these point-check systems in place, many people negate to check some of the really basic but very important auto parts like dim and bright headlight settings, rear lights, brake lights and indicators, or bulbs and fuses, ensuring that all of these are in an acceptable, roadworthy condition.
Your Diligence Could Save Lives
Being able to understand the workings of these auto parts and how they all fit together, and having the knowledge and diligence to regularly check all of them, could be vital in the saving of costly traffic fines or, more importantly, might give early diagnosis to more serious mechanical problems which, if left unattended, could lead to accident or even injury. Also, bringing an early diagnosis of failing auto parts to your mechanics’ attention could end up saving you tens of thousands of rands in repairs should it have been left to affect other areas of your vehicles’ engine or other moving parts.
Don’t Forget the Other Bits
Of course, as important as all these auto parts and components are, as well as understanding how they work and what they do, there are other areas of the vehicle that, although much more difficult to repair, are just as important to know and understand.
There is the body and the chassis of the vehicle, for example. These components are seen as the exoskeleton and the dressing of the car. All the vital parts, from the wheels up, are bolted to this, the spine of the vehicle. Axles, shock absorbers, struts, along with many other parts are bolted to the chassis with the body and interior design, giving your vehicle the finishing touches.
Other auto parts filling in the spaces between all this include the alternator, air conditioning motor, power-steering unit, and the exhaust system, along with a host of other components, would also still need to be investigated. Keeping all these auto parts in rust-free, well-oiled, and polished, roadworthy condition and understanding how they work will definitely assist in the longevity of your vehicle.
Know Where to Go
This is why we at A.S.A.P. Spares are here. We’ve been supplying our happy clientele with both new and pre-loved auto parts for more than 20 years. Both new and return clients invest their time, money, and trust in us because they know that we source only the very best in quality auto parts.
Become part of our happy community. Come along, introduce yourself to us at our Pretoria premises, and even bring your mechanic along, we’d love to meet you. Take a stroll through our well-organised, neatly arranged storage yard or browse between our well-stocked, well-categorised, and orderly indoor shelving area or order from us on our website. You can contact us today. Either way, if we don’t have it, we’ll source it for you.