5 Things Most People Forget When Spring Cleaning the Car

Spring has sprung!

src: giphy.com

Sorry... I couldn't resist.

So the weather is finally starting to look up and if you haven’t thought about it already, then it’s time to start prepping your vehicle for the warmer months ahead. Your car took a beating over winter. Freezing temperatures, mud, salt and bad weather all take their toll on your paintwork and interior.

src: imgur.com

It’s standard practice to reach for the chammy, bucket and vacuum around this time of the year to bring some life back into your vehicle, but there are some key steps to the vehicle spring clean that most people neglect that are really easy to address. Are you guilty of these top 5 Spring Cleaning sins?

More after the jump...

PRODUCT FEATURE: Hypalube PD 5W/40

The folks at Granville have been busy again and are pleased to announce the release of the latest addition to their growing Hypalube range. Hypalube PD 5W/40 is formulated to meet the requirements of VW 505.01 for use in Pumpe Duse engines.

More after the jump...

8 Autumn Car Care Fixes You Need To Know

October's marching on. Unbelievable isn't it? Suddenly the mornings are characterized by either a commute through thick fog or dazzling sun on wet roads, the leaves seem to have leapt off the trees and are single-mindedly set on blanketing the bonnets and roofs of our motors, and is it just me that's had to have the heating on first thing when starting the car in the morning?

src: giphy.com

As with all the changes in the seasons, they affect our cars in different ways and some steps need to be taken to prepare, protect and remedy against the new conditions you will be faced with as we plod on towards winter. So here's my top tips for making sure you and your motor are Autumn ready.

More after the Jump...

8 easy car wash tips everyone needs to know

Cleaning your car to perfection is a fine art, but you don't need to be a professional detailer to achieve that showroom shine. Here's some top tips which will help you improve your car wash routine with minimum effort and maximum results.

1. Start with a clean bucket

It may seem like common sense but if you store your car wash bucket in the garage or the garden shed chances are that it's going to have collected a layer of dust and dirt by the time you dig it out again. Give your bucket a good rinse before you get started and you won't have lost before you've started.

More after the jump.

Rust Repair Tutorial

This week sees the launch of Granville's new Rust Repair Liquid. Now this stuff is the bee's knees, what can I say? It's easy to use, takes only 15mins to work its magic and also comes in a gel formulation for easy application on hard to reach and horizontal surfaces.

So let's take a look at how to use Granville Rust Repair Liquid and Gel...

More after the jump.

Antifreeze and Coolant 101

Antifreeze and coolant. They cause quite a bit of confusion for motorists who aren't in the know. In fact it's one of the most frequently asked topics put to the Tech Team here at Granville HQ. And it's no wonder that it causes folk to scratch their heads over it because they are essentially the same product - just with different functions.

Call it coolant and you're referring to, you guessed it, the stuff that keeps your engine cool and operating at the correct temperature. When you think about it, your engine is basically powered by a series of controlled explosion so it's bound to get hot under that hood!

The job of Antifreeze is to keep things just right - src: funnyjunk.com

Now, technically speaking, coolant can be just plain water but this alone wouldn't protect against extremes of temperature or corrosion. Add Antifreeze to this water and you solve this issue, protecting against corrosion, aiding heat transfer, preventing scale build up, and raising the boiling point and lowering the freezing point of the liquid.

Generally speaking the ratio to make coolant is 50:50 Antifreeze to water but you must check your User Manual for the specific dilution for your vehicle.

More after the jump.

What your oil is trying to tell you about the health of your engine

Frothy Oil
A good quality engine oil should not foam up because of the anti-foaming additives that are mixed with the product. There could be several reasons why your oil has foamed up. If your oil is bubbly or foamy but not discoloured then you may have overfilled the sump. The oil is essentially being churned and aerated by the crank and can cause a lot of damage very quickly.

src: forums.swedespeed.com

If the foam is lighter in colour this could be down to water or coolant contamination. If this is the case, then there is a chance you may have a leaking gasket head or a crack in the engine block.

Solution: If you think you may have overfilled with engine oil make sure you drain it off and refill the tank. If you see evidence of light coloured foam, see a professional mechanic as soon as you can.

More after the jump...

Jargon Buster: Translating your Oil Bottle

Grab your average bottle of motor oil off the shelf in your local retailer and you're confronted with a whole lot of jargon, acronyms and random numbers which will probably mean very little to you unless you're in the know. And let's face it, your owner's manual isn't much more help either. Sure it might give you a list of numbers and letters that translate into an oil spec that's suitable for your vehicle, but wouldn't you like to know what it all really means?

src: giphy.com

Do you know your 0w/20 from your 5w/40? What's the real difference between mineral and synthetic oil? ACEA? API? Well here's my jargon busting guide to translating your oil bottle.