Every new vehicle is engineered to deliver maximum performance. The tyre specifications on the placard are directly tied to the suspension and braking system on the vehicle. If a different size or lower speed rating is used, compared to the one indicated on the placard when the original tyres are replaced, the responsiveness and handling of the vehicle may be affected. If the load index on the replacement tyre is lower than the one on the placard, the tyre may not be able to carry the maximum weight of the vehicle.

Loose lug nuts can cause damage to the wheel and the car as a whole, but so too can over tightened lug nuts. After a tyre installation or rotation, it’s essential to check the torque in order to identify a damaged stud or lug nut.

Unless you have x-ray vision, it’s impossible to detect any damage on the inside of the tyre when plugging the tyre on the rim. Only when the tyre is removed from the rim can the technician carefully inspect the whole of the interior and use a plug/patch combination to fully restore the integrity of the tyre.

Tyre inflation pressure should be checked at least once a month when the tyres are cold or have been still for at least three hours. The tyres must be cold each time you check the air pressure since heat, caused by friction on the road, changes the pressure of the air in the tyres.

A vehicle with brand-new tyres on the front axle and worn tyres on the rear has a greater tendency to lose control when turning in wet or slippery conditions. While the new tyres on the front may “hug the turn”, the worn tyres on the rear may slide out and “fishtail”. This condition is known as over steer and it has been known to cause serious and fatal accidents on front-wheel-drive vehicles with two new tyres on the front axle and two worn tyres on the rear.

There are many things that can keep a car from starting, so you need to do some troubleshooting. We recommend you visit one of our authorized Customer Care Centers - they will test your battery free of charge in order to easily pinpoint the problem.

High temperatures will reduce the life of a battery more quickly by evaporating the water from the electrolyte and corroding and weakening the positive grids.

Reserve Capacity, (RC) is a battery industry rating that defines a battery’s ability to power a vehicle with an inoperative alternator or fan belt. The rating is the number of minutes that a battery at 80°F can be discharged at 25 amps while maintaining a voltage of 10.5 volts for a 12 volt battery. The higher the reserve rating, the longer your vehicle can operate should your alternator or fan belt fail.

MCA stands for “Marine Cranking Amps”, and “CA” stands for just “Cranking Amps”. These are both ratings used to describe the discharge load in amperes that a new, fully charged battery at 32°F (0°C), can continuously deliver for 30 seconds while maintaining a terminal voltage equal or greater than 1.2 volts per cell.

CCA stands for “Cold Cranking Amps” and is a rating used in the battery industry to define a battery’s ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. The rating is the number of amps that a new, fully charged battery can deliver at 0° Fahrenheit for 30 seconds, while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts, for a 12 volt battery. The higher the CCA rating, the greater the starting power of the battery.

Before you start, always check the type of grounding system that the vehicle has. If you remove the positive connector first in a negative ground system, you risk the chance of creating a spark if anything metal comes into contact with any metal part of the car. In turn, this can cause the battery to explode, so it’s extremely important to remove the ground source first!

Batteries contain chemicals that can be damaging to the environment if simply thrown into landfill sites. Always return used batteries to your nearest battery collection point – you may even be entitled to a cash payment for your old battery!

Protect your car battery from high under-hood temperatures with a heat shield or case.  Keeping the battery well-maintained and fully charged at all times also help to extend its life. In hot climates and during the summer, the electrolyte levels should be checked at least every 3 months for gas vehicles and 1 month for diesel vehicles.

The vehicle must be taken into an authorized center for inspection within 7 days of the date of purchase of the battery. Please see our Warranty information page for a full list of our authorized Customer Care Centers, and remember that incorrect use of the battery could nullify the warranty.  Please check with an authorized center for further information.

1. Size. Batteries for different purposes come in different shapes and sizes, so check the dimensions of your original battery to make sure that your new one measures up.
2. Power. Check the cold cranking amps required to power your vehicle and make sure your new battery is capable of handling this level.
3. Warranty. All automotive batteries come with a warranty, however ensure that you use the correct battery that’s recommended by the manufacture.

When buying a battery it is important to choose one that will match the load requirements of your vehicle and its application. Consult our Battery Application Chart, or purchase the battery type that is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, although please do note that if the vehicle’s load has been modified in any way, the life of the battery may be shortened.  The size of the battery should be considered as well as the Cranking Performance and Reserve Capacity rating. If additional accessories have been added to the vehicle, a battery with greater performance may be required.

A battery stores energy in chemical form that can be released on demand in order to generate electricity. This electricity is then used by the car’s ignition system to start the engine. The car's battery also powers the lights and other electrical accessories such as electric windows, wiper blades and screen washers. Should the alternator fail, the battery will power the vehicle’s entire electrical system for a short period of time.

Probably not!  At Automotive Components, we don't even discuss ride or handling issues until we have checked the tire pressures.  Improperly inflated tires is actually the most common reason for poor shock absorption, so it is essential to inflate them to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations – by law these are posted somewhere in the vehicle, typically on a door, door pillar or the glove box lid.  By the way, you’ll often find a number printed on the side of tire that gives the absolute maximum pressure that the tire can withstand – note that this is NOT the recommended tire pressure! A well designed vehicle is built with significant reserve tire capacity and does not require the maximum tire pressure, nor is it usually appropriate.

With the tires properly inflated, using a good tire gauge, we can inspect the shocks and struts. When shocks or struts are worn, the most common symptom is a feeling akin to piloting a waterbed or boat.  The car rocks and sways, does not come to rest immediately after a sudden stop or dip in the road and it will bottom out easily. A qualified Automotive Components mechanic will be able to diagnose the exact problem and recommend the ways to fix it.

The most common cause of steering wheel shake and the car pulling to one side is actually a faulty front tire that is about to blow out or separate. If you notice these symptoms, get yourself down to a tire store as soon as possible, driving slowly and carefully as you do so!  Rear tire damage is less obvious since the car usually continues to drive in a straight line and the shaking is less concentrated on the steering wheel; in addition, other problems can cause these symptoms too. Our first guess would always be tire damage though, so visit us to have your tires professionally and thoroughly checked over.

Apart from the screeching, which can be a nuisance, your brakes are probably fine. The rubbing noise that you can hear is the sound of the brake pad or shoe rubbing against the metal rotor or drum – this is how brakes work! If you’ve recently had your brake pads replaced, you’ve probably just forgotten what normal brakes sound and feel like. Vehicle designers attempt to appease the public with all sorts of gimmicks added to the basic brake design in an attempt to dampen normal vibration and noise or at least shift it to a frequency above the range of human hearing.

It’s likely that the master cylinder has an internal leak that is bleeding off pressure.  The car needs immediate professional attention because there is no way to predict what the brake pedal will do next time.

Nothing!  This is normal behavior for your anti-lock brake system (ABS), which maintains superior control on slippery surfaces by pumping the brakes on any individual locked and skidding wheel.  If you have to stop suddenly like this, resist the temptation to raise your foot or to pump the brake pedal while it pulses, since you’ll lose valuable stopping time. Try practicing on an empty gravel parking lot to help you overcome the instinct to do this.

Most modern clutches don’t work with cables or rods but with a hydraulic system, much like you’re your brakes system. The “master cylinder” pushes fluid through tubing to the “slave cylinder”, which in turn pushes on a short rod that disengages the clutch to allow you to shift.  When a clutch pedal falls to the floor, it’s most likely because of a leak in one or both cylinders, so you will need to have a clutch specialist replace the fluid and fix the leak.

No matter how the new the car, it is unrealistic to expect that no oil will be consumed between oil changes. Oil can be burned and released through the tailpipe, and minor or major leaks can occur at any time. The only way to ensure that your vehicle has a safe level of oil is to use your dipstick regularly and frequently!

Only if you don’t mind ruining your engine! The oil light signifies that you have precious little lubrication left in your engine, and depending on temperature and engine speed, this vital oil film can be gone in less than a minute. No oil means that engine damage can take place very rapidly and will require expert disassembly to determine the extent of the damage. Leave it too long however, and your engine could throw a rod, which could result in a total write-off!