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| Metal on metal: abused brake pads. |
JENS Denk of Denk’s Motors in May Street in Pietermaritzburg answers:
Abuse is using something in a way that it was not designed for. “Riding the clutch” to hold a vehicle in place against an incline at an intersection — instead of using the handbrake — is a classic example.
Using a lower grade fuel or oil is another. Oil is to a car what blood is to a human body. It assists with heating and cooling, it carries contaminants away to the filter, it lubricates and prevents corrosion and it helps with absorbing noise. If your oil breaks down under load, it will not be able to continue protecting your engine from wear.
Oil is blended to give the desired base oil to add the viscosity modifiers, emulsifiers, anti-foaming and all the other additives that make the oil do what the specs say it can do. As with with most things these additives have a life expectancy, so its extremely important to change the oil and filter in your vehicle at the right intervals, bearing in mind that how the vehicle is used will either shorten or lengthen that interval.
Another question we often get that amounts to abuse is: “Can I leave the torn CV boots until the next service?”
Yes, you can drive the vehicle for another year while water and dust get into your CVs and grind them beyond repair so you’ll have to replace them.
In my opinion you should budget the same for servicing and repairs as you do for fuel and tyres, especially if your car has done over 150 000 km.
(This article first appeared in the "Tuning You Straight" column of Witness Wheels.)
