DJ | Automotive Parts Suppliers

3 Tips to Lower Car Maintenance Cost in the Summer

April 16, 2011 By

Summer is here and it’s that time of the year when the weather is scorching hot. As you probably know, your car can’t take too much of the heat - your engine is already making your car hot enough and the outside temperature only adds more heat to it. Without proper maintenance, your car will easily give in to the summer heat and will be prone to breaking down. In some cases, this may be an unavoidable circumstance. However, here are some tips to help you minimize your car maintenance costs:

Control the air conditioning of your car – the most probable reason your car will overheat is because you set the air conditioning to the highest setting. Using this setting means you are forcing more heat in your engine. The higher the setting, the more power the engine needs to produce. Consider controlling the setting of your air conditioning as well as the thermostat. Remember, it’s a bigger headache when your car breaks down in the middle of a hot day than going through a not-so-cool car ride. Have your air conditioning checked before the summer season starts.
Refresh your car’s cooling system every two years – summer is going to get hotter every year and if you’re the type of person who is forced to drive during noon time on a summer day, your cooling system might not last long. Have the cooling system checked every once in a while. Check your radiators as well as they play an important role in cooling down your engine.
Comply with the filter replacement of your car – your car filtering system should be replaced every once in a while. There’s a recommended time frame for the replacement of the filtering parts such as air filters, fuel filter, etc. Clogged filters cause the car parts to work harder, producing more heat and eventually causing problems for your car.

Your car also needs to cool down amidst the scorching heat of summer.

Detecting Problems with Your Flat Fin Radiator

April 15, 2011 By

If you drive a lot, one of the problems you’re likely to encounter is an overheated engine. Just like how the human body needs sweat to cool down, the automobile engine also needs a cooling mechanism – more so when the engine is operating in a hot environment. This is where radiators come in. The flat fin radiator is a type of radiator where “pins” are spread across the engine to cool it down. Since these radiators fight off heat every day, they are easily subjected to wear and tear. Here are some tips for you to detect if your radiator is already having problems:

Don't wait for your car to overheat while you're on the road, be aware of signs that your radiator is not performing its job.

If your car overheats a lot recently, then it’s obvious that your radiator is no longer doing its job. It’s most likely already broken and it’s high time for you to replace your broken radiator. As a driver, you should be able to notice that there’s a problem with the cooling system of your engine when the area around your legs feels warmer than usual.
You can always check your radiator if you think there’s a problem with it. Unfasten the radiator cap and take a look at the radiator if there’s anything unusual. If you don’t know what to look for, you can always go to a mechanic to check your radiator.
Consider the last time you placed coolant or water in your radiator. If the last time you did this was years ago, then your radiator may have already been running dry for a very long time.
Check if there is any leakage happening around your radiator. If you feel that you are placing coolants very often, then the problem may already be a leaking radiator.

If you are not familiar with what to do then it’s advisable to consult a mechanic instead. Remember, a problem with one part of a car may not necessarily mean that is the only problem with your car – it may just be a symptom of a bigger problem.

Cleaning The Exterior of Your Car the Right Way

April 14, 2011 By

We all have a personal preference when taking a bath. We usually begin by getting wet, then applying shampoo, then soap, and then we’re done. Others go about their bath process in a different order but the one mentioned above seems to be the most sensible. In the same way, people have their own preference when cleaning the exterior of their car. And just like with taking a bath, there is a general unspoken principle when it comes to cleaning cars — an order designed such that your car will get clean in the least amount of time and with the least amount of effort.

Make your car look good as new by cleaning it properly

Start with the body — just like how humans would usually begin taking a bath by getting their body wet, go ahead and start splashing your first pail of water on the body of the car. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that dirt would go down along with the flow of water. So, it should make sense to start by cleaning the top of the car and letting the water flow down. Not only will the top of the car be clean first but the dirt from the bottom of the car will already begin to wash off.
Follow with the tires — the bottom of your car, your tires specifically, take on the most grime and they’re usually the dirtiest part of the car. Wash with water and foam or gel. But by the time you go to cleaning the bottom of the car, a portion of the dirt would have already been washed off and there will be less cleaning needed for you. Still, considering the amount of dirt collected from all the road trip, there should be still some cleaning that needs to be done.
Finally, apply shine to make your car look good as new — at the end of the day, it’s not just about removing the dirt from the car. We also want the car to look like new again. Car shines do help. Apply that shine throughout the body of the car and your car should look good as new. Don’t forget to shine the windows of your car as well.

Don't allow dirt to harden too long on your tires, clean your car after a muddy drive or a grimy roadtrip

One extra tip when cleaning your car, don’t burden yourself by cleaning under the heat of the sun. Park your car in a shaded area and clean your car there. If you can’t find a shaded area, you might want to consider waking up really early or clean your car late in the afternoon.

Radiators: How hot is too hot?

March 27, 2011 By

We often have that notion that the hotter the engine is, the better its performance will be; that’s why many of us warm-up our engine first before going for the drive. Well, it’s true that for engines to perform at its optimum best, it has to be hot. But there’s also a maximum temperature for that efficiency; anything more than that, heat will start to deteriorate the engine and you’ll end up with an overheated engine.

Can’t take the heat? So can’t your engine. Keep your engine at the right temperature with the help of an Evercool radiator.

How then, will you maintain that ideal engine temperature? You don’t! That’s the job of the radiator. Radiators such as flat fin radiators try to spread as much area as it can to cool as many sections of the engine as possible. Your job is to keep the radiator cool enough for it to control the temperature of the engine. Here are some facts for you to know about engine temperature:

The normal temperature of an engine should be around 90 to 105 degree Celsius. With the help of radiators, the engines can go up as high as 135 degree Celsius. The radiators will be there to back up as the cooler all the time. That’s where flat fin radiators become useful as they can cover a lot of area to control the above-average temperature of the engine.
Coolants play a big part of how high your engine’s temperature can go without overheating. Pure water is not as effective as those mixed with coolants. Coolants are more expensive than water. A mix between the two would be good to keep cost at a minimum while attaining better cooling efficiency.
The primary cause of overheating of radiators is a leaked radiator. The coolant goes out which leaves the radiator nothing to help absorb the heat of the engine.

Know Your Auto Parts: Flat Fin Radiators

March 20, 2011 By

When you look at a picture of a flat fin radiator, you might mistake it for the radiator part of a refrigerator. True enough, a flat fin radiator does look like one. And in fact, the flat fan radiator of an automobile serves a similar purpose as that of a fridge. However, don’t mistake this car part as unnecessary; because once you understand what the flat fin radiator does, you’ll realize how important it can be in ensuring you a smooth ride while prolonging the life span of your engine.

Invest in a good-quality flat fin radiator to ensure efficient engine performance.

The purpose of radiators

Radiators are there to absorb or give off heat depending on the temperature of the engine. It’s important to stabilize heat because over heating could cause major problems with your car. One overlooked importance of radiators is that it provides the ideal environment for the engine so the engine can operate at an optimum efficiency. Considering the size of engines, there are different kinds of radiators that serve different purposes.

What’s the need for a flat fin?

Flat fin radiators are designed to evenly spread the radiator’s effect throughout the radiator area. The more fin count (or number of fins per inch), the more area it covers and the more even the effect will be. The drawback for that one, however, is that as there are more fins, the longer it takes to travel from point A to point B. Along the way, the cooling effect could have already heated up. In general, the ideal number of fins should be between 12 to 16. Anything more than 16 would mean you’re most likely not getting the best efficiency out of your radiators. One important thing to note is that since this is a radiator, you shouldn’t expect this auto part to last for so long because heat wears car parts out fast. It’s important to find an efficient and high-quality brand so your flat fin radiator will have the optimum effect on your engine.

How to Detect a Clogged Fuel Filter

March 19, 2011 By

We all know how important fuel cleanliness is for a car. The cleaner and purer the fuel, the better the engine will perform. While we may do our part to provide cleaner fuel to the engine, cars also do their part to provide the engine the cleanest fuel it possibly can. This is where the fuel filter comes in. The fuel filter is located between the fuel tank and the engine. What it mainly does is to filter the fuel going to the engine — making sure all the impurities are filtered out. Being embedded inside the car, we cannot easily determine if the fuel filter needs to be replaced already without opening the inside of the engine OR taking note of the signs that the fuel filter needs to be replaced. Here are some signs that indicate your fuel filter is clogged:

Watch out for signs that your fuel filter is clogged.

Car starts but experiences sputtering when running at a slow pace — the fuel filter may have some minimal clogging problems but it shouldn’t be very alarming to the user. It’s just a heads-up that the fuel filter will have to be replaced soon depending on how much you use your car and the quality of fuel.
Car starts but is having problems when idle and may stall out at stops while driving — the fuel filter is already moderately clogged. Although you can most likely go a few more hundred kilometers without any serious problems, you should consider replacing the fuel filter already.
Car is extremely hard to start and requires constant pressing on the gas pedal to continue going — the fuel filter is severely clogged and you should change the fuel filter as soon as possible. Unless you have some good know-how on changing fuel filters, you should let a mechanic do the job.
The count mark is 10,000 miles. After reaching this distance, you should more or less change the fuel filter as a safety precaution. While many mechanics would recommend a higher number, this should be an easy number to remember.

Buying a Car for College

March 14, 2011 By

Most teenagers would have their first car during college. Some will have the opportunity to have a brand new car, others would be given the family car, and others would be given the chance to own a second-hand car. Whatever the reason is, here are some tips for college students to take note of.

Two to Three is the Key Age

If you’re given the opportunity to own a brand new car, then good for you. But if you’re going to buy a second-hand car, the key car age to remember is two to three years. Car value greatly depreciates after two to three years. If you’re lucky, you could find a car with very minimal mileage at that number of years. Consider how many times the car has been to long-distance trips or even out-of-town trips. The longer the mileage, the bigger the chance that you’ll be encountering problems with car parts such as radiators, mufflers, leafsprings, and so on.

Dealers could be a Better Deal

While there is a big chance that you’ll get a cheaper offer if you buy from an owner himself, you’ll be safer off buying from a dealer. Dealers, especially the registered ones, are checked by the government and they wouldn’t dare to goof off with a car that is good as junk. It’s too risky for them and they need to maintain a good reputation to keep customers coming. Original car owners, on the other hand, can market that their car is great but you might end up spending more for the repairs. For college students who still rely on their allowance, money is a luxury that you won’t have.

Consider Payment Options

It’s very rare to find a car finance option where the monthly payment will just equal to the amount paid in full. If you have the money, you might as well pay it all up already. The saving is actually pretty big compared to the monthly payment option. Also consider if you’ll end up spending less if you borrow a car loan from the bank to pay for the car in full or if you just pay the car on a monthly installment.

Always Ask from the Experts

Your parents may be no experts in cars but they will definitely know more about buying cars than you. Ask help from those older than you. You may already be a college student but you still have a lot of years to go when it comes to experience.

Four Tips to Get a Good Car Repair Estimate

March 11, 2011 By

You come to a point when you need to repair your car. It’s your first time to do a car repair and you decided not to go to the repair center of your car brand, thinking that you’ll get a cheaper price from the neighborhood car shop. That’s good and all but are you sure that you’re getting the best possible offer for your car repair? Here are four tips for you to get a good estimate for your car repair.

Try as you may, there are some problems that you can't fix by yourself - get the services of a mechanic for your major car problems.

#1 — Get as many estimates as you can

Don’t be contented when you get one offer from the first shop that you approached. You’ll probably find another one a few blocks down the road. There’s probably a good reason why one store has a lot more customers than another one. Unless the reason is because customers are demanding a refund because the repair was done poorly, it’s most likely because the store already has a good reputation of providing good service.

#2 — Make sure every single repair part is listed out

List out exactly what the minimum repairs you need from the mechanic. If you don’t know what exactly is wrong, you can point out the car part that you think has something wrong. Any additional recommendation from the mechanic would probably be because there are other more problems that are already arising. But at the very least, your immediate problems should be fixed.

#3 — Know the reputation of the store

Some stores are known to have imitation parts that are being used in repairs which basically defeats the purpose of the repair. After a few use, the car breaks down again and then you’ll be going back to another mechanic and spend money again. Even if one store is more expensive, as long as the reputation is good, it’s a better investment. Remember, one good repair is better than many cheap repairs.

#4 — Get the official receipt indicating the things done to your car

Just like electronic parts, you can go back to these car repair shops and tell them what part is still not yet repaired properly. These car shops have their own warranty of service if the car still breaks down after a few days. It would only mean that the repair was not done correctly. These receipts (no matter how unofficial they look like) will be your proof that you did business with them.

Cheap service doesn't necessarily mean good service. Go for reputable car repair shops that you can trust with your car.

Road Safety in a Nutshell

March 9, 2011 By

You’ve heard, seen, and read hundreds of advices on road safety, car safety, driving safety, and all kinds of safety tips regarding cars. To simplify all these safety tips, all you need is just five words plus common sense to remember all the safety tips. Actually, these are the five general categories that drivers should consider when looking at car safety.

Part of the World Health Organization's "Road Marks" campaign, this poster says: Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of being ejected from a vehicle and suffering serious or fatal injury by between 40%-65%. Be a part of the solution: wear a seat-belt.

Day

There are more accidents that happen on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday than on the other days of the week. Obviously, the common sense in there is that people tend to travel more on weekends. You’re also more prone to accidents from 6pm to 6am – for obvious reasons as well. No matter how good of a driver you are, the night is your enemy and darkness will give a disadvantage to most drivers. Moreover, even if you’re a very good driver, when the other drivers on the road are bad at night you’re no less prone to accident than the others on the road. Accidents peak at around 12mn to 6am too. Consider that there are more drunk drivers by that time than any other time of the day.

Holiday

More people also travel on holidays. The more cars there are on the road, the higher your chance of meeting an accident. If it’s a long weekend, you might want to be extra vigilant during the start of the holiday and the end of the holiday as you should expect more cars during that time.

Road

There are more accidents that happen on roads with holes or bumps than an unpaved road. Just because it’s a national highway or a regularly-used road doesn’t mean it’s a safer road than the one less travelled.

Weather

Just because it’s a clear weather doesn’t mean that you’re less likely to meet an accident than on a rainy weather. In fact, in some places, there are more accidents that happen on a sunny day than on a rainy day. The rainy weather actually gives a higher chance of preventing accidents from over-speeding because cars tend to travel at a slower pace.

Location

The highway or the expressway may have surveillance cameras and police monitoring the speed of cars at different points on the road but that doesn’t mean it’s less accident-prone than the main street of the city. Remember, just because there’s a police in sight, it doesn’t mean that everyone will obey the traffic rules.

Always be vigilant and stay safe when driving!

Tips on Buying a Second-Hand Car

March 6, 2011 By

Despite the rising price of fuel, cars are still pretty much essential to the lives of people, especially for professionals and families. If you’re on a tight budget, you would most likely consider buying a second-hand car instead of one that’s brand new. While this is not a bad option, you might want to consider several factors first before you buy one.

Second-hand cars are a good option for those with tight budgets, but do your homework before buying that used car.

Be Realistic with the Facts

There is no such thing as a P10,000 car. Even if it’s old and second hand already, I doubt you’ll find a car that would last for 6 months at that value. You shouldn’t also expect a Honda Civic or a Toyota Altis at less than P100,000. Cars would still cost quite an amount even if they’re second-hand already.

Ask around

If you plan to buy a second-hand car from those shops selling second-hand cars, you might want to ask around if the shop is credible and reliable. Remember that second-hand cars are more prone to more frequent repairs. You might think you’ll be getting a great deal, only to find out that the total repair and upgrade of the car costs more than a car itself.

One of my friends bought a second-hand Toyota Altis at a value of less than P200,000. But after all the repairs he needed to do, he ended up spending almost a million pesos for the frequent repairs and upgrades in a span of about a year. He ended up spending more for the repair than buying a new car. Make your decision a very big deal (because it should be).

Finally, don’t forget to ask some advise from your parents or relatives. Who knows, you might even get their car for free. Now that would be one amazing deal isn’t it?

Don't get pressured to buy the first car that you inspect.

Use the Internet

Research, research, research. You can even use sites such as eBay to benchmark the market price of cars. Research about the car you’re about to buy including the probable number of years it has already been in the market (the older the car, the harder it may be to find repair parts). Use the wealth of information available on-line.

Happy shopping!