www.cedargarage.co.uk

Best Vehicle Valuation

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:31:20 +0000

The best method of valuing your vehicle is to use Autotrader, all you need do is to use the hyperlink in this text and on the opening page of Autotrader just insert your postcode; nothing else and hit search. At the next page you are presented with another search box, now you can insert the same details as your own vehicle, an example of this search box is below.

Just fill in Make, Model, Fuel type, Age, Mileage, Body type, Transmission, Engine size, No. of doors, lastly your model type, hit Search. This will then present you with a list of other cars the same as your model for sale to compare; this method is used by insurance companies and other related motoring bodies for the most accurate current market valuation.

Battery Testing & Maintenance

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:08:34 +0000

Modern calcium batteries provide more power, but take a long time to recharge fully. One of the most common breakdowns is for a flat battery, especially if the car only does short journeys. Many batteries get written off, when all they need is a proper recharge on the correct charger, newer battery's require a long charge on an intelligent charger to regain their original power output.

Cedar Garage have not only intelligent chargers, but also the latest testing equipment, with our Midtronics battery tester, we can verify whether the battery is at fault, or the car and supply you with a printed report. Intelligent chargers are available from larger retail motoring centres and are a good idea as there is no danger of overcharging – an intelligent charger is a great way of keeping your battery topped-up especially if you have to leave the car unused or do short journeys.

A good quality battery is the most important component that ensures a reliable start on a cold winters morning. It is imperative that you have a good battery that withstands starting requirements over a number of years, we see so many problems with cheap new batteries that don't even achieve their output rating when new and customers wonder why their car won't start with a new battery. Cedar sell GM batteries that have a 3 year warranty and regularly see these batteries give 5 years reliable service and have even seen some of them do over 10 years depending on use. If you do istall your own new battery ensure you know your radio code and ensure you have clean tight terminal connections. Be aware that many modern cars have intelligent charging systems that have to be told that a new battery has been fitted, via the software, requiring a computer hook up to ensure your new battery will charge correctly.

Midtronics Conductance technology allows the measure of the active plate surface available in the battery for chemical reactions- a determination of the ability to supply power.
Conductance can be used to detect cell defects, shorts, aging, and open circuits which can cause batteries to fail.
Midtronics test method allows battery testing and diagnostic charging to be safer, fast, simple and able to be performed in front of the customer. Test takes just 7 seconds.
Midtronics is the required test method for warranty determination at most OEM’S worldwide.

Get the most from your petrol

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:16:33 +0100

I don't know what people out there are paying for petrol.... I am paying up to £1.29 to £1.50 per litre. My line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every Litre:
Here at the Shell Pipeline where I work , we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period .. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 Litres.
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the petrol, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.
A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your Petrol tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more Petrol you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. petrol storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the Petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every litre is actually the exact amount.
Another reminder, if there is a petrol truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy Petrol, DO NOT fill up; most likely the petrol is being stirred up as the Petrol is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Common Self Inflicted Breakdown

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:11:29 +0100

This is one of the biggest causes of breakdowns. In colder weather people often go to their car and move it from their drive way to the road or visa-versa, but when they go back to the vehicle later to make their journey it won’t start. The engine is now flooded with fuel and often turns over much faster but won't start.

Never ever start a car and then turn it off while still cold, especially in winter, always drive it round the block before turning the engine off just to put a bit of residual heat into the engine. You would be surprised how many breakdowns we attend, where people have done this the day before and forgotten they have moved the vehicle, then wonder why it won’t start.