How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? - Car Talk (2) - Nairaland
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| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 9:17pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
Well, these days I always check my engine in the mornings - for fear of having rats cause serious damage in the engine if I start the car without checking. There has been an influx of huge rats in my compound of late, and they particularly enjoy the 'cosy' ambience and warmth of the car engines - especially those parked for more than a day or two without use. Just last week my fan belt got damaged when I started the engine with a huge rat stuck within the fan belt. Thankfully though, the intruder got decapitated instantly as fair punishment. By the way, I was wondering how one can make one's engines less attractive to rodents? I'm tired of their unlawful habitation abeg. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by ojeniyi1: 9:23pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
Why should you check under your bonnet? Though is an act of being security conscious, but do you know that topping the water in your radiator could cause an unnoticeable damage to the cover of your radiator. If the is any gap in the cover, water which is suppose to keep ur engine cool escapes in form of vapour or gas when your engine runs for about ten minute. So i advice that you get a very good radiator and replace ur radiator cover as soon and itz damaged instead of parking it with pure water nylon or anything what so ever. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by chucky234(m): 9:28pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
Yomieluv: i use a brand new Honda pilot jeep,so i dont need to open bonnet.opening of bonnet is for poor people,whose car is malfunctioning.lol |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by chucky234(m): 9:35pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
You can't blame people who open their hood every morning as many of them still drives 80/90s cars that needs constant checkup especially the ones with cabulrator engines. Cars manufactured from 96 to 2012 don't need regular check,though depends on distance your car(s) runs daily/weekly. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Pennywise(m): 9:36pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
I genuinely detest opening bonnets as much as I hate checking expiry date on vehicle particulars(actually an unforgiveable sin in Nigeria). If there is any job worth delegating, this is it. The other no no is checking fone balance. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by sultaan(m): 9:39pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
In my newer car ~8 times in the last 3 years. The 12yr old jeep gets a look ~every 4 months |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Inova(m): 9:41pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
Check mine everyday just for the need of it. Don't need to top anything but just to check wats up. You must agree with me that these cars could really embarrass when preventive maintenance is not done. I drive to and from the island everyday dias no day I don't face trafic. My car remains in top condition but never the less I make it a point of duty to always check everyday. It doesn't hurt. Do not take things for granted 1 Like |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Inova(m): 9:53pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
chucky234: lolI don't envy you at all. Cars of today are not as strong as before dats why they recomend u trade them in for a newer one once its guarantee is void. Pls don't be fooled. I drive a brand new toyota avensis. My friend brand new toyota corolla had an electrical prob which bridged the wires burning out the brain box. He should have know dat one of the wires was partly resting on the exhasut manifold melting it if he had done a routine check |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Ikenna351(m): 10:03pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
Yomieluv: i use a brand new Honda pilot jeep,so i dont need to open bonnet.opening of bonnet is for poor people,whose car is malfunctioning. Seriously? Back then at Awka, when i was a kid, dad took his Peugeot 504 GL to mechanic workshop for some repairs. The next morning, he drove off with mum and my brother. While they were still in the street, they saw smoke coming out from the bonnet and yet the engine was still running. He quickly stopped the car, forcefully opened the bonnet and boom! Fire! The opening of the bonnet brought in air into the engine bay and set it on fire. With the help of people that gathered, they were able to stop the fire before it could do severe damage. It was when he came back to house that he told us the mechanic removed the fuel hose from carburretor to get some fuel to wash his hand after he had finshed what he repaired. Probably, he forgot to clamp the hose back properly. So, the hose was spraying fuel on the engine, since it wasnt clamped well, which he would have seen if he had opened the bonnet that morning before he drove out. 3 months ago, i woke up and prepared for work. I entered my Peugeot 505 V6, cranked the engine and it started. As i was about to drive out, a thought came to me " when was the last you checked to be sure everything fine in the engine bay?” So I left the engine idling and opened the bonnet. Lo and behold! The return fuel line, attached to the Fuel Pressure Regulator, was spraying fuel on the intake manifold, from the spot where it was clamped. Hmm! I quickly rushed and switched off the engine. Taking a closer look, i saw that the clamp on the hose had eaten deep into the hose and cut it a little bit. So considering the amount of fuel pressure from that end, it was enough to set the whole engine into fire, if i had driven off without checking and the engine gets hot. I had a similar experience with my 605 V6, when i first bought it, though, from a different spot. Rat! Has anyone ever opened his bonnet, only to discover that Rat has visited his engine bay, eaten off some of the wires and exposed them ( naked) to be touching each other ( positive and negative). Do you know what would happen if you drive off, and somewhere, you have a naked or exposed positive wire very close to the ground or body of the car? As soon as you jump gallop or climp something, the car will shake and the naked wire will touch what it shouldn't touch. The outcome is what i believe everybody would know. I didnt use my 605 V6 for two days. The 3rd day, i decided to drive it to work that day, instead of my 505 V6. When i opened the bonnet, there before me was a rat on my engine. Well, it ran out. But it had chopped off the battery positive wire to the car horn relay. And also the two wires of headlights relay. Luckily, i traced back their sources and reconnected them. Only God knows what would have happened if i didnt check before starting car. Luckily, as i was driving out of the compound, the rat wanted to jump out of the car when it realised the car was moving (though, i thought the rat was no longer in the car). Unfortunately for it, one of the car tyres crushed it skull. How it fell under the tyre, i didnt know. I dont know about you, but i have seen a lot of cars, both new and used, caught fire in the middle of the road and burnt into ashes. No accident, nothing. They just all of a sudden will start smoking. And before you know it, fire! Of course, it is said experience is the best teacher. I learnt from the mistake of my father and have been doing my best not to make same mistake. But you can wait till you experience it before you finally know if its safe to be opening your car bonnet once in a while or not. One thing about us is that we are good at " Everybody does it", so why not join the wagon? But everybody didnot contribute money for you to buy the car. So, everybody will not contribute money to replace the car for you, when you lose it. We can only sympathize with you. So, you can choose to make sure what you laboured to acquire is intact, by doing physical check, other than what your instrument cluster tells or shows you. Or can still choose to believe that opening of car bonnet for checks, if for poor people that drive scraps in the name of cars. Ikenna. 2 Likes |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Okijajuju1(m): 10:18pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
@Topic NEVER... In the last two years since I bought my current vehicle, I have prolly looked under the hood 5 times.. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by seyibrown(f): 10:22pm On Sep 27, 2012 |
Rat wey e dey chop motor wire!  Na Ogbonge Rat be dat o! Last opened mine in February ... and was wondering last week whether my screenwash was connected to some gigantic remote reservoir, having never topped it up since February. I largely rely on the dashboard to show warning lights if there are problems, as I would not really have a clue what to look for under the bonnet! I do make a point of checking my tires before any non-local journeys though. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by braveheart2012(m): 1:04am On Sep 28, 2012 |
LOL @ opening the bonnet. To look for what?! As if I would know what to look for if anything is wrong. I have never opened mine. I bought it brand new and skipped the obligatory view of the engine at the dealership. I take the car back to the dealership when the lights come on and my washer fluid is topped-up after each servicing. I probably should go look for the manual and find out where the button is to open the hood/bonnet in case of an emergency. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 3:07am On Sep 28, 2012 |
pannyman: When I was learning to drive, one of the first things I was taught was to check my oil and water first thing in the morning before starting the car. Now that I own my own car I do that three or for times a week. Ideally, it should be everyday. This depends entirely on the condition, which includes the year, mileage, etc, of the particular car. Quick examples, on rental cars I never ever check the hood though I check the condition of the tires for my personal safety. On my personal cars I open the hood at each fill up (a personal pet peeve of mine), it takes a minute. Sometimes it's just a cursory glance and then go in deeper if something looks iffy. Once you are used to your car then you will know how to set your own schedule. Don't depend on anyones schedule but yours and the particular condition and its usage. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by yhemster(m): 4:33am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Sam Milla: I open mine everyday. I guess ur BMW consumes water because you not using the right fluid, coolant such be poured into the radiator and not ordinary water. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by bigmo1(m): 4:35am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Ikenna351:Food for tot, this really got me thinking. I pop my hood only when I want to travel out of state. But after reading this, *with hand on my chest* I pledge to always open my bonnet everyday, no, once in 2 days, so help me God' |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by bigmo1(m): 4:40am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Why so many hidden posts? I tot the g***i war was over. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 6:39am On Sep 28, 2012 |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 7:01am On Sep 28, 2012 |
chaircover: Siena Ive been meaning to ask you this. I seem to be getting some oversteer on roundabouts especially when the road is wet. I try approaching the roundabouts at a slower speed and that seems to help, but it never used to be this bad and this is a new phenomenon and considering I need to negotiate about a minimum of 20 roundabouts every day its becoming annoying. My tyres are good. Any ideas? What car do you have, CC? Have you had any tyres replaced recently, if yes, did the oversteer become more noticeable after the change? Oversteer is inherent with powerful rear-wheel drive vehicles (BMW, Mercedes-Benz etc) more so if turns are taken faster than the norm. If it's occuring at moderate speeds over larger (not so tight) roundabouts, then something's wrong. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 7:14am On Sep 28, 2012 |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 7:35am On Sep 28, 2012 |
chaircover: You gotta slow down, CC! And I would look at getting the lower suspension arms checked. Quite an exhaustive item on Beemers, the rears especially will dial in more understeer than normal if they're worn. I've just replaced them on my 58-plate 120d M-Sport, as the nylon bushes were a bit soft. And my rear tyres were scrubbing on the inside as a result, they're being replaced next. My Princesses are doing great, thanks. Still as "brown" as ever.  |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by kenny2u(m): 8:03am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Once in a wk! |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Bishop7(m): 9:03am On Sep 28, 2012 |
I have a friend who had those rickety cars that required constant attention. He would lift his hood every day before going out to check oil, fluid, water and everything. Much later, he got an official car assigned to him that was brand new. He had developed a habit of checking the hood constantly so he continued. After checking the hood of the brand new car for a week and not finding anything wrong, he gave up: there was nothing to do there. After about eighteen months of not lifting the hood, he got a temperature height alert on his dash. He rushed to the mechanic to complain. The mechanic raised the hood and noticed that the water level on the radiator was low. That was the only problem! Raising the hood of ones car would depend on the type of car it is and the need for attention it requires. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 9:24am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Bishop7: After about eighteen months of not lifting the hood, he got a temperature height alert on his dash. He rushed to the mechanic to complain. The mechanic raised the hood and noticed that the water level on the radiator was low. That was the only problem! This is a prime example of what kills cars in Nigeria. Your buddy noticed his coolant temperature gauge was reading high, yet he still drove the car, albeit to his mechanic. A high temperature reading means one thing: Stop The Car! Then get assistance, but on no account should an over heating car be driven. It would be best if he first checked his coolant level. And I only hope his mechanic didn't top up the coolant with plain water? And didn't send him on his way without checking for a leak? Modern car cooling systems are sealed, so the coolant will drop for one reason, and one only: The cooling system has a leak, and it needs to be fixed. Simply topping it up is not ideal, that's just papering over the cracks. Solve the cause, not the symptom. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 9:25am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Look under my bonnet to find what ? I guess its for old cars. The fear of old cars is the beginning of wisdom. When I started life, I thought it was economical to buy used cars, now I know better. Buy the cheapest brand new car you can afford and you save yourself heart breaks. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 9:29am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Contrary to popular belief, modern cars don't need their hoods popped daily. There was a mention of fire, as a reason to check all is well under the hood. Again, that's a contrary belief. Most automobile fires are electrical, and tend to start under the dash area, spreading to the engine bay. So lifting the hood daily won't help. If anything, the hood release cable will eventually break. There are only so many pull and flex cycles the cable is designed for, before it snaps. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by cecegorz(m): 9:46am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Siena: I don't lift my hood that regularly. perhaps once a month. I've been a licensed driver since 1988. I bought my first car back inm 1990, a 1986 LHD Peugeot 505 STi. Modern cars don't require as much maintenance as older ones, and the cooling system's actually a sealed one. The level should rtemain constant.That's it from the Pro. This is not the 80s when our parents used to keep a gallon of water and a bottle of oil in the trunk for daily top up. If your car can't go 3,000km before you do oil change, go see your mechanic ASAP! |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Okijajuju1(m): 11:25am On Sep 28, 2012 |
Hello Mr. Siena.. I drive a 2009 Hyundai Sonata V6, I have noticed that whenever I step on the brakes at speeds above 60km/h, the steering vibrates really bad!! That ish scares the beejesus outta me.. I love speed so this brake issue gives me alot of cause for concern.. I want your opinion on what might be the problem?! My mechanic says its the brake pads, but I dont believe him.. My next service is at 40,000Km (Less than 1,500km till that), I want to know before I pump money into the brakepads... |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 12:00pm On Sep 28, 2012 |
Okija_juju: Hello Mr. Siena.. I drive a 2009 Hyundai Sonata V6, I have noticed that whenever I step on the brakes at speeds above 60km/h, the steering vibrates really bad!! That ish scares the beejesus outta me.. I love speed so this brake issue gives me alot of cause for concern.. I want your opinion on what might be the problem?! My mechanic says its the brake pads, but I dont believe him.. My next service is at 40,000Km (Less than 1,500km till that), I want to know before I pump money into the brakepads... Your mechanic is wrong...worn brake pads will not cause vibration when used. However, warped / distorted brake rotors will. And generally it's good practice to replace pad when fitting new rotors. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by vivaciousvivi(f): 12:10pm On Sep 28, 2012 |
Yomieluv: i use a brand new Honda pilot jeep,so i dont need to open bonnet.opening of bonnet is for poor people,whose car is malfunctioning. Eh hen....easy man. Pride goeth before a fool u know. |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by Nobody: 1:02pm On Sep 28, 2012 |
| Re: How Often Do You Look Under Your Bonnet? by patrick2(m): 2:32pm On Sep 28, 2012 |
Mine is a tear rubber mint, age two years. Goes to service once in six months. I have never opened the bonnet to check for any thing. But I think I should start doing that now. |
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