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Save $1000’s on your next vehicle purchase
2007-06-13 18:27:00
  There is no doubt that motoring is an expensive part of life. Increasing petrol prices, costs of repairs and maintenance, insurance cover, just to name a few.   One area where you can make considerable savings if you have the know-how is when you purchase your vehicle. With car salespeople having a reputation equal to that of bottom-dwelling sea creatures, many of us find the prospect of negotiating with these people a scary proposition.   It doesn’t need to be this way though. It’s all about learning the ‘tricks of the trade’ and being prepared for what they throw at you (not literally I hope!). Being informed and educated about what you are undertaking is garunteed to produce positive results for you, the prepared car buyer.   Call me soft, but I have a real issue with innocent people being ripped-off by car salespeople and I have no idea how some of these people sleep at night. When we had our workshop, before my back injury (back in the good &ls...
More About: Vehicle , Save , Chase , Purchase , Hase

Thirsty?
2007-06-13 14:20:00
  They say that necessity is the mother of invention, so what do you do when it is necessary to transport an esky full of amber fluid cans? You modify a quad bike of course! Have a look at this little beauty, all set up for a thirsty day at the racetrack.                        This contraption started life as a child’s four-wheeler. It now sports a 50cc 4 stroke engine, lengthened frame, extended handlebars, modified controls and of course just bring your own esky for the seat.   According to the owner it does ride ok, just a bit unstable. After consuming the contents under the seat I think the bike wouldn’t be the only thing unstable! 10 points for creativity.
More About: Thirst

The workshop owner versus the consumer
2007-06-03 13:36:00
  I’m going to go out on a limb here and will probably step on a few toes in the process but I think this is an issue that needs to be discussed. I’m talking about the perceived notion that most mechanics are out to rip people off. My opinions come from being on both sides of the fence, once as a self-employed mechanic and now as a consumer as I’m no longer able-bodied enough to do all the repairs on our vehicles myself.   First-up I’d like to put forward a (rather long) opinion from the workshop owners point of view. Owning a workshop, like any other paid service is first and foremost a business. Nobody is there for the love of it! (heaven forbid!) Yes, certain mechanics and I include myself in this group have a love of cars and do find some enjoyment in what they do but the reality is that they find themselves in the position of a workshop owner becuase working for yourself generally has larger financial rewards than relying on someone else for employment...
More About: Workshop , Consumer , Versus , Owner , Cons

Our new site
2007-06-01 18:02:00
  Getting way off track here, I want to tell you about our new site that we have up and running. It is called ‘Dealing with back pain’. I have been chronic back pain sufferer for the last two years or so and have all but given up on ‘modern medicine’ to help me and launched this site to get some feedback from people as to what works for their chronic pain situation.   Before my injury we had a thriving Mechanical repair business, we were working towards some pretty meaningful goals and with three children life was busy, to say the least! Now life has taken a fairly dramatic turn, we had to close the business and put everything on hold for now. Hence we started Autofix.com.au, not only to for my love of cars but to basically give me some purpose in life.   I have been to numerous specialists, physiotherapists, accupuncturists, chiropractors, doctors and I’m running out of ideas. If you or someone you know suffers from chronic pain please head on ove...
More About: Site , New Site

Removing window winder handles
2007-05-30 10:01:00
  I have a simple technique for removing clipped-in window winder’s when you don’t have the correct tool for the job. It seems a bit primitive but with a bit of practice this technique works like a champion!   First take a cloth or rag, preferably a piece with a seam for strength but that’s not absolutely nescessary.   Next wind up the window and then turn the handle back until it is straight up and down.   Then take your piece of cloth or rag and slide it down the handle and position it BETWEEN the handle and the spacer or washer that sits up against the door trim.( see picture)   Then grab each end of the cloth in each hand and pull down. You may also need to rotate the cloth back and forth to loosen the clip.( see picture ) 9 times out of 10 the clip will be caught in the cloth, but please do this step somewhere were you can see the clip if it falls down i.e. not on the front lawn!   To refit simply fit the clip onto the winder first with the open end fa...
More About: Indo , Hand , Window , Ving , Winder

Steering safety check
2007-05-23 14:44:00
 While carrying out a service or before doing any front-end work it is advisable to give the Steering a thorough health check to identify any problems before they become major issues. Worn steering can result in increased tyre wear and a vehicle that is both unsafe and difficult to drive. Thankfully the majority of car manufacturers are using the rack and pinion steering system these days, leaving behind the old steering box set-up which had many moving parts to wear out.   The first step is to lift one side of the car with the jack until the wheel is off the ground. It’s a good idea to check for noisy wheel bearings while your at it and by spinning the wheel as fast as you can and listening for any ‘deep, growling’ noises. Generally you will know if you have a noisy wheel bearing, a ‘deep growling’ type noise that increases with road speed is a dead give-away. For repacking and replacing wheel bearings see my wheel bearing post.   Once you have d...
More About: Safety , Check , Safe , Erin

Welcome!
2007-05-12 09:59:00
  Welcome to the new look Autofix.com.au! We hope you find our site helpful and easy to use.   We are constantly updating our DIY tutorials for all Australian vehicles and some imports. If you have the need for step by step instructions for a repair that we haven’t covered yet please leave a comment or contact us at autofix@aapt.net.au.   For free online auto repair advice please select ‘Advice’ at the top of the page and submit your question in the form provided.   Thankyou for visiting our site!   Craig and Belinda  
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Cheap Car Insurance
2007-05-02 16:36:00
  While we’re on the subject of Car Insurance (see previous post), the Comprehensive Insurance policy we had on my wife’s car was recently due for renewal. We were happy enough with the insurer we were using and thought the premiums were reasonable, but my wife thought that a look around for price comparisons wouldn’t hurt. She jumped on the Internet and got quotes from five of the ‘known brand’ insurers.   I won’t mention which companies we got quotes from, I’m not here to flame anyone, but I can tell you I’m glad she decided to have a look around.   The cover we were looking for was Comprehensive, on a stock-as-a-rock 1997 Toyota Camry. We are both just over 25 (alright, a fair bit over 25!) and have had one claim from an accident that wasn’t our fault, friggin’ drink drivers I detest them! So I guess from an insurers point of view we are a pretty safe bet.   Taking into account our Rating One we got quotes of arou...
More About: Car Insurance , Cheap

Car Insurance - who needs it?
2007-04-25 08:04:00
  Everyone!! that’s who! I have a tale to tell that highlights the need for everyone who owns a car to have at least third party property cover, and with pay-by-the-month being offered by most car insurers on comprehensive cover it makes sense to have the best cover you can afford.   We have two friends, husband and wife. The husband works full-time and the wife does part-time work as well as looking after their three kids. Up until they decided to rent for a while and enjoy life a bit they were paying off their own home and had enough money left over to put in a swimming pool. They both had nice cars, he had a AU series 2 Falcon and she scooted around in a almost-new Daihatsu Sirion.   For some reason we got to talking about car insurance of all things and the husband piped up and said that his car was un-insured. The wife’s car had comprehensive insurance on it but nothing on the Falcon. I asked him how much he paid for the car when he bought it - $27000. Both my ...
More About: Insurance , Car Insurance , Need , Needs

Understanding Tyres
2007-04-23 02:04:00
  In the market for a new set of tyres? Under stand ing what goes into a tyre and what the sidewall markings mean will help you make an informed decision on which tyre is right for you and your vehicle.   Tyres are made up of several different components; The bead - the bead is a high-strength steel cable coated with rubber. It’s job is to ensure that the tyre stays seated on the wheel rim and handle the forces of the tyre-fitting machines when the tyre is installed. The body - the body of the tyre is made up of several layers of different fabric called ‘plies’. The most common fabric being polyester cord. The cords in a radial tyre run perpendicular to the tread and are coated with rubber to help them bond with the other components and seal in the air. A tyres strength is often decribed by the number of ‘plies’ it has, with most car tyres having two plies. Steel Belts - steel belted radials have belts made from steel that are used to reinforce th...
More About: Standing , Stand , Understanding

What you need to know before buying a new or used car
2007-04-17 21:37:00
  As a mechanic I have heard so many horror stories of people getting the short straw in a car deal. Whether it be a used car that isn’t what it’s cracked up to be or people being taken for a ride with an over-priced new car.   Unfortunately the salespeople know the in’s and out’s of how to sell a car and nine times out of ten buyers go in with little knowledge of what is or isn’t a good deal. Arming yourself with a much information as you can is all important when purchasing a vehicle. It is a big investment of your hard earned dollars, second only to the family home so it pays to do your homework and be prepared before venturing out to search for that new car.   I have found a great report on how to be prepared for buying any new or used vehicle and in this post I am going to unashamedly promote it!! For an investment of $7 it has the potential to save you $1000’s! You could easily spend more than $7 going to your favourite fast-food outlet, ...
More About: Buying , Hat , Know , Need , Fore

Falcon Transmission woes
2007-04-12 16:25:00
  Why me? Why do I get all the good jobs? I must have done something really bad in a previous life! Although we closed our workshop 18 months ago, I still have contact with a few of our customers and usually end up with the stuff that no-one else can sort out for them. To be honest I really don’t mind, it keeps the grey-matter functioning, important when any physical work is out of the question.   Anyway to get on with the problem, we have a 1997 EL Falcon with the lovely shitty electronic 4 speed Automatic transmission. I have never been a fan of these gearboxes, especially after doing a 4 week stint with a Taxi company. I was ready to let fly if I was asked to pull another one out! So the EL was having an issue with not changing out of third gear when hot. 10-15 minutes of driving and everything worked fine. Drive long enough and the transmission would select third gear and stay there, no shifting up and no shifting down.   As the owner had replaced the battery recently,...
More About: Miss , Trans , Sion , Mission

EFi mystery solved
2007-04-12 12:31:00
  I would like to tell you of a car that we had in our workshop, going back around 3 years ago. The anti-christ was a 1990 Toyota Camry fitted with a 3S-FE engine, essentially a 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder engine fitted with electronic fuel injection.   The car came in on a tow truck with the owner telling me that for some reason it kept ‘flooding’ itself. It had been to a handful of workshops before coming to us and needless to say the owner was ready to solve the problem with a box of matches and a can of fuel!   The last mechanic to look at it had replaced the fuel pressure regulator and it behaved itself for about a week before this latest dummy-spit. Numerous litres of fuel had worked their way past the piston rings and into the sump, so the first thing to do was drain the oil and change the filter.   With that taken care of it was time to go hunting. It was first necessary to figure out whether it was a fuel pressure issue or perhaps leaking injectors (unlikely due ...
More About: Mystery , Myst

Flushing the Power Steering
2007-04-05 18:39:00
  After recieving several questions on Autofix.com.au regarding this issue, today we are going to look at the best way to flush your power steering system. There are several different ways to do this and I believe the way I am going to show you is the only way to completely flush the system of old fluid. Once again please read and understand all the steps outlined before starting the job.   The first thing you need to remember is that the front wheels of the car MUST be off the ground to do this, damage will be done to the pump and steering rack if this is not done.   The second requirement is that you know which hose is the return hose to the pump or reservoir and which hose is the high pressure from the pump. Generally the return hose will be all rubber with hose clamps at either end and the high pressure hose may contain a length of steel pipe with crimped-on fittings at either end. It may also be all rubber, but with the same crimped-on fittings. Another way to tell is by t...
More About: Power , Flush , Lush , Ring , Shin

KITT up for sale!
2007-04-05 16:57:00
                    Wow, doesn’t this bring back memories! I can remember sitting in front of the T.V. as a young fella watching (and believing!) this amazing car that would talk to it’s driver, find it’s way  to where it was needed, throw smoke bombs at the bad guys, man was this car cool! Back then even David Hasselhoff was cool, how times have changed! Yes the all conquering black Pontiac Trans Am that stired the imagination of so many young people is up for sale at a Dublin auto dealership.   “Restored to it’s debut-season glory, the modified 1982 Trans Am is being offered for $US149,995.”   “It is one of four documented ‘camera cars’ used for close up shots and scenes where David Hasselhoff, who played Michael Knight in the series was behind the wheel.”   “Although it cannot achieve the 300mph speeds that KITT reached, soar 50 feet in the air or throw smoke bombs, key features of the car are intact....
More About: For Sale , Sale

“Knob of the Week” award
2007-04-04 18:51:00
  The “Knob of the Week ” award goes to a good friend of ours, Travis, who this week managed to destroy his second gearbox in his N14 Pulsar. And what a fine job he did too!   Not that he would have needed much help, the car runs a GTiR engine with a dyno proven 187kw at the front wheels. Add to the mix a brass button clutch, super sticky Bridgestone Potenza tyres and a need? to dump the clutch at 4000rpm and suddenly the gearbox becomes stressed to the point of no return! Unfortunately for Travis the only gearboxes readily available for these cars are the standard duty box that slots in beside the non-turbo SR20 engines. Not an ideal combination to say the least! There is talk of a toughened, straight-cut gear equipped box being available for slightly less than a good house deposit, but hey after all we are talking about a Pulsar here, not a GTR or something as worthy of having crazy amounts of dollars thrown at it.   So in went another second-hand SR20 box and o...
More About: War , Award , Ward

No More Ciggies!
2007-03-27 17:40:00
  At last I am sitting here writing this post without the mandatory pack of cigarettes and stinking ash tray next to me. I have finally convinced myself and my wife that it is time to give them away, for good. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy smoking, quite the opposite but for some reason (maybe maturity) I now see smoking as a very selfish thing to do.   Selfish in the sense that to get five minutes or so of enjoyment I am for exposing myself and everyone around me to the harmful effects of smoking, and also selfish in the sense that at the moment we can simply not afford to smoke! We have three children, 9,6 and 11 months old and since injuring my back at work in 2005 I have not been able to work and things are a little on the tight side yet we always made sure we had money for our ‘life supply’ of nicotine.   I guess by writing this post I am trying to cement into my mind the reasons for quiting and to try and convince myself that I am doing the right thi...
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Extending oil change intervals - a recipe for disaster?
2007-03-22 17:50:00
  The major car manufacturers all agree that changing your oil every 3000  miles(5000 km) is a thing of the past and state that even every 5000 miles(8000 km)may be too often. Ford Motor Co recently announced it’s intention to increase the recommended oil change interval from 5000 to 7500 miles(12,000 km) on it’s 2007 and future models. Citing higher quality oil standards and new engine designs for the change.   Some manufacturers have stopped making recomendations for oil change intervals, instead they are relying on sensors that measure oil temperature extremes and engine revolutions over time to calculate oil life and tell the drivers when an oil change is required.   Peter Lord, executive director of General Motors service operations says “We are absolutely confident of the technology. We back it with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty now, so there is no doubt in our mind that this technology works.”   After the very public and far reaching issues...
More About: Recipe , Inter , Change , Disaster , Oil

The other love of my life
2007-03-19 14:41:00
  I’d like to share with you the other love of my life. Of course my beautiful wife and three fantastic children are first on the list, but the list also includes this ‘84 VK Commodore. I am planning on spending some serious dollars on this car one day, so I’m writing this post for two reasons. First to score points with the Minister for War and Finance (hope the flattery works!) and second to share with you something that has been a picture in my head for so many years and is now slowly (read very slowly!) taking shape. I know it’s only a Commondore and they are dime-a-dozen over here but I have wanted one of these since I first saw Peter Brock punting the VK Group A race car around Bathurst in ‘84. Yeah I was only eleven but even then I knew I wanted one. I thought of buying a genuine road going VK Group A but I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t want to modify it to suit my tastes and you just don’t do that to a genuine Group A! ...
More About: Life , Love , Other , My Life , The Other

Adjusting the handbrake - Type 1 Rear Discs
2007-03-17 11:59:00
The correct way to adjust handbrake with what I refer to as ‘Type 1′discs is to loosen the cable adjuster off and adjust the handbrake shoes themselves. To do this you first need to remove the brake caliper bracket to be able to remove the brake disc. In our example (VK Commodore) it had two 17mm bolts securing it to the axle housing. The cable adjuster should be easy to find, just follow the handbrake cable along the floor of the car and it should be easily seen. In our example the adjuster has two 13mm bolts locked together requiring two open end spanners. Once the disc is removed you will see two brake shoes, fixed at the top with a knurled adjuster at the bottom.   Sorry for the poor picture, the old girl hasn’t seen the road for a while! The adjuster is just visible between the two brake pads. Turning the knurled nut by levering with a screwdriver will move the shoes in or out. What your aiming to have is the shoes just touching the inside of the disc rotor....
More About: Just , Sting , Hand , Rear

Replacing Rear Disc Brake Pads - Type 1
2007-03-17 11:23:00
First of all I will cover the type of rear disc brakes mainly found on Commodores and late model Falcons. They have the handbrake mechanism set up as a drum brake inside the rotor. If you need to adjust the handbrake please read the Handbrake adjusting post. Replacement of the brake pads on this set up is very easy. Once again check the thickness of your rotors to determine if you need to replace them as well.  Removal of the brake pads is as simple as removing the 15mm bolt  from the bottom caliper slide. You will have to hold the caliper slide from turning with a 17mm open end spanner. Once you have the bolt removed pull the caliper up from the bottom and slide the caliper out of the bracket. Remove the brake pads and push the piston back into the caliper using either method described in the front pad replacement post. One of the most important aspects of replacing brake pads is ensuring that the new pads have the best chance of a long life. Nothing worse than one side wearin...
More About: Type , Rear , Disc , Type 1

Service history, a must when purchasing a vehicle
2007-03-10 17:11:00
  Yesterday I was asked by a good friend if I could take a look at a vehicle that he was thinking of buying and it reminded me of the disaster that became of the vehicle that he bought previous to this one. The previous vehicle was a Mazda E2000 van, around 1999 year model with approx. 170,000km on the clock. On first impressions, it had done some work in it’s life but nothing too severe. It was first owned by our No.1 telephone company and had no doubt passed through a few hands since then.   To cut a long story short we had no service history or reciepts for servicing to go on so a full service and checkover was recommended. We had a small list of mainly minor things he wanted fixed before handing over the money and the majority of these were repaired by the car yard. The van then came to me for the service and checkover. This is where the problems started and I do feel responsible, although I thought I had done my best to identify any issues.   Seeing as though the van ...
More About: History , Story , Service , Vehicle , Asin

Repacking wheel bearings
2007-02-26 15:23:00
  This post is about repacking wheel bearings using my VK Commodore as the guinea pig however the same principles apply to any hub and axle set-up, be it a caravan, trailer, boat trailer, if it has tapered roller bearings in the hubs please read on and I hope you find it useful.  The first item on our list is to remove the brake caliper and bracket and secure it to prevent stress on the rubber brake hose. Generally speaking there will be two bolts securing the caliper bracket to the strut or stub axle assembly. Tie wire is useful for securing the caliper however you don’t want it falling on you while working so be sure it’s well tied up. The next step is to remove the grease cap in the centre of the hub. Multi grip pliers work best for this, however if you have a stuborn one careful prying off with a screwdriver may be needed. Once the grease cap is removed we have a split pin and nut and washer arrangement in front of the outer bearing. Side cutting pliers are best...
More About: Ring , Rings , King , Wheel , Packing