Car Tyres

An afterthought of having my car's front tyres changed on its 2nd MOT date. 2 weeks prior to this the tyres were a couple of mm short of failing its MOT's so it was definitely time for a new set.

The tyres in question were the front two (due to the power steering of the car) whilst the back 2 still had plenty of thread on. Then again after 25.5k miles and 3.5 years of use they do deserve a break (at a cost of £170 - ouch that's quite a few days of hard work gone!)

First of all some information:

How to check car tyres for safety/usage (a random good looking google search result)

* http://www.diydoctormotoring.co.uk/projects/checktyres.htm

What the numbers on the car tyres mean:

* http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/ca/en/generaltire/automobile/themes/generaluniversity/tire_ovw_101/sidewall_en.html

My front two tyres had marked on the side walls - 205/55 R 16 91H Continental Tyres - engineered in Germany

Now the hard part was finding the seller (who had stock and could fit within 2 days or so in order to meet the MOT date which at the time of looking hadn't even been booked yet!)

The usual culprits were checked:

* http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/Tyres-Results?sw=205&ar=55&rd=16&sr=H&ds=1&m=1&q=1

* http://www.kwik-fit.com/tyre-search.asp

* http://www.national.co.uk/tyres-size-search.aspx?Width=205&Profile=55&Diameter=16&Rating=H&LoadIndex=91

* http://shop.atseuromaster.co.uk/eshop/en_GB/searchByTyreByUrl/section/205/aspectRatio/55/rimDiameter/16/loadIndex/91/speedIndex/H/xl/false/rf/false?x=135&y=19

Along with a couple of local garages including Vauxhall Grimshaws in Prestwich. The cheapest price for a single tyre started from £45 but as that would only last 10k - 15k, I decided and persuaded my dad to go for the more expensive Continental (Premium Contact 2's) @ £85 each which would do 20k-25k each!

Meanwhile my head was spinning around with so many different types, models and thread designs at which point I found a comparison site:

* http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Grid/

Kwik Fit was only £1 extra than the other on-line site but as they had the stock and could get the MOT done in 1 go within 1 hour of calling for an appointment I went with them. Problem soon followed where they couldn't match their website price for the tyre (but could for the MOT?!) so I bought the tyres online and booked the appointment for the Friday and over the phone had the MOT appointment for the Tuesday 3 days before. Whilst paying for the tyres a number of other options came up at which point I noticed a new thing - "Fill your tyres with Nitrogen instead of Oxygen for £1 each and get 25% extra life!"

Why not +£2 to the bill and if it does that's 25k to 31.25k miles each!

At the MOT station hidden behind the new Rock shopping centre in Bury, they amended the dates so that the MOT and tyre change were done in 1 go. After 1 hour of waiting they came back to me and told me the tyres were gonna get changed soon but the car needed doing slightly and retesting as it had failed the MOT due to a low aim of the headlights. It was finally after another hour that the car was completed and we could go/leave.

Now here's some "so-called advantages" of filling the car tyres up with Nitrogen instead of oxygen:

1. Better handling and road holding

2. Reduces tread wear and increases tyre life by up to 25%

3. Correct inflation pressures reduce puncture risk by up to 33%

4. Reduced rolling resistance improves miles per gallon by 2%

5. Improved pressure retention

But Karl says it's not true at all, however time should tell!

Stats taken from the supplier's site:

* http://www.uniflate.com/benefits-of-nitrogen-tyre-inflation

A footnote to the end of this era (of these 2 tyres)

The garage issued 2 MOT certificates - 1 failing the car, and 1 passing. I wonder if this might affect anything in future?!

Vauxhall Zafira (Secrets/Modifications) PART 3

The final word...

About so many google searches etc I am in a right mind to completely dismantle the car and install the mentioned mods in order to better my life, however as it's not mine (rather my dad's) I cant do this much YET!

However as a final word to this mini collection of threads, a few supplier shops etc:

* http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/cars/zafira/accessories/accessories.html

* http://www.vauxhallworldparts.com/

For the second I need to find the correct parts for my car by entering the engine details, but as all of the required information isn't here I can't jot it down now...

All I know is:

* 1.8 Petrol

but no idea if:

> Z18XER OR

> Z18XEP OR

> A18XER

What's the difference? Engine size / horse power?

Details to follow.

Another thing to do is to figure out how to pop a lock on the glove box...

Vauxhall Zafira (Problems)

A short list of to date problems I've had with my car...

The car in question is a Vauxhall Zafira 1.8l [Petrol] design model

At the time of buying the design model is one of the better ones with the better exterior looks and alloy wheels etc. These models range from Expression, Life, Exclusiv, Elite, and SRi.

At the time of buying there was only 18 miles on the clock [delivery miles] and so a brand new car!

Pre-buying the car a different model (different car as well) had gone into limp home mode after my dad test-drove it onto the motorway due to a faulty petrol gauge. Whilst waiting for the garage's other salesperson to arrive with a spare can of petrol we swapped drivers and I got my first drive of the Zafira's.

Within the 1st year my car has had a light turn on the dashboard indicating an issue with the CO2 filter system. Turns out that it is simply a fact that the Pollen Filter needed to be changed. However before this was done the car itself couldn't be driven far as the waste gas / CO2 came back into the car suffocating myself to a certain extent. Thankfully the windows could be opened!

In the 2nd year a rubbish truck hit my car and made it 'illegal' to drive due to the many newly created sharp edges. The damage was on the front driver's side which meant the bumper needed changing, and parts of the sides (and the drivers door.) However they overlooked the alloys on my driver's side wheels. Co-operative insurance have been annoying in this matter as they refused to deal with the issue/claim as the main policy holder was in China and as a named driver I couldn't deal with it! Thankfully Arnold Clarks had their own 3rd party who stood in and sorted it out for me (supposedly this work cost £2.5k!)

In the 3rd year, in winter the car wouldn't start and Vauxhall in Prestwich wouldn't look at it unless we paid £100+ for diagnostics. In the end we had the battery swapper and the car serviced which appeared to solve the problem.

In its 4th year the car 2nd MOT's was due and so it was taken to Kwik Fit in Bury for this service. Whilst it was there I had the tyres changed and topped up with Nitrogen which supposedly makes it last 25% longer (prefect as the last set of front Continential tyres lasted 25.5k miles and 25% extra makes it 31.87k miles!)

Whilst during its MOT it fails the 1st test as one of the headlights' aim was too low, this was then retested for free after its adjustment and passed.

Personal experience of Driving

Starting learning in 2001/2002.

At first started with a Vauxhall Corsa [diesel] which a week or 2 before my practical exam was changed for a newer model.

Once I passed my driving test my driving license hadn't seen much light and it wasn't till a few years later (2006?) that I actually had a car to drive. This was thanks to a special car insurance entitled "ANY DRIVER" which meant I could drive my parents big 2.0l [petrol] Ford Galaxy (Aspen model which was bought in 1996/1997 which used to be Ford's demo car.)

Later on that year the Galaxy gave me a fright as it (the engine) cut out whilst driving at >50mph on 2 occasions driving to work's head office on a steep hill heading downwards and on the motorway, just coming off the roundabouts...

It had then come to buying a new car (part exchange using my parents other 7 seater car) and during this time I had the chance to test drive a few more cars:

Vauxhall Zafira [petrol] (which had been on the forecourt for a while) and although there was about 1/4 petrol showing left in the tank the car cut out on the motorway and went into limp home mode. The garage ended up sending someone else out with a spare tank of petrol and we continue the drive through roads...

Another car I had test-drove was a Volkswagen Tauren [petrol] which I had preferred.

In the end we went for the cheaper option a £12k Vauxhall Zafira 1.8l [petrol] (design model) which only had 18miles on the clock but a lot cheaper than the listed 22k due to the car being 1/2 old and only been on the forecourt.