For many people, a car is the second most expensive purchase they make. Buying the right car can be easy but it's just as easy to encounter expensive pitfalls, especially when buying used. You need to check on everything, from the car tyres upwards and here are some pointers to help you.
Start by making sure you are looking at the right kind of car for your needs. No matter how much you may want to, you won't fit a family of four in a two-seater sports car. Most people don't make such an obvious error but many buy a car that's too big for their garage, too thirsty for their wallet or too expensive to maintain. All cars have tyres, not all have the ability to be run on a shoestring – and you'll always lose if you have to sell.
Lets assume you've found a car. What next? You have to be certain that the car matches the claims made about it. Checking the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a primary requirement. Does it match the number in the V5 document? If it doesn't or isn't clearly stamped, without any evidence of tampering, the car could be stolen, a 'ringer', or the result of two write-offs welded together.
If the VIN is good, does the history add up? We're talking paperwork here, as well as the state of the car itself. Good car tyres, not to mention shiny paintwork and a ludicrously low mileage are of little value if the mileage figures in the previous MOT certificates don't tally. No MOT certificates? This is your cue to walk away.
Much the same goes for service history, which usually has a record of miles covered in it. If the car has in fact been serviced as it should have been, preferably by an approved dealership, which has entered the details into the service record, the car's beginning to look like a good buy. If every last invoice for what has been spent is present and correct, so much the better. This may include receipts for new tyres, an exhaust, a battery and any accessories.
If buying from a car dealer, a genuine HPI certificate must be provided by law. If buying from a private individual, you can arrange to have an HPI inspection. An HPI check validates the car's history and will reveal any shady elements in its past. Remember that, if buying privately, you will buy a car 'as seen'. This means that you can set tyres to tarmac quite happily but if the engine grenades on the way home, it's your problem. There is no recourse in a private sale.
When looking at the car, be very, very critical indeed. If it has been repaired and the repairs have been professionally done, that's fine. If you see badly-matching paint, poor panel gaps, scuffed tyres and ripply surfaces, the car has been badly repaired. Under the bonnet, look out for oil leaks, corrosion, fluid stains and amateur fixes. Pull out the dipstick and look at the oil. Is it black and treacly? Look elsewhere.
Car tyres can be excellent tell tales, as can the wheels that carry them. Uneven tyre wear suggests suspension misalignment at best, damage at worst. Tyres with 3 millimetres or less of tread need replacing, which won't cost the seller a penny. The same goes for cracked tyres or ones with lumps or bulges. Alloy wheels that have been badly kerbed will show significant damage, and say a lot about how the car has been driven.
Finally, remember these golden rules. One: you can always find a rival example of the car you're examining. Two: it’s a buyer’s market; you can always walk away. Three: always buy with your head, rather than your heart!
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
Monday 21 May 2012
What Are Car Tyres Made Of?
We're told, not necessarily reliably, what little girls and little boys are made of. Happily, we can learn with accuracy what car tyres are made of, and it's reassuring to know that the flexible friends that let our cars be steered and stopped unfailingly are so well constructed.
The heart of a car tyre is an inner liner made of halobutyl rubber. This includes additives that promote air retention. The inner liner is clad in a three-layer body ply, consisting of a layer of Rayon, Nylon, Polyester or Kevlar sandwiched between two layers of rubber. Car tyres may have one or two body plies, giving structural strength and flexibility.
We now move on to visible structures in our car tyre. Using materials that include antioxidants and antiozonants lets car tyre sidewalls resist abrasion and chemical attack, while promoting flexibility and strength.
The inner edges of the sidewalls are the car tyre's beads. Made of corrosion-resistant copper or brass-coated high tensile steel wire moulded into rubber casings, the beads are a strong point, holding the car tyre to the wheel and keeping air sealed inside. The triangular-section area joining the bead and the sidewall is the apex, the cushion between the two.
Back under the skin of the car tyre, beneath the tread, lies the belt package. Two layers of rubber sandwich a layer of steel cords. This package is what allows the car tyre to handle road impacts, from potholes, stones and so on. Usually the cords run radially within the belt package, hence the name 'radial tyre'. The visible tread and the layers beneath it are made of rubber compounds with a specific degree of hardness. Harder compounds wear well, softer compounds offer better grip; a compromise between the two is usually offered.
Now we know what car tyres are made of, how do we go about building one? In short, we don't, unless we happen to own a car tyre factory. In such a premises, a tyre's inner liner, body plies, sidewalls and beads are first assembled around a special drum. After the belt package and tread are added, the components are spliced together before the tyre is automatically inflated and shaped. At this stage, the tyre is uncured, or 'green'.
In this green form, the car tyre's parts are yet to be bonded together, in a curing process. A rubber bladder, inflated inside the car tyre with hot water, steam or an inert gas, forces it into a mould. The 350-degrees Fahrenheit temperature and 350psi pressure used speed up chemical reactions in the car tyre carcass, and the curing process takes about 15 minutes.
The cured car tyre is run on a mock tarmac surface, to highlight any localized inflexibility and/or unbalanced sections. While all tyres are visually inspected, a random sample of tyres is also X-rayed.
Heavy-duty equipment and extremes of pressure and temperature are used make a car tyre. It's comforting to know that these things combine to produce a tough, long lasting result.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
The heart of a car tyre is an inner liner made of halobutyl rubber. This includes additives that promote air retention. The inner liner is clad in a three-layer body ply, consisting of a layer of Rayon, Nylon, Polyester or Kevlar sandwiched between two layers of rubber. Car tyres may have one or two body plies, giving structural strength and flexibility.
We now move on to visible structures in our car tyre. Using materials that include antioxidants and antiozonants lets car tyre sidewalls resist abrasion and chemical attack, while promoting flexibility and strength.
The inner edges of the sidewalls are the car tyre's beads. Made of corrosion-resistant copper or brass-coated high tensile steel wire moulded into rubber casings, the beads are a strong point, holding the car tyre to the wheel and keeping air sealed inside. The triangular-section area joining the bead and the sidewall is the apex, the cushion between the two.
Back under the skin of the car tyre, beneath the tread, lies the belt package. Two layers of rubber sandwich a layer of steel cords. This package is what allows the car tyre to handle road impacts, from potholes, stones and so on. Usually the cords run radially within the belt package, hence the name 'radial tyre'. The visible tread and the layers beneath it are made of rubber compounds with a specific degree of hardness. Harder compounds wear well, softer compounds offer better grip; a compromise between the two is usually offered.
Now we know what car tyres are made of, how do we go about building one? In short, we don't, unless we happen to own a car tyre factory. In such a premises, a tyre's inner liner, body plies, sidewalls and beads are first assembled around a special drum. After the belt package and tread are added, the components are spliced together before the tyre is automatically inflated and shaped. At this stage, the tyre is uncured, or 'green'.
In this green form, the car tyre's parts are yet to be bonded together, in a curing process. A rubber bladder, inflated inside the car tyre with hot water, steam or an inert gas, forces it into a mould. The 350-degrees Fahrenheit temperature and 350psi pressure used speed up chemical reactions in the car tyre carcass, and the curing process takes about 15 minutes.
The cured car tyre is run on a mock tarmac surface, to highlight any localized inflexibility and/or unbalanced sections. While all tyres are visually inspected, a random sample of tyres is also X-rayed.
Heavy-duty equipment and extremes of pressure and temperature are used make a car tyre. It's comforting to know that these things combine to produce a tough, long lasting result.
Article Resource
Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.
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