Heels & Horsepower Magazine

What are Shock Absorbers?

Your shock absorbers are critical safety components on your car and can be classified into two basic types: 

  • Standalone shocks that attach to the vehicle suspension and frame
  • Shock-absorber cartridges that are integrated into a suspension strut

Some cars have struts in the front and individual shocks in the rear. If this is the case, it’s possible to replace the rear shocks with the help of a friend who knows what they’re doing, but it’s safer to have your shock absorbers replaced by a professional.

The purpose of Shock Absorbers

Shock absorbers limit overall vehicle body movement or sway. They support the springs in your car ensuring they don’t rebound on impact over rough surfaces. In this way they absorb and level out jolts to your car. They also do the job of keeping your tyres in contact with the road at all times.

Symptoms of worn Shocks Absorbers

Your tyres and shocks work together so if your shocks are worn your tyres do not grip the road firmly. As shocks gradually wear out you unconsciously adjust your driving to compensate. You may only notice the decreased efficiency when your car struggles to hold the road while cornering or braking quickly.

Your shock absorbers are worn and require replacement if you experience:

  • Vibrations while driving
  • A tapping sound while driving caused by cracked bushing at attachment points
  • Swerving or nose diving when braking
  • Longer braking time
  • Uneven tyre wear
  • Leaking fluid

What to do about worn Shock Absorbers

New cars are fitted with original equipment shock absorbers while on the auto-manufacturer’s production line and are sourced from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Worn shocks will be replaced by the dealership as long as it is within the vehicle’s warranty period.

If you experience problems after your vehicle’s warranty has expired before the next service is due, visit a reputable auto fitment centre affiliated to the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) and who comply with its codes of conduct and Consumer Protection Act guidelines.  

The benefit of fitting shock absorbers at a reliable fitment centre with a national footprint is that should any problems arise, you can have it resolved at any of the branches, wherever you happen to be in the country.

Extract from an article published by SupaQuick South Africa

Simplifying the different types of car seats

A car seat is one of the safest to transport your bundle of joy is in a properly installed car seat. There are many different types of car seat brands and it will take considerable effort and time to research the seat best suited for your child and family.  

Car seats can be divided into categories based on the child’s age and weight.  If you are in the market for a car seat, take a look at the table below:

Type of Child Restraint Weight Range Approx. Age Range
Rearward-facing baby seat Group 0
0 – 10kg (22 lbs)
Birth to 6-9 months
Group 0+
0 – 13kg (29 lbs)
Birth to 12-15 months
i-size
Not based on weight, but check child’s height is within the range for the seat
Up to at least 15 months
Combination seat (Rearward and Forward-facing) Group 0+ and 1
0-18 kg (40 lbs)
Birth to 4 yrs
Group 0+, 1 & 2 (55 lbs)
Birth to 25 kg
Birth to 6 yrs
Forward-facing child seat Group 1
9-18 kg (20 – 40 lbs)
9 months to 4 yrs
Group 1, 2 and 3
9 – 36 kg (20 – 79 lbs)
1 to 11 yrs
High-backed Booster Seat Group 2
15 – 25 kg (33 – 55 lbs)
4 to 6 yrs
High-backed Booster Seat Group 2 and 3
15 – 36 kg (33 – 79 lbs)
4 to 11 yrs
Booster Cushion Group 2 and 3
15 – 36 kg (33 – 79 lbs)
4 to 11 yrs
Booster Cushion Group 3
22 – 36 kg (48 – 79 lbs)
6 to 11 yrs
image courtesy of Wheel Well

Do You Know the History of your Second-Hand Car?

Insurers routinely ‘write off’ vehicles and these vehicles are sold within a salvage contract to auction yards

– Richard Green, National Director of SAMBRA

The South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (SAMBRA), an Association of the Retail Motor Industry (RMI), is concerned about the lack of information available to the market with regards to the status of second-hand vehicles.

Richard Green, National Director of SAMBRA, says at present there is no way for a consumer to find out if the second-hand vehicle they are purchasing has been previously written off.  “Not only does this have serious legal and cost ramifications, but it talks to the safety of motorists and a growing pool of unroadworthy and perhaps even stolen vehicles on our roads,” says Green.

According to Green, insurers routinely ‘write off’ vehicles and these vehicles are sold within a salvage contract to auction yards. 

“While there is nothing wrong with this on face value, the problem comes in when these vehicles, still registered as Code 2 (the description for a used car) are sold to any buyer willing to pay the highest price on auction. In many cases, these vehicles are bought by dubious repairers and sold back into the system for a good profit via digital sales platforms or unsuspecting used car traders. This is where the system goes awfully wrong as the second unsuspecting buyers often ends up with a vehicle that has previously been written off by an insurer, deemed uneconomical to repair. It also has not been reclassified as a Code 3 vehicle and the purchaser has no way of checking the history.”

Most vehicles stolen by professional thieves have a high value and are never recovered

– RICHARD GREEN, NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF SAMBRA

 

Further problems


The other problem facing the industry is if the cars are not repaired and sold on, they can be bought by hijacking syndicates. 

“Most vehicles stolen by professional thieves have a high value and are never recovered, as they’re either stripped for parts and the bodies dumped or re-birthed under new identities. These written off vehicles provides the perfect foil for this illegal activity. The severely damaged vehicles are bought on auction to obtain Code 2 registration documents which are then used to re-register stolen vehicles. The VIN and engine numbers on the stolen or hijacked vehicle is changed to match the “written off” vehicles papers and the scrapped licence plates are used on the stolen car. For the unsuspecting buyer it is almost impossible to check the validity of his car papers,” says Green.

Green adds that it is for these reasons that SAMBRA have requested SAIA (South African Insurance Association) to make this information available in the form of the VIN number of the vehicle so that consumers can be properly informed prior to making a used car purchase decision. 

The information is routinely forwarded to SAIA from all insurance companies yet the request to SAIA has been denied to date. SAMBRA believes a formal, publicly accessible write off register will minimise the illegal use of vehicle identifiers in the re-birthing of stolen vehicles and in curtailing stolen vehicle parts being used in the repair of damaged vehicles. It will also help eliminate unsafe vehicles for unsuspecting purchasers.  

“Practically, if there is not a market for these cars, the practice will have to slow down,” he says.

“Access to the write-off register is the only way one can check those repairable written-off vehicles don’t contain stolen parts and it is the only way to take severely damaged vehicles off the road permanently. We need that “write off’ register as a vehicle remains on the register for the rest of its life, even if it’s repaired or ownership is transferred,” concludes Green.

What You Should Do To Get The Most Out Of Your Tyres

The tyre safety motto is simple: look after your tyres and they’ll look after you. Keeping a close eye on the checklist above and visiting a tyre specialist to balance, align and rotate your wheels at least every 10,000km will keep your tyres in shipshape. 

Also, if you hit a pothole or an obstacle in the road, it’s always a good idea to have a technician inspect your tyres for any damage. Although they might look and feel normal to you, an expert will be able to spot any problems that could put the integrity of your tyres – and your safety – at risk.

It is as important that you maintain the tyres that are attached to your car as you maintain the tyre that isn’t. If anything goes wrong, it’s your spare that will take you from the side of the road to the nearest middle-of-nowhere town.

All of the checks you perform on your tyres apply to your spare too. It’s also necessary to replace your spare occasionally, even if it’s only rarely used, as spare tyres are especially susceptible to losing their structural integrity over time. 

Having your tyres regularly inspected by a tyre specialist not only keeps you safe, it can also increase your tyres’ longevity and saves you money.