BRAKES AND DISC ROTORS

One of the most costly maintenance items in a modern car is the replacement of brake pads and brake disc rotors. Brake pads and disc rotors combine together to slow and stop your vehicle.

These wear at different rates depending on different drivers and braking conditions.

Brake pads and disc rotor’s are extremely efficient and braking systems are very complex. From a consumer safety point of view this gives you peace of mind as braking systems are able to stop under extreme conditions very efficiently. Unfortunately the price we pay for this safety for you and your family is that they do wear more than the ‘conventional’ brakes we’ve experienced in the past.

With the exclusion of asbestos from brake pad material, pads have also become softer and prone to wear earlier in the life of the braking system. It’s not unusual for brake pads and rotors to need replacing as early as 20,000klm and at of $2000 and more is a high cost maintenance item.

Just think of the effort that braking systems have to cope with - vehicles of nearly 2 tonnes coming to rest from speeds of up to and over 100 kilometres per hour. There’s a way to preserve your brakes for longer and it’s pretty simple really. You’ll also reduce the wear on your tyres and get better kilometres from them as well.

If you’d like to talk to an expert on this or any other subject on vehicle maintenance, give us a call on 07 3245 2200. Our service team have solutions to most of the problems experienced in modern day motoring.

MANUFACTURE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR VEHICLE

Modern motor vehicles are manufactured to exacting standards with the latest technology.

The service and maintenance of these vehicles is extremely complex and something as simple as the incorrect oil in an engine, differential or an automatic transmission can cause catastrophic failures and can also put your warranty at risk.

Qualified Automotive Technicians and Apprentices within our company have chosen to work with us to become or maintain their qualifications for specific brands. This chosen pathway enables them to become experts in their specific brand. More often than not they need to connect your car to an international service system to check on the updates required to keep your vehicle running the way the manufacturer intended. We don’t have specialist brand technicians working on another brand. They work on the brand that they have expertise in. Why do you think that an aftermarket shop will be able to work on any brand vehicle, let alone highly technical vehicles such as Nissan, Holden, Subaru or Hyundai

AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE

Here's another service item that the home mechanic can't really accomplish.

Air conditioning systems contain about 550 grams of gas that allows the air conditioning system to maintain the correct temperature within your vehicle. Air flows through the air conditioning system, through the evaporator and then into your cars cabin. The gas in the evaporator assists the system to cool the air. When the quantity of gas contained within the system 'wears out' through use, the temperature gradually climbs and won't draw down to the necessary temperature to keep your car air cold.

It's at this time that you need an air conditioning service. A reputable store will first evacuate all of the exisiting gas in the air conditioning system and the replace it with the correct weight of new or reprocessed gas. Many workshops who claim to be air experts actually just top your system up without evacuating, cleaning and replacing the gas.

Many of them allow waste gas Into the atmosphere which is far from being environmentally responsible. Modern accredited workshops have the government legislated equipment to capture gas and are required to have licensed air conditioning specialists on staff. We certainly do at Bartons.

CHANGING AIR FILTERS AND FUEL FILTERS

Firstly you'll need to know the type of filters required. You can buy the genuine article at a competitive price through our spare parts department. Call the guys on 07 3245 2200 or buy online by our Ebay Store.

Using genuine parts will ensure that your vehicle stays as genuine as needed particularly when it's still under new car warranty. They'll need the VIN number which is easily located on the registration label on your windscreen. It's the 16 digit number

Air filters are pretty simple to change. Locate the filter holder and open that up. Generally clips hold the cover in place but sometimes there are screws to remove. Remember when removing screws that you take care of them. Place the screws on a larger piece of sticky tape or masking tape. They'll be there when you need them.

Remove the air filter and check the inside - whether you need to clean it out or replace it will depend on the last time it was changed. You can probably get about 12 months use from a new filter. Using a high pressure air hose, carefully blow any dust or dirt from the inside out working your way around the filter. If it needs replacing, throw it in the bin and replace with a new filter. Reattach the cover - job done.

Replacing a fuel filter is a little different and more complex.

Firstly make sure from a safety viewpoint you’re in a well-ventilated area. Make sure the engine is not too hot as spillage can be a fire hazard and you need to have your witts about you.

Make sure you have the correct tools as some can be a coupling type or a flange type with copper type washers or a flared type that screws into the filter inlet and outlet. Best to do a little research first. The other thing to consider is that today’s fuel systems do run at very high fuel pressures and care should be taken. As in all cases this is a repair that can be carried out but all care needs to be taken.

If you’re not that confident, leave it to the experts at Bartons.

POLLEN FILTER REPLACEMENT

"Firstly you'll need the correct filter for your car. Chat to our parts team by calling 07 3245 2200. Get you VIN number from the Rego label on your car. Makes it easier for them. They'll arrange a new filter for you anywhere. The filter cartridge is located in most cars under the dash on the lh side near the inlet side of the blower box. Remove the old filter and pop in the new one. In most cases it’s a fairly simple procedure with some holding clamps or screws”

If you'd prefer to have the experts replace your pollen filter and check your air conditioning system at the same time, call us now.

TYRE PRESSURES, WHEEL ALIGNMENT, ROTATE AND BALANCE, REPLACING TYRES

Tyre pressures are paramount and all vehicles (along with your owner book) have tyre pressure placards generally located on or near the driver’s door. It’s important that you check your tyre pressures on a regular basis (don’t forget the spare). We suggest once a fortnight at a minimum. Tyre pressures need to be changed when you’re carrying a full car of passengers or a heavy load in the boot. These tyre pressure variations can also be located on the tyre pressure placard.

If we want to get longer life from the tyres, and remember that these are major safety items, tyre pressures should be checked at least every second time that you fuel your car. And at that time, you should inspect each tyre for wear by rubbing your hand over the tread. You're feeling for uneven wear and feathering. If you do find or feel that there is a concern, you really need a wheel alignment check and a rotate and balance of the tyres. If you don’t do these basic checks at this point, there’s a big chance that you’ll be replacing tyres before too long.

And if the tread wear has got to a point of needing replacement, don't just drop into a tyre shop. Your franchised dealer will provide free advice on tyre changeover and may well be able to get you a better deal than you can yourself. It's part of the service at Bartons Service anyway and we won't be charging you for general advice on these matters.

To balance a wheel and tyre, firstly the wheel has to be removed and we use a rattle gun to take the wheel nuts off, which saves a lot of time. Each wheel is then put on the balancer and spun up to the correct speed. The machine indicates to the technician where wheel weights are required and the correct weight is attached to the wheel. The wheel is then spun up again to check that the weight has corrected the out of balance concern.